Why Is My Electric Bill 10k Per Month?

[wensiensheng]

My electric bill is running at about 10k a month. Whereas, my neighbours is only 4k per month. We both seem to have about the same electric needs (swimming pool pump, air con in two rooms at night etc), but my bill is double his. In fact, he leaves his outside lights switched on all night, and I turn mine off about 10pm. I did wonder if someone was skimming off my meter and had it checked by a local. He says the meter is clean.

The only thing I can think of is that my ceiling lights have halogen light bulbs (about 4 lights per room), while his uses the energy saving bulbs. But could this really be the reason for such a big difference?

Suggestions appreciated before I switch to my own personal generator! Just kidding.

[JimSiam]

Get the AC guys to check how many units per hour they are using, they may have lost gas or have compressor issues, this can cause them to use alot more per hour, same with the pool pump get it checked out by an electrician, they will be able to measure each item and tell you how many units per hour they are using and this will show the source of the high consumption.

[hansnl]

My electric bill is running at about 10k a month. Whereas, my neighbours is only 4k per month. We both seem to have about the same electric needs (swimming pool pump, air con in two rooms at night etc), but my bill is double his. In fact, he leaves his outside lights switched on all night, and I turn mine off about 10pm. I did wonder if someone was skimming off my meter and had it checked by a local. He says the meter is clean.

The only thing I can think of is that my ceiling lights have halogen light bulbs (about 4 lights per room), while his uses the energy saving bulbs. But could this really be the reason for such a big difference?

Suggestions appreciated before I switch to my own personal generator! Just kidding.

Try to find out how much the ac-units use, one by one.

Means you have to check the numbers, switch off one unit a time.

Older units often take care of much higher bills.

Check the state of the ac units, pressure, whatever.

It might help, be it a bit of pilfering, to put some extra pressure in the unit.

The cooling will be stronger, maybe it will help.

The best way, if your ac units are older, buy some modern energy saving units.

The investment pays for itself.

I had 2 older units, running a bill of 6000-7500 baht per month.

Two new units from Daikin running on one compressor.

Bill went down to 4000-5000 baht per month

Are you sure there are no unknown users of your electrics?

[notobnoxious]

Hello I had large bills also until recently and I bought 2 of the devices Trashed on Thai Visa but they actually work.

Energy savers from a Shop in Pattaya and they posted them to me by ems.

Just plug in they said and all appliances which have Nor resistive loads like Motors, AC, Refrigeration etc will achieve savings.

I think the shop is called Nice Things look it up on Google.

Hope it helps.

My electric bill is running at about 10k a month. Whereas, my neighbours is only 4k per month. We both seem to have about the same electric needs (swimming pool pump, air con in two rooms at night etc), but my bill is double his. In fact, he leaves his outside lights switched on all night, and I turn mine off about 10pm. I did wonder if someone was skimming off my meter and had it checked by a local. He says the meter is clean.

The only thing I can think of is that my ceiling lights have halogen light bulbs (about 4 lights per room), while his uses the energy saving bulbs. But could this really be the reason for such a big difference?

Suggestions appreciated before I switch to my own personal generator! Just kidding.

[ronthompson]

Hansni is correct old AC units and an old refrigerator can really run up your bill.

i have new less than 2 years old AC's on is on continuously from noon the next AM, i run 2 refers new, my bulbs are all the energy efficient type. three out side lights are on all night. My Bar Be Que is electric which I use a lot.

My bill is 5-6 K per month, only 2.5K, this winter without AC.

I do a lot of garden irrigation as well with 2 water pumps.

i also believe in having my AC serviced every six months.

Hope u find your "leak"

[londonthai]

the meter itself might be faulty - switch off all apliances and see if it moves. Than switch on a 1000 watt appliance and see how fast the meter turns. The electricity company should exchange it for you

[rick75]

Those hallogen bulbs you are using are huge users of power and as people have said check for a faulty meter.

