Trying To Determine If My Electric Bill Is Too High

[quadricorrelator]

I get my bill from the landlord, not the electric company. But, I know they are charging 5 baht per unit because I checked the meter myself. Through experimentation, I have found the following:

1. The living room air conditioner uses 2.4 units per hour. So it consumes 2400 watts

2. The bedroom air conditioner uses 1.8 units per hours. So it consumes 1800 watts.

3. The base line usage without the airconditioner is 3 units per day which comes to 130 watts. The refrigerator is rated at 89 watts, so the rest of the stuff (TV, computer power supplies left on, light, and fan) come to 40 watts.

My only remaining question is this: Could the meter be calibrated incorrectly?

I am considering the following plan to answer this question: I could take out the circuit breaker and temporarily replace it with a wire (high gauge). Then I could measure the current with a current clamp. If I multiply the current by the line voltage (which I can also measure) then I will have the power and see if it comes to 4200 watts when I have both air conditioners on. I should measure about 20 amps.

What do you think?

[zzap]

Sounds rather 'obsessed' to me.

The bill seems reasonable for your usage at 5bt/unit.

[Orion76]

I don't know how many hours you spend at home but if you have at least one unit running 24 hrs a day then your electricity bill doesn't seem that high.

One thing that will make a difference is if your apartment is on the sunny side of the building or not, if it is you can save money if the building you live in has an apartment with the windows facing east. Definitely get your aircon serviced if June was the last time!

Currently my electric bill is 17,500 bht a month so don't feel too bad

[bbigman21]

Just my observation nothing factual. But yes your bill is a little high. But run the air only when you need it. And I guess I want to know if the real root of your question is is your bill high because you are farang? Sorry, that is the farang in me.

[Guest deltakid]

I guess it's about right if you have two AC's running all day and night . In a one bedroom apartment you would probally have snow for that price

thats right i have my ac's running nearly all the time in a 2 bedroom apartment and pay around 4000 each month

[seonai]

Do you really NEED to have air con on all day and night? You should try to get used to the weather as someone else said. I mean sonetimes I hate the heat but you just have to find thing/methods to ease the stress.

Like I said before, I live in an old Thai wooden house and my bill is 250-400 baht a month. Hot in the day but fine at night. I just adjust my lifestyle to suit.

Seonai

[Maejo Man]

We all dread the electricity bill arriving, and I'm no exception, especially if I have had guests staying, as the unit in one of the spare bedrooms would cool half the bars in Nana Plaza.

The root of the problem lies in the fact that most air conditioners are under rated for the job that they are intended.

By this I mean that the owner/landlord that installed them originally, did so on a price basis and not on capacity. In an ideal situation the unit should have a 50 to 60% duty cycle, which means that the compressor is only working for a little over half the time. If the unit is under rated, the compressor runs most of the time. and this is the little beast that draws all your power. The fan unit inside the room only consumes around 50 watts, which is not a great deal.

TIPS

For those of you that want to cut your monthly aircon bills here are a few tips.

Regular cleaning and servicing

This will improve efficiency and lower the bill. Make sure you clean your filters every few weeks at this time of the year. (warm soapy water) Ensure that the cooling veins are straight and undamaged and not "squashed" If they are buy a "cooling fin comb" (very cheap) and run it through the fins till they are straight, thus increasing air flow.

Get the refrigerant balanced every four months, as a unit that is either up or down will increase the compressor cycle.

Also important is the position of the thermostat in the room. Make sure it is not above shoulder height, and not positioned in the hottest part of the room. eg. in direct sunlight.

Make sure the seal between the stale air intake, and the outlet is in good order, and that the outlet veins are pointing slightly downward. (excepting vertical units)

I realise that you are stuck with the unit you have, but at least you can get the most out of it by looking after it.

Common sense savers like opening the bedroom windows to let the heat of the day out, before turning on the air. Keeping the shades/blinds/curtains closed during the day to keep out direct sunlight. Tinting of large windows, especially in condos. Keeping doors closed. If you have any large gaps at the bottom of your doors, buy some cheap rubber or plastic skirts, amazing the difference these make on heavy cold air escaping.

I gurantee these tips will save you your hard earned cash every month.

[Sophon]

I think there was a thread before on cost per unit. If I can recall the more units you use the cost per unit decreases. Though I may stand corrected on that point.

Actually I think it's the other way around, the more units you use, the higher the cost per unit. Not what you would normally expect.

I could be wrong too though.

Sophon

[sriracha john]

Do you really NEED to have air con on all day and night? You should try to get used to the weather as someone else said. I mean sonetimes I hate the heat but you just have to find thing/methods to ease the stress.

Like I said before, I live in an old Thai wooden house and my bill is 250-400 baht a month. Hot in the day but fine at night. I just adjust my lifestyle to suit.

