7,500 electric bill for the month

[QuantumQuandry]

My place is around 100 sqm.  I run aircon in half of it at 19, at night, when I sleep.  During the day, I run aircon in the other half at 23 for half the night and use fans the other half.

 

Computer and TV always on, girl cooks at home every day.  Bill is a bit over 4k.

 

There's a lot of factors, though.  Like how old and <deleted>ty your aircon is.  How much cooking you do (that eats up more than computer, in my experience).  Whether you get good airflow and what kind of sun you get.

 

Remember, it's not just what temp you keep your aircon at, it's how hard your aircon has to work to get it there.

 

 

[ChaiyaTH]

If you run AC at 23 celcius in 2 bedrooms, that can certainly add up in condo's. It is even worse if you somehow are right at the concrete walls where the suns shine on all day is what I believe is usually the cause. I had even studio rooms, with that reason giving me 2.5K bills on 30 square meters. 

Same time I had units that were in the middle and with only sun in the morning on the front balcony, where my bill would easily stay at 1-1.5K max, with 45 square meters.

 

These higher and lower bills never had anything to do with faulty meters, stealing of electric or higher rates, I always received the direct electric bills, so I am pretty sure that is purely related to the AC usage in combination with either a lot of leaking of the cold air, or influence from concrete walls that are impossible to cool down.

 

The last place I had this a few years ago, the walls would still be very warm at 3AM, while I was running AC since 2PM that day. I'm pretty sure if you would change the temperature to 26-27 celcius for a full month, you are going to see a decrease of 1.5-2K.

 

Now I live in a normal house again, we use also 2 bedrooms AC every night, and our bill is barely 1.2-1.5K a month or 2-2.5K in hot season. Condo's suck.

Edited February 24 by ChaiyaTH

[sometimewoodworker]

4 hours ago, ABCDBKK said:

AC units use the most electricity out of anything in the home.

That depends on your home. Just ask anyone with teenage females in the house. It is not uncommon to find them taking hot showers that could be well over 30 minutes long, more than once a day. So in a situation like that the hot water will be using the most power, possibly 3 time as much as the AC units!

[sometimewoodworker]

4 hours ago, ABCDBKK said:

!

Edited February 24 by sometimewoodworker

[scubascuba3]

7 hours ago, ABCDBKK said:

If you have a clothes dryer and run that once a week for a few hours then that could use a lot of electricity too. 

In Otteri type places dryers are about 50 baht for 40 minutes

[scubascuba3]

The added mystery is other condos also have high bills

[Mike Lister]

We have a house that has 4 aircon units and all the other usual things such as TV, computers and appliances. We do laundry every second day (approx) whilst aircon is used only during certain months of the year because the house is very well insulated. Two air purifiers run 24x7 for six months of the year. 3 or 4 showers per day.

 

But my wife runs a bakery business that sees the oven being used for several hours each day plus all the usual meals are prepared. Outside, we have two deep well pumps and pumps for sprinklers which run for a couple of hours per day plus overnight security and house lights.

 

Our electric bills run between 1,500 and 2,500 per month, based on the months of the year and aircon usage. In 10 years we've never had a bill higher than 2,600 for one month.

[JimTripper]

If you're getting a bill from condo management you're not on goverment rate. There's no reason for them to bother doing that unless they are padding the rate. Unpadded bills from the utility company would arrive direct to your mailbox.

[Crossy]

@JoeyMac how big is your condo? 

 

Lots of windows? Which way do they face?

 

If you can't actually determine the actual A/C size we can "guesstimate" from that info.

 

  

[Gsxrnz]

OP - get the meter checked for accuracy.  My condo with three bedrooms, two bathrooms, three adults and four a/c units cumulatively runs about 35 hours of a/c per day at 27 degrees. PEA bill is 3k to 3.5k baht per month depending on season.

 

I won't be getting my meter checked for accuracy.

[ABCDBKK]

6 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

The added mystery is other condos also have high bills

Or so the condo management office has stated. If they are somehow involved in the bills being too high then any information they provide can't be relied upon.  

[ABCDBKK]

6 hours ago, Mike Lister said:

We have a house that has 4 aircon units and all the other usual things such as TV, computers and appliances. We do laundry every second day (approx) whilst aircon is used only during certain months of the year because the house is very well insulated. Two air purifiers run 24x7 for six months of the year. 3 or 4 showers per day.

 

But my wife runs a bakery business that sees the oven being used for several hours each day plus all the usual meals are prepared. Outside, we have two deep well pumps and pumps for sprinklers which run for a couple of hours per day plus overnight security and house lights.

 

Our electric bills run between 1,500 and 2,500 per month, based on the months of the year and aircon usage. In 10 years we've never had a bill higher than 2,600 for one month.

