Aircon massive energy consumption? Any alternative?

[villageidiotY2K]

I've read on some site that 18000btu aircon will comsume around 2.5kw per hour.

And it is suitable? for room size 75-100sqm.

Well my rented apt with room size of 26sqm installed this massive 18k for some reason

It's alright if I get charged by the government rate, but I'm charged with 10baht per kw.

If I use the air for 5hrs per day (12.5kw) for 30 days (375kw), the sume will be 3750baht just for the elctric bill.

On par with my room rent.

I've got reco from my mate that I get a big ass Hatari fan. I'm not sure that will sooth my temper.

I've seen those medium sized aircon box sold at Homepro for like 3k baht. How are they?

Do they keep you kool without munching the energy?

[Crossy]

A decent 18,000 BTU aircon will use about 1,800 Watts when the compressor is running, so about 1.8 units per hour.

Such a big unit in a small room will be on less than 25% of the time (assuming you're not going for Arctic conditions) so more like 0.5 units per hour.

[NickJ]

Those boxes are blowing cold air from the air cons around......

[CharlieH]

You were complaining about the noise, now complaining about high electric tariff, I think its best you just get the hell out of there, especially as you are around 2.5 times the standard electric rate.

And its taken you 6 months to realise this ? Or are you just trolling?

[bwpage3]

Amazing how people complain and get bent out of shape with a little over US $100 bill

[kannot]

Well insulated and sealed room will hardly use much juice at all, I have a 9000 btu on virtually day and night, there is only me here and a fridge and the bill is 1450 a month virtually every month, air set to 25c day n night

[Broken Record]

Well insulated and sealed room will hardly use much juice at all, I have a 9000 btu on virtually day and night, there is only me here and a fridge and the bill is 1450 a month virtually every month, air set to 25c day n night

Not everybody wants, or needs, to live in a Padded Cell.

Edited September 30, 2015 by Broken Record

[AlexRRR]

Turn it off...buy a couple of fans....

[kannot]

Well insulated and sealed room will hardly use much juice at all, I have a 9000 btu on virtually day and night, there is only me here and a fridge and the bill is 1450 a month virtually every month, air set to 25c day n night

Not everybody wants, or needs, to live in a Padded Cell.

Plenty of breeze under your bridge I see

Ill be in the bike forum next

Edited September 30, 2015 by kannot

[Crazy chef 1]

Ceiling fans....almost silent and energy efficient...

[Sutty]

Open the fridge door and whack the temp down

[abhaya]

Turn on the aircon for 20 minutes cool the room down and then use a fan

[craigt3365]

Turn on the aircon for 20 minutes cool the room down and then use a fan

That's exactly what we do!

[tigermoth]

10 bht a unit is highway robbery. I am paying 7 and that is more than twice the government rate. Your landlord is ripping you off. In this hot humid climate 18000btu for 25 to 30 sqm room is ok. The best type of unit to get is an inverter type. Although more expensive, maybe 30,000bht for a 18,000 btu unit it will cost you about one third of your current unit to run.

[jacko45k]

The compressor will not run all the time, once the room cools, the inside unit fan (on auto) will switch to a lower speed, and if the room reaches the set-point temperature, the compressor will be turned off (or slowed for invertor units).

Don't set the temperature too low (perhaps 24-25 DegC), only use it when you need it, and keep the fan on Auto.

Your average consumption should be less than you predict. Seal doors and windows to keep the cool air in.

As to the rating, yes 18 KBTU sounds high for a 26 sqm room, but not by much. That is what I have in my bedroom.

Those aircon boxes in Homepro do not cool the room much, they use water to generate a cool draught. If your bedroom is at 34 DegC when you turn in, you will be glad of the 18,000 BTU rating. A fan can be a good substitute on cooler nights.

Edited October 1, 2015 by jacko45k

[maidee]

alternative ?

spend most of your days in a shopping mall, aka FREE AIRCO

[bazza40]

Open the fridge door and whack the temp down

An amazing restatement of the laws of thermodynamics.

[bazza40]

The compressor will not run all the time, once the room cools, the inside unit fan (on auto) will switch to a lower speed, and if the room reaches the set-point temperature, the compressor will be turned off (or slowed for invertor units).

Don't set the temperature too low (perhaps 24-25 DegC), only use it when you need it, and keep the fan on Auto.

Your average consumption should be less than you predict. Seal doors and windows to keep the cool air in.

As to the rating, yes 18 KBTU sounds high for a 26 sqm room, but not by much. That is what I have in my bedroom.

Those aircon boxes in Homepro do not cool the room much, they use water to generate a cool draught. If your bedroom is at 34 DegC when you turn in, you will be glad of the 18,000 BTU rating. A fan can be a good substitute on cooler nights.

Evaporative coolers such as sold in Homepro will only work if you have an ambient humidity below 50%. If the humidity is 80 - 90%, they are virtually useless because no cooling effect is produced - just air movement, which you can get with a fan anyway.

[franck1972]

Since I couldn't afford a decent aircon unit, I decided to buy a big tripod Hatari fan last week.

Cost me around 2500 B at Makro, but it's highly efficient.

I used to have my aircon set at 28 degrees before, now in a room with such a fan, 32-33 degrees are no problem.

Don't buy these fans with water spraying, we bought one, and were very disappointed.

The water they spray can hardly be felt, unless you buy one with a 20-30 Liter tank, and then i'm not even sure you could such a device inside.

Moreover they won't cool anything, we've tried it. Even with coldest water, the temperature didn't drop a single degree.

10 B a unit is a big rip off, where I was living before it was 7 B, and already expensive.

At 7 B a unit and 28 degrees, I had a bill of 3500 B a month for a 32 sqm room, non sensical.

