What is the average cost of an electric bill to cool a house to 76°F in Thailand?

Mar 9, 2024
8 months ago
Karl *********
ORIGINAL POSTER
I have a simple question that doesn't have much to do with Visa. I would like to know what is the average cost of an electric bill to keep an entire house cooled down to about 76° f?
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TLDR : Answer Summary
The average cost of electricity for cooling a house to about 76°F (24.4°C) in Thailand varies widely based on several factors, including house size, insulation quality, number of air conditioning units, and usage habits. Users have reported bills ranging from as low as 800 to 10,000 Baht per month for residential cooling, with many suggesting that it’s more economical to cool only the rooms being used. Adequate insulation and energy-efficient appliances can significantly impact costs, alongside considerations for solar energy as a sustainable option.
Jack *******
Seems misunderstood , the byproduct of running air on is humidity control. 78 or 25 can be very nice or uncomfortable depending on how much humidity is in the house. 25 at 35% humidity is very nice whereas 25 at 65% humidity is very uncomfortable. Proper sizing and placement are critical. Too big of a system will cool it down quickly but would only remove little humidity. A little bit smaller and you can cool it down takes longer but the humidity is less. The comfort zone is 78-82 degrees if size is correct.
Steve *******
I know it's not what you want to hear but the best option is to acclimatise and enjoy the outdoors or you will forever be trapped indoors
John ********
If your going to be using many aircons and for long hours, if you have the financial means, then depending on roof, if it's facing South, then a 10Kw solar system would be the way to go. You need to do a lot of research, regarding how big a house you have. The internal volume of each room that you will have an Aircon installed in, to workout how many BTU's you will need for each Aircon. Then you'll need to guesstimate how many hours you think you'll have them running and how many at any one time. Think of it like lights in a room, you'll only have the lights on in any rooms your family is using at anyone time. Same with aircons.
John ********
Also what devices you will have ie , washing machine, refrigerators, TVs computers and microwaves. Plus any other devices that use electricity. Each devices are rated at different wattage. So example a TV is 65watts., you have to divide 65÷1000 = 0.065, then multiply that by the charge per kWh from your electricity supplier, then divide that total by 100 and that will tell you how much it'd cost to run that TV per hour. If you want to estimate each device that will use electricity, then you have to do the same maths for each device. That will tell you how much every device would use per kWh and then it'll give you a rough idea of consumption depending on hours each device is using electricity, so you can workout how much per month it'll cost. Depending on many factors, rough guesstimate would be anything between about 6,000 to 15,000 baht per month.
John ********
How many aircons alone you have is not really the issue. It's how many you have, what BTU's they are and how many hours you have each individual Aircon running and also the temperature you have them set too.
Jan *********
Not to be rude, but this group is about Thailand.

*****************************************************
Philip **********
@Jan ********
1 rai = 40x40m or 1600 Sq metres
Philip **********
1 keet = 100g
Jan *********
@Philip *********
I know.

But Celsius is the measurement of temperature in Thailand.
Philip **********
I thought it was the measurement of temperature in all countries except for a few.
Philip **********
Christine *******
As others have said, there are a lot of variables. Since you're building, you can be strategic about materials used, insulation, and the energy efficiency of the air con units. I live in a modern home in Chiang Mai that seems solidly constructed, but I can see that the windows are NOT energy efficient. No idea about insulation in the roof; I'm guessing there's not much. The air con units are quite new. We run one or two air cons at 26 degrees
****
during school breaks. The highest my bill has been was in April of last year (hottest time of year, with 6 air purifiers running, and we were home all day 3 of the 4 weeks, and just evenings the other week). The bill was 7,500 baht. An average month is 3-4k baht, but that's with mostly just evening and weekend usage of the A/C.
Michael *******
How long is a piece of string 🤔
Tulip ********
1578 baht
Jae *******
There is no average price... depends on so many variables. Our last bill was 2600 baht for 2 aircons, a 10 and 18 btu
Jo **********
need to know the following total volume of house in m3, what location, insulation factor, percent shading,
Roger *********
Solar panels to help maybe
Roger *********
I'm in a apartment , I admit that we are on the 3rd floor, so a bit higher than a condo, but we have never had to use the A/C . We open the terrace french windows & doors the other end, and get a wonderful breeze blow through. We use a very good floor standing fan especially at night & it's brilliant. So if you're going to build a house maybe you should consider the layout to try and get air to blow through.
Karl *********
ORIGINAL POSTER
Paul ********
There are too many variables to give an average number.

