Causes of High Electricity Bills in Thai Apartments

[CharlieH]

 

Uncovering the Causes of High Electricity Bills in Thailand

Have you ever been stunned by a high electricity bill, despite being mindful of your usage? It can be incredibly frustrating when the costs pile up and you're left wondering what went wrong. However, there's often a rationale behind these unexpected expenses.

Let's delve into one woman's experience to see if her situation resonates with you. You might discover that your own habits with electric devices are impacting your bills in ways you hadn't anticipated. Join us as we explore this revealing case study and uncover potential solutions.

 

Running the air conditioner for 4 hours a day

 

A Taiwanese woman recently moved into a new rental apartment and noticed a shocking increase in her electricity bill, which has tripled compared to her previous accommodation. She only used her air conditioner for about 4 hours a day at 28 degrees Celsius. However, she couldn’t understand why her bills were so high. So, she shared her frustrations on Dcard with the topic “The air conditioning bill in my rental is shockingly high.” Many netizens have shared different opinions on her post and expert also has revealed two main reasons.

Factors behind the surge from expert

Young woman using home technology I Photo from Freepik

Inefficient appliances and home systems

One big reason for those sky-high electricity bills could be the inefficiency of the appliances in your home, especially the air conditioning unit. If you’re using older or less energy-efficient appliances, they can draw a lot more power than you might expect, causing your bills to soar.

For instance, if your air conditioner isn’t optimised for energy efficiency, it might struggle to keep your space comfortable, even when you set it to a higher temperature like 28 degrees Celsius. This means it’s working harder—and using more electricity—than necessary. It’s worth taking a closer look at how your appliances are performing, whether they could be costing you more than they should!

One user questioned, “Is the air conditioner energy-efficient? The difference is too great,” suggesting that an inefficient model could significantly impact electricity consumption. Another user shared their experience, stating, “I run the air conditioner almost 24 hours a day because I have a dog, setting it to 25 degrees, and my last electricity bill was only 2,700 Taiwanese dollars (about 2,766 baht).” This comparison highlights how different models and usage patterns can lead to varying costs.

Differences in home insulation and size

Another important factor that came up was the size of the living space. An expert pointed out that “a large area combined with a fixed-speed air conditioner can really drive up electricity costs, especially if the compressor is running all the time.” They highlighted that not just the size of the room, but also its orientation—like rooms facing west—can significantly affect energy use. It’s a reminder that the layout and design of our homes can have a big impact on your bills!

 

Inadequate insulation can let that precious cool air slip out while allowing warm air to seep in. That means your AC has to use more energy to maintain a comfortable temperature. This can lead to higher energy consumption and, of course, those unexpected bills. It might be a good idea to assess how well your space is insulated and whether it’s affecting your comfort and costs!

Reason for increased costs shared by netizen

In addition to concerns about efficiency and space, netizens offered further insights into why electricity bills might be high.

Age and model of the air conditioner

One commenter suggested that an old air conditioning unit could be a major contributor to high costs: “Your air conditioner is an old model that consumes a lot of energy and is fixed-speed! There’s no solution! The only way is to replace the air conditioner!” This highlights how outdated technology can lead to inefficiency.

Landlord’s responsibility

However, some users pointed out that changing the air conditioner may not be straightforward. One noted, “Changing the air conditioner depends on the landlord. When you signed the lease, that was the model in place. They aren’t obligated to replace it; they can still rent it out as is. Only if it can’t be rented would the landlord consider changing it.” This underscores the complexities involved in addressing high electricity bills in rental situations.

Resulting impact on electricity costs

Because of these factors, the woman saw her prepaid card balance plummet from 2,000 Taiwanese dollars (around 2,049 baht) to just 970 Taiwanese dollars (about 993 baht) in the span of only a week. To put that in perspective, at her previous rental, she managed to keep a similar balance for about a month and a half, even while setting her air conditioner to lower temperatures of 25-26 degrees Celsius.

This startling jump in her electricity costs left her questioning whether these kinds of bills are typical for new apartments. Frustrated and curious, she reached out to others to see if anyone else was facing similar challenges. After the homeowner inspecting the electrical and water systems in her new home, everything appeared normal. However, she remains baffled by the high electricity bills and sought input from others in an online thread, asking, “Is this really normal?”

