Apt costs - cost of hydro in Patong?

[chokdee]

Hi All! I've got a small apartment up near Wat Suwan before the east hill out of Patong. It's a simple room for 5500THB monthly with extra for utilities.

Yesterday I paid for my second month and was charged for the previous month's hydro and water. I was a bit surprised that the hydro was around 2200THB. I paid the bill but suspect I'm being overcharged.

The meter readings were 578.9 at the start and 897.3 at the reading. The difference being 318.4. Doing the math I was being charged over 7 baht per unit.

What are people paying for hydro per unit? Any idea where I can go to find out what the hydro company is charging in my area? I guess once I know what the average is I can go to my land-lady and make a case or atleast threaten to move out.

Thanks for any thoughts.
/Chokdee

[LivinLOS]

Well for a start you need to tell us what a 'unit' is ?? Usually here water is measured in cubes but I cant believe you used 300 sqm of water (300,000 liters) in a month in an apartment..

I think gov water is about 4 - 6 baht per cube but its not uncommon for there to be additional costs associated with pumping water up hills, up apartment hights, etc.. Also the water pressure was turned down in August from the municipality and we were forced to buy water truck water up on the hill, thats about 150 baht per cube.. Bear in mind the building may have its own well and pump system and the owner my just assign any price they see as about right.

for a usual apartment yours sounds very high.. Water use typically runs a couple hundred baht in a small house or apartment for normal use water.

[chokdee]

Originally Posted by LivinLOS

Well for a start you need to tell us what a 'unit' is ??

Whoops. Back home in Canada we call electricity 'hydro', which probably isn't clear to non-Canucks. Sorry.

My electricity bill for a small apartment (small AC, fridge, shower hot water) was over 2000B. The electricity 'unit' is whatever the electricity meter displays on the front (kilowatts per hour?).

I was hoping somebody would know if there's a local utilities office or a standard electricity rate that everyone pays.

Thanks, I appreciate any thoughts.
/Chokdee

[LivinLOS]

Thats odd.. Hydro is Latin for water so you have hydroelectric hydroponic hydrostatic etc all relating to water in Euro / English / Latin derived languages..

Anyway at 7 baht per unit your over paying.. Normal gov electric is mid 2 baht plus a usage fee on average (its a sliding scale the more you use the more you pay) and currently a fuel surcharge for high oil prices I understand..

If your connected as a industrial supply (often as is supplied to a single development in a biz name) I think its high 3's.

Its not uncommon for a landlord to charge a surplus amount but 7 baht is making money on you to the tune of 40 - 50% I think..

[LivinLOS]

http://www.aseanenergy.org/download/...ity_Tariff.pdf

HTML formatted

http://216.239.53.104/search?q=cache...es+kwh &hl=en

I believe this has gone up by a couple of satang in the last months..

[stevem]

Originally Posted by LivinLOS

Thats odd.. Hydro is Latin for water so you have hydroelectric hydroponic hydrostatic etc all relating to water in Euro / English / Latin derived languages..

I thought he was talking about water as well. Dem have funny english up there.

[chokdee]

Amazingly awesome guys. Thanks LivinLOS, that PDF document is the perfect ammo for me to take to my land-lady.

I'll be poking around MTB the next few days so if you see a short dude with a goatee drinking vodka nam somme- that'll be me. I'm buying!

/Chokdee

Just so you gang don't think I'm nuts about the 'hydro' mistake...

'Hydroelectricity' defined on Wikipedia
In most parts of Canada (the provinces of British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador) hydroelectricity is used so extensively that the word "hydro" is used to refer to any electricity delivered by a power utility.

[LivinLOS]

ok.. Mad that they use the part of the word that means that its electricity generated by water..

Hydrophobic is another rone..

Daft Canuks eeyyy