Seonai

You're absolutely correct, seonai.

Do people ever wonder why some many farangs one might encounter sweat so profusely when outside that they are literally wringing wet in their clothes, when right next to them, a Thai will be sitting without sweating in the slightest?

It's:

acclimatization

noun: The physiological adaptation to changes in climate or environment, such as light, temperature, or altitude.

If one is constantly or for the most part of the day and night expose themselves only to a/c environments (going from a/c house to a/c car to go to a/c restaurant, etc.), the phsyiological adaption involved with acclimatization can not occur.

I find it's more than a bit ironic when I hear of people who run their a/c so high at night, they require sheets and blankets and comforters to be comfortable....

but the reverse is true as well as I know people in the USA who walk around their homes barefoot and in T-shirts and shorts in the middle of a frigid Winter because they have their heaters set up so high.

The cost of manipulating one's environment does not come cheaply. Adaptation is much less expensive.

[falangaman]

have you considered asking a neighbour how much they use ????

[paulfr]

I pay 7 THB/unit too.

I think this is a ripoff, but I failed to think to negoitiate it when I signed the lease. We use fans 90% of the time now and cut our costs by 2/3.

[raybkk]

My air conditioner does have freon pipes through the wall. I am not sure which part is outside and which part is inside. The inside unit does have a fan, but so does the outside unit.

I do not think I am paying for someone else's electricity because I have checked the meter. I will know for sure tommorrow because I am keeping all the aircon off for 24 hours before my meter check.

I think I could be overcharged if the meter is calibrated incorrectly. I can try to determine if the calibration is correct by measuring the power used by the airconditioners and other appliances.

Where can I find a cheap volt/current meter? I found one at Home Pro for 2000 baht, but I think it should cost 400 baht. I could also use a current clamp (if I could find one), but I think those are expensive.

Even if I determine that the meter is calibrated incorrectly, I don't know if I can do much about it. What could I do about it? Could I ask them to check the meter calibration?

It could also be that the air conditioner is inefficient and I have it on high all the time.

-q

Yes you can complain. Furhter ask neighbours what they pay. I did and they changed the meter. And I pay 6 baht per unit. 2 bedroom/ 89 Sq M/ 3 Aircons. Bill: Baht 1500.- But before I complained the bil was Baht 4000 up.

[barryofthailand]

I would find a different apartment. IWe live in a two bedroom house have three a/c's run two 9500 btu a/c's at night for about 10 hrs, run a 24,000 btu a/c in the living room at night and durring the hot season in the afternoon when we are home and our bill averages 1000 to 1200 baht durring the cool season and 1500 to 2000 baht durring thye hot season. If the a/c's need to be cleaned, and or need freon they will use lots more power then if in good working order. Also try setting your temp at 26 which is a comfortable temperature and that will also save you on your power bill.

Barry

[The Dude]

The Dude is famous for high electric bills due to AC usage but he's getting better. Started with 3k bills in 1br apt that faced east. Used AC at all times when inside APT. Moved to APT facing north; this was coolest apt, bills avg'd 2250. now facing east and west, hot again but not running ac all the time but a lot. bills now avg 2500. The Dude's obsession with AC costs him but he has shovels cause he digs AC in a large way. The Dude will never get used to sweltering heat

[Phano]

I stand to be corrected, my landlord explained the different items in the elec bill and there is an entry for when you consume more in one month than the previous maonth, you are surcharged 1.7%

True?

[jomama]

I get my bill from the landlord, not the electric company. But, I know they are charging 5 baht per unit because I checked the meter myself. Through experimentation, I have found the following:

1. The living room air conditioner uses 2.4 units per hour. So it consumes 2400 watts

2. The bedroom air conditioner uses 1.8 units per hours. So it consumes 1800 watts.

3. The base line usage without the airconditioner is 3 units per day which comes to 130 watts. The refrigerator is rated at 89 watts, so the rest of the stuff (TV, computer power supplies left on, light, and fan) come to 40 watts.

My only remaining question is this: Could the meter be calibrated incorrectly?

I am considering the following plan to answer this question: I could take out the circuit breaker and temporarily replace it with a wire (high gauge). Then I could measure the current with a current clamp. If I multiply the current by the line voltage (which I can also measure) then I will have the power and see if it comes to 4200 watts when I have both air conditioners on. I should measure about 20 amps.

What do you think?

That it can easily be calibrated wrong, or the landlord simply jiggles in whatever numbers meet their target for income. I once lived in a condo where the electricity bill jumped exactly 1500 baht one month. I raised a stink and found that the manager simply wanted or needed some extra income.

Electricity and phone charges are high "hidden costs" in condos. Why, indeed, to they add on a surcharge?