A really modern well-insulated house with carefully chosen window locations and modern well maintained AC units could run you around 5K baht/month.

An older uninsulated home with cheap, poorly placed windows and aging, poorly maintained AC's could run you 15K baht/month or even more.
Don *********
Most people here never cool the entire house - living rooms during the day, occupied bedrooms at night. Single split systems, one per room is standard.

There will be a huge difference in energy consumption between new 5 star energy rated appliances through vs older appliances.

And of course the area of Thailand you choose will make a difference.

An average house in Thailand is a standard 1,500 square feet 2 storey 3 bedroom moo ban house. My wife and I rented one in Phuket that was about 5 years old (so pretty efficient appliances) with our son (so 2 bedrooms chilled overnight and living room during the day) and a typical electricity bill was 3k-5k per month.

If you are buying or building a house you can upgrade your appliances to 5 star, add solar and your bill can be close to zero.

Or you can buy a larger house with old appliances and your bill will likely be 15k per month or more.

As the Thais like to say, ‘up to you’.
Than ******
76
James *********
I paid 2200-4600 baht/month over past year for a
***
with 4 mini split units, 3 12-15k btu units in bedrooms And 1 20k unit in living room. In cooler months run 2 of them for a few hours in evenings. In hotter months run at least 3 of them from 8-20 hours each. Home approx 1500sq ft. Temp set to 25 wherever I happen to be, 28 - 30C in other rooms occupied by natives
Philip **********
@James ********
that's a terrible thing to say, natives. This reinforces my view of using the word ex-pat, the them and us attitude. Perhaps savages is what you first had in mind before using natives. But with this much expenditure I would look at putting in solar panels. A fan is generally enough to keep cool along with the cooling powder.
James *********
@Philip *********
fuck solar panels. By the time they're paid for, they're all broken.
Philip **********
@James ********
not Thailand but Adelaide Aust. First lot only 1kw installed 2008. Second lot 5kW installed 2019. Inverter replaced under warranty only the 1kW. Still producing plenty of electrons, stinking hot 40deg day yesterday. About 30kWh.
Karl *********
ORIGINAL POSTER
Thank you for sharing this!
Karl *********
ORIGINAL POSTER
@James ********
thank you
Wayne ******
Another stupid tight assed question
Ron ******
@Wayne *****
Yes it is a bit of a 'how long is a piece of string' question'🤣🤣
Dylan *********
I have ac running 247 in my condo bedroom and my electric bill is 2-2.4k or so a month and i also have my laptop plugged in 247
Christopher ********
I wonder how much I’ll be paying for a 47 sqm condo for a/c now … it’s a newer building
Nongnuch ********
@Christopher *******
it depends if your electricity rate is set by the condominium management, or if you are paying to the PEA (the Provincial Electric Authority) directly. The PEA rate is like 4.2 Thai Baht per Kilowatt. Condominium managements sometimes charge 7 Thai Baht per kilowatt. When we use our Aircon (18.000 BTU !!) the bill will be something like 2200 Baht. During the cooler season, we use fans only, we pay like 800 Baht
Christopher ********
@Nongnuch *******
it’s nothing compared to my USA bill lol 😂
Nongnuch ********
@Christopher *******
one of the reasons I choose to live in Thailand. The purchase value of the US Dollar or Euro is more than double
Nongnuch ********
@Christopher *******
sure, this is another region. Myself I am paying 40 Euro cents per Kilowatt in Germany. That's 15,36 Thai Baht per KWh
Jon **********
Todd *********
@Christopher *******
not much at all
Christopher ********
@Todd ********
thanks ! I was a bit worried at some of the bills I saw. 👀
Todd *********
@Christopher *******
ahh, what you are seeing here are larger homes with pools, outdoor lighting, multiple AC. Overall cost of running a small condo is very minimal. Should be under 2500

