Electricity Rates On Samui

[JXB]

I moved to Samui about three months ago, I am renting a 3-bedroom House in Bangrak. It has a pool and 5 air condition units, but I am only using one at a time. I am getting monthly electricity bills between 6000 and 7000 Bath - maybe it's just me, but I find that incredibly expensive! My estate agent assures me this is the government rate with no add-on, but I find it hard to believe that a normal Thai household would be able to afford this rate. Am I being ripped off here, could my cable be tapped and I'm paying for my whole street or something..?

Any suggestions / experiences..?

Much appreciated.

[Lite Beer]

A normal Thai household would not have a pool and 5 Aircon Units.

Yes it does sound expensive.

Look at the bill and see how much they charge per unit.

It should be around 3.4 Baht a unit.

Edited October 4, 2008 by Lite Beer

[NHJ]

pretty sure you're being ripped off, if you rent a house with three bedrooms and a pool(is it private?) if so the owner thinks you're not after a few thousands bath.

as said litebeer, a unit is 3.4 bath BUT in samui they like to take a profit on this so they charge it to you at 5 or 7 thus the high bill.

[PoorSucker]

3.4 per unit is the price.

[Comehome]

From what I have heared, there are different prices on the electricity in different parts of the island.

In Hua Thanon we payed 6 baht/unit and in Bophut we pay government-rate which should be 3-4 baht/unit.

A friend told me that government rate in Chaweng is 6-7baht/unit, so it is good to ask around about the gorvernment rate for electrics before you sign a contract.

Usually hotels and resorts add 1-2 bahts/unit on the gorvernment rate.

I also think that your electric bill is very high.

Do you have your own electrical water pump to the house?

Houses with pool and if you have a large LCD/Plasma TV can also put up the bill more.

We rent a house in Bo phut with 2 bedrooms and 2 air cons and there is always one aircon going as we have a small baby who want to sleep in 29 degrees celsius in the daytime. In the evening bith aircons are on and our bill is usually on 1800-1900 baht/month.

Please don't take this wrong, I don't mean to make you look silly but do you have all windows and doors closed when you have your air con on?

Many europeans opens the windows and doors and still keep the aircon on and that can be VERY expensive. Not all european countries need to use air con in the summer time and some are just not used to how it works.

Take care and hope you find some clarity in this.

[jdinasia]

The temp you set your aircon at is a big issue too, plus the pool pump, other electronics not being fully shut off.

I can easily run 2000 baht a month in the small condo when i have 2 computers and a big TV and all the other stuff running most of the time. In the house in Phuket I never ran over 1200 a month It is just different usage patterns.

[goldfinger]

Normally, you should have your own meter in/near the house.

So go there and check daily, sometimes switch off all users in your house(fuse off) and then check again your meter-if it stops or still running....

easy to find out if there are some "other" sharing the line with you....

[Nirvana]

pretty sure you're being ripped off, if you rent a house with three bedrooms and a pool(is it private?) if so the owner thinks you're not after a few thousands bath.

as said litebeer, a unit is 3.4 bath BUT in samui they like to take a profit on this so they charge it to you at 5 or 7 thus the high bill.

Agree with this, sounds very wrong to me, even with running aircon and a pool pump , so long as not running constantly then this bill is very high. I would check that you actually have your own meter and not paying someone elses bill or they are just ripping you off with add ons.

[Lite Beer]

Do you actually get the official government electric bill? Or a bill from the landlord.

[Tokay]

Do you actually get the official government electric bill? Or a bill from the landlord.

You beat me to it.

In Pattaya I run 3 - 4 computers, 1 large TV and at least 1 aircon unit on ALL DAY and 2 on ALL NIGHT. I hardly go over 2000b for a month if at all.

Always try to get the bill direct before anyone can pad it.

[farang62]

It sounds like you are metered separately off of a PEA meter. The meter is probably 3 phase so there is a extra charge on the main meter for "peak demand periods" usually from 6 to 10 pm, the multiplier can be as high as X4 depending on the load during that period. This increases the total bill the customer receives. You are probably on a separate meter provided by the owner. It is standard practice to add 2-3 baht a Kw to the bill, this to maintain the, metering and wiring servicing your house or property. (if there is a problem the owner has to pay to have it repaired, and there is that pesky bookkeeping.

The rule is ONE meter per/Chinot or address. Weather you have a single phase meter or a 3 phase meter makes no difference because Watts are Watts and power is power. the myth that 3 phase is cheaper is just that, a myth.

I have a 1 phase 15/45 meter with 2 A/C units set at 28C, 4 computer, perimeter lighting at night, 4 fans, Automatic washer and a well pump, my house is a very old wood house. ALL my bulbs are energy saving type. My bill runs me between 4,500 and 5,500 a month, very reasonable for what I use and my "life style".

