Worlds most inefficient a/c system in my condo

DonniePeverley · May 7

In the past i've made posts querrying why my electricity bill was often coming at 7000 baht a month. Before i arrived in Thailand i was constantly fed the narrative 'Thailand so cheap' nonsense by influencers so the reality was disappointing. Well i got some answers (sort of) today by one of the agents of the property - and it all boils down to my air conditioning system. For clarification i do stay in a lovely condo.

You see this air conditioning system is built into the ceiling/wall, as a decorative feature - so you have no actual physical box in your room. An example would be the system you see in a decent hotel. These i was told look very lovely, but cost much more to run. And yes they certainly do !!!

Secondly i querried why even when my ambient room temperature is met the system continues to blow air into my room. I was told because this system will continue to run air into your room as an automatic feature (with no ability to turn this option off), even if the temperature is met - albeit the fans out door will not be running when temperature is met. The agent wasn't fully sure why this was, and proceeded to do more research on it as it didn't make any sense to him either.

Anyways, there you have an explanation as to why my electricity bills are so expensive. I have the worlds most beautiful air conditioning system, without an ugly box in the room, albeit an absolute scandal to run.

Edited May 7 by DonniePeverley

shdmn · May 7

Are you sure nobody is stealing electricity from you? Sounds like it happens a lot in Thailand.

The thing about the fans always running sounds like you are talking about inverter aircons, which are considered more efficient.

Quote

The key difference between an inverter and non-inverter air conditioner lies in the design of its compressor motor. That’s the box that sits outside your house or apartment with the big round fan in it. An inverter air conditioner uses microprocessors to control the speed of its compressor motor to match the required output. Once the room is cool or warm, an inverter air conditioner lowers the speed of the motor to save energy and maintain the desired temperature.

https://www.panasonic.com/au/hvac/air-conditioning/learn-more/what-is-inverter-air-conditioner.html

Edited May 7 by shdmn

HappyExpat57 · May 7

Those "built into the wall" aircon systems are deal breakers for me. I'll no longer rent a place that uses them.

scubascuba3 · May 7

2 hours ago, DonniePeverley said:

In the past i've made posts querrying why my electricity bill was often coming at 7000 baht a month. Before i arrived in Thailand i was constantly fed the narrative 'Thailand so cheap' nonsense by influencers so the reality was disappointing. Well i got some answers (sort of) today by one of the agents of the property - and it all boils down to my air conditioning system. For clarification i do stay in a lovely condo.

You see this air conditioning system is built into the ceiling/wall, as a decorative feature - so you have no actual physical box in your room. An example would be the system you see in a decent hotel. These i was told look very lovely, but cost much more to run. And yes they certainly do !!!

Secondly i querried why even when my ambient room temperature is met the system continues to blow air into my room. I was told because this system will continue to run air into your room as an automatic feature (with no ability to turn this option off), even if the temperature is met - albeit the fans out door will not be running when temperature is met. The agent wasn't fully sure why this was, and proceeded to do more research on it as it didn't make any sense to him either.

Anyways, there you have an explanation as to why my electricity bills are so expensive. I have the worlds most beautiful air conditioning system, without an ugly box in the room, albeit an absolute scandal to run.

Replace it or move

Skipalongcassidy · May 7

1 hour ago, HappyExpat57 said:

Those "built into the wall" aircon systems are deal breakers for me. I'll no longer rent a place that uses them.

The average "built into the wall" air conditioner uses 900 watts of energy per hour, while a central air conditioning unit can use upward of 3,000 watts per hour on hot days. At the average utility rate of 10 cents per kilowatt-hour, a central AC unit can add as much as $90 to your monthly utility bill. In other words...

Skipalongcassidy · May 7

3 hours ago, DonniePeverley said:

In the past i've made posts querrying why my electricity bill was often coming at 7000 baht a month. Before i arrived in Thailand i was constantly fed the narrative 'Thailand so cheap' nonsense by influencers so the reality was disappointing. Well i got some answers (sort of) today by one of the agents of the property - and it all boils down to my air conditioning system. For clarification i do stay in a lovely condo.

You see this air conditioning system is built into the ceiling/wall, as a decorative feature - so you have no actual physical box in your room. An example would be the system you see in a decent hotel. These i was told look very lovely, but cost much more to run. And yes they certainly do !!!