No worries.
Dianne *****
I think after awhile you acclimatise to the heat and probably wont use as much air con as you envisage. For most of the year I don't use the air con at all these days, I find it too cold. I have a fan in each room and have the windows open. It is only during the burning season in Chiang Mai when the weather is also hot and I close all the windows and doors, that I use the air con. So for three months of the year my electric bill will be around the 1000-1500 baht a month rate, the rest of the year between 500-600 baht. This is for a single storey 3 bedroom concrete house with high ceilings
Steve *******
Depends how big the house is and how much you use the AC. Doh!
Klaus ***********
You are asking the wrong question - you should ask what size of solar system should I put on my roof to have the house cool all the time with a very low electricity bill. Thailand is solar heaven you can easily produce 20-40 kwh every day yearly average with a home solar system - depending on the size- that pays itself in 4 years or less. And if you really want to splash out get a backup system that will cover the time when the sun is down as well. Get a professional to calculate your usage and the size of solar system you need and have fun watching the electric meter spin backwards when you produce more than you use every day.
Chad *******
@Klaus **********
do U have any business that U can recommend that will do a solor quote north Pattaya Thailand
Todd *********
@Klaus **********
mine averaging 85kwh per day on Samui so far this month. Will pay for itself in less than 3 years
Karl *********
ORIGINAL POSTER
Thanks for that.
Karl *********
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Klaus **********
Yes this is very very good information. I totally forgot about that. My girlfriend says that we should look into solar panels as well. Here in South Texas sometimes it takes over a year before you make your money back.
Andy *********
This is one night consume with a new air conditioner 26C almost 8 hours
Dan ********
@Andy ********
what device gives you your power consumption please 🙏🏻
Andy *********
@Dan *******
I just bought me two new TCL air conditioners with wifi. And when using TCL application I can see the consumption.
Brian ************
The madness of it all
Kim *********
my wife has 2 aircons - one in our living room and 1 in the bedroom - we don't use the one in the living room much but in the bedroom we use it most of the night - monthly bill around 800 baht
David *********
What is 76 F
James *********
@David ********
(76°F − 32) ×
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= 24.444°C
David *********
@James ********
well James I guess you failed to see the intent of my comment as most of the world is metric. I myself have known the conversion for over 50 years.
James *********
@David ********
so some folks on here are not dull, but arsehats?
Ken *************
We have a three bedroom two bathroom plus swimming pool. When we aren't there (just pool pump) it's around 800 baht/month.

In the summer when we are there it's about 3000 baht. 5 AC but no more than three on at a time.
Todd *********
@Ken ************
that’s astoundingly low. What is your cost per unit there? Even at 5 baht/kwh that would be only 160kwh for the entire month.
Ken *************
@Todd ********
wouldn't that be 600 kwh = 3000 baht / 5 baht/kwh?

But even that seems tight allocating 100 kwh for the frig and 300 kwh for the pool pump.
Todd *********
@Ken ************
yes - ignore my calculations there lol
Ken *************
@Todd ********
Yes, my wife is pretty good at keeping the AC off. Since we are only there for the summer, we do spend quite a bit of time away from the house, using it as a home base in Hua Hin, while we explore and visit places like my wife's hometown or go to a resort for a weekend. So the 3k won't be continuous use for a month. If I thought about it, I'd say we are there 70-80% of the month. If we stayed 100% of the time in our house, I could see the bill being closer to 5-6k for the month.
Kevin *******
6,000 per month.
Steve *******
@Kevin ******
No way unless you've got a massive gaff.
Kevin *******
Ken **********
@Steve ******
what is a gaff ?
Steve *******
@Ken *********
gaff=house/home
Jj ****
@Kevin ******
24deg for maybe 100sqm
****
for 6k.... Sounds hard
Kevin *******
@Jj ***
where does 100sqm come from?
Jj ****
If Thailand is too hot to have to use Aircon at 24deg all day, maybe it's not a place for you
Karl *********
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Jj ***
I've learned to adapt overcome and improvise. Anything is possible.
John *******
Mine is average 2000 baht a month, on all night in bedroom
Steve **********
Is the house wood, concrete, or block, on slab or piles, ceiling ht. 3 br, or more

In Mountains, Seaside, Isaan, % of glass, insul in roof ?

Answer these, can give you rough cost.

Elect now at about 3.9 baht /kwh, but with add'l tax. ( rumor govt will reduce tax, but incr bt/ kw. )

I have concrete, 2100 sg ft, stone floors, 10 ft ceiling .in Chiangmai, runs 1100/mo in winter, 4.k to 5k in summer.

Is family home during day, or just eve, kids after school ?
Karl *********
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Steve *********
All these questions I'm unable to answer. We are in the beginning stages of deciding where and how. My girlfriend is a police officer in Nakon Panthom and we are debating on what type of home to build. She purchased land and we are looking to build a new home. All these questions that you raised are valid and important. But thanks for the info that was very much needed.
Steve **********
@Karl ********
secret to a/c cost is "u" factor ( resistance to flow of heat ) of walls and roof.