[bazmlb]

Hello I had large bills also until recently and I bought 2 of the devices Trashed on Thai Visa but they actually work.

Energy savers from a Shop in Pattaya and they posted them to me by ems.

Just plug in they said and all appliances which have Nor resistive loads like Motors, AC, Refrigeration etc will achieve savings.

I think the shop is called Nice Things look it up on Google.

Hope it helps.

My electric bill is running at about 10k a month. Whereas, my neighbours is only 4k per month. We both seem to have about the same electric needs (swimming pool pump, air con in two rooms at night etc), but my bill is double his. In fact, he leaves his outside lights switched on all night, and I turn mine off about 10pm. I did wonder if someone was skimming off my meter and had it checked by a local. He says the meter is clean.

The only thing I can think of is that my ceiling lights have halogen light bulbs (about 4 lights per room), while his uses the energy saving bulbs. But could this really be the reason for such a big difference?

Suggestions appreciated before I switch to my own personal generator! Just kidding.

I would guess the device alters power factory to either leading or lagging so the meter doesnt see the electricity used.

[neverdie]

the meter itself might be faulty - switch off all apliances and see if it moves. Than switch on a 1000 watt appliance and see how fast the meter turns. The electricity company should exchange it for you

I have spoken to a few people that also had this problem, where the meter became faulty. They noticed that the meter was going crazy (like the bill) when virtually nothing was running. I wonder how many people this happens to?

[Pib]

My electric bill is running at about 10k a month. Whereas, my neighbours is only 4k per month. We both seem to have about the same electric needs (swimming pool pump, air con in two rooms at night etc), but my bill is double his. In fact, he leaves his outside lights switched on all night, and I turn mine off about 10pm. I did wonder if someone was skimming off my meter and had it checked by a local. He says the meter is clean.

The only thing I can think of is that my ceiling lights have halogen light bulbs (about 4 lights per room), while his uses the energy saving bulbs. But could this really be the reason for such a big difference?

Suggestions appreciated before I switch to my own personal generator! Just kidding.

Any electrical device with motor/compressor (like air cons) can eat your lunch. Two air cons rated at the same BTU cooling capacity (say 18,000 BTU) may use greatly different amounts of power/KWH/Baht per month based on their efficiency rating (SEER...a higher number is better), size of area being cooled and how well the area is insulated, etc.

I would first turn off the master circuit breaker and all the individual breakers in your power panel to ensure your electrical meter stops turning completely (no electricity usage). If it don't stop turning completely, you have bad meter, a short/leakage of current, or something/someone tapping power off your line. Then turn back on your master circuit breakers but leave the individual breakers off...your electric meter should still not be turning/no electricity usage. Then do a little testing and turn on each individual breaker "separately/by itself" and try to turn on all the devices being run off that breaker/circuit (i.e., the air con, frig, lights/outlets to Room(s) XYZ. Watch how fast the meter wheel spins when the devices are turned on...it's the compressor of an air con that eats most of the electricity and not the fan on the air handler/inside portion. If the breaker controls an air con(s) ensure you watch the wheel spin when the air con compressor is engage/running as the compressor will turn on and off (for X minutes each cycle) during normal operation. If the compressor seems to be running "all" the time then your air con system is undersized and has to work hard/all the time (eat much more electricity), or maybe the system is not working properly/low on freon/dirty air handler unit/filter. The compressor unit on an air con can really eat electricity depending on the air con's efficiency (SEER rating...higher is better) and how well the overall system is working.

Just try to first ensure you are not using any electricity when the master breaker is turned off...and then do some individual circuit testing with a special focus towards those circuits powering your air con's/motors/etc. And if you bill lowers during the cool season, that is an indication your air con's are eating your lunch as you probably still using your lights, TVs, pool pump, etc., as normal; but your air con's are not having to work as hard during the cool season.

