Electricity and water charges and bills

[Nereus]

https://www.bangkokpost.com/news/genera ... g-up-bills

[StevePIraq]

Thanks Nereus, so apartments (condo's) are not exempt and must charge according to the law.

Does anyone have any idea who to register a complaint with.

[StevePIraq]

I found the Office of Consumer Protection web site and as can be expected the on line complaint section does not function or in other words how to stop people registering a complaint.

[T.O.M.]

Thanks Nereus, so apartments (condo's) are not exempt and must charge according to the law.

Does anyone have any idea who to register a complaint with.

Before you get too carried away...and start your crusade:

What is not mentioned in the link provided by Nereus, is the FACT, that the new law only apply to landlords renting out 5 or more units.
So landlords renting out 1-4 units (houses or condo's) are free to charge what they want...And can ask for as many months deposit as they please.

[HHTel]

I don't think it was about the environment but more to do with putting more of the burden onto people who could afford it as higher users are basically using the increased rate electricity for luxury items like air conditioning and swimming pool pumps, so use them to subsidize the less well off. ( Or to make more money off those who have it! )

That sounds more like it - its still all about making money.

If Thailand gave a toss about the environment (or its less well off) it would subsidize solar hardware and enable people to feed their excess power (of which there would be shitloads with the amount of sunlight here) back into the grid making them a little money while saving the planet! Electricity would effectively be free for domestic use.

But no, can't have that, the state controlled EGAT would not make a profit!

The government will end the decade-long restriction on households and commercial buildings selling power generated by their solar rooftops to state utilities in the fourth quarter of the year.

Deregulation will open the door for detached houses, warehouses, factories and offices to sell their leftover capacity to the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (Egat).

The buying rate is being fixed at below 2.6 baht per kilowatt-hour, according to the Energy Ministry.

At present, private actors are allowed to sell power to Egat through auctions under the small power producer (SPP) or very small power producer (VSPP) project.

Energy Minister Anantaporn Karnchanarat said the government is considering granting licences to residents and building owners.

The total capacity to be allowed, however, has yet to be finalised.

The licences and deregulation come after the previous solar deregulation project was scrapped when the military government came into power.

Gen Anantaporn said this could be another opportunity to let other solar-related businesses grow.

Initially, the purchasing rate that the state utilities will pay for surplus solar power from residents will be below 2.6 baht per kilowatt-hour, which is less than Egat charges for the fossil-based power it sells to consumers at about four baht per kilowatt-hour, he said.

The Department of Alternative Energy Development and Efficiency has been appointed to set up details and conditions for granting licences and the process to buy back power from the residents.

Gen Anantaporn said policymakers need to deliberate over details because there are several types of solar rooftop and different technologies -- resulting in different sizes of solar rooftop projects at different power costs -- before figuring out the regulation and licensing process.

Prasert Sinsukprasert, deputy director-general of the Energy Policy and Planning Office, said the regulations should be approved by October.

The Energy Ministry had assigned Chulalongkorn University's Energy Research Institute (ERI) the task of conducting a feasibility study of the plan. The ERI found that the deregulation of solar rooftops and letting people generate their own power would create minimal revenue losses for state utilities.

ERI researcher Sopitsuda Tongsopit said solar rooftops are expected to have a minimal effect on state utilities in generating backup power, as total power-generating capacity for solar remains small compared with the overall amount of electricity in the country's power supply system.

Thailand has 2,990 megawatts of solar power installed. Some 2,960MW, as of July, is from solar farms, while an additional 130MW is from rooftops.

This post has been published: Bangkokpost.com

[handdrummer]

I don't know anything about solar power so this may be a dumb question but please indulge me.
Why can't an individual home owner install solar panels on his roof and generate electricity for himself without having to buy a license and sell excess energy to the govt. elec. co?