Your builder will know. Talk to your local elect Co. Rep...they have it figured out in ( units ) per room per individual in your area.

Found them very helpful
Rob **********
You need to supply more information so people can answer your question.
Karl *********
ORIGINAL POSTER
Terary **********
KInda depends.. Do you intend to leave your windows open all day and night, year round? Or only maybe in the spring time. It makes a difference.
Jon *****
You mean 24,5°
Mark ******
76, or about 24.5 C, is pretty cool, for an entire house. One bedroom, ok. I think you will find, that 26C works just fine and will be a big difference from outside. So, maybe work your way up over time. The cost is impacted by way too many factors (construction materials, shading, windows and glass doors numbers and sizes, sun exposure direction, heat island effects, etc. I would expect a monthly bill in the 10-20K range, depending on all the variables above. If you have a pool, more.
Karl *********
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Mark *****
wow thanks That's good to know.
Steve **********
@Mark *****
I started at 24. Now at 26.....adapted
Karl *********
ORIGINAL POSTER
Thank you
Karl *********
ORIGINAL POSTER
Michael ********
Try Building in Thailand group
Michael ********
Try Residential Construction for Expats Thailand
Michael ********
Depends on walls and roof insulation you have 20 cm AAC blocks very little cost, you have cheap red bricks with plaster will cost you a lot
Pat *******
I have 2 storey 3 Air-conditioning

Most was
*****
baht for month

Now 4000 is average

Don't set too low.. 25 to 28

You save a fortune.
Jordi ********
@Pat ******
I think he only does fahrenheit
Karl *********
ORIGINAL POSTER
Thank you! 😊
John *******
Electricity is not expensive in Thailand bud air conditioning is essential but only cool the rooms you use and keep the doors shut, I estimate I use about 1300baht a month per unit as a rough guess
Bobby *********
@John ******
same here
Martyn ***********
so many variables to answer really... but I do wonder why you'd want to do that?
Karl *********
ORIGINAL POSTER
To keep a house cool? You ask why I would want to do that? To have a comfortable temperature in the house to enjoy the home.
Martyn ***********
@Karl ********
why would you do that... use aircon sparingly.. get used to it. At the end of the day youl never adjust living in permanent aircon.. I use it at night and when I first came after a few weeks increased by a degree... then again after a few weeks etc.. I sleep now at 28c...below that I'm honestly freezing!
Steve **********
@Ka**
one thing we don’t do here like we do in the states is leave the AC on all day and night. You simply won’t find central AC systems in houses.

Houses and condos all have split AC units in every room. I am in a condo and I cool the living room/dining room/kitchen area when I’m in there. If I am getting ready for bed I fire up the bedroom AC about an hour before bed.

When I leave the house all are off. When I come home it takes less than 5 minutes to cool things down.

I’m rarely home from 7am to 4 pm but when I am home the AC is on and my average electric bill is around $70 USD.
Karl *********
ORIGINAL POSTER
Karl *********
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Steve *********
wow thank you That's the information I was looking for.
Ruth *******
@Karl ********
People are reacting as they are because things are done differently in Thailand. No, most houses don’t have central air. People cool the rooms they’re actually using. They don’t cool empty rooms.
Bent *************
Depend of course on the size of the house - and many other things!
Karl *********
ORIGINAL POSTER
Julian ********
@Karl ********
📸 Look at this post on Facebook
****************************************************************
Julian ********
There are groups on Facebook that are dedicated to building in Thailand and everything associated. Visas here. Cheers
Ellen ***********
@Julian *******
it says ‘and everything else in the group name actually and this is of interest to me. Cheers yourself
Julian ********
@Ellen **********
I apologized for my mistake. Karen.
Ellen ***********
@Julian *******
ah don’t be calling yourself names like that hehehe Ken
Todd *********
@Julian *******
'And Everything Else'... Cheers
Julian ********
@Todd ********
oh! Seems I got the wrong visa group…? or did this one change its name? Apologies
@Karl ********
! Anyway hope my link helped. Cheers
Todd *********
15k baht does it nicely. That’s at 7 baht per KWh
Todd *********
OO Edward lol. Exactly. Once you look at your bill… it’s not the same story. 😂😂😂
Todd *********
OO Edward It is very clear you missed irony of your comment. Not exactly brilliant was it? I could care less either, however 3-4k monthly bill is extravagantly low for a large home with a pool and AC running isn't it. If you are being generously billed at 5 baht per unit, 4000 baht means 800kw/month. That is daily usage of 26kwh. That is enough for a mid sized condo with no pool and one AC at night. And if you usage is that extravagantly low, why consider solar? Something there doesn't add up. You have you electricity bill, how much monthly usage and how much are you being billed per unit?
Todd *********
OO Edward are you daft mate? Your comment '15k? (i would question that)'. Signal you are stupid by replying to this...
Todd *********
OO Edward you could question that all you wish , but you would be mistaken. 3-4K a month for a 2 full time AC,a pump, lights, appliances etc would be using at least 50 kWh per day. Something not adding up there at all.