If you had a clamp-on ammeter you could cramp-on the individual circuit break wires you could get more specific on what circuit/devices are using X-amount of power/eating your lunch, but I won't into that approach--it's a fairly simple testing method but you need a clamp-on ammeter, need to remove your circuit breaker panel cover, and safely cramp the ammeter around the individual circuits during the testing.

[longball53098]

Sorry but to recommend to a complete novice that he should find/purchase a clamp on meter, remove the cover to his panel and start to test/check circuits? I think is very poor advice and if he is not trained in electrics the cost of his monthly bill will be the least of his worries.

Stay out of your panel unless you really understand what you're doing!!!

[Rdrokit]

First thing i would do is shut off all your breakers then go to your meter and see if is still discharging electricity. If so you might have someone stealing your power or a bad meter. i have a new 1600 sq meter house (without a pool) and without AC running my last bill was 705 baht.

Edited January 4, 2009 by Rdrokit

[Naam]

If the compressor seems to be running "all" the time then your air con system is undersized and has to work hard/all the time (eat much more electricity)

= a technical fairy tale (which however is told quite often)

[samuibeachcomber]

Sorry but to recommend to a complete novice that he should find/purchase a clamp on meter, remove the cover to his panel and start to test/check circuits? I think is very poor advice and if he is not trained in electrics the cost of his monthly bill will be the least of his worries.

Stay out of your panel unless you really understand what you're doing!!!

very good advice.I dont know how anyone can get a bill for 10,000 baht a month,someone somewhere is ripping the poster off big time.

[Naam]

My electric bill is running at about 10k a month. Whereas, my neighbours is only 4k per month. We both seem to have about the same electric needs (swimming pool pump, air con in two rooms at night etc), but my bill is double his.

But could this really be the reason for such a big difference?

you are not providing any information that might lead to a conclusion

-does your neighbour cool his rooms to the same temperature as you do?

-are your rooms the same size as your neighbours?

-is the heat load on your neighbours house different from yours (insulation, windows, kind of building e.g single/double story)?

-how many hours a day is the neighbours pool pump running, how many hours yours?

no doubt there must be something wrong with your electricity bill. i have a rather big home (600m²) in which 4 persons are living, kept fully airconditioned at 26.5ºC, have a pool, a pond, a waterfall, deep well, garden irrigation, washer and dryer, all cooking done electrically, fence and gate lights whole night, pressured housewater supply and my bill (depending on the season) is between 8,000 and 11,500 Baht.

by the way, sometime ago one TV-member complained in this thread about his high elc-bill. it turned out that he had a fishpond where a strong filter pump was running 24 hours a day. he was quite surprised when i told him that this pump drew ~50% of his total consumption.

[Sisaketmike]

My electric bill is running at about 10k a month. Whereas, my neighbours is only 4k per month. We both seem to have about the same electric needs (swimming pool pump, air con in two rooms at night etc), but my bill is double his. In fact, he leaves his outside lights switched on all night, and I turn mine off about 10pm. I did wonder if someone was skimming off my meter and had it checked by a local. He says the meter is clean.

The only thing I can think of is that my ceiling lights have halogen light bulbs (about 4 lights per room), while his uses the energy saving bulbs. But could this really be the reason for such a big difference?

Suggestions appreciated before I switch to my own personal generator! Just kidding.

You're concerned about too much money for electricity? You should buy more halogen bulbs!!!!! I'd charge you 20 k's.......................

[Pib]

If the compressor seems to be running "all" the time then your air con system is undersized and has to work hard/all the time (eat much more electricity)

= a technical fairy tale (which however is told quite often)

O' I beg to differ...an undersized air con stays on longer to cool an area (or try to cool) than an air con properly sized for the area...and when it stays on longer it uses more power (a.k.a., eats more electricity). Put a clamp-on ammeter on circuit powering the air con and watch the amps jump approx 10 fold when the compressor kicks-in/is on "compared to" when the air con compressor/outside unit is not running and only the fan on the inside unit is running. The more/longer your air con compressor runs, the more electrical power is utilized. Example: On one 18,000 BTU air con I have whenever the compressor is on/kicks-in, the system pulls 6.5 amps compared to only 0.4 amps when the compressor is not running and only the fan on the inside unit is running. And I have another 18,000 BTU unit where which only pulls 4.5 amps when the compressor is engaged and 0.4 amps when it's not/fan on inside unit only running.