Secondly i querried why even when my ambient room temperature is met the system continues to blow air into my room. I was told because this system will continue to run air into your room as an automatic feature (with no ability to turn this option off), even if the temperature is met - albeit the fans out door will not be running when temperature is met. The agent wasn't fully sure why this was, and proceeded to do more research on it as it didn't make any sense to him either.

Anyways, there you have an explanation as to why my electricity bills are so expensive. I have the worlds most beautiful air conditioning system, without an ugly box in the room, albeit an absolute scandal to run.

I do not know where you are from but if you are from a country with a climate similar to where you are now... ie. Southern Florida... I can guarantee that your cost of running an air conditioner is less than half as much here in Thailand... 7000baht ($200) is cheap!

The average window air conditioner uses 900 watts of energy per hour, while a central air conditioning unit can use upward of 3,000 watts per hour on hot days. At the average utility rate of 10 cents per kilowatt-hour, a central AC unit can add as much as 3500 baht to your monthly utility bill.

Get the A/C cleaned and serviced every year and learn to live at 27 to 28 degrees C...

Add a fan in the room to help circulate the air...

Set the auto fan feature instead of the fan speed feature and the unit's fan will only run when the unit is cooling.

Lorry · May 7

I once stayed at a place where aircon cost more than 6000 a month.

It was a very old aircon, and a relativrly high price per unit.

This combination is deadly and can be found often in "cheap" apartments:

salary 13000, rent 5000, aircon 4000.

If it's a condo, you should pay electricity yourself, directly to MEA. No high price per unit. If it's an old aircon, you can move or you buy a new one at your own cost.

JBChiangRai · May 8

The ones you see built into the ceiling usually have a large grill at the back where air is sucked in, often near the door to your room, and they chill the air and throw it out the front to cool the room.

Because they are enclosed like this, they may never have been cleaned which would make them very inefficient, you could try cleaning it.

The other thing to watch out for is what rate you are paying for electricity.

It is illegal for any owner of 5 or more properties to charge more than the PEA/MEA rate and therefore make profit. If they are doing this then you have a problem, because if you complain they will probably cancel your lease.

DonniePeverley · May 8

We've had it cleaned twice in 6 months ! It's a new condo too.

impulse · May 8

Just out of curiosity, what's the OP set his temperature at, and does he run the A/C when he's not home?

$200 a months sounds expensive for a small apartment. But skipalong's right. Anyone from Texas or Florida would be delighted with a $200 bill in the summer. And since energy is an international commodity, Thailand can't be too much cheaper (unless they're subsidizing locals who can't afford their power bill)

Influencers that extoll the cheapness of Thailand are generally living in hotels or hostels where they don't see the power bills, and don't put gas in their car. They just see the street vendors selling chicken rice for $1.00 and the girls peddling their wares much cheaper than "back home".

If the AC has a wall plug (like most split units do), I'd suggest a power monitor like this to see what it's actually using. Run all the traps like cleaning the filters, make sure it's properly charged, etc.

https://www.lazada.co.th/products/benetech-gm86-wattmeter-monitor-a-watt-220v-10a2200w-i2473860264.html

BTW, I loved the split units where I could cool just one room, or all the rooms.

digbeth · May 8

7 minutes ago, impulse said:

...
If the AC has a wall plug (like most split units do), I'd suggest a power monitor like this to see what it's actually using. Run all the traps like cleaning the filters, make sure it's properly charged, etc. ...

Most split unit installation in Thailand don't use plug and sockerts, but instead wired in often with separate breaker from the consumer unit, so smart plug/power monitor that can go between will be difficult, getting smart breaker to replace the existing one is probably easier

impulse · May 8

1 minute ago, digbeth said:

Most split unit installation in Thailand don't use plug and sockerts, but instead wired in often with separate breaker from the consumer unit, so smart plug/power monitor that can go between will be difficult, getting smart breaker to replace the existing one is probably easier

Good catch. My apartment was old enough that I had a wall socket for each AC. They were up high on the wall, next to the unit. So did the past couple of older hotels I've recently stayed in. I checked. But again, those were all older buildings.