Sounds like your meter could be malfunctioning too. Would you be interested to sell it? 😂

[JGon]

I run my AC's 24/7 at 25C (Except the few nights were the temperatures dropped below 20C or maintenance). Then the usual (Many Fans/TV/Microwave/ Electric Water Heaters/Hairdryer etc..) My bill is usually 2,000-3,000 baht a month. 

 

Electricity usage is one of those things that is basically math. Once you know your unit price, then it's all about how much each appliance uses.  

 

BTW- AC are not the most consuming items in your home... if they mean over time, yes (like me that pretty much use them 24/7) But here are some typical wattages of home appliances:

 

Electric Water Heaters: 3,000-5,000 watts

Range/Oven: 2,000-5,000 watts

Clothes Dryer (Electric): 2,000-5,000 watts

Split unit Air Conditioner: 900-1,200 watts (12,000 BTU)

Window Air Conditioner: 500-1,500 watts

Clothes Washer: 500-1,000 watts

Dishwasher: 1,200-1,500 watts (excluding heating water)

Refrigerator: 100-800 watts

Microwave Oven: 600-1,200 watts

Vacuum Cleaner: 500-1,500 watts

Television (LCD/LED): 50-150 watts

Desktop Computer and Monitor: 100-800 watts

Laptop Computer: 50-100 watts

Ceiling Fan: 15-90 watts

Coffee Maker: 600-1,200 watts

Toaster: 800-1,500 watts

Hair Dryer: 800-1,800 watts

Iron: 1,000-1,800 watts

Blender: 300-1,000 watts

 

But to contribute to the topic... it's simple. Your condo management is somehow "adjusting" consumption for all tenants. 

[JimTripper]

20 minutes ago, JGon said:

I run my AC's 24/7 at 25C (Except the few nights were the temperatures dropped below 20C or maintenance). Then the usual (Many Fans/TV/Microwave/ Electric Water Heaters/Hairdryer etc..) My bill is usually 2,000-3,000 baht a month. 

 

Electricity usage is one of those things that is basically math. Once you know your unit price, then it's all about how much each appliance uses.  

 

BTW- AC are not the most consuming items in your home... if they mean over time, yes (like me that pretty much use them 24/7) But here are some typical wattages of home appliances:

 

Electric Water Heaters: 3,000-5,000 watts

Range/Oven: 2,000-5,000 watts

Clothes Dryer (Electric): 2,000-5,000 watts

Split unit Air Conditioner: 900-1,200 watts (12,000 BTU)

Window Air Conditioner: 500-1,500 watts

Clothes Washer: 500-1,000 watts

Dishwasher: 1,200-1,500 watts (excluding heating water)

Refrigerator: 100-800 watts

Microwave Oven: 600-1,200 watts

Vacuum Cleaner: 500-1,500 watts

Television (LCD/LED): 50-150 watts

Desktop Computer and Monitor: 100-800 watts

Laptop Computer: 50-100 watts

Ceiling Fan: 15-90 watts

Coffee Maker: 600-1,200 watts

Toaster: 800-1,500 watts

Hair Dryer: 800-1,800 watts

Iron: 1,000-1,800 watts

Blender: 300-1,000 watts

 

But to contribute to the topic... it's simple. Your condo management is somehow "adjusting" consumption for all tenants. 

Are you happy breathing stale chemical treated air all day and night? A/c makes me feel like I'm at work in an office.

[JGon]

15 minutes ago, JimTripper said:

Are you happy breathing stale chemical treated air all day and night? A/c makes me feel like I'm at work in an office.

Chemically treated?! LOL The way an AC inverter works is the air is drawn into the unit through a filter. This filter captures particles from the air, such as dust, pollen, and other allergens. Mine has a HEPA filter, plus there’s another filter in the room keeping the PM 2.5 in the single digits… compared to the triple digits reading outside… especially now in the “burning” season. Anyway… then the air moves over the evaporator coils. These coils are filled with refrigerant, which absorbs heat from the air as it changes from a liquid to a gas. This process cools the air down.

 

The refrigerant is then pumped outside the room via lines to the condenser coils, (The other part of the split unit AC… easy to see with the big fan) that’s where it releases the absorbed heat and changes back into a liquid. There are no chemicals being release anywhere lol It the same air inside room being circulated through a very cold evaporators coils or air conditioning 😁

 

But to answer your question yes I do go outside... it's just that my A/C keep running. It's an inverter with a very high SEER (Efficiency) that's why my electric bill remains relatively low despite high usage. 

[Liverpool Lou]

18 hours ago, Mike Lister said:

Condo's are notorious for padding electricity bills.

Apartment blocks have the reputation of overcharging per unit, condos are usually billed directly to the owners, at government rates, from MEA or PEA. 