Oh, don't forget to check the number of days between readings as the meters are not read on the same day each month, this will make a difference as will the service charge and VAT, which can be 30-35% of the total bill.

The best way to get an average is to divide the KW used into the bill and that will give you cost per Kw. If you divide the number of days (between readings) into the total Kw's that will give you the Kw use a day X cost per Kw should be fairly close.

Don't forget as the temperature goes up outside the A/C units produce less cooling than on a cooler day, but the cost is the same, just less cooling so the A/C must run longer to cool the same area.

There are just to many variables to go into here, but when ever we are asked to check a customers high electric bill 98% of the time it is "life style" and the way we live our lives and never give a second thought, until an outside observer looks.

Hope this helps

Farang62

[farang62]

By the way the electrical rate is the same all over the island, it only varies by Type Of Service, Service Classification and Power Consumption.

If you have a Construction meter installed you will be charged over 5 baht a KW Plus FA and VAT

[lazeeboy]

im in chaweng ,run an aircon for 12 hours a day ,swimming pool pump 3 hours a day ,at least 2 fans 24 hours a day ,3 fridges ,1 freezer,1 hotwater boiler ,i coffee machine,hot showers ,2 HDLCD tv's 42 inch,2 computers never turned off,plus outdoor lighting ,my bills are between 5-5500b a month,direct from the government..

[koheesti]

I live in Bangrak in a one bedroom, one a/c unit bungalow. I run the a/c maybe 6 hours per day. My landord gives me the electric bill but I don't see anything that looks like "3.4 unit".

[jdinasia]

What I get from your bill is that Electricity/KWH = 2.512 as the base rate PLUS an unexplained (on the front of that bill) modifier of .6285 for a total KWH cost of 3.1405 then you add in the VAT at x.07 for a total of 1327.04 baht

1327.04/395 creates an 'all in' cost per KWH of 3.359 baht

[JXB]

Thanks a lot everybody, there's some really useful pointers here. I have to admit, I have been running the pool pump constantly - schoolboy error, as I said I'm a Newbie and it's my first pool. I still suspect though that someone might be "sharing" my cable, I'll dig out my Sherlock hat...

Cheers guys!

[Lite Beer]

What I get from your bill is that Electricity/KWH = 2.512 as the base rate PLUS an unexplained (on the front of that bill) modifier of .6285 for a total KWH cost of 3.1405 then you add in the VAT at x.07 for a total of 1327.04 baht

1327.04/395 creates an 'all in' cost per KWH of 3.359 baht

I just divide 1327.34 by 395 and get 3.36 Baht. It gives you a pretty good idea

Edited October 5, 2008 by Lite Beer

[ClaudeFeller]

Thanks a lot everybody, there's some really useful pointers here. I have to admit, I have been running the pool pump constantly - schoolboy error, as I said I'm a Newbie and it's my first pool. I still suspect though that someone might be "sharing" my cable, I'll dig out my Sherlock hat...

Cheers guys!

A poolpump with 1,25 HP (1 kWh) costs you

- 80 THB a day

- 2,400 THB a month

[SamuiBond]

I moved to Samui about three months ago, I am renting a 3-bedroom House in Bangrak. It has a pool and 5 air condition units, but I am only using one at a time. I am getting monthly electricity bills between 6000 and 7000 Bath - maybe it's just me, but I find that incredibly expensive! My estate agent assures me this is the government rate with no add-on, but I find it hard to believe that a normal Thai household would be able to afford this rate. Am I being ripped off here, could my cable be tapped and I'm paying for my whole street or something..?

Any suggestions / experiences..?

Much appreciated.

Anything less than 3.5 baht/unit you can consider fair ok even cheap. Up there. Some can charge you twice that meaning your electricity is something silly like that. Aircon is REALLY the ONLY thing that counts in a property/rooms like yours. There are ways...

1. Heavy curtain around the area where you stay most of the time keep cool air.

2. Outdoor windows and doors closed

3.ONLY keep fans on other areas that are open/ Cut that aircon bill to half

AIRCON IS MORE THAN 70% of a normal electricity bill

Run it it but shut it. Use fans which pay in days...

[mattias33]

Anything less than 3.5 baht/unit you can consider fair ok even cheap. Up there. Some can charge you twice that meaning your electricity is something silly like that. Aircon is REALLY the ONLY thing that counts in a property/rooms like yours. There are ways...

1. Heavy curtain around the area where you stay most of the time keep cool air.

2. Outdoor windows and doors closed

3.ONLY keep fans on other areas that are open/ Cut that aircon bill to half

AIRCON IS MORE THAN 70% of a normal electricity bill

Run it it but shut it. Use fans which pay in days...

