Has anyone else's power bills doubled? Summer rates maybe?

[Colabamumbai]

Your condo owner may be charging you 6 to 8 Baht per KWH. My bill in a one room apartment normally 750.

Last month 1,500 almost half my rent. In kalasin, Isaan 97 to 100 degrees daily, using the A/C quite a bit more.

Most apartment owners in Thailand double the amount that they pay the electric company, so they make a 50% profit on your electrical use on top of your rent, water probably the same.

Back to the fan.

[Steen1507]

One more thing, I do usually keep the thermostat set to as low as it can get (19C). Does that make the AC go into overdrive mode and use more power?

Hi

we live in Jomtien and we have a Condo here.

eg: Jan14 we spend a lot less than now.

But it has no where near doubled.

Here last bill was about 1000 baht higher than last month.

But what we found is that Cleaning the filter does help and to set it

to 19c will cost you dearly. We have it on 24c and thats fine for us.

We have 2 air-con unit but only use one.

And yes the unit price have come up from 4.35 baht/unit to now 4.72 baht /unit

But that itself only makes up for an extra 150 to 200 bht.

[attrayant]

23 degrees? Are you sure you haven't got a window open somewhere in the house?

[BlackJack]

if you set your aircon to 24-25 degrees and then use a floor fan to direct the cool air at you (also introducing a chill factor) I am sure your nipples will get hard within minutes

this is a sure sign that things are cold

[Pib]

The rate seemed to go up by about 15% last month, from .59 to .69 per unit.

Also it has been very hot with record temperatures. When it is really hot you tend to stay inside more, than when the weather is cooler.

My bill jumped considerably last month.

The 0.69 baht per KWH is the Ft charge which only comprises about 15 to 20% of your total bill. The basic 3 to 4 baht per KWH comprises the bulk of your charge, then add on the Ft 0.69 baht/KWH, then add on 7% VAT, and a small fee or two like the meter fee. The main driver is Apr and May are the hottest months in Thailand, with March and June being pretty toasty also. After coming off the cool season of Dec thru Feb, the higher electric bills in Mar, Apr, May, and Jun usually do shock folks...then the bills start going down as the hottest part of the year has passed.

[gigman]

My first electric bill was 1500bht for March .Air cond. was running non stop day and night set to 26-27deg during the day and 29deg at night.

Also my tv and kitchen (magnetic top)also microwave used everyday for cooking.

I just wanted to see and experience the cost of maximum usage.

Next month bill (April) ....surprise...2500bht .....same usage same conditions .

This month my bill will arrive around 15 of June and I'm using same appliances except I rise room temperature in day time to 27-28 and at night to 29-30.

If I can advise ..(I am electrician and air con techn.)then I would suggest to employ a circulating fan in the room towards opposite air cond. internal outlet.

It allows more precisely to mix room air and specially near ceiling where air unit sucks in hot air.

Problem is that air con head is always mounted near the ceiling where is the highest temperature.

Around 500 mm below temperature difference is roughly 5-8 deg. Yes 5-8 deg.

To explain better, air con head sensor "thinks" that is still to hot compare to setting sent from remote control and keep going to reach required level.

Really it often never happened because not every unit is strong enough to cool down the room because of slowly "dying compressor" or simply room is to big for type of unit.

Depends from room air circulation all air cond works more then required.

You can find brands as Panasonic who created new temperature reading system which control air cond unit and sensor is build in in remote control.

Remote control is sending actual room temperature to the unit .

Removing remote control to different place in the room changes condition of cooling device.( often people accidentally cover remote with pillow or something and then air unit never stop)

Unfortunately mine is not old but does not have sensor in remote control hence I am using fan which is very cheap to run parallel with my air con with really good results.

Besides, I think electric company rise their prices ...but not really doubled ...( I calculated last bill as 0.36 and now looks like 0.45 per unit)

This is still to hard to read Thai bill properly but I think they charging for electr. usage same like it was in Australia for eg. first 500 Kw was lower price then increases price per unit when goes higher.

Anyway guys I am happy with electric bill here compare to my last bill in Australia where after being careful with usage in similar conditions my bill reached

195 dol/month.....

[cnx355]

I know a friend that rent a condo in Changklan Resident not far from your place.

Two AC unit and he pays the normal electric rate directly at 7-11 after receiving the electric bill.

He like to run AC most of the time in either the bedroom or the living room area. In the last 3 years the bill were up to 4000 B + most of the time in hot season.

Even the owner was surprised with the high bills.

Both unit were as old as the building and after negotiating with the owner the 2 units were changed with brand new ones during the last year .