[scubascuba3]

1 hour ago, JGon said:

But to contribute to the topic... it's simple. Your condo management is somehow "adjusting" consumption for all tenants. 

Why would they do that if the bill payment goes straight to the electricity company?

[retarius]

Stop complaining it's only US$200 . If you live in a brilliant flashy condo, it should be no problem for you. Perhaps you would like to do without electricity instead and go off grid?

[spidermike007]

It's very important here when moving into a new rental to discuss electric rates. It's very common for landlords to use that as a profit center, which should be illegal but it's not. Often times they will double the cost of electricity so that's always something that I discuss during the lease negotiations, and if the landlord is not willing to charge me the actual rate from the PEA, I won't rent the house or condo. 

[Liverpool Lou]

19 hours ago, Lacessit said:

As other posters have suggested, the OP's bills are obviously padded by the condo.

That's not at all "obvious".  "Padding" suggests that he is being illegally charged for units that he has not used.

[flexomike]

20 hours ago, JoeyMac said:

I'm in a brand new condo. High end of the market. 

 

You always heard the stories how cheap utilities were in Thailand, but at the moment my utility bill for electric is actually more expensive than the USA ! 

 

My latest bill came to 7,500. I verified the meter reading and it was indeed accurate. 

 

We sparadically use an a/c in the main living room for about an hour during the day - no more. We have two bedrooms, so we do have our a/c on for the evening at a temperate of around 23 degree whilst we sleep. 

 

We have one laptop, and one Mac computer, usual charging of phones. TV is on around 6-7 hours. 

 

When i querried it, i was told my bill was quite the average for the condo building. 

 

Thoughts as to what could be going on here  ? 

that is about what I paid this week and we have five buildings, several pumps, someone must have tapped into you

[scottiejohn]

21 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

It's very important here when moving into a new rental to discuss electric rates. It's very common for landlords to use that as a profit center, which should be illegal but it's not.

There are laws in place regarding Utility charges by landlords!

 

http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/tap-water-electricity-fees-apartments-come-legal-control-may-1/

[JGon]

2 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

Why would they do that if the bill payment goes straight to the electricity company?

 

Not sure why... but in the land of agents or I know someone... anything is possible.

 

But the thing about electricity is that is all numbers. The appliances spend a set amount... the meter reads a certain amount... and that certain amount cost X amount. So, they might think it easy to scam but in reality, is not… if you pay attention and do some quick math you will know if something is wrong.

[JeffersLos]

It sounds like the office and neighbors have all connected to run through his meter. 

 

Plug out everything and read the meter on Friday morning. Go away for a long weekend. Read the meter again when you return. 

[KannikaP]

4 hours ago, JGon said:

I run my AC's 24/7 at 25C (Except the few nights were the temperatures dropped below 20C

Why would you run an a/c at a higher temperature than the air outside?

[JeffersLos]

3 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Apartment blocks have the reputation of overcharging per unit, condos are usually billed directly to the owners, at government rates, from MEA or PEA. 

 

He says that his are direct to the MEA.

 

But yes, went we rented condos it was stated from the office contract that it was 7 baht per unit. An extra way they make money from their tenants as we didn't pay annual maintenance fees like the owners of other units. 

[steven100]

the neighbor is hooked onto your power supply.

[JGon]

5 minutes ago, KannikaP said:

Why would you run an a/c at a higher temperature than the air outside?

My house has insulation, so even if is... lets' say 22C outside... inside it might be 26C. Once it reaches 25C the AC will attempt to stay there. If it gets colder, it shuts off even though it's technically on. I had on on early morning hours when it was 15-16C outside. But it wasn't throwing any air. This is not the old on/off AC from decades ago.

[spidermike007]

3 hours ago, scottiejohn said:

There are laws in place regarding Utility charges by landlords!

 

http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/tap-water-electricity-fees-apartments-come-legal-control-may-1/

Well most seem to ignore them, and we all know how difficult the legal system is here, so how many tenants are going to take a landlord to court to fight them over an electric bill?

[scottiejohn]

16 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

Well most seem to ignore them, and we all know how difficult the legal system is here, so how many tenants are going to take a landlord to court to fight them over an electric bill?

 

Please do not attack the messenger just because I contradicted your comment;

"It's very common for landlords to use that as a profit center, which should be illegal but it's not."

Not true as I stated above!

 

I do not enforce the law in Thailand!

 

I was just correcting your erroneous statement!

 

I would suggest to future prospective "tenants" that they ask the utility charges and when quotes are higher than the law states that they either walk out or negotiate under the law!

 

The renter is boss given the present market forces!!

Edited February 25 by scottiejohn
changed boss for k!ng! in case of LM probs!