very true… here is a snapshot of my recent monthly charges from MEA… I travel a lot, so the months that are 200+ baht I was not there, the months that are 1600+ THB, I was there for about two weeks out of the month, and the ones that are 3000-4000+ THB, I was there the entire month.
When I use a/c every day, I pay THB 3000-4000/month directly to the power company. Water is around THB 80-100/month… this is for a one bedroom/one bathroom, 50sq m condo in Bangkok.
I mean, I’ve never been asked, but I also know that if you are asked and you don’t have one, they will just pull you aside and make you book one before passing you through immigration… not a big deal 🤷🏻♀️