The bills now are about 2000 B + a month. in the last hot season, and around 1000 B/1500 B + in the other seasons

I guess the 15-20 year old units were using a lot of juice and no electronic control like the new one.

[Qman]

I live in a condo about 70 sq/mt and average summer electric is around 3,000 baht with setting ac on 22. I have two units and only use in the room I am in, keep curtains closed when sun is coming in the rooms and use fans to help with moving the cool air around. Also definitely clean the filters and have the units serviced. I have found that units do not always cycle on and off so best to have a thermometer around to know the real temp as the unit's number may be off. Just do the common sense things and make sure your units are running without issues and that is about all you can do outside setting new limits for comfort.

[Pib]

My first electric bill was 1500bht for March .Air cond. was running non stop day and night set to 26-27deg during the day and 29deg at night. Also my tv and kitchen (magnetic top)also microwave used everyday for cooking. I just wanted to see and experience the cost of maximum usage. Next month bill (April) ....surprise...2500bht .....same usage same conditions . This month my bill will arrive around 15 of June and I'm using same appliances except I rise room temperature in day time to 27-28 and at night to 29-30. If I can advise ..(I am electrician and air con techn.)then I would suggest to employ a circulating fan in the room towards opposite air cond. internal outlet. It allows more precisely to mix room air and specially near ceiling where air unit sucks in hot air. Problem is that air con head is always mounted near the ceiling where is the highest temperature. Around 500 mm below temperature difference is roughly 5-8 deg. Yes 5-8 deg. To explain better, air con head sensor "thinks" that is still to hot compare to setting sent from remote control and keep going to reach required level. Really it often never happened because not every unit is strong enough to cool down the room because of slowly "dying compressor" or simply room is to big for type of unit. Depends from room air circulation all air cond works more then required. You can find brands as Panasonic who created new temperature reading system which control air cond unit and sensor is build in in remote control. Remote control is sending actual room temperature to the unit . Removing remote control to different place in the room changes condition of cooling device.( often people accidentally cover remote with pillow or something and then air unit never stop) Unfortunately mine is not old but does not have sensor in remote control hence I am using fan which is very cheap to run parallel with my air con with really good results. Besides, I think electric company rise their prices ...but not really doubled ...( I calculated last bill as 0.36 and now looks like 0.45 per unit) This is still to hard to read Thai bill properly but I think they charging for electr. usage same like it was in Australia for eg. first 500 Kw was lower price then increases price per unit when goes higher. Anyway guys I am happy with electric bill here compare to my last bill in Australia where after being careful with usage in similar conditions my bill reached 195 dol/month.....

Here are some snapshots from the Bangkok Metropolian Electric Authority (MEA) which provides electric service to Bangkok...the snap shots show the basic residential rate per KWH (use the tariff labeled Residential 1.2), the Ft (energy charge) which is currently 0.69 baht/KWH, 7% VAT, fees, etc. The basic rate per KWH does vary between 0 to 150KWH, 151 to 400KWH, and above 400KWH. I expect most farangs, especially if using even a small A/C for any significant time, average more than 400KWH/month. I've also include a PDF which shows a bill for 600KWH per month which comes to Bt2,769.

Basic Electric Tariff...Use the Residential 1.2 Tariff

Ft Tariff

Bill for 600KWH per month

600KWH Electric Charge_MEA.pdf

[TooMuchToLearn]

Just bought a couple of Air units and had an occasion to look at energy usage for different size units.

The Panasonic one shows a 9000 BTU rated at about 700 watts.

A 13,000 BTU unit is rated at about 1000 watts.

An 18,000 BTU unit was rated at about 1300 watts.

Now, if I have read my electric bills right, a "unit" on the bill is a "kilowatt/hour."

An appliance that uses 500 watts would take 2 hours of usage to make one "Kilowatt/hour." (I think I have this right! lol)

So...

A 13,000 BTU Air Conditioner (at 1,000 watts) would use approximately one Kw/H per hour of usage.

A 9,000 BTU Air Conditioner (at 700 watts) would use approximately .7 Kw/H per hour of usage.

An 18,000 BTU Air Conditioner (at 1,300 watts) would use approximately 1.3 Kw/H per hour of usage.

Of course, these are the "rated" numbers. Set the temp higher, and it will work less. Set the temp lower, and it will work more.

But I thought this might be helpful as a guide.

[Pib]

Just bought a couple of Air units and had an occasion to look at energy usage for different size units.

The Panasonic one shows a 9000 BTU rated at about 700 watts.

A 13,000 BTU unit is rated at about 1000 watts.

An 18,000 BTU unit was rated at about 1300 watts.

Now, if I have read my electric bills right, a "unit" on the bill is a "kilowatt/hour."

