PEA bill higher than ever in 6 years

[fredwiggy]

My PEA bill usually fluctuates from around 500 to 1500, which was last month and was the highest ever in 6 years. I've been thinking my bills haven't been right for a long time, just like back in Texas, where they rose very high with no more usage a few times, and it was the meter that was wrong or something else I never figured out. This month it was almost 2000 baht.

 

I usually water my grass from my well, from a water tank I fill up. This past month I only watered two times, and wasn't home at least 9 days that month, meaning the only usage was my refrigerator those 9 days.

 

When I left to visit the states last November, nothing was used besides that refrigerator and the bill was still over 1000 baht, which is impossible because I wasn't home for over 30 days. I'm the only farang in our village and my bill is always higher than anyone else's, but this time I know there's something wrong, as I water my grass every other day when it's not raining, and my bill was never over 1500 baht. Now , with only those 2 watering days, using my pump, it's almost 2000 baht, so, even though it was a little hotter than normal, it's still never been higher than that 1500 baht, and usually around 1200 a month. Anyone else's bill from PEA last month go up that 500 baht or more?

[Korat Kiwi]

Get PEA to check your meter and also to see if some mongrel has tapped into it. 

 

Something seems wrong. 

[Galong]

Yeah, my electric bill has been higher this year than ever before. Last month it was 1,000+ baht higher than the previous month. We didn't do anything 'extra' last month, so this makes no sense. 

[scubascuba3]

April was hottest for 150+ years, so not surprising bills are up, they'll tumble next bill

[KhunBENQ]

2 hours ago, fredwiggy said:

even though it was a little hotter than normal

Nice wording for the worst/longest heat wave in decades.

Our bill about 3 times higher than in "winter" (Dec, Jan).

Worst in previous reading, 3800. This time 3030.

Two story house, three people. Three ACs.

 

You write a lot about watering (using a pump).

No word about size of your home, ACs? How many?

 

If you feel something is wrong:

Main fuse off, watch meter. Does it stand still?

Main fuse on, switch off everything that can be switched off, unplug fridge, TVs, electronic stuff of all kind.

What does the meter say? Hidden device sucking energy in your house/garden?

 

Compare reading on the bill with meter. Do your own intermittent readings.

[Jai Dee]

Topic moved to the Electrical Forum.

 

/Moved.

[Stocky]

2 hours ago, Galong said:

We didn't do anything 'extra' last month, so this makes no sense

You might not have but the compressors on a/c and refrigerators have been working extra hard in the hot weather. Our bill this month was the highest in 20 years of living in Hat Yai; 1183Kwh was the most we've used in a month, and we weren't doing anything extra either.

 

 

,

[KannikaP]

29 minutes ago, KhunBENQ said:

Nice wording for the worst/longest heat wave in decades.

Our bill about 3 times higher than in "winter" (Dec, Jan).

Worst in previous reading, 3800. This time 3030.

Two story house, three people. Three ACs.

 

You write a lot about watering (using a pump).

No word about size of your home, ACs? How many?

 

If you feel something is wrong:

Main fuse off, watch meter. Does it stand still?

Main fuse on, switch off everything that can be switched off, unplug fridge, TVs, electronic stuff of all kind.

What does the meter say? Hidden device sucking energy in your house/garden?

 

Compare reading on the bill with meter. Do your own intermittent readings.

I fitted a WiFI thingy in my fusebox, which sends constant data to a phone app. I can see consumption any time. It seem to agree with my meter readings, which I do every morning....I pass the meter on morning dog walk. 

[Liverpool Lou]

2 hours ago, fredwiggy said:

I'm the only farang in our village and my bill is always higher than anyone else's

So you're suggesting that the PEA is rigging your bill because you're a foreigner - and you're the only one?  Ridiculous.  You really think that the PEA needs B500 extra?  