....change the lightbulbs to the low energy ones. Dont switch them on off 10 times a day, leave them on...

[Khun Jean]

leave them on?? Why waste energy?

[mattias33]

leave them on?? Why waste energy?

Start up usually costs infact more than leave a high sufflient lightbulb on. Beleive it or not. At least if you do it a few times / day.

[richm7]

I totally disagree with most of the postings here. I strongly doubt that you are paying over the odds. Based upon what you tell us about your aircon and pool, it seems about right to me. It s pretty easy for you to check out, just find out the consumption of each aircon unit (even small ones are over 1Kw), figure out how many hours/day they are running, take the other bog item (like, as suggested, the pool pump) and do the same and add some for other electrical items and you should get a pretty decent rough estimate of what to expect. One poster did mention the peak hour surcharge which is correct but you should be able to figure out that adjustment from your bill. My condo in BKK (same rates) has 4 a/c units (I use only 3, one all day and two all night) and I have the usual electrical appliances (DON'T forget the fridge, which can gobble up a fair amount in this climate) and my bill runs about 4500 to 5000, so add in your pool and I reckon you are about right.

Areas you might want to check to see about reducing the bill are first the aircon units. If the refrigerant is low they'll be working hard all the time to get the temperature down. Also check the filters in the in-room units, since they quickly clog up here. Perhaps the units are old, in which case they are perhaps not very efficient and may need replacing. For the pool, in the US I only run the pump 8 hours a day, perhaps a little less in winter (though it often runs MORE in winter because of freeze prevention, not a problem here!). Again, with the pool ensure the filters are clean and it is backwashed regularly (if it is that type) or the pump will again work overtime.

Having done all that, you might save 1000 baht a month...................

Anyway, stop complaining. My house in Texas runs 20,000 ($600) per month during the summer! Thailand is cheap.

[highdiver]

leave them on?? Why waste energy?

Start up usually costs infact more than leave a high sufflient lightbulb on. Beleive it or not. At least if you do it a few times / day.

so its not only Thai you don't know!!! you have no idea about electricity as well.

It is a popularly held belief specially by the ignorant relying on rumors and here say that fluorescent lights use a "lot" of energy to get started, and thus it is better not to turn them off for "short" periods. There is an increase in power demand when a light is switched on. this is bull...

In any case, the relatively higher "in rush" current required lasts for half a cycle, or 1/120th of a second. The amount of electricity consumed to supply the inrush current is equal to a few seconds or less of normal light operation.

So turning off florescent lights for more than 5 seconds will save more energy than will be consumed in turning them back on again.

[mattias33]

leave them on?? Why waste energy?

Start up usually costs infact more than leave a high sufflient lightbulb on. Beleive it or not. At least if you do it a few times / day.

so its not only Thai you don't know!!! you have no idea about electricity as well.

It is a popularly held belief specially by the ignorant relying on rumors and here say that fluorescent lights use a "lot" of energy to get started, and thus it is better not to turn them off for "short" periods. There is an increase in power demand when a light is switched on. this is bull...

In any case, the relatively higher "in rush" current required lasts for half a cycle, or 1/120th of a second. The amount of electricity consumed to supply the inrush current is equal to a few seconds or less of normal light operation.

So turning off florescent lights for more than 5 seconds will save more energy than will be consumed in turning them back on again.

Again, back up "facts" handsome boy.

You keep swing yourself with the most fancy word you can think for the moment but i swear when i ask for a backup, a single link, you are out of here faster that a cheap.......

I was an engineer for the latest 12 years, i might be way out there, but from what i understand the high sufflient lighbuld actually cost more to light up 3 times /day than to leave on. Now, highdriver, did i get this all wrong and can you please provide the link that shows so?

Please???

"turning off flourescent light for more than five seconds saves more energy than consumed in turning them back on"-- Yes it does, smartass, because in 5 seconds the bulb is still hot and goes on quick. I am talking about putting on/of many times a day, like the toilett light, tha´t is cheaper to leave on, it cools down betwee.....

Hey, i am not gona have this discussion with you, you are completely out of your range of qualification. Besides you are almost a Thai now. I try to convince my Thaiwife before you..

[richm7]

leave them on?? Why waste energy?

Start up usually costs infact more than leave a high sufflient lightbulb on. Beleive it or not. At least if you do it a few times / day.

so its not only Thai you don't know!!! you have no idea about electricity as well.

It is a popularly held belief specially by the ignorant relying on rumors and here say that fluorescent lights use a "lot" of energy to get started, and thus it is better not to turn them off for "short" periods. There is an increase in power demand when a light is switched on. this is bull...

In any case, the relatively higher "in rush" current required lasts for half a cycle, or 1/120th of a second. The amount of electricity consumed to supply the inrush current is equal to a few seconds or less of normal light operation.

