Resort Owner Shocked As Power Bill Soars Over 700,000 Baht

[degrub]

Growth by experience ????

[Ralf001]

5 minutes ago, Crossy said:

Occupancy sensors work pretty well 

https://www.lazada.co.th/products/220v-800w-microwave-sensor-pir-occupancy-body-motion-detector-light-switch-i2653378457-s9541413294.html

To work an A/C this one would need a contactor, but not difficult or expensive.

 

I'd be pissed if the AC shut off whilst I was asleep.

[norbra]

1 hour ago, MJCM said:

Easy solution for that but only works when they leave the room but not for leaving the doors or windows open and keep the air con running

 

 

 

Many of these are not card readers,just a concealed switch.

I have heard of guests inserting the end of a belt into the holder to achieve a connection.

[Crossy]

5 minutes ago, Ralf001 said:

I'd be pissed if the AC shut off whilst I was asleep.

 

It would come back on whilst you were feeling around for the light switch

 

In these days of interconnected everything I'm sure some enterprising individual could come up with a "smart" system with interlinked door and window sensors, occupancy sensors and a time of day reading, throw in some AI to make an educated guess as to whether there was someone in there or not.

 

[KhunLA]

Or usage is up ~40% over last month; 24.6 to 34kWh a day

 

Use 3kWh last night, from midnight till 0700hrs, just keeping the bedroom AC on low, as outside temp was 30°C @ 2230 hrs.  Usually use half that.

 

Prices the resort charges, should cover the bill.  ACs are only on if people in the rooms.  It is high season, so assuming they were busy. Lighting doesn't cost much, or shouldn't. 

 

Cost of business, suck it up, or raise rates like everyone else.  Most hotels are 50% more now, that we've used in the past.

[BangkokReady]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

In the video Amornphan Villa Resort owner said that in the 40 years of operation the monthly power bill had never exceeded 500,000 baht but this month it skyrocketed to 711,470.60 baht despite electricity and air-conditioner usage being the same as before.

It's tough for Thai people to go from a high level of subsidisation protecting them from price/cost rises for decades to normal annual increases, but some things have to come to an end.

[ChipButty]

22 minutes ago, Crossy said:

Occupancy sensors work pretty well 

https://www.lazada.co.th/products/220v-800w-microwave-sensor-pir-occupancy-body-motion-detector-light-switch-i2653378457-s9541413294.html

To work an A/C this one would need a contactor, but not difficult or expensive.

 

They do have some downsides: -

Many moons ago an engineering company decided that they could save on energy by fitting occupancy sensors in the lavatories. These would turn out the lights when nobody was in there.

Unfortunately, the time out in the men's room was just a little too short and sometimes the lights went out when you were in a stall.

The solution was to open the stall door and wave at the sensor.

All fine and dandy until one fateful day the elderly lady cleaner happened to walk in just as a young engineer was waving at the sensor with his trousers round his ankles.

The cleaner survived the experience and the sensors were disabled.

 

I wonder who that young engineer was

Which one you recommend for the A/C? 

[Crossy]

Just now, ChipButty said:

Which one you recommend for the A/C? 

 

I've not done any research other than a quick look on Lazada, so I can't really recommend any particular unit. Sorry.

[JensenZ]

1 hour ago, MJCM said:

Easy solution for that but only works when they leave the room but not for leaving the doors or windows open and keep the air con running

 

 

 

You'll need better than that as you can easily insert a card to keep it on, and if you have a partner, you have 2 keys.

[ChipButty]

3 minutes ago, Crossy said:

 

I've not done any research other than a quick look on Lazada, so I can't really recommend any particular unit. Sorry.

While you are doing nothing, 

[mran66]

3 hours ago, JensenZ said:

 If she has some faulty, dirty or inefficient air conditioners in which the compressors are running full time or most of the time, that will increase the cost of running them by a huge amount.

I've had so many experiences of clogged aircon filters being the reason for ac not being able to cool the room regardless of compressor running full time that have developed habit of checking ac cleanliness first thing after taking the room. More often than not the maintenance is complete neglected. 

[KannikaP]

3 hours ago, JensenZ said:

Maybe some guests have left them running when they go out.

Which cannot be done if electricity is connected via a key card holder. (So ask reception for a second spare key for the Mrs)

Which pi55es me off cos the mini-bar fridge goes off as well and beers get warm.

[Will B Good]

Just read in the BP that 70% of Thailand's electricity supply is bought at 9 baht per kWh from a private company..........I just wondered........could there be anything dodgy going on?

[JensenZ]

25 minutes ago, mran66 said:

I've had so many experiences of clogged aircon filters being the reason for ac not being able to cool the room regardless of compressor running full time that have developed habit of checking ac cleanliness first thing after taking the room. More often than not the maintenance is complete neglected. 

Of course, it's not always easy to know if the compressor is running continuously on a hotel unit as the compressors are far away, but if the unit is not cooling efficiently, you can bet the compressor is always on, and using a huge amount of electricty. We don't know if this resort has big industrial units or local in-room units.

[JensenZ]

1 hour ago, Dante99 said:

Such motion detector switches are easily available, why not just put them in instead of deleted on about the OEMs?

My Daikin unit has a motion sensor which lowers the power usage if there's no one in the room. It needs to wait for no movement for about 20 minutes to activate. I wouldn't be surprised if some units have a built in kill switch.