[Liverpool Lou]

2 hours ago, Galong said:

Yeah, my electric bill has been higher this year than ever before. Last month it was 1,000+ baht higher than the previous month. We didn't do anything 'extra' last month, so this makes no sense. 

You must have "done something extra"...you have an annotated bill with the number of units used and the cost that you can check, units costs have not been increased.   You have used more electricity.

[John Drake]

Western suburbs of Bangkok. Two story house with three air conditioners. April 15 bill: 1910 baht; May 15 bill: 1905 baht. During the winter, I'm usually down to 800 or less, with no a/c usage. In between winter and heat, I may run around 1100 or 1200. Pretty steady year after year, although last year's April and May was cooler and only ran 1500 or so.

[Liverpool Lou]

2 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

April was hottest for 150+ years, so not surprising bills are up, they'll tumble next bill

Yes, agreed.  All these daft posts claiming that "my electric bill has increased and I haven't used any more power than previously" when they have a detailed bill that can easily be checked.   I wonder why none of these complainants ever report back here about the results of the PEA/MEA's subsequent investigations into these "abnormally high" bills?   

[scubascuba3]

3 hours ago, Galong said:

We didn't do anything 'extra' last month, so this makes no sense. 

So many make this same mistake, frequently posted on Facebook 

[bubblegum]

Mine is heart attack high but its been (still is) blistering hot in my part of Issan. I live in Prasat and when it rains in Surin (20 kl up north) its stays dry over here ! It rain like crazy in Sangra ( 60kl east) it remains dry. Its rains in Prasat town, my part is skipped.🤔

[GammaGlobulin]

My bill, too, was much higher this past month....around Bt.6000.00

 

Still, I am happy to have the electrical power supplied to me to keep me cool.

 

Bill is up about 35 percent, in fact.

 

 

[fredwiggy]

1 hour ago, KhunBENQ said:

Nice wording for the worst/longest heat wave in decades.

Our bill about 3 times higher than in "winter" (Dec, Jan).

Worst in previous reading, 3800. This time 3030.

Two story house, three people. Three ACs.

 

You write a lot about watering (using a pump).

No word about size of your home, ACs? How many?

 

If you feel something is wrong:

Main fuse off, watch meter. Does it stand still?

Main fuse on, switch off everything that can be switched off, unplug fridge, TVs, electronic stuff of all kind.

What does the meter say? Hidden device sucking energy in your house/garden?

 

Compare reading on the bill with meter. Do your own intermittent readings.

Meter is down the street about 300 meters.  I use one AC unit, only when I'm sleeping. The same lifestyle all 6 years. This is why I said the bill has never been higher than 1500, and that's been only once in 6 years. It's usually from 500-1200, mean about 800. I only use a fan while watching TV, and that's been unchanged also. No other big electric users besides fridge. It jumped 500 baht from last month's bill, which was 1500. This year has been hotter on average but still the bill did not rise that much until this last month, and I wasn't home at least 9 days and did not water but two times, unlike every other day. I wasn't here that whole month of November last year and it still was over 1000 baht so something is off. Looking at my usual usage over the years it looks like something is off certain times, and this happened a few times wen I lived in Texas, and they always had an excuse for it, while some others bills didn't rise in the same neighborhood those times (friends). My next door neighbor's bill has changed very little over this time. They don't have AC, only fans, kids, TV, etc, and their bills are usually around the same, so this is about my house, and it isn't happening all the time, which leaves out some monthly ghost draw. I'm going to talk to PEA, but this will probably go nowhere, as do most things involving foreigner's complaints here.This is why I'm asking others to see if their bills these last two months have been very high.

[fredwiggy]

1 hour ago, Liverpool Lou said:

So you're suggesting that the PEA is rigging your bill because you're a foreigner - and you're the only one?  Ridiculous.  You really think that the PEA needs B500 extra?  