An appliance that uses 500 watts would take 2 hours of usage to make one "Kilowatt/hour." (I think I have this right! lol)

So...

A 13,000 BTU Air Conditioner (at 1,000 watts) would use approximately one Kw/H per hour of usage.

A 9,000 BTU Air Conditioner (at 700 watts) would use approximately .7 Kw/H per hour of usage.

An 18,000 BTU Air Conditioner (at 1,300 watts) would use approximately 1.3 Kw/H per hour of usage.

Of course, these are the "rated" numbers. Set the temp higher, and it will work less. Set the temp lower, and it will work more.

But I thought this might be helpful as a guide.

Use the KWH/BTU calculator at this Link...you'll see above KWH usage info is quite low/off the mark. Example an 18K BTU A/C is more like 5.25 KWH versus 1.3KWH.

But keep in mind that assumes the A/C is running full time each hour--the outside unit compressor never cutting off---but in actual use the A/C outside unit will cycle on and off for a non-invertor type A/C....when the inside of the room cools off to the desired temp the outside unit will cut off for a while greatly reducing the power being used by the A/C....the outside unit/compressor is the real energy hog; not the inside unit. The outside unit containing the compressor uses approx 90% of the total power consumed by the whole A/C system comprised of an inside unit and outside unit. During hot weather the outside unit/compressor will have more on-time (got to work harder & longer) than during the cool season. Now this is an example of a typical A/C; an "invertor" A/C works differently in how it runs the outside unit/compressor...instead of using strictly an on-off cycle it also slows down and speeds up compressor usage...kinda like pressing the gas pedal on a car....press down to speed up...let off to slow down.

Edited June 5, 2014 by Pib

[1FinickyOne]

I live in a small village in N. Thailand - - the electric rates which were very reasonable at 4 baht per kwh have recently gone up to 6.9 baht per kwh… this is a 75% increase in just a few months… I use a/c in a bedroom at night and my office in the day when I am around… my highest bills used to be abt 1500 - now 2500… still cheaper than it would be in a city ubt on the rise…

[n210mp]

Last couple years average 3000 to 3500 baht a month, last month 4900 baht

Done nothing different at all

Checked the line nobody tapping our leckric

Only use one AC at night from 9.pm till 5.am

Pool pump on 6 hours a day

There has been a hefty price hike IMO

Also you have to remember that a LTD company pays more for electric and water than a privately owned dwelling

[Tchooptip]

Thanks for all the help and info, guys!!!

As per this thread, I have now scheduled A/C service as well as raised thermostat temps.

Gonna try 23C instead of 19C

Also gonna peep the meter and see if there's any leaks... just have to locate it! It doesn't appear to be anywhere in the little doors that open in the walls around the condo. There's probably a cluster of meters on this floor somewhere...

Normally 25c should be enough IMHO could be a few hours more of "not working"

[elzach]

Check the EER (Energy Efficiency Ratio) of the units. If they are as old as the building (say, 5-6-7 years) you might be surprised that they were actually allowed to sell them. It seems in Thailand EER didn't catch on till 4-5 years ago.

As someone else already mentioned, a brand new AC will make a huge difference.

[Pib]

Here's a nice Link that graphically shows Average Hours of Sunshine (less hot when it's cloudy/overcast), Average Max and Min Mean Temperatures, Average Rainfall, Average Humidity, and other stats for the Bangkok area...but it should closely relate to other parts of Thailand also. Combine various factors such as amount of sunshine, temp (a few degrees can make a big difference), humidity, etc., and a person should see the last few months makes A/Cs work very hard and eat plenty of electricity.

Edited June 5, 2014 by Pib

[sandyf]

It is impossible to compare any 2 air con installations, just too many variables. The purpose of the aircon unit is to remove the difference between the desired temperature and the actual temperature, so the higher your setting the less work the unit has to do. Higher the workload = higher running costs. What many do not appreciate is the problem of the brickwork. During the day, walls that are exposed to the sun absorb heat and can rise to quite a high temperature, then when the sun goes down the heat is released back into the surrounding air. The aircon unit is desperately trying to suck heat out of the air and the bricks are pumping heat back into the same air, makes for a heavy workload. The aircon unit cannot relax until the bricks have been brought down to the desired temperature.

You can reduce the energy bill quite significantly by not allowing the bricks to rise in temperature. People that live in condos probably have little option in this respect but for those in houses some shade on the south facing walls could make some difference.