So turning off florescent lights for more than 5 seconds will save more energy than will be consumed in turning them back on again.

Again, back up "facts" handsome boy.

You keep swing yourself with the most fancy word you can think for the moment but i swear when i ask for a backup, a single link, you are out of here faster that a cheap.......

I was an engineer for the latest 12 years, i might be way out there, but from what i understand the high sufflient lighbuld actually cost more to light up 3 times /day than to leave on. Now, highdriver, did i get this all wrong and can you please provide the link that shows so?

Please???

"turning off flourescent light for more than five seconds saves more energy than consumed in turning them back on"-- Yes it does, smartass, because in 5 seconds the bulb is still hot and goes on quick. I am talking about putting on/of many times a day, like the toilett light, tha´t is cheaper to leave on, it cools down betwee.....

Hey, i am not gona have this discussion with you, you are completely out of your range of qualification. Besides you are almost a Thai now. I try to convince my Thaiwife before you..

Dunno about the facts, but I love the riposte.....try to convince my Thaiwife (sic) before you.....brilliant!

[H2oDunc]

Got a 2 bed bungalow, aircon on 6-8 hours a day. Fan 24 / 7 electric oven used a lot, TV and home theatre, used a lot, laptop and usual other electric usage and last months bill was 535 baht. SCANDALOUS !!!!!!!!!

[mattias33]

Dunno about the facts, but I love the riposte.....try to convince my Thaiwife (sic) before you.....brilliant!

Thanks man, and between you and me i was not even trying!! I just said the truth, my wife is as hard as hardbuggy (or wathever that guy call himself) to convince! But yeah, i agree, it did come out funny. Hope he appreciate it. (his English is not as good as his Thai so it might take him a while, he is one of the guys living here understanding 100% of all what the Thais speek about him. Man, the guy IS Thai!!, He is a citizen, he has a yellow shirt, a pink shirt, a buddha, he read Thai, i am actually surpriced he is not the mayor of Samui because he told me in another thread that he could buy it very cheap and i was looking forward to be here with a hugedriving mayor, but then again, in that thread i never asked what you should ALWAYS ask from hugedrivving guy: BACKUP!!!!).

No, actually, dont ask for backup of fact from hillimilliedriven because the guy flyies quicker than a ho.............sorry, thats not allowed.

[richm7]

Got a 2 bed bungalow, aircon on 6-8 hours a day. Fan 24 / 7 electric oven used a lot, TV and home theatre, used a lot, laptop and usual other electric usage and last months bill was 535 baht. SCANDALOUS !!!!!!!!!

This is from another thread but I think we've found the guy who is tapping your meter!!!

[longtom]

leave them on?? Why waste energy?

Start up usually costs infact more than leave a high sufflient lightbulb on. Beleive it or not. At least if you do it a few times / day.

so its not only Thai you don't know!!! you have no idea about electricity as well.

It is a popularly held belief specially by the ignorant relying on rumors and here say that fluorescent lights use a "lot" of energy to get started, and thus it is better not to turn them off for "short" periods. There is an increase in power demand when a light is switched on. this is bull...

In any case, the relatively higher "in rush" current required lasts for half a cycle, or 1/120th of a second. The amount of electricity consumed to supply the inrush current is equal to a few seconds or less of normal light operation.

So turning off florescent lights for more than 5 seconds will save more energy than will be consumed in turning them back on again.

Again, back up "facts" handsome boy.

You keep swing yourself with the most fancy word you can think for the moment but i swear when i ask for a backup, a single link, you are out of here faster that a cheap.......

I was an engineer for the latest 12 years, i might be way out there, but from what i understand the high sufflient lighbuld actually cost more to light up 3 times /day than to leave on. Now, highdriver, did i get this all wrong and can you please provide the link that shows so?

Please???

"turning off flourescent light for more than five seconds saves more energy than consumed in turning them back on"-- Yes it does, smartass, because in 5 seconds the bulb is still hot and goes on quick. I am talking about putting on/of many times a day, like the toilett light, tha´t is cheaper to leave on, it cools down betwee.....

Hey, i am not gona have this discussion with you, you are completely out of your range of qualification. Besides you are almost a Thai now. I try to convince my Thaiwife before you..

You'd better tone down your smug attitude a bit, because highdiver seems to be correct on that one (and your wife ). Check out the following links:

Mythbusters (Scroll down a few pages to Lights On/Off)

Electric Power and Utilities

Keep turning off the lights unless it seems to be damaging your marriage. Nothing is worth damage to a marriage!

And if you disagree, please reply with links that say otherwise and keep it civilized this time. And no I can't read Thai and even my spoken Thai sucks, as does my english.

Edited October 9, 2008 by longtom