I didn't suggest anything. I saw my bills in Texas rise for no reasons they gave except they had to pay more for electricity themselves, which they could exaggerate. If a company wanted to screw you, they could make a lot of money on everyone and no one would be the wiser. I don't know what others in the village are paying besides my next door neighbor, who is a relative of sorts, and my ex's mom's house.

[digbeth]

it's been reported in Thai news and social media of 'bill surprise' this month too

 

I have 2 houses, one where we don't use the aircon ever, only water pumps and fridges and the bill's been in line with before

 

while the heat during the day is only a few degrees above average, it's the heat and humidity at night that is unusual you might not notice if you have the aircon on at the same time but they're definitely doing more work to keep you cool

[Liverpool Lou]

52 minutes ago, fredwiggy said:

1 hour ago, Liverpool Lou said:

because you're a foreigner - and you're the only one?  Ridiculous.  You really think that the PEA needs B500 extra?  

I didn't suggest anything. I saw my bills in Texas rise for no reasons they gave except they had to pay more for electricity themselves

"I saw my bills in Texas rise for no reasons they gave..."

So the PEA did not provide you with a bill that detailed the units consumed and the cost?   What have your "bills in Texas" got to do with Thailand's PEA?

[billd766]

My electricity bill went up by 127 units and 971 baht, MY daily consumption went by 4,1 units a day. 

 

Having said that, we had my mate from Germany and his wife for 2 weeks and 6 of the family up for Songkran when there were 11 of us. The water pump was working hard for showers, 3 upstairs and 2 downstairs a/c working about 12 hours a day each.

 

I am quite happy that is all it cost extra.

[Mike Lister]

We don't look at the consumption, only the cost. For most months of the year, our bill is around 1,700 but the last one was 3,200, that's the highest it's ever been in ten years.  Our house has four air con and during the last month, one was running for 18 out of 24 hours approx. Plus my wife runs a bakery business so the ovens are going all day long. All in all a pretty good deal, I reckon.

[Furioso]

it was a little warm last month. 

[fredwiggy]

59 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

"I saw my bills in Texas rise for no reasons they gave..."

So the PEA did not provide you with a bill that detailed the units consumed and the cost?   What have your "bills in Texas" got to do with Thailand's PEA?

Of course PEA gave me a bill, just like all the bills for the last 6 plus years. Electric bills go up a lot, and many people wonder why. You actually trust an electric company to be totally honest? Bills for electricity are based in Texas as they are here. Mine and a few others in my neighborhood's bill rose a few times when the usage was the same as the months before. Their explanation was they had to pay more from where they got their electricity. This does not explain why just a few people I talked to had bills that were higher with the same usage and others did not rise.

 

Like I said. I did not water my grass but two times last month. I usually water it every other day, using my pump. I did not have to refill my water tank as much also, using less electricity. My lawn is very large and includes trees. The heat was higher last month than usual, so I did use more AC, but with less pump usage and the fact I wasn't home for 9 days, the bill should have been much the same as the month before, or even less. Not 500 baht more.

 

Like I also said, I will go to PEA and compare the last few months bills for usage and see what they say, but again, I don't think I'll get the answer I expect. Electric companies are a business, and as many businesses worldwide, they are out to make money, and some aren't honest when they do business, especially when it involves thousands of people.

 

Texas didn't have a legitimate explanation to answer why our bills went up when they should have matched others in our area, especially when ours and their usage was about the same. There was two I remember who's bills went up over a hundred dollars, and one wasn't home that month. The other said his usage was much the same as before. The one who wasn't home had his bill lowered, and they didn't explain what happened. The other's bill wasn't changed, which also shows things aren't just rotten in Denmark. Meters can and do malfunction, so that's another thing I'll have checked. A few of my neighbors back home had the same problem, and sometimes it was the meter, which was switched. They got a refund also.

 

The bill said I used 61 more units this month than the last month's bill, which means my bill should have increased about 285 baht.  What I do find strange, is that most of your posts are ones that stick up for anything Thai, and what I think you don't understand, is that this country is more corrupt than most others worldwide, which means it entails money being made any which way, because a poor country has this happening for many reasons, one of which is plain greed.