When I built my house, I had cavity wall construction and that works quite well. The south walls are still fairly cool in the afternoon and the house is generally about 5 degrees below the outside temperature. The building is a two bed bungalow , about 100 sq m. I have 2 x 18K btu and 1 x 13K btu, all cooking is electric and the washing machine is on every day. Bills are normally 900 - 1300 baht but the last couple of months they have risen to around the 1700 mark.

[Dap]

Are you sure you need to set at 19C. That will make your compressor a

never ending run. Might be wise to set the thermostat at about 24/26C

should give a comfortable living space and a much lower bill.

[bangkapi]

Yes.... 26 Sq M.

Highest bill before had been 2500....

Latest bill: 4900 baht...

For a tiny condo!!!

<deleted>?

[jacko45k]

I only use my Air Con in the bedroom when I sleep, and set to 28ºC and that is perfect, so you don't go sick

My bill in hot season is about 2053thb as max, that include 3 computer set and 5 fan on whole day and some waterpump for shower etc.

Perfect? Isn't that about the same as the temperature outside during night time?

Personally I have found 23 works for me, cool enough that I can get under the covers and not need any fans.

[Naam]

Thanks for all the help and info, guys!!!

As per this thread, I have now scheduled A/C service as well as raised thermostat temps.

Gonna try 23C instead of 19C

Also gonna peep the meter and see if there's any leaks... just have to locate it! It doesn't appear to be anywhere in the little doors that open in the walls around the condo. There's probably a cluster of meters on this floor somewhere...

based on present ambient temperatures raising the thermostat from 19º to 23ºC won't make any difference.

[mmail2you]

Make sure you have done the maintenance on the AC and also ensure your fridges condenser is clean

[jmacken306]

We are in an apartment, we took our monthly bill to management, everybody that had A/C complained. It cost more than our rent for one month. Every 6 months we have our A/C cleaned, because when we would turn it on in the evening, the compressor would shut down after maybe 2 minutes, then back on for a minute or two (not a half hour or...), signs of needs cleaning. If it runs, runs and runs with just a cool air, it needs charging. The same goes for cars, warm air, needs charging. Being from the US, the electric companies always raised the rates for the summer, you can guess why, same goes with heating in the winter, Natural Gas prices rise, Holidays Automobile gas prices go up, go figure! The companies know how to make money and when!!!!!!

[Pib]

We are in an apartment, we took our monthly bill to management, everybody that had A/C complained. It cost more than our rent for one month. Every 6 months we have our A/C cleaned, because when we would turn it on in the evening, the compressor would shut down after maybe 2 minutes, then back on for a minute or two (not a half hour or...), signs of needs cleaning. If it runs, runs and runs with just a cool air, it needs charging. The same goes for cars, warm air, needs charging. Being from the US, the electric companies always raised the rates for the summer, you can guess why, same goes with heating in the winter, Natural Gas prices rise, Holidays Automobile gas prices go up, go figure! The companies know how to make money and when!!!!!!

Normally the compressor is suppose to cycle on and off...unless maybe an invertor model. When the temp in the area/room reaches the desired temp the outside unit will cut off....when the temp in the room rises above the desired temp the outside unit will turn on. But working properly the cycling probably would not be every 2 minutes or so...more like every 5 to 10 minutes.

Basic electricity rates in Bangkok and probably the rest of the country have not been raised by the state run MEA or PEA electric companies, except the Ft Energy charge does change every 4 months or so...but that change in the Ft is small part of the electric bill.

Now, if your are not being billed directly by the electric company because the account is not in your name with the electric company but instead being billed by your condo building/landlord then building management/the landlord may be adding on the the official charge...call it profit for the landlord...this sounds like your situation in that the landlord is adding on. And of course if you are in an area of Thailand that possibly gets their power from a private electric company versus the state run MEA/PEA, then those rates could indeed be changing/higher.

[IMHO]

We are in an apartment, we took our monthly bill to management, everybody that had A/C complained. It cost more than our rent for one month. Every 6 months we have our A/C cleaned, because when we would turn it on in the evening, the compressor would shut down after maybe 2 minutes, then back on for a minute or two (not a half hour or...), signs of needs cleaning. If it runs, runs and runs with just a cool air, it needs charging. The same goes for cars, warm air, needs charging. Being from the US, the electric companies always raised the rates for the summer, you can guess why, same goes with heating in the winter, Natural Gas prices rise, Holidays Automobile gas prices go up, go figure! The companies know how to make money and when!!!!!!

Normally the compressor is suppose to cycle on and off...unless maybe an invertor model. When the temp in the area/room reaches the desired temp the outside unit will cut off....when the temp in the room rises above the desired temp the outside unit will turn on. But working properly the cycling probably would not be every 2 minutes or so...more like every 5 to 10 minutes.

