Unusually large 7k baht electricity bill

[4evermaat]

Earlier this billing month, the electric line to the house got cut on a tree and we had to get it repaired. At first the electricity current that came back online appeared low (many of the electrical appliances didn't seem to run on full blast as usual). after a couple of days the electric cut off completely again, and we had the same guy fix the line again, but it was back to normal with the current flow. Didn't think too much of it until the new bill came in.

Normally the electric bill is between 1800 and 2200 with the highest being around 2800 with heavy a/c usage that month. As soon as the meter guy handed the gf the 7k bill, she immediately protested and the man said someone will come [today[ to check something on the meter. The guy came and checked the meter and conferred with the other guy who fixed the electric. No problems with the meter. It appears that there was electricity that was "spilling out" while the line was cut and not fully repaired. He instructed gf if there is still a problem with the bill to go to the PEA office [today] to sort it out.

The way that the electric cable line to the house is setup, the original lessees used a concrete pole that is 100+ meters (eyeball estimate) from the house adjacent to the main road to place the meter. (I'm guessing the meter pole was already there for the neighboring property). Instead of running the line from the meter to the house parallel to the main road FIRST and then to the house like most of the electric/cable lines appear to run, they cut through the bushes/trees FIRST and used a tree as support in one instance to hold the line in place. Even though it is technically shorter, I was thinking <deleted>?

We have to go to the electricity billing PEA office today to talk with the boss. Some of my question are:

1) Is that possible for a cut cable line that the electric current can still flow out to the ground, in the tree, or into another object (like a fence)? Would this flow be at the full rate?

2) My understanding of how the electricity works is the Electric company is responsible up to the meter. We are responsible for anything after the meter to the house. Is this correct? Are there exceptions to this?

3) Can we request/demand that they move the meter closer to the house? If a new concrete pole to put the meter on must be put up, who pays for the pole? Is there any fee to move the meter? How much for these things?

Could they put the meter on the house? Or rather, how close can we get to the house? I would actually like the meter on one of the sides of the house if possible. Much easier to keep tabs on expenses that way, shorter path to have anything go wrong, etc.

4) Is there a way to shut off power coming from the meter if this were to happen again?

5) If we must still run the line in the same path with the trees, is there a special line that must be used (thicker) or shielding that would need to be placed around certain parts to protect against being cut? Cost?

6) for a private electric meter, how much is this to buy?

Perhaps I can grab some photos or some video later of the current setup. Any suggestions to prevent another occurrence of improve the situation at hand would be helpful.

Edited October 17, 2013 by 4evermaat

[IMHO]

1. Yes

2. Yes, you are responsible for what happens after the meter

3. You can pay them to move the meter closer to your house, but it can't go on private property.

4. Call the PEA and have them pull the meter if there's a cable problem downstream.

5. You can only ever use wire size appropriate for the meter (e.g. 25mm2 for a 15/45, 35mm2 for a 30/100 meter). You might want to consider going underground of you're afraid of this happening again.

6. Depends on the size of the meter. About 4K Baht for a 15/45, about 12K Baht for a 30/100

In any case, talk to the PEA - the have the power to discount your bill if you can get them feeling empathetic.

[Crossy]

+1 to IMHO

[4evermaat]

1. Yes

2. Yes, you are responsible for what happens after the meter

3. You can pay them to move the meter closer to your house, but it can't go on private property.

4. Call the PEA and have them pull the meter if there's a cable problem downstream.

5. You can only ever use wire size appropriate for the meter (e.g. 25mm2 for a 15/45, 35mm2 for a 30/100 meter). You might want to consider going underground of you're afraid of this happening again.

6. Depends on the size of the meter. About 4K Baht for a 15/45, about 12K Baht for a 30/100

In any case, talk to the PEA - the have the power to discount your bill if you can get them feeling empathetic.

+1 to IMHO

we went to one of the PEA offices yesterday (18th) to look about the billing. The meter guy kept the high bill slip and took it to a specific office that is suppose to handle our district specifically, but we went to a neighbor office that I normally go to pay anyway to get directions. So we took a few previous bills and one of the reps at the neighbor office went into the accounting room and came out a few min later with a printout of a screenshot of a list of previous bill invoices for the lifetime of the meter (but only about 14 months showing)

The latest bill summary showed 2,150 baht with an invoice date of Friday, 18th of Oct. But the meter was read on the 16th, and the meter itself double-check on the 17th. I can't quite explain whether the bill was already adjusted, but gf just wanted to pay the bill and be done with it. I guess we'll find out next month or next week. I'm not complaining...but I do want to be sure about these things.

In regards to moving the meter, we will visit the other PEA office that handles our area specifically next week. But when I took photos, I did notice a similar electric pole much closer to the house...why would they put the meter on the pole further away? It makes sense for the neighbor's meter, but not the units on our side. And it would be much easier to read even for the meter guy. Now you have a bunch of vines and weed bushes near the further meter pole. But I guess they deal with worse in other places.

- I did want to confirm that a private electric meter (separate from the electric company meter that you own) 15/45 is 4k baht? Do you pick those up at hardware stores or you can still purchase separately from PEA. I've stayed at an apartment where they had a small meter that was used to bill us for electric use. I remember it being not as bulky as the outdoor meters the PEA uses. Do they come with some kind of warranty?

[Crossy]

I did want to confirm that a private electric meter (separate from the electric company meter that you own) 15/45 is 4k baht? Do you pick those up at hardware stores or you can still purchase separately from PEA. I've stayed at an apartment where they had a small meter that was used to bill us for electric use. I remember it being not as bulky as the outdoor meters the PEA uses. Do they come with some kind of warranty?

HomePro do meters, but I recall them being rather less than 4K a pop.

You can also look on Ebay, there are a lot of small electronic meters at very sensible prices.