That was my assumption, that "most" are like that. It may have been a bad assumption, and I stand corrected. In that case, I'd be looking for a DIN rail power monitor, like this: (get a proper electrician to wire it...)

https://www.lazada.co.th/products/ac-monitor-110220380100a-kwh-i4249278785.html

scubascuba3 · May 8

10 hours ago, DonniePeverley said:

In the past i've made posts querrying why my electricity bill was often coming at 7000 baht a month. Before i arrived in Thailand i was constantly fed the narrative 'Thailand so cheap' nonsense by influencers so the reality was disappointing. Well i got some answers (sort of) today by one of the agents of the property - and it all boils down to my air conditioning system. For clarification i do stay in a lovely condo.

You see this air conditioning system is built into the ceiling/wall, as a decorative feature - so you have no actual physical box in your room. An example would be the system you see in a decent hotel. These i was told look very lovely, but cost much more to run. And yes they certainly do !!!

Secondly i querried why even when my ambient room temperature is met the system continues to blow air into my room. I was told because this system will continue to run air into your room as an automatic feature (with no ability to turn this option off), even if the temperature is met - albeit the fans out door will not be running when temperature is met. The agent wasn't fully sure why this was, and proceeded to do more research on it as it didn't make any sense to him either.

Anyways, there you have an explanation as to why my electricity bills are so expensive. I have the worlds most beautiful air conditioning system, without an ugly box in the room, albeit an absolute scandal to run.

You've not provided any details, maybe make more effort,

- size of condo?

- units used?

- net charge per unit?

- AC hours used?

- other relevant info?

Amazing how many people post here and facebook with loads of info missing but expecting good answers

chuang · May 8

Didn't find the real reason and you already called it a scandal ..

World most xxxxccccc ..

CanadaSam · May 8

I use my a/c 24/7 and my bill has never approached even $100! Usually it is right around 2000 baht, as high as 2500 during these recent heatwaves.

OP, I would immediately call a very experience a/c guy and find out your possible options.

And there would be a circuit breaker or fuse only for your a/c unit that you could just turn off, in case you wished to fit a new a/c (split unit, inverter type, check the power consumption stars for maximum savings.)

Bobthegimp · May 8

I've been looking at leasing a condo and wondered what the deal is with the units you described. The last place I rented (35m2, Pattaya side of building) had an inverter mini split and my electricity bills never exceeded 700 baht.

If a new mini spit is only 15k baht (including installation) it might be worth the investment, even for a filthy renter.

paul1804 · May 8

13 hours ago, DonniePeverley said:

In the past i've made posts querrying why my electricity bill was often coming at 7000 baht a month. Before i arrived in Thailand i was constantly fed the narrative 'Thailand so cheap' nonsense by influencers so the reality was disappointing. Well i got some answers (sort of) today by one of the agents of the property - and it all boils down to my air conditioning system. For clarification i do stay in a lovely condo.

You see this air conditioning system is built into the ceiling/wall, as a decorative feature - so you have no actual physical box in your room. An example would be the system you see in a decent hotel. These i was told look very lovely, but cost much more to run. And yes they certainly do !!!

Secondly i querried why even when my ambient room temperature is met the system continues to blow air into my room. I was told because this system will continue to run air into your room as an automatic feature (with no ability to turn this option off), even if the temperature is met - albeit the fans out door will not be running when temperature is met. The agent wasn't fully sure why this was, and proceeded to do more research on it as it didn't make any sense to him either.

Anyways, there you have an explanation as to why my electricity bills are so expensive. I have the worlds most beautiful air conditioning system, without an ugly box in the room, albeit an absolute scandal to run.

Some basics are dont try and run the temperature too low and use it in conjunction with a good ceiling fan which makes a huge difference to your room temperature versus the temperature you have the AC set on. I run mine on 27C with a ceiling fan and its quite comfortable, especially for sleeping. Most modern AC's are at least single inverter and often double which means your AC's motors slow down when the desired temperature is obtained and speed up when the actual temperature rises above the set temperature. If your are already doing this and feel your bill is excessive find a smart English speaking AC technician and get him to check it out. BTW I presume its a stand alone system specifically for your condo and not a ducted system shared with other condos???

SingAPorn · May 8

If you can ...go solar. If you can,..