[Nereus]

I don't know anything about solar power so this may be a dumb question but please indulge me.
Why can't an individual home owner install solar panels on his roof and generate electricity for himself without having to buy a license and sell excess energy to the govt. elec. co?

viewtopic.php?f=22&t=23797&p=479865&hil ... me#p479865

[handdrummer]

I don't know anything about solar power so this may be a dumb question but please indulge me.
Why can't an individual home owner install solar panels on his roof and generate electricity for himself without having to buy a license and sell excess energy to the govt. elec. co?

viewtopic.php?f=22&t=23797&p=479865&hil ... me#p479865

Thank you, Nereus.

[StevePIraq]

Thanks Nereus, so apartments (condo's) are not exempt and must charge according to the law.

Does anyone have any idea who to register a complaint with.

Before you get too carried away...and start your crusade:

What is not mentioned in the link provided by Nereus, is the FACT, that the new law only apply to landlords renting out 5 or more units.
So landlords renting out 1-4 units (houses or condo's) are free to charge what they want...And can ask for as many months deposit as they please.

Im doing this for myself, if others wish to do the same they can but most just don't bother. I presently stay in a large complex so they should comply.

[buksida]

As usual, our electricity bill is off the chart this month due to this ridiculous sliding scale overcharging scam. Looks like people are getting fed up with it ...

FTI calls for power bills to be suspended
The Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) is calling on the government to suspend electricity payments for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and households for four months, charging at cost for power in order to provide relief for businesses suffering from the Covid-19 crisis.

FTI chairman Supant Mongkolsuthree said the government should also reduce electricity bills by 5% in the country, while the fuel tariff should be calculated based on global oil prices, which have dropped significantly in recent months.

"The cost of energy is very high for businesses, while the Covid-19 pandemic has taken a tremendous financial toll. Many companies cannot pay their electricity bills without risking shutting down," he said.

The Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand currently charges at a progressive rate, meaning the more electricity a person uses, the more they will be charged per watt. Those working from home are seeing large spikes in their electricity bills.

The FTI had a meeting on Monday with businesses and government agencies as well as the Thai Chamber of Commerce, the National Economic and Social Development Council to discuss additional relief measures.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/19 ... -suspended

[Nereus]

The following was posted yesterday:

Electricity bill subsidies proposed

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/ge ... s-proposed

The Energy Ministry will ask the cabinet for approval to subsidise up to 100% of electricity usage in excess of what households used in February.

Minister Sontirat Sontijirawong said on Monday the measure will benefit some 20 million households.

The deductions — 30%, 50% and 100% — apply to the number of units in excess of what households used in their February bills. The measure takes effect retroactively from March, when the stay-at-home measure was introduced, to May this year.

Free use of electricity will also be extended to cover more households — those using not more than 150 units per month from up to 90 units at present, he said.

Around 10 million households with meters up to five amperes and using not more than 150 units a month need not pay electricity bills during the three-month period.

Another 10 million households with meters more than five amperes will get deductions from the number of units in excess of what they used in February.

The benefits for this group vary based on their monthly usage.

Those using not more than 800 units per month during the period need not pay for the differences. If a household’s power bills are 300 units in February and 700 units in March, they need not pay for the 400 additional units in March and pay the same amount they did in February.

For households that use 800-3,000 units a month, a 50% deduction applies. A household using 500 units in February and 1,000 units in March will pay for 50% of the additional 500 units, or 250 units. When combined with what they paid in February, they need to pay for 750 units in total.

Those using more than 3,000 units will get a 30% cut from the extra usage by the same calculation. The total units after the cuts will then be calculated using progressive rates as usual.

The savings will automatically be deducted from their bills of the following month. No cash will be handed out.
Mr Sontiya said the subsidy will be partially financed by the Energy Regulatory Commission and the cost was still unknown.

The measure came after complaints about April power bills by several people, some of whom claimed their bills tripled what they paid in February. While the summer heat is partly to blame for the higher bills, they felt it was not justified given the downward trend of world oil prices.

[Nereus]

Surging power bills spark anger

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/ge ... park-anger

Energy Minister Sontirat Sontijirawong will meet power authorities urgently on Monday to iron out growing complaints by households over unusually high electricity bills.

Many social media users were taken aback by their electricity bills having doubled, or even tripled, in the past month.

