NancyL Posted February 5, 2011 Share Posted February 5, 2011 We just received our first water bill in for our rental condo -- and we've lived here for 14 months. The water meter is inside the residence, in a very difficult location, so I guess the building manager didn't want to disturb us and ask us to clean out a storage area so she could read the meter. The bill was a shocker -- nearly as much as a month's rent. We've done some checking on our usage and have no problem with the bill's statement of the amount of water used -- it's the rate that is a problem. 30 baht/unit! In our previous condo we paid 12 baht/unit plus a 30 baht/month "tap charge". I emailed the owner of our condo unit and he said it's higher because they're using municipal water vs. well water which is used by some condo building and is cheaper. Incidentally, we pay our electricity directly to the electric company so we aren't paying a mark-up on the electricity. But, I think we're paying a big mark-up on the water. How much is the actual municipal water rate in Chiang Mai city? I know many business owners watch this forum. How much do you pay for water -- how many baht per unit of water used? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackr Posted February 5, 2011 Share Posted February 5, 2011 9 baht out of town but heard it's ramped up right in the city... Kantary (on Nimmanhemin) charge 23 baht, although they would defo be marking up. I think you're being done. Ask if you can pay at the meter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elektrified Posted February 5, 2011 Share Posted February 5, 2011 I just took a peek at our water bill from the moobaan. 10 Baht/unit for dirty, brownish, well water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billd766 Posted February 5, 2011 Share Posted February 5, 2011 Different area I know but 400 km south of you in Khampaeng Phet province I pay 2 baht per cubic meter or 1,000 litres. It seems as though the OP is paying 15 times my price which seems a tad high to me. Sorry for the comparison. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NancyL Posted February 5, 2011 Author Share Posted February 5, 2011 Thanks for the replies so far. We're located in the Thapae/Warorot area and our building is hooked up to municipal water, so comparison with a moo baan's well isn't good. At least the water quality is good, judging by how it looks out of the tap and how it doesn't discolor the bathroom fixtures. Of course, we use bottled water for cooking and drinking. I wish we could "pay at the meter". There is a meter in our condo unit, but it meters the water flow off the condo's supply from the city. There isn't a tap into the city's service that serves just our unit. How about some of you who are involved in business in town, like the many bar owners who hang out on this forum. How much do you pay the city for a unit (cubic meter) of water? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rcjoop Posted February 5, 2011 Share Posted February 5, 2011 Just payed the bill, not in a condo, but city water with direct payment to the water company. 16 units == 211 baht Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greenside Posted February 5, 2011 Share Posted February 5, 2011 The majority of new rental buildings charge 25 baht a unit for water and 7 baht for power. Some older ones too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NancyL Posted February 5, 2011 Author Share Posted February 5, 2011 Thanks, rcjoop, your bill works out to 13.2 baht per unit. Does anyone else have a report? Greenside, what's the source of your information that "the majority of new rental buildings" charge 25 baht/unit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmsally Posted February 5, 2011 Share Posted February 5, 2011 In the Tapae area (house) we are paying 10 BT per unit for municip. water + extra 30 BT "service charge" & VAT. We don't use much as the pressure so low. We pump well water to the tank instead. In condos you will never pay the meter rate as they figure in extra pump/pipe etc charges into the cost. In my condo in BKK water is 16 BT/unit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NancyL Posted February 6, 2011 Author Share Posted February 6, 2011 Thanks, Sally! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greenside Posted February 6, 2011 Share Posted February 6, 2011 Thanks, rcjoop, your bill works out to 13.2 baht per unit. Does anyone else have a report? Greenside, what's the source of your information that "the majority of new rental buildings" charge 25 baht/unit? Just personal experience, Nancy. Pop into Punna, the new Chiang Mai Residence on the corner of the moat across from RAM, The new Viengping on Nimmenhamen or any rental building completed in the last couple of years and check - I'll bet most, if not all are 7/25. If you own a condo you can usually get your own meter installed but pay the building management and they'll want to take a (good) cut. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simoncnx Posted February 6, 2011 Share Posted February 6, 2011 The reason is like this, if you are in a private house the government charges a cheap rate, but it does escalate on usage. ie a house using 5 cu m per month pays a much cheaper unit rate than a house using 100cu m per month. Then there is those horrible commercial buildings ie condo hotel etc. the rate starts out lowish for a small consumption but quickly ramps up to 23.5b per cu m. Then the owner of the building has to pump it up to the roof which is not cheap. So for a big condo, charging 25b/unit is not so bad. My condo soon stopped using govt water and put a well in and now charges 10b per unit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricardo Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 My village water-bill recently increased, from 5B to 6B per cubic-meter, perhaps you need to lay a pipeline from here to there ? But to get serious, bung a couple of bricks into your cisterns, start using grey-water for the plants on your balcony, don't use a running-tap to wash hands or brush teeth, and all those other water-saving measures which you may recall from farangland-days. Perhaps Aussies, or other people who used to live in dry countries, can add further-tips ? Good Luck ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmsally Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 For saving water in the toilet cistern go to the hardware store and buy a "Fill Pro" unit. Excellent little device that lets you monitor the amount of water going into the cistern. The ordinary units also usually have a screw or something that regulates. But this has a white button you just turn, allowing just enough water to flush properly. An aerator tap is good too. Spreads out the globules coming out further! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gennisis Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 Probably not any help for you...I live out near Mee Choc.Wanted to pay the waterbill direct by bank transfer.. Went to the Water Co on the super highway...signed a form. I now get a standard charge of 85 baht each month regardless of the ammount of water used. Dont know if this is high or low,but its convenient and easy to budget for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
briley Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 If you live in a Condo you can not compare your water cost with a house as someone else said. If it is using municipality water then the Condo pays the bill to the municipality and you pay your share to the Condo. As the condo is a BIG user it pays a lot for it's water, I hear 20-25 baht a cu metre. If the Condo has a bore hole then the condo has to pay 3.5 baht a cu metre to the municipality for 'permission to pump'. After that add the cost of running the pumps. One in the bore hole, one to pump through the filters, one to pump to the roof, one to pressurise the top few floors (if you want a decent supply). (This costs around 3.2 baht per cu m) Now the cost of re-packing the filters each year and other annual maintenance. Then add in the cost of getting rid of the waste water, again this has to be filtered and cleaned before being released somewhere. And the toilet water goes into the septic tanks that do not run for free. Finally pipes, valves, tanks etc do not last forever. Two years ago we did a detailed study in our building and came up with a figure of around 17 baht per cu m. So I would say up to 25 baht per cu m would be fair. (Incidentally in the UK the cost is close to 250 baht per cu m plus a standing charge as a comparison.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NancyL Posted February 9, 2011 Author Share Posted February 9, 2011 Thanks everyone for all the explanations. I went and paid the bill yesterday. Really don't have much choice, aside from moving, do I? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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