[transam]

6 minutes ago, fredwiggy said:

Of course PEA gave me a bill, just like all the bills for the last 6 plus years. Electric bills go up a lot, and many people wonder why. You actually trust an electric company to be totally honest? Bills for electricity are based in Texas as they are here. Mine and a few others in my neighborhood's bill rose a few times when the usage was the same as the months before. Their explanation was they had to pay more from where they got their electricity. This does not explain why just a few people I talked to had bills that were higher with the same usage and others did not rise.

 

Like I said. I did not water my grass but two times last month. I usually water it every other day, using my pump. I did not have to refill my water tank as much also, using less electricity. My lawn is very large and includes trees. The heat was higher last month than usual, so I did use more AC, but with less pump usage and the fact I wasn't home for 9 days, the bill should have been much the same as the month before, or even less. Not 500 baht more.

 

Like I also said, I will go to PEA and compare the last few months bills for usage and see what they say, but again, I don't think I'll get the answer I expect. Electric companies are a business, and as many businesses worldwide, they are out to make money, and some aren't honest when they do business, especially when it involves thousands of people.

 

Texas didn't have a legitimate explanation to answer why our bills went up when they should have matched others in our area, especially when ours and their usage was about the same. There was two I remember who's bills went up over a hundred dollars, and one wasn't home that month. The other said his usage was much the same as before. The one who wasn't home had his bill lowered, and they didn't explain what happened. The other's bill wasn't changed, which also shows things aren't just rotten in Denmark.

Surely your meter isn't being controlled by a guy in a PEA office somewhere....

Where I live, ALL my friends are paying near double during this incredibly hot year, including me...

But checking the previous bills with meter readings shows fridge/freezer, A/C, fans etc have been working overtime.

Though I do look forward to you coming up with evidence that PEA has stitched you and your chums up...😋

[Liverpool Lou]

17 minutes ago, fredwiggy said:

Bills for electricity are based in Texas as they are here.

What are you talking about, PEA bills have nothing to do with Texas.

[Liverpool Lou]

18 minutes ago, fredwiggy said:

Mine and a few others in my neighborhood's bill rose a few times when the usage was the same as the months before. Their explanation was they had to pay more from where they got their electricity.

"...bill rose a few times when the usage was the same..."

So the unit cost increased then, obviously, what do you expect!   Unit costs have not increased in Thailand recently.

[fredwiggy]

3 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

What are you talking about, PEA bills have nothing to do with Texas.

Meaning they are measured the same, units used, power consumption.

[fredwiggy]

13 minutes ago, transam said:

Surely your meter isn't being controlled by a guy in a PEA office somewhere....

Where I live, ALL my friends are paying near double during this incredibly hot year, including me...

But checking the previous bills with meter readings shows fridge/freezer, A/C, fans etc have been working overtime.

Though I do look forward to you coming up with evidence that PEA has stitched you and your chums up...😋

My point was yes, the AC usage increased to keep up with the heat, although I only used it after dark until 5 AM the next morning, as usual, and I didn't use the pump to water the grass but two times , instead of around 18 or so a month like usual, and I was not home 9 days last month, which altogether should have reduced my power consumption. It did say it increased 61 units, which should have cost 285 baht, which would have made the bill around 1785 and not 2000, so something is wrong somewhere.

[Liverpool Lou]

29 minutes ago, transam said:

Though I do look forward to you coming up with evidence that PEA has stitched you and your chums up...😋

Hear, hear.

[Liverpool Lou]

14 minutes ago, fredwiggy said:

It did say it increased 61 units, which should have cost 285 baht, which would have made the bill around 1785 and not 2000, so something is wrong somewhere.

So what did PEA say about it when you queried the bill, a bill for which the charges and consumption are clearly shown and the total can be calculated and checked?