Lorry · May 8

5 hours ago, impulse said:

Influencers that extoll the cheapness of Thailand are generally living in hotels or hostels where they don't see the power bills, and don't put gas in their car. They just see the street vendors selling chicken rice for $1.00 and the girls peddling their wares much cheaper than "back home".

Very true.

Except that the girls aren't cheaper here than in my home country.

And sometimes they just lie, like the youtuber pretending you get a 120sqm house right on the beach of Koh Samui for 16000 baht per month.

Or the guy saying a prostitute travel companion for 3 weeks charges 3000 baht (for 3 weeks, not per day or per hour).

Dazinoz · May 8

The internal fan always runs when AC unit is on so it can circulate the air and monitor temperature so it knows when to stop/start the compressor in the outdoor unit. The outdoor unit fan basically only runs when the compressor is running as that is when the heat is needed to be removed.

scubascuba3 · May 8

30 minutes ago, Dazinoz said:

The outdoor unit fan basically only runs when the compressor is running as that is when the heat is needed to be removed.

Doesn't that depend if it's an inverter or the traditional on/off type?

Keeps · May 8

6 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

You've not provided any details, maybe make more effort,

- size of condo?

- units used?

- net charge per unit?

- AC hours used?

- other relevant info?

Amazing how many people post here and facebook with loads of info missing but expecting good answers

I can't see where the OP has asked a question and is looking for answers?

Chris Daley · May 8

They're all inefficient if a Thai person is in the room. On off on off on off 27 29 off 30 25 29 sliding doors wide open.

Edited May 8 by Chris Daley

AgMech Cowboy · May 8

I (well, my wife) owns a house. We have an A/C in all of our rooms (except the toilets/aka bathrooms). That's 11 A/Cs. We've replace 4 and there are 3 news ones which were installed when my wife added a very large room to the side of the house and a small building in the back (one of the replacements is for one of the newer ones, funny how it quit just asthe warranty finished.)

Anyway, my point is... In Thailand, if you turn on the A/C the fan in the house never turns off when the temperature is reached like they do with a central air system in the US (or even a window unit). Only the compressor and the compressor fan in the outside unit turns off. We have mostly Carriers (installed in 2005) when we built the house. The others are LG, Sharp and Samsung. To save electricity, I set my temperature at 26C for night time sleeping with a fan blowing on me directly to move my body heat away. During the day I set the temperature at 27-29, again with a low fan blowing on me. If no one is in a room, the air is turned off.

Dazinoz · May 8

12 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

Doesn't that depend if it's an inverter or the traditional on/off type?

Possibly the outdoor fan runs more when the compressor is not running to cool the electronics which there is a stack of in an inverter. Good to save money when running but cost a fortune the electronics fail.

NoshowJones · May 9

On 5/8/2024 at 4:57 AM, scubascuba3 said:

Replace it or move

Maybe slightly of topic, but I always used the Nana Hotel when I was in Bangkok, but the AC now has buttons on the wall which makes it far difficult to use, the second last time I put up with it, but the last time I was kept awake at night because it was so cold.

I moved out the next day and have not been back since. Pity that because I enjoyed their buffet breakfast.

CecilM · May 9

Expensive A/C ... move elsewhere. No one forces you to stay in a beautiful building with bad cooling system.

7k is a lot, but not crazy. I know a studio apartment where a tenant paid 15k month.

novacova · May 9

On 5/7/2024 at 12:36 PM, DonniePeverley said:

I was told because this system will continue to run air into your room as an automatic feature (with no ability to turn this option off), even if the temperature is met - albeit the fans out door will not be running when temperature is met. The agent wasn't fully sure why this was, and proceeded to do more research on it as it didn't make any sense to him either.

Do you have the original remote for that a/c unit? Or is it a universal replacement? In order to use all the functions of the a/c unit, the correct remote for the unit is necessary.

OneMoreFarang · May 9

On 5/8/2024 at 2:36 AM, DonniePeverley said:

there you have an explanation as to why my electricity bills are so expensive

No, it's more an explanation of the ignorance of one person.

I am happy to pay my electric bill and pay a little extra for nice and cool.

The alternative is to pay a lot for heating in the winter somewhere back home. No.

OneMoreFarang · May 9

On 5/8/2024 at 6:04 AM, Lorry said:

salary 13000

You are doing something wrong.

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