High Electric Bill

[Monkeyrobot]

I have been in the new rented condo now for 2 months, my average monthly electric bill is 6,500B P/M. The rate is 5.50B per unit and I have checked the meter and the readings are correct. I run the A/C 12 hours per day & just a fan at night. I have a cooktop and oven that is used twice a week and a washing machine and dryer that is used every 3 days. Last month I went to Pattaya for 5 nights so I was only here 25 nights out of the month. I did keep the fridge running while I was away but everything else was turned off. Also I do have a 55 inch TV LED.

The condo is 80sqm, I asked some friends and there monthly bills average around 3000 to 4000B for the same setup. I appreciate any feedback. Thanks TV members.

[Crossy]

What temperature do you have the aircon set to?

[lopburi3]

Seems high - have you turned everything off in apartment and checked that meter is not running?

As said above temp you cool can make a huge difference - especially as is daytime usage - which may mean it is on all the time. How many BTU?

[MJCM]

I do have approx the same setup, however also 2 PC's running 14 hours a day, Aircon 1 (living room) running from approx 5pm - 8pm and Aircon 2 (bed room) running from 10pm - 10am.

Electricity is 4.5 THB per unit and my bill for this month just arrived and was 1900 THB.

[lopburi3]

Whoa - missed the dryer on first read - most people do not use except for occasional rainy day - so that will also be a major draw that most people would not have.

Also if entire 80sm is being cooled it must be a very large air conditioner so likely draws a lot more than most people would have.

[KittenKong]

I do have approx the same setup, however also 2 PC's running 14 hours a day, Aircon 1 (living room) running from approx 5pm - 8pm and Aircon 2 (bed room) running from 10pm - 10am.

Electricity is 4.5 THB per unit and my bill for this month just arrived and was 1900 THB.

My bill is a little lower for similar usage, except that I have one aircon running all the time, one PC running all the time and I pay the regular PEA rate for my electricity.

I did find that changing from an old no-name aircon to a new inverter brand-name model (same BTU) reduced my bill by about 60-70%. I'm not sure how much of this is down to the inverter or the newness.

[MJCM]

<snip>

I did find that changing from an old no-name aircon to a new inverter brand-name model (same BTU) reduced my bill by about 60-70%. I'm not sure how much of this is down to the inverter or the newness.

+1, I also changed (Bedroom only) from the standard Aircon to a Diakin Inverter and my bill went down from around 2500 to what they are now +/-1900 THB.

The other thing that has changed are the noise levels, the old one was ..... noisy and the new one you can't even hear

[KhunBENQ]

12 hour AC, maybe bad isolation (leaky windows, roof)? AC for the whole 80 qm?

A dryer eats a lot too. Here I would really ask: what for?

5.5 Baht seems a little more than the rate from the provider. Should be 4.5.

But not over the top compared to others.

If all fails, you would have to do measurents.

In the simplest way: watching/timing the meter (counting the spins) while having only a single device on.

More sophisticated requires equipment.

Also the usual "all off" test to answer the question: does the meter stop or do you have cadgers?

And checking/noting the meter readings on your own of course.

Edited December 1, 2014 by KhunBENQ

[bartender100]

Get the a/c cleaned if you have not already, makes a huge difference to the monthly bill

[Monkeyrobot]

What temperature do you have the aircon set to?

23 degree C

[KhunBENQ]

12 h AC for 80 sqm (?) plus dryer plus electric cooking at 5.5 Baht/unit ?

Maybe there is not much to change ...

[Monkeyrobot]

<snip>

I did find that changing from an old no-name aircon to a new inverter brand-name model (same BTU) reduced my bill by about 60-70%. I'm not sure how much of this is down to the inverter or the newness.

+1, I also changed (Bedroom only) from the standard Aircon to a Diakin Inverter and my bill went down from around 2500 to what they are now +/-1900 THB.

The other thing that has changed are the noise levels, the old one was ..... noisy and the new one you can't even hear

Thanks for your input the aircon is pretty old, it's not the inverter style. I will also purchase a cloths rack at Big C or home pro and not use my dryer. I will also turn off the mains and then check the meter if it is still turning.

[Mike West]

That is a lot, I use my air con pretty much like u, during the day, and fan at night. my bills are just under 2000 baht a month.

Question: Do you pay your bill to the condo, or to government at 7/11 etc?

[Monkeyrobot]

That is a lot, I use my air con pretty much like u, during the day, and fan at night. my bills are just under 2000 baht a month.

Question: Do you pay your bill to the condo, or to government at 7/11 etc?

I pay to the condo but I have checked the meter at the beginning and end off the month the readings are correct.

[chrisinth]

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<snip>
I did find that changing from an old no-name aircon to a new inverter brand-name model (same BTU) reduced my bill by about 60-70%. I'm not sure how much of this is down to the inverter or the newness.

+1, I also changed (Bedroom only) from the standard Aircon to a Diakin Inverter and my bill went down from around 2500 to what they are now +/-1900 THB.