[Crossy]

48 minutes ago, ChipButty said:

While you are doing nothing, 

 

Fixing a leaky pipe for Madam over-rides all other tasks!

[jaideedave]

1 hour ago, norbra said:

Many of these are not card readers,just a concealed switch.

I have heard of guests inserting the end of a belt into the holder to achieve a connection.

Lol..I witnessed that 1st hand at a resort when the maid inserted the blunt end of a dinner fork into the slot and "presto" the power came on..

[VocalNeal]

2 hours ago, MJCM said:

Easy solution for that but only works when they leave the room but not for leaving the doors or windows open and keep the air con running

 

 

 

Some of those used to be magnetic. I used to hang my motorcycle tank bag over the switch.

[realfunster]

1 hour ago, Crossy said:

Many moons ago an engineering company decided that they could save on energy by fitting occupancy sensors in the lavatories. These would turn out the lights when nobody was in there.

Unfortunately, the time out in the men's room was just a little too short and sometimes the lights went out when you were in a stall.

The solution was to open the stall door and wave at the sensor.

 

You've jogged my memory there, I can recall sitting on the throne waving my arms around in years gone by. Think many hotels used them for a while ?

These toilet light sensors were a big thing around 15-20 years ago, happily I think it was collectively decided to cease and desist from using them.

 

Now we just need to unite to get rid of those damn auto-flush sensors. Quite irritating to have the Niagara Falls roaring under your posterior when trying to read the news on your phone. 

[KhaoNiaw]

34 minutes ago, jaideedave said:

Lol..I witnessed that 1st hand at a resort when the maid inserted the blunt end of a dinner fork into the slot and "presto" the power came on..

Yes, I've seen a friend who always does this. I think the traditional key card just pushes down to make the connection for the power to come on. He just puts some thick card into it to keep the aircon on. 

[brucegoniners]

7 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Time to go solar then. No excuse in a country with so much sunlight for not doing so.

I'll bet his rooms all have airconditioners, and solar would work for them during the day.

 

Of course he could go for the option that many resorts used when I was staying on beaches and only have power in the evening, and cold water showers.

Have you ever looked into solar? The technology still isn't there. Batteries have to be replaced regularly. It's not a great deal. We had it quoted and said no thanks. Wish we could. 

[ChipButty]

2 minutes ago, brucegoniners said:

Have you ever looked into solar? The technology still isn't there. Batteries have to be replaced regularly. It's not a great deal. We had it quoted and said no thanks. Wish we could. 

I once looked into getting a solar powered swimming pool pump it was like 5 time the price of any other good brand pump, 

[JeffersLos]

7 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Time to go solar then. No excuse in a country with so much sunlight for not doing so.

Can you move there to help, as you seem to think the sun shines out of your @rse.

[MrMo]

May be the lady would care to do a TikTok display with the pertinent facts or, as I would assume, just the one fact.   If she bothers to read her bill. she will see that it tells her how many units her meter has recorded as supplying her with during the month.   She will also see that the bill tells her how many units she has been billed for in each of the previous six months.   

Ours has gone from 1,700 to 2,400.   It's the weather.

[BestB]

This is kind of idiotic.

 

Not only cost per unit almost doubled but last month was extremely hot, OF COURSE AC was used more and temps were set much lower than usual.

 

I am truly puzzled why so many do not understand this. Previous months one could easily do without AC for most of the day, fan was enough, last month its unbearable and have to run AC pretty much all day and night, 

 

Even if one uses AC same as before, because of heat AC works "harder" and therefore uses more units

 

It is even more simple than that, check the usage and will clearly see last month usage was higher

[Dazinoz]

53 minutes ago, brucegoniners said:

Have you ever looked into solar? The technology still isn't there. Batteries have to be replaced regularly. It's not a great deal. We had it quoted and said no thanks. Wish we could. 

Do they have grid tie systems in Thailand? I had a system in Australia that didn't have batteries and didn't even consider them. For the 3 years before leaving I had no power bills and in fact received an $800 rebate on closing account. Admittedly I got paid by the electricity provider that I sent back to the grid.

 

Grid tie systems with payment for what is sold back to grid work well for more than just the homeowner. Electricity traditionally comes from power stations. With housing estates getting further away from the sources it costs electricity suppliers more and more in larger longer supply runs, transformer, maintenance, etc. If households were encouraged to install solar via subsidised installations and being paid for what they sell back to the grid it can save on a lot of major infrastructure costs because your power you are putting back into the grid would most likely be used locally. You probably say that wont work at night without batteries and you are right but power consumption does go down at night.

 

 

[kennw]

6 hours ago, ChipButty said:

I'm aware of them but you have to have one that is compatible with the door lock, with that one they can leave it in and go out, The other thing I did see was door sensors that sound off an alarm when left open how good they are I don't know.

Just make it part of the door key security system

[Ralf001]

Put individual meters on each room and inform the tourist they will be charged for each unit used upon check out.

[WilliamSmits]

Maybe do some work on the sealing gaps between doors & posts and around the windows, ceiling etc.. 

Then maintain the airco's,  fix the temperature at 27 degrees and provide a fan

 

Or just close and open again in October?

[loong]

10 hours ago, webfact said:

also mentioned that he lived alone but the power bill has gone up from 800 baht a month to 3,200 baht

His usage must have increased dramatically as such an increase cannot possibly be due to the unit price going up. Maybe the meter is/was faulty?