Thai Electricity Bill Explained: Calculate Appliance Running Costs (2026)
Short answer: For September–December 2026 the regulator (ERC) puts the average residential price at about 3.95 baht per unit (kWh) before VAT [1]. To cost any appliance: watts × hours ÷ 1,000 × 3.95, then × 1.07 for VAT. Your real bill is progressive, so the more you use, the more the last units cost; no MEA/PEA household unit can cost more than about 4.90 baht including VAT (worked out below).
What is on a Thai electricity bill
A household bill from MEA (Bangkok, Nonthaburi, Samut Prakan) or PEA (the rest of the country) has four parts [2][3]:
- Energy charge: units used, priced in tiers (below).
- Ft (fuel adjustment): a flat amount per unit, reset every four months. For Sep–Dec 2026 it is 16.23 satang (0.1623 baht) per unit [1][4].
- Monthly service charge: 8.19 baht on tariff 1.1, or 24.62 baht on tariff 1.2 [2][5].
- VAT 7% on top of everything [2].
Residential tariff tiers (MEA Type 1)
Which table you are on depends on use: households using up to 150 units a month are on 1.1; above that, 1.2 [2].
| Tariff 1.1 (≤150 units/month) | Baht/unit |
|---|---|
| 1–15 | 2.3488 |
| 16–25 | 2.9882 |
| 26–35 | 3.2405 |
| 36–100 | 3.6237 |
| 101–150 | 3.7171 |
| Service charge | 8.19 baht/month |
| Tariff 1.2 (>150 units/month) | Baht/unit |
|---|---|
| 1–150 | 3.2484 |
| 151–400 | 4.2218 |
| 401 and above | 4.4217 |
| Service charge | 24.62 baht/month |
Prices exclude Ft and VAT. MEA's page says these energy rates have applied since the November 2015 billing month; the 1.2 service charge was cut from 38.22 to 24.62 baht from January 2023 [2][5].
Worked example: a 300-unit month (tariff 1.2)
| Line | Calculation | Baht |
|---|---|---|
| First 150 units | 150 × 3.2484 | 487.26 |
| Next 150 units | 150 × 4.2218 | 633.27 |
| Ft | 300 × 0.1623 | 48.69 |
| Service charge | tariff 1.2 | 24.62 |
| Subtotal | 1,193.84 | |
| VAT 7% | 1,193.84 × 0.07 | 83.57 |
| Total | 1,277.41 (≈ 4.26 baht/unit all-in) |
Our own arithmetic from the published rates; your bill may differ slightly through rounding or meter-reading dates. MEA also has an online bill calculator [6].
The highest a unit can cost
Top tier 4.4217 + Ft 0.1623 = 4.5840 baht, plus 7% VAT = about 4.90 baht per unit. That is the ceiling on the standard residential tariff. If your condo or rental charges 7–8 baht a unit, the extra is the landlord's markup, not the utility's price. Ask to see how the rate is calculated and check your lease before signing; we are not giving legal advice here.
Cost any appliance in 30 seconds
Units per month = watts × hours per day × 30 ÷ 1,000. Multiply by 3.95 for a quick estimate (× 1.07 with VAT). If you are already above 150 units, your extra units actually cost 4.2218 + 0.1623 before VAT, so a new appliance costs you a little more than the average suggests.
| Appliance (example watts) | Use per day | Units/month | Baht/month at 3.95 | With VAT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Floor fan, 50 W | 8 h | 12 | 47.40 | 50.72 |
| Air purifier, 40 W | 24 h | 28.8 | 113.76 | 121.72 |
| Air conditioner 12,000 BTU, 1,100 W (worst case, compressor always on) | 8 h | 264 | 1,042.80 | 1,115.80 |
| Air fryer, 1,500 W | 20 min | 15 | 59.25 | 63.40 |
| Water heater, 4,500 W | 10 min | 22.5 | 88.88 | 95.10 |
Air conditioners and fridges cycle on and off (inverters throttle), so their real use is usually below the worst case. For a fridge, take the kWh-per-year figure from its energy label and divide by 12.
Cutting the bill: cheaper options first
Before buying anything, the free moves usually matter most: raise the AC set point a degree or two, run a fan with the AC, clean AC filters, and switch off devices left on standby. A device on 2 W standby all month uses 1.44 units, about 5.69 baht.
If you do want to replace a fan, here is the honest picture of buying a new label-No.5 fan.
Downsides and cautions first: a new fan only saves tens of baht a month versus an older one at the wattages above, so payback can take years; a cheap fan that breaks early erases the saving; "No.5" is a rating against other fans, not a promise of a specific wattage, so read the watts on the label; buy from an official store so the warranty is valid.
Upsides: fans cost a fraction of an AC per hour (50 W versus about 1,100 W in our example), and the No.5 label means it passed EGAT's efficiency test.
| Option | Upfront cost | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Keep your current fan / AC and change habits | None | Most people; try this first |
| Fan + AC at a higher set point | None if you own a fan | Hot nights in a closed condo |
| New label-No.5 floor fan | Fan price | Replacing a broken or very old fan |
| Inverter AC upgrade | Highest | Heavy daily AC users with an old non-inverter unit |
Who should not buy: anyone whose current fan works fine (the saving is small), and renters moving out soon.
See label-No.5 fans on ShopeeThai readers: ค่าไฟเครื่องใช้ไฟฟ้า คิดยังไง · พัดลมพกพา vs พัดลมตั้งพื้น vs แอร์ · Air quality: PM2.5 home checklist for expats
Summary
Use 3.95 baht/unit (about 4.23 with VAT) to compare appliances, remember that units above 150 a month cost more, and treat anything above roughly 4.90 baht a unit as a markup on top of the utility tariff.
Sources
- ERC (Office of the Energy Regulatory Commission): Ft for Sep–Dec 2026 = 16.23 satang/unit, average price 3.95 baht/unit before VAT: https://www.erc.or.th/th/news-release/3458
- MEA — Type 1 Residential Service tariff (tiers, service charges, VAT excluded, Ft added): https://www.mea.or.th/en/our-services/service-rates/other/hyMgQIdZCXop
- PEA — Ft: https://www.pea.co.th/our-services/tariff/ft
- MEA — Latest Ft (Clarification of Ft September–December 2026): https://www.mea.or.th/en/our-services/service-rates/latestft
- MEA — service-charge reduction 38.22 → 24.62 baht from January 2023 bills: https://www.mea.or.th/public-relations/corporate-news-activities/announcement/YW7GxQDsm
- MEA — electricity bill calculator: https://www.mea.or.th/en/our-services/mea-service/e-service/electric-monthly-calculate