And Edward, if you spend 200k to install solar save 2-3k basic math would would indicate it would take between 67 and 100 months to re-coup your investment. It’s obviously a small setup, but 8 years would be a long time to recover in Thailand. 5kw system?
Lincoln *******
@Todd ********
u must be in an apartment that overcharges the rate per kwh like us 😔 we pay 7.5 and the bill ranges from 10k-17k per month for 4 bedroom apartment
John ***********
@Todd ********
do you mean 1.5 k or 15k a year?
Pui *****
@John **********
15k a month obviously. No way can you run multiple ACs and keep it under 1.5k a month. I average 9000k a month for 2 ACs turned on maybe half of each day, set at 26C (79 F), paying government utility rates (not marked up like some condos.) 15k is certainly plausible for a house.
Todd *********
@Pui ****
15k is a bit over the top, but i have solar, so don't really attempt to limit use. But we have a very mid size villa and very mid size pool. Lots of nice lighting. But consumption of 1500-2000 kwh would be easy to do. And at rates of 6-7 baht per kwh, many people are doing so.
Todd *********
@John **********
i mean 15k baht per month. Mid sized home. Mid sized pool. AC throughout.
Martyn ***********
@Todd ********
4.8 I think they fixed it till June.
Todd *********
@Martyn **********
I'm on Koh Samui. Island life is different. And i don't think prices are 'fixed' anywhere in thailand are they? The prices per kwh escalate with use.
Martyn ***********
@Todd ********
base rate 4.8.. it does go up with high use... but like I said base is 4.8
Todd *********
@Martyn **********
yes, indeed it does go up. But you forgot to mention that. And base rate varies nationally. It is not a set baseline 'he Energy Regulatory Commission of Thailand has set new electricity charges, ranging from 4.68 baht to 5.95 baht/unit from January until April, 2024. So anyone with a pool, some AC will definitely be paying more than 4.8.
Yodsawadi ***********
@Todd ********
This is the electricity price set by the government. No matter what area or city. But in excess of this, some apartments set their own prices.
Jj ****
@Yodsawadi **********
+ vat 7% + fuel adjustment
Todd *********
As you can clearly see, that is the Provincial electrical authority. There are 117 different electrical authorities under its purview within ministry of the interior. As well as MEA in Bangkok. They seem to have the ability to raise charges as they wish for challenges areas (islands for example) and charge higher prices
Chris **********
AC how many hours run every day?
Karl *********
ORIGINAL POSTER
Maybe five?
Karl *********
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Chris *********
I would like to have it set at 75 or 76° f like we have it here in the States
Ken **********
@Karl ********
degrees. Centigrade •C ?
Brandon ************
How big is the house? How many air conditioners? You aren't giving much information.
Russell ***********
@Brandon ***********
and how honest are your landlords?😆
Karl *********
ORIGINAL POSTER
No not yet. It's in the works. We are contemplating the size of the home and location. I just wanted to get an idea of how much to budget for electric bill.
Jordi ********
@Karl ********
so you are now building a house according on what you want to spend on AC? This question is way to vague honestly...
Karl *********
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Brandon ***********
I have bought a house yet. We are contemplating the size and the location. Right now we are thinking about a three maybe four bedroom house spacious layout. An air conditioner in every room. I'm wondering does Thailand have central air conditioning? What is the average cost to keep a house cool?
Kev *********
@Karl ********
expensive
Ken *************
@Karl ********
Depending on the quality of the builder, but most will not be familiar with central A/C, and the ones who are will be much more expensive. I tried to get a ceiling unit, but quickly realized, that was too much of a leap in their capabilities. We had a bit of a fight to get 3 phase electricity. I also wanted a garbage disposal but lost that battle (my wife now regrets that decision).
Karl *********
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Ken ************
thank you very much for that information. It was much appreciated.
Ken *************
@Karl ********
No problem. Don't forget to budget monthly termite treatments.
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