This woman’s experience serves as a valuable reminder that even when we’re mindful about our energy use. Unexpected costs can still catch us off guard. Inefficient appliances and poor insulation are common culprits that can drive up electricity bills, often without us realising it. So, the next time you’re surprised by a bill, take a moment to investigate the underlying reasons. You might discover opportunities for improvement on reducing electricity bills!

 

 

Original article

[JackSinclair]

The typical apartment owner charges the tenant 10 to12 baht per unit, when the government price per unit is approximately 5 baht.  Why would there be any incentive for the owner to help save electric?

[LALes]

Always ask who pays the electric and if you are paying the government rate when renting an apartment.  If you can't see the actual bill, move on.

[john donson]

no but I am shocked by hidden extra CAM fees the juristic office is charging every owner plus upping the fee on top from 35 to 50 sqm

[black tabby12345]

The air conditioner (inverter type) is LG(S/Korean maker) over 20 years old.

I have been using this for the past 18 years.

But still work very well and never wastes power.

When I run it for 4 hours at 28℃, the meter moves 3 notches.

But no more than that.

 

My energy saving tip:

1-Always use A/C it at 28℃.

 

2-Us the fan and A/C  at the same time:

3 fans in my room. 1 in the ceiling. Another 2  on the floor. I often run 2 together to make me feel cooler.

One placed on the right(or left) side. Another under the desk(to cool my thigh and waist; where often sweats most while sitting in a chair).

 

3-Avoid using cooking utensils like microwave/electric kettles/rice cooker  with A/C.

A/C is the biggest power eater. If you use it with microwave, the unit meter will move a lot faster than without it.

 

This way, my power consumption is always well under control.

My power usage is usually between:

40(cool dry season Nov-Feb)

80(hot/humid  season Mar-Oct)

Unit price in my place is currently:THB8/unit(used to be 6, 18 years ago).

Edited October 4 by black tabby12345

[Sydebolle]

Don't forget the little mark-up of 300% which some landlords believe is OK. Many many moons ago I was looking for an apartment and was told that utilities are debited and collected by the landlord. 
The m3 of water was then charged with 75 Baht (official fee a ridiculous franction of it) while electricity would cost 25 Baht a unit (official tariff 4 Baht). The difference in the electricity was explained with elevator and staircase lights. 

I opted to take up another lease with a direct billing of electricity by the service provider. Nothing wrong in asking to see previous electricity and water bills as this is an instrumental piece of information in making up your mind, if you enter a lease or not! 

[GammaGlobulin]

Always check the markings on the side of the  condenser unit, and calculate the EER of the unit...before moving in.

 

The lower the EER, and if the landlord charges more than PEA rates, the more money in the  pocket of the landlord.

 

Maybe find a  place without an AC, and then install your own, if you plan on being there for a while.

 

You can always take it with you, when you move to a new place.

 

 

[Snackbar]

Ignorance probably 

[ronster]

Common cause being the landlord ripping people off charging far more than the government rate ! 

If you want to see this clear as day look at samui property for rent , 7-10 bht per unit and no doubt it will keep rising !

[john donson]

my ex wife is renting our old house but the meter info is still on my app...  renters start with 10k electrical bill the first month, putting all BIG compressor  airco's on for many hours or even all day... always thought they were oversized for that house, but whatever... Over the months, I see the bills go down to 8k, 6k, 3k, then they break the contract early after a few months... they sure did not expect 100k extra a year, on 'normal' usage, but ex will not change them... good for her... so I can have a laugh

[crazykopite]

I have my inverter Daikin air con units serviced twice a year the guy strips them and cleans them and tops up the gas 500 baht per unit I don’t use them that much as I have Mr Ken ceiling fans AC to DC super quiet I live them on all the time my aircon units give me constant hot water supply throughout my villa my average government bill is 2/3,000 baht inclusive per month direct from PEA that includes service charge for my own 30kw transformer that includes swimming pool 

4 hours ago, ronster said:

Common cause being the landlord ripping people off charging far more than the government rate ! 

If you want to see this clear as day look at samui property for rent , 7-10 bht per unit and no doubt it will keep rising !

A lot of the apartments on Samui you get you electricity bill direct from PEA REPLAY is a good example your monthly maintenance/ management charge includes all the outside area and the huge swimming pools it’s mainly the private properties that charge more and a lot of them like me have their own transformers which are not cheap to purchase and PEA charge a monthly fee 

[KannikaP]

On 10/4/2024 at 12:18 PM, black tabby12345 said:

40(cool dry season Nov-Feb)

80(hot/humid  season Mar-Oct)

40 or 80 what per what please. Units per day, month?