"P" (power used (KWH)) Equals "I" (current..amps drawn) Times "E" (voltage...like 220 volts line voltage powering the air cons) times P=I*E. A formula remembered as PIE like we eat....this is how the instructor said we could easily remember the formula. E (voltage) is going to stay constant at the 220 volts line voltage, so when the current draw increases significanlty when the compressor kicks in/stays on the power (KWH) used increases-- a person then has a bigger electric bill. Maybe a bit technical but a basic electronic formula. Cheers.

[Naam]

If the compressor seems to be running "all" the time then your air con system is undersized and has to work hard/all the time (eat much more electricity)

= a technical fairy tale (which however is told quite often)

O' I beg to differ...an undersized air con stays on longer to cool an area (or try to cool) than an air con properly sized for the area...and when it stays on longer it uses more power (a.k.a., eats more electricity).

i also beg to differ for two important reasons:

an undersized aircon uses electricity longer but draws less amps and therefore the kWh consumption is approximately equivalent to an appropriately or oversized unit. but the latter has the drawback that dehumidification is insufficient because the compressor running time is too short even though the desired temperature is achieved. moreover, having the compressor cycling on/off more often causes material stress and ultimately much higher wear and tear and failure.

dehumidifying the air is as important as cooling! a temperature of 28ºC and 60% relative humidity feels more comfortable than 25ºC and 80% humidity, a fact which is virtually unknown in Thailand.

[farangconnection]

Our bill for two double units,each three floors ( pub & restaurant) is around 15,000 a month. This is down from 25,000 a month in 2007. Now electic prices have been slashed, the average household bill should be around 1,500 a month. Each aircondition unit cost about 10฿ an hour to run ( average)

We also have two large fridges,each three compartments and a sixty inch TV. Also remember that there are three different classes of meter, each costing different prices. We have to have the top grade commercial meters, and funnily enough, probably as this is Thailand, our hourly rate is higher than most, not lower as in most European countries.

[eriksen]

Hansni is correct old AC units and an old refrigerator can really run up your bill.

i have new less than 2 years old AC's on is on continuously from noon the next AM, i run 2 refers new, my bulbs are all the energy efficient type. three out side lights are on all night. My Bar Be Que is electric which I use a lot.

My bill is 5-6 K per month, only 2.5K, this winter without AC.

I do a lot of garden irrigation as well with 2 water pumps.

i also believe in having my AC serviced every six months.

Hope u find your "leak"

yes, halogen lights are a lot.. simple.. what is the watt rating? 55 w right? so a room with 10 = 5500 watt, dam_n man...thats like 2 hairdryers (2 girls, lucky man) or 2 heaters in a cold country... see? u can replace these lights with 1 W LED not very bright but.. hey..

[Tywais]

Hansni is correct old AC units and an old refrigerator can really run up your bill.

i have new less than 2 years old AC's on is on continuously from noon the next AM, i run 2 refers new, my bulbs are all the energy efficient type. three out side lights are on all night. My Bar Be Que is electric which I use a lot.

My bill is 5-6 K per month, only 2.5K, this winter without AC.

I do a lot of garden irrigation as well with 2 water pumps.

i also believe in having my AC serviced every six months.

Hope u find your "leak"

yes, halogen lights are a lot.. simple.. what is the watt rating? 55 w right? so a room with 10 = 5500 watt, dam_n man...thats like 2 hairdryers (2 girls, lucky man) or 2 heaters in a cold country... see? u can replace these lights with 1 W LED not very bright but.. hey..

Might want to rethink the math.

Just in case you are not aware but this is a 3 year old topic and hope he has resolved his problem by now. LED lighting would not have been readily available then either.