So, the best solution to solve the problem, move to a new place...

[ronthai]

You were complaining about the noise, now complaining about high electric tariff, I think its best you just get the hell out of there, especially as you are around 2.5 times the standard electric rate.

And its taken you 6 months to realise this ? Or are you just trolling?

Of course he is trolling.

Pay 4000baht for a 26sqm Thai style condo (on a year contract), for which any Thai would not pay more then 2000baht

Now 10baht electric unit

At least he choose his handle name correct (villageidiotY2K)

[bwpage3]

Move to Thailand and cannot afford aircon. I have no idea how people can survive so poor.

[hglenn2000]

You might consider a solar powered unit.... While doing some research for a new product I'm considering bringing to the market in Thailand (Air Conditioner Clothes Dryer) I ran across these solar powered units that seem to be energy self sufficient. The one I looked at was 12,000 BTU but I have an apartment that's larger than yours and I purchased a 12,000 BTU unit (not solar) and keep it set on 27 C (24-7) and my electric is about 1800-2000 per month 4 BAHT K. Of course the solar units are a little more expensive than traditional units, however reducing or eliminating your electric bill (A/C use) while contributing to "green" energy usage would seem to be worth paying a little extra up front. I would think you would achieve ROI in 12-18 months.

There are many companies who produce these units, the link below is just the one I happened to land on..

(Link: http://sunchisolar.en.made-in-china.com/product/XKlxSUvcAYhV/China-Acdc-Type-Hybrid-Room-Use-High-Efficiency-Best-Solar-Power-Split-General-Air-Conditioner-Price.html )

[meltingpot2015]

@OP: Does the condo have communal washing facilities?...Condo owners often use your electric charge to pay for these.

10 Bhat is way overpriced. I was paying 7 Bhat a unit in one place and 8 bhat in another. 7 Bhat place during

March 2014 (when I moved in) used 461 Units, thats 3227 Bhat.

The Condo website said average electric cost for one month was 1200 bhat. See: http://www.bangkokliving.co.th/en/faq

I got bill shock, complained to the condo owner. He got angry, because he thought I was accusing him of fiddling the bill. I told him the website says average cost 1200 Bhat.

This happened in April 2014. Yet still his website is saying average cost 1200 Bhat. See screenprint above.

When moving to an apartment, always :

1) ask Electric, water charges rate.

2) Attempt to Negotiate Charge if its too high.

3) ask Where the meter is located. Make a note of the reading on the meter. Keep an eye on it and record readings (at least weekly).

Then,

4) Calculate your daily use and then your monthly use, using (3).

5)

i) find a way to reduce consumption. e.g. Fan, increase set temp of air-con to about 28-30C, use air-con

to cool room then use fan, Open fridge door (only kidding), wear little cloths as possible...etc...

ii) ask landlord to service the air-con unit.

6) After 2 months, if you are still paying too much on Electric Charges - Find another place.

Edited October 1, 2015 by meltingpot2015

[Petchabun Man]

Ever thought of opening the window and using a fan?

[meltingpot2015]

Ever thought of opening the window and using a fan?

Not always practical in some buildings in thailand due to bad ventilation. Come noon, the whole building heats-up and using a fan is like trying to empty the ocean using a spoon and bucket. Maybe two fans in one room will do the trick....

How about provide condo owners with an incentive for changing old air-con units to next generation air-con units that use less energy, without anyone filling their own pockets, and the new units actually being installed.

Edited October 1, 2015 by meltingpot2015

[hglenn2000]

Opening a window and using the fan is not much of a solution unless your Thai, who seem to be acclimated to the hot and humid weather here in Thailand.

I'm from a very hot (during the summer) region of the U.S. and living without A/C is not just unthinkable it's unlivable. As is evidenced by the rise in population in the south (U.S.)which grew exponentially following the advent of A/C. Not to mention the deaths associated with heatwaves and power outages particularly among the elderly who live on fixed incomes. A better solution is a change in Thai law that would govern (outlaw) what should be an illegal practice of padding the electric bill with a users fee (almost equal to the actual origin cost) of on average 3-5 Baht. If they need more revenue to make their operations profitable it should be done in the form of higher rent, not charging more for a utility that they add absolutely no value to or participate in any way to the delivery of the service.

[thaiduncankk]

Open the fridge door and whack the temp down

That would actually increase the temperature of the room !

[connda]

Hand fans and sweat. That was the way of it 50 years ago.

Personally, I can afford A/C. We did without until we 'retired' to the village. We're going to be comfortable in our old age, and village electricity is significantly cheaper than in 'the city' Lol.

However, with that said, it's amazing what you can do with a Styrofoam cooler, a 12 volt battery, 12 v fan, and a block of ice and some plastic tubing. DIY. YouTube it.

Oh, and use an Inverter instead of a regular A/C unit. Definitely cheaper.

Edited October 1, 2015 by connda

[connda]

Well insulated and sealed room will hardly use much juice at all, I have a 9000 btu on virtually day and night, there is only me here and a fridge and the bill is 1450 a month virtually every month, air set to 25c day n night

We've converted one bedroom to a living room and installed two 9000 BTU LG inverters: one in this room and one in the bedroom. In the main house we run one swamp cooler (really only good during the hot season in low humidity), and wall fan throughout the house. We keep the temp at 27 C and we happy as clams. Cool clams at that. Because we live in the mountains, the A/C goes off at about 2am in the morning when the outside air is below 27 C, which is about every morning. That works until about December when we break out the heaters, but that's another story in energy consumption. Where we live, we get frost - it can get downright nippy. Our increase on the monthly electric bill: about 1500 THB. Well worth the extra expense.

[anon4546543]

Or move to the country, go with the flow, or at least the air flow when you lie in a hammock.