The other thing that has changed are the noise levels, the old one was ..... noisy and the new one you can't even hear

Thanks for your input the aircon is pretty old, it's not the inverter style. I will also purchase a cloths rack at Big C or home pro and not use my dryer. I will also turn off the mains and then check the meter if it is still turning.

Reckon that could be a big part of your problem with the bill, the age and technology of your aircon. Another factor to consider is the BTU of the unit, if it is not big enough for the space being conditioned, the compressor won't stop working while in use.

As has been already mentioned, try increasing the thermostat to 25⁰C (assuming the aircon is adequate for the space). You will quickly become accustomed to the new temperature................

[khunpa]

Your AC use seems to be the reason for your high bill. We live 3 adults in a 130 m2, 2 bedroom pool house. Our bill comes out to around 5000 THB. But we also only use the AC about 1 hour pr. day (before we sleep).

Before living in a condo (70 m2) our bill was around 3.000 THB.

[ryanhull]

Definitly getting over charged I think, unless you have a fault aircon or it needs cleaning... with two 1200BTU air cons, one usually always running either for the dog our us... 42inch tv, laptop, fridge, oven, outdoor lights in a 4 bedroom house my bill is usually around 1900 a month give or take a few hundred bhat,

[balo]

I pay 4.40 per unit and the bill is never above 2000 baht . Air Con on at night and daytime , around 12-15 hours, set to 26 degrees. 2 laptops, big TV, washing machine and lots of other electric devices.

But I am paying directly to the government, 6000 thb is way too much, if you pay 5.50 per unit I would not trust the readings from your meter.

Edited December 1, 2014 by balo

[watcharacters]

That is a lot, I use my air con pretty much like u, during the day, and fan at night. my bills are just under 2000 baht a month.

Question: Do you pay your bill to the condo, or to government at 7/11 etc?

I pay to the condo but I have checked the meter at the beginning and end off the month the readings are correct.

.

I figured by your saying you have a condo that the rate you would pay is above the standard electric company rate. That's really a given.

I lived for a a while in a condo in Jomtiem and I was never able to coordinate the meter readings with the charges I was asked to pay. I finally gave up trying to make sense of it.

Overall I'd say electricity is not expensive in Thailand.

[tim armstrong]

Definitely aircon problem. They are the biggest guzzlers of the 'Fi'

[daveAustin]

It's your aircon! Lets say, as an older, large model, that compressor is drawing 3kw. If set to 23 degrees, it is likely not achieving temp and therefore always running. So 3 (kw) x 12 (hours) x 30 (days) x 5.5 (baht per unit) = 5940 baht. Your shower is also likely drawing a fair amount and then the other ancillary stuff is making it up to 6.5k. I bet they love you there. You should be aiming for something like 1,500 baht.

My advice: get aircon cleaned, then set it at about 28 or 27 degrees, 23 is ridiculous (personally). You will then see a dramatic drop in your bill as the comp' will spur on for a few minutes every 10 mins or so as opposed to always on.

[KittenKong]

I figured by your saying you have a condo that the rate you would pay is above the standard electric company rate. That's really a given.

I live in a condo and even when I rented it I only paid the standard electric rate, direct to the PEA.

[ghost writer]

100 % being way over charged. Take a look at scam number 2 at http://howtomakemoneyinthailand.com/thailand-scams-and-how-to-avoid-them/

[wow64]

Mine is similar... Get your air con serviced. When I do mine my elesctricity bill goes down.

Sent from my c64

[fey]

12 hr / day lol you need to turn that sucker off. also unplug the fridge when nothing is in there are set it to the lowest setting if its too much unplug it and use an ice box stop complaining and take it like a man. learn to brave some heat i never use air con and im in bkk. pretty much sums it up except for the stop complaining part.

[johnharis]

hey dear as you telling that your electricity bill is so much and 5 days you are not at home so it is a issue that bill is going increase.first of all check you electricity system by a mechanic and after that use minimum equipment to reduce your electricity bikk have a good day:-0

[DLock]

My electricity bill in my condo in BKK was excessively high for about 3 months. I protested that my bill was excessive and they showed me the list of all condo bills. Mine was the 3rd most expensive (60 condos) and I am not even there on weekends and use very little power.

They agreed to get the meter checked and the next week they came to apologize that the meter was faulty and I had been overcharged.

They gave me the next months electricity free as compensation.

Good outcome, but at the time they insisted everything was correct...but fair play to them for checking for me and acknowledging.

Might be worth getting it checked...but expect resistance for them to take any responsibility.

[sdanielmcev]

23°? There's your problem right there. And you use a dryer? I don't think you understand the idea of living in a tropical climate.

[crickets]

Inverted air con 10 hrs a day. Fridge, fish tank, water cooler, garden lights. 1200 baht a month thanku.

[longball53098]

Unless I missed it? Is the OP paying direct to MEA? Or is the rental condo charging the inflated rate say 5 or 6 baht per unit? I know he stated he is paying the office but what rate is he paying?