[KannikaP]

On 10/5/2024 at 12:13 PM, GammaGlobulin said:

Always check the markings on the side of the  condenser unit, and calculate the EER of the unit...before moving in.

 

The lower the EER, and if the landlord charges more than PEA rates, the more money in the  pocket of the landlord.

 

Maybe find a  place without an AC, and then install your own, if you plan on being there for a while.

 

You can always take it with you, when you move to a new place.

 

 

How does one do that please. My new TCL says the SEER is 18.7 which is supposed to be good. EER?

Edited October 8 by KannikaP

[KannikaP]

19 minutes ago, crazykopite said:

my aircon units give me constant hot water supply throughout my villa

Aircon giving hot water? How please?

[KannikaP]

On 10/4/2024 at 12:18 PM, black tabby12345 said:

The air conditioner (inverter type) is LG(S/Korean maker) over 20 years old.

Were Inverters available that long ago?

[GammaGlobulin]

36 minutes ago, KannikaP said:

How does one do that please. My new TCL says the SEER is 18.7 which is supposed to be good. EER?

 

Please just do math.

Check for the heat output in BTU/h

Divide by watts.

You get EER in BTU per hour divided by power used, in watts.

 

The SEER is another measurement based on predicted use during a season, and also....based on predicted ambient temps, seasonally predicted. 

 

a SEER of 24 is OK, by the way, for most modern ACs.

The EER ratings are usually higher in lower capacity ACs, such as the 10,000 to 18,000 BTU units.

 

All the info is listed on the side panels of most outdoor units of ACs sold in Thailand.

 

[KannikaP]

11 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said:

 

Please just do math.

Check for the heat output in BTU/h

Divide by watts.

You get EER in BTU per hour divided by power used, in watts.

 

The SEER is another measurement based on predicted use during a season, and also....based on predicted ambient temps, seasonally predicted. 

 

a SEER of 24 is OK, by the way, for most modern ACs.

The EER ratings are usually higher in lower capacity ACs, such as the 10,000 to 18,000 BTU units.

 

All the info is listed on the side panels of most outdoor units of ACs sold in Thailand.

 

https://www.google.com/search?q=What+SEER+is+a+good+aircon&oq=What+SEER+is+a+good+aircon&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOdIBCDc2OTlqMGoxqAIAsAIA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

A SEER of 24 is excellent if you can get a unit at that. But how can it be Seasonally Adjusted for say Thailand vs USA? Just asking!

You advise me to divide the BTUs by the power, which varies as the temperature gets to the desired temperature to get the EER. What is a good/ideal EER please?. 

 

https://ptac4less.com/blog/good-eer-rating-ac/#:~:text=However%2C you generally want to,EER of 8.5 and above.

Just found this. My 12000 BTU starts at 2000 watts, but then reduces to around 1000, so I guess it's EER is about 12, so I am happy with it. Thanks for the info.

Edited October 8 by KannikaP

[GammaGlobulin]

4 minutes ago, KannikaP said:

https://www.google.com/search?q=What+SEER+is+a+good+aircon&oq=What+SEER+is+a+good+aircon&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOdIBCDc2OTlqMGoxqAIAsAIA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

A SEER of 24 is excellent if you can get a unit at that. But how can it be Seasonally Adjusted for say Thailand vs USA? Just asking!

You advise me to divide the BTUs by the power, which varies as the temperature gets to the desired temperature to get the EER. What is a good/ideal EER please?. 

 

The SEER is a PREDICTION

 

A prediction is just that....a prediction...obviously.

 

The EER is calculated, by default, at a set ambient temperature.  As I recall, the EER is calculated at only ONE ambient temp.....  I forget, but probably at something like 34 degrees C.  Just google to get the correct ambient temp...if you do not trust my memory...which I do not.

 

 

[black tabby12345]

1 hour ago, KannikaP said:

40 or 80 what per what please. Units per day, month?

 

Per Month.

[black tabby12345]

1 hour ago, KannikaP said:

Were Inverters available that long ago?

 

Yes.

I have seen Inverter type a/c for the first time as early as in mid-late 1970s.