Basic electricity rates in Bangkok and probably the rest of the country have not been raised by the state run MEA or PEA electric companies, except the Ft Energy charge does change every 4 months or so...but that change in the Ft is small part of the electric bill.

Now, if your are not being billed directly by the electric company because the account is not in your name with the electric company but instead being billed by your condo building/landlord then building management/the landlord may be adding on the the official charge...call it profit for the landlord...this sounds like your situation in that the landlord is adding on. And of course if you are in an area of Thailand that possibly gets their power from a private electric company versus the state run MEA/PEA, then those rates could indeed be changing/higher.

Inverter AC's range of operation is generally only 50%-100% - if less than 50% duty cycle is needed, the compressor outside will still switch off.

[HerbalEd]

Don't your electric bills list the baht/Kw rate? Compare that in all your bills. Also, here are some factors to consider:

It's not only how many hours your aircon units run, but how hard they have to work and how often the compressor turns on and off. Obviously they have to work harder with higher temps and humidity.

Since you ran the units longer during smoke season, the units get dirtier during that time. You need to clean the units' filters periodically ... and they need to be serviced and possibly topped off with refrigerant.

[sprq]

Your condo owner may be charging you 6 to 8 Baht per KWH. My bill in a one room apartment normally 750.

Last month 1,500 almost half my rent. In kalasin, Isaan 97 to 100 degrees daily, using the A/C quite a bit more.

Most apartment owners in Thailand double the amount that they pay the electric company, so they make a 50% profit on your electrical use on top of your rent, water probably the same.

Back to the fan.

No, they make a 100% profit if they double the cost, which most do.

[TooMuchToLearn]

Your condo owner may be charging you 6 to 8 Baht per KWH. My bill in a one room apartment normally 750.

Last month 1,500 almost half my rent. In kalasin, Isaan 97 to 100 degrees daily, using the A/C quite a bit more.

Most apartment owners in Thailand double the amount that they pay the electric company, so they make a 50% profit on your electrical use on top of your rent, water probably the same.

Back to the fan.

No, they make a 100% profit if they double the cost, which most do.

There's a lot of confusion about "profit" percentages.

If something costs 100 baht and you sell it for 200 baht, it has a 100% "mark-up"...but only a 50% "profit."

Think about your statement, "they make a 100% profit..." That means that ALL the money received is "profit"--100%

Unless you get something for FREE, you can never have "100% profit."

It's a confusion between the terms "mark-up" and "margin."

100% "Mark-up" (above cost) = 50% "Profit Margin" (50% of the Selling Price...is Profit...and 50%...is your cost-of-goods-sold.)

Spoken correctly, you should only talk about "profit percentages" in relation to Selling Prices, because the Selling Price is the only one that has profits!

The other is a "Mark-up percentage."

Make sense?

[Pib]

You must be a CPA logging on from prison.

[GOLDBUGGY]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

Thanks for the replies and info, guys!

Located the old bills and did some comparisons.

When I look at the units consumed, and divide that by the bill cost, it seems to work out to nearly the same numbers.

On the non-A/C months, i was using as little as 128 units. But this last month, its up to 1018 units!

Which is perplexing, because after the first 928 unit bill, I made a point to drastically reduce A/C use. More fans, just use the smaller AC unit in the bedroom, etc. Even my friends noticed! They'd come over and ask my why I had fans instead of AC.

So I guess I need to figure out if my AC unit(s) are in overdrive mode, maybe dirty and need to be cleaned.

Could lack of coolant/chemical be a factor at all? I notice my unit here shuts off for about 30-60 min, just warm air, then finally comes back to cold again. Also a light on it that says OUT DOOR comes on. I feel like it needs to be serviced.

The suggestion of shutting everything off then checking the meter is a good one. I will have to locate my meter!

Lack of coolant can be a big factor. If it is low your Compressor will run harder and longer with less results and that is the big power user. I always get mine checked when I first move into a new place and also after a year, for leaks. They never seem to do that here unless you do. It is cheap to do and gives you piece of mind.

Cleaning your inside dust screen helps. Take it out and give it a vacuum often. But the outside cooling coils may also get dirty. When they come to charge you AC get them to air blow the coils outside as well. Mine was plugged full of dirt and now runs much better. Their is also a Condensate Draining Line that needs checking. They tend to plug up. Run and air or water line up it and make sure it drains okay. They can also do that for you but you need to ask them to.

Another trick if you have an undersized Air- Con is to add a larger Condenser Coils Cooling Fan. Doesn't work as well as a larger Compressor or New Air-Con but does improve performance and is far cheaper to do. Takes away more heat outside, especially on hotter days, so also more heat from inside.