They are demanding the government find a solution, insisting they have worked from home to prevent Covid-19 spreading and it is now time for the government to help them with the resulting increase in demand for electricity.
Several complaints said the increase -- even given the increase in demand -- were still abnormally high.

On his Facebook, Mr Sontirat said yesterday he would call an urgent meeting with the Energy Regulatory Commission and related agencies to decide on electricity-related measures, on top of those already rolled out to help alle­viate the plight of the public.

The measures already in place are free electricity for small households, returning the home electricity meter deposit to 21 million households and a temporary 3% discount on electricity rates.

Many complainants said they had used the deposit return to pay the steep bills.

In his tweet, Mr Sontirat, also secretary-general of the ruling Palang Pracharath Party, said in response to the complaints: "I'm not taking the matter lightly."

Senator Kamnoon Sidhisamarn, on his Facebook, conveyed the experience of a friend who lives in a tiny condominium and usually paid between 1,600 baht and 1,900 baht a month before the stay-at-home policy came.

His latest bill shows he owed 3,400 baht. The 3% discount works out to around 100 baht, which is not much, Mr Kamnoon said.

The senator said the government should waive the first 1,000 baht of electricity charges and offer a 50% discount for the rest of the bill over the next three months. "That would help them cope with financial burden during the current crisis," Mr Kamnoon said.

Mr Kamnoon, a member of the Senate standing committee on tackling poverty and social disparity, asked Mr Sontirat take up on his idea and pass it to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha.

A Facebook user named Nattee Taweesit said his power bill surged from 1,800 baht to 3,800 baht, and later to 6,000 baht last month. He called the hike outrageous.

"Even if three more air conditioners and two refrigerators were installed, the charge shouldn't have jumped three or four times," he said. "This is a household, not a factory," he added.

Pol Lt Col Ekkarat Hun-ngam, chief of Bang Saphan Noi police station in Prachuap Khiri Khan who ran in last year's general election under the Thai Liberal Party's banner, said his electricity bill has risen from 900 baht to 2,000 baht a month.

His post drew responses from other Facebook users who shared a similar experience about rising electricity costs over the past few months.

Meanwhile, Somphong Prempri, governor of Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA), said consumers with queries about their bills should inform the PEA. A major spike in electricity bills may have stemmed from an increase in energy consumption during the hot summer months.

However, he admitted a three-fold increase is not normal and needs to be looked at. Electrical leakage can also cause high bills, he said, adding the PEA usually compensates consumers in that case.

[buksida]

Yep, our bill is over 35% above the average for the year, but this always happens in April and May. All of us being stuck in the house all day doesn't help.

[Big Boy]

I'm pleased to report that we received our bill today, and it was nowhere near what I was expecting. In our living room, we don't normally settle down until after 9, and may put the aircon on for an hour. Under Covid restrictions, we have been settling down much earlier, and the air has been on 4-5 hours each evening. Yes, of course there has been an increase, but about 500฿ for the month.

[buksida]

ELECTRICITY BILL DISCOUNTS APPROVED TO AID STAY-AT-HOME POLICIES
The Ministry of Energy on Tuesday said the Cabinet has approved an electricity usage subsidy in which the government will spend up to 23 billion baht to lower utility bills for households.

Coming hot on the heels after public outrage over high electricity bills at the time many are staying home to avoid the coronavirus, energy minister Sontirat Sontijirawong said the measure becomes effective retroactively for three months starting from March.

“I have to appreciate the Prime Minister and the Cabinet for easing the burdens of people. It is their cost for cooperating with the government’s policy,” Sontirat said.

Sontirat said around 22 million households will benefit from the subsidy. Different rates of discount apply depending on the amount of units in excess of what the household consumed in their February cycle.

For example, if a household uses more electricity than what they used in February but does not exceed 800 units, they will pay for the same amount they did in February.

For households that consume 800-3,000 units, they will pay for the same amount they did in February, plus 50 percent of the additional units in excess of their February usage. For households that use more than 3,000 units, a 30 percent discount applies by the same calculation.

https://www.khaosodenglish.com/news/202 ... -policies/

Bit effing late, I paid our inflated bill earlier this week ...