My understanding:

Inverter a/c has 2 separate devices:

One inside on the room wall. Another outside.

They are interconnected with wires and duct.

The temperature is adjustable notch by notch (able to set the temperature in 1 degree increment  even though that function might not be   available in 1970s).

Did I answer your question correctly?

Edited October 8 by black tabby12345

[KannikaP]

1 minute ago, black tabby12345 said:

 

Yes.

I have seen Inverter type a/c for the first time as early as in mid-late 1970s.

My understanding:

Inverter a/c has 2 separate devices:

One inside on the room wall. Another outside. they are interconnected with wires and duct.

The temperature is adjustable notch by notch (able to set the temperature in 1 degree increment, even though that function might not be   available in 1970s).

Did I answer your question correctly?

Most home air cons have two units, that's why they are called SPLIT a/cs. 

The older 'conventional' on/off machines were exactly that, on or off. A large amount of lekky is used to start the compressor up from stopped. Inverters vary the speed of the compressor motor so that it does not stop, merely changes as required.

Although Inverters are almost unique these days, the first WAS invented by Toshiba in 1981, but only in the last 10 years have they become easily available. 

[brianthainess]

On 10/4/2024 at 8:54 AM, LALes said:

Always ask who pays the electric and if you are paying the government rate when renting an apartment.  If you can't see the actual bill, move on.

Agree. 100%

[black tabby12345]

13 minutes ago, KannikaP said:

Most home air cons have two units, that's why they are called SPLIT a/cs. 

The older 'conventional' on/off machines were exactly that, on or off. A large amount of lekky is used to start the compressor up from stopped. Inverters vary the speed of the compressor motor so that it does not stop, merely changes as required.

Although Inverters are almost unique these days, the first WAS invented by Toshiba in 1981, but only in the last 10 years have they become easily available. 

 

Sorry for some technical misinterpretation.

But the one in my room is seemingly the inverter type.

[KannikaP]

8 minutes ago, black tabby12345 said:

 

Sorry for some technical misinterpretation.

But the one in my room is seemingly the inverter type.

Make and age should clarify that.

[marin]

48 minutes ago, black tabby12345 said:

Yes.

I have seen Inverter type a/c for the first time as early as in mid-late 1970s.

My understanding:

Inverter a/c has 2 separate devices:

The first inverter type units came out in 1981.

[Crossy]

42 minutes ago, black tabby12345 said:

Sorry for some technical misinterpretation.

But the one in my room is seemingly the inverter type.

 

Does the outdoor unit start and stop (conventional) or vary speed continuously (inverter) once the room is down to the set temperature?

 

Do note that inverter compressors do have a minimum speed below which they stop, so if the cooling load is small for the unit size you'll see it cycling.

[black tabby12345]

17 minutes ago, marin said:

The first inverter type units came out in 1981.

 

Thanks I studied web site info.

And it was first made  in 1980(icommercial use).

And in 1981, the home use one came out .

Both from Japan's Toshiba

 

who invented world's first inverter aircon - Google Search

 

[black tabby12345]

Specifications of  the A/C in my room.

Has been used since Nov.2005.

It was already here when I checked in.

 

Thai texts into English with google translate.

 

Any comments from the electrical experts Welcome.

 

 

 

 

 

[KannikaP]

15 minutes ago, black tabby12345 said:

Specifications of  the A/C in my room.

Has been used since Nov.2005.

It was already here when I checked in.

 

Thai texts into English with google translate.

 

Any comments from the electrical experts Welcome.

 

 

 

 

 

This certainly is NOT in Inverter unit.

See my conversation with GG regarding EER. 3.33 per watt is pretty dismal.

There are NEW TCL 12000 BTU inverters on Lazada tomorrow for less than Bht 8000. Get one.

Edited October 8 by KannikaP

[black tabby12345]

1 hour ago, KannikaP said:

This certainly is NOT in Inverter unit.

See my conversation with GG regarding EER. 3.33 per watt is pretty dismal.

There are NEW TCL 12000 BTU inverters on Lazada tomorrow for less than Bht 8000. Get one.

 

After all, I am still happy with the a/c in my room; whether it is inverter or not.

As long as I can adjust the temperature finely(1℃ by 1℃）。

Thanx for you your input.

And thank god for the good old veteran(LG A/C in my room).

Made in 2004, still fit and accurate.

Have a good day gentleman.