Whose Electric Bill are you Paying?
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Did you ever wonder if the Bongs are tapping into your electricity? Well I know for a fact that they probably are not only doing it in your apartment or your house/villa, but your office too. I know some of you are saying "Oh the sweet smiling Khmer's would never do that." How do you tell? Throw the breakers and unplug everything and then go take a look at the meter. It should be standing still, if it is not then someone is tapped into your power and you are paying for them. Then it is up to you what to do, but I suggest that first stop is the landlord.
"In a man to man fight the winner is the one who puts an extra round in his magazine"
-Field Marshal Erwin Rommel
Whack 22kv back down and see where the smoke comes out.
So how does one "Wack 22kv" back down the line to see who starts to smoke ?
Nest of thieves this place.
we rented the place opposite the market in street 380-landlady was a shocker.
We never once used the air con and the 700 riel rate produced $60 plus bills.
In our own house with the same rate and the aircon on every night for five weeks and the bill is less than $50-for five weeks!!!
I am having similar problems. Does anyone know of a barang electrician around here who can help me by applying greater logic than..."its the hot water that's using all your electricity" even though my water bill has not increased!!! Grrr, so tired of this!
No need for an electrician. Unplug everything in your house ("unplug", not "switch off"). Your H/W heater is equipped with a shutoff switch -- turn it off. If your meter is still running after you do this, then the electricity running through it is not being used by you, and yet you are paying for it. In other words, someone is stealing it from you.
Next, simply call the landlord to your house, and repeat the entire process -- if he continues to mutter about hot water, then he's an idiot, and no barang-electrician-logic will do any good whatsoever. That would be when I say "OK I move out, you pay electric yourself".
My bill recently shot up $50 during the month when, coincidentally, my neighbor was adding a second floor to her apartment. We quickly determined the cause -- the contractor had spliced a line into the stairwell light fixture, which is wired to my meter, and ran all his power tools off it for a month. I wonder if he passed along the discount to the neighbor...I'm betting he didn't.
Thanks, but the problem is bigger than that. I have switched off all the circuit breakers and the meter stops, so its not so obvious as plain stealing. I'm not sure if the meter is faulty or what, so I need someone with half a brain to figure it out. I can''t move out cause my landlord has a hefty deposit that I don't want to lose. But I also don't want to pay almost $90 per month for 2 fans, some hot water and a fridge.
It is entirely plausible that someone has tapped into your electric main 'upstream' of the meter. Try this: photograph your meter reading on the "rollover" date of the electricity bill for two consecutive months. If your usage on the bill differs greatly from the usage on the meter, there's the proof.
Also, faulty wiring on the hot water or the fridge could be your culprit, remember that everything in Cambodia is essentially used when it gets here and has been "refurbished" (ie disassembled, painted and put back together). I've seen some truly unique appliances in this country.
Thanks for the suggestion. Unfortunately, cause I live in an apartment building, I don't get a bill from ECD but a meter reading from the landlord from a box on my floor. Any suggestions?
All the appliances are brand new (so is the building), so I'm thinking its not faulty wiring.
This is a pretty simple electrical delivery system -- there are really no high-tech gizmos involved. The power company has an analog meter on their end, to measure usage to your line (and bill you), and there's also an analog meter on your end, to allow you to confirm it. If someone is stealing your power, they are taking it from after the ECD meter, either before your meter or after your meter.
1) Before your meter: you need to see the ECD bill and see the meter, to confirm that the readings are the same.
2) After your meter: you need to unplug everything in your apartment and see the meter, to confirm that it is not moving.
If you have done both of these things and found that your meter agrees with the bill and stops when you turn everything off, then you are paying for exactly the power that you've used, nothing more.
$90 a month without aircon or hot water is an outrageous amount of money. My bill is usually below $40 for the same setup (and I work from home, so I run a computer and A/C nearly constantly). I would insist on seeing those meter readings myself at that price. If your landlord refuses to let you see the meter, the bill, or both, then he is probably billing you for power that someone else uses, or overcharging you for the wattage (the ECD charges 720 riel per kwh). But you are correct: there is something very strange about the electric bills you are paying.
Thanks for that, but I think I need to explain the set up better.
I live in an apartment building with another 40 tenants. I imagine the power is coming into the building through 1 meter (EDC) and then is channeled through individual meters located on each floor, and we are billed according to those meters. As such I do not receive a power bill from the EDC. My landlord gives me a bill according to my own individual meter. My meter is outside my front door and is not locked so I have access to check it whenever I want. The readings the landlord gives me each month are exactly according to my meter (believe me, I check it). If I turn off all the appliances and unplug them, the meter stops. So my natural conclusion was that the meter is faulty, or something is happening between the EDC meter and my individual meter. But really, I'm at a loss as to what the problem is.
And yes, $90 is outrageous. I lived in the NE provinces all of last year where electricity was 2000R per kwh, and I used aircon every night and on the weekends, and still didn't have a bill for $90.
can you buy those kilo-watt type meters in Cambodia? These plug into a socket, and then measure the power used by an individual appliance.
The thing to do would be turn everything off except one thing on one of these, and compare against the meter, it sounds to me as though the meter is exagerating.
Thanks for that. I will do some searching to find one - either here or ask friends back home.
cheers
Sounds like your landlord has found a way to jack up his profit by recalibrating the interior meters. Dummy...he could've just charged you more per kwh and made the same money, while appearing more honest.
If you do find that your meter is ripping you off, I hope you won't hesitate to distribute your evidence to all 39 of the other tenants, so they can share the joy.
Not only tell the other residents, but put the name of the apartment building and location on here as everyone should, so that others can boycott the apartments.
My bill last month ( @820perkw) was $260.
I ran ;
-a 1.5hp AC every night and 2 others for about 3 nights each.
-some overhead fans most nights for about 3 hours a night
- A couple of stand up fans for a few hours every night.
-a large fridge
-a clothes washer a couple of times a week
- about half a dozen silk lights
- a water pump that turns on everytime we use water.( admittedly this was leaking so it might have lead to a large bill ).
In my last house i used the same minus the overhead fans,water pump,the washing machine and the extra AC and it was never more than $80.
Go figure.
Thanks for the links. They are really helpful. I will find out how much each appliance etc. chews then see where to go from there.
And yes I agree with everyone, this is very expensive for what I am using. This is not the first house/flat I have lived in here in Cambodia, and whether in PP or the provinces (where electricity is always more expensive) my bill has never been like it is at my current apartment. Like I said, I have a hefty deposit sitting with my landlord, so I can't simply move out. I have to solve the problem.
Thanks to all for your suggestions.
What is the real price per kw in Phnom Penh?
is it 25 cents?
And yes - serviced apartments are charging x 3... M%^& F%^&s!
At my last apartment I was billed by ECD directly. I paid 720 riel per KWH. That may have changed since I moved out in January 2010.
We pay 1200 kw/hr and for my place on the river, we run about 200+usd per month. That is running the AC's at night usually and sometimes during the day. The Electric company is reporting that these rates will increase considerably over the next few months as well. Best way to see who is stealing, is to wait until your neighbours are home, drop your breakers and see who ELSE loses their lights!
I have done it a couple of times and find the culprits quickly -and there are ALWAYS a couple!
My landlords are being fairly straight, i guestimate I pay 25c per k/w and in a month with no a/c uses - just a computer, monitor, speaker, modem, two small fans, one ceiling fan and a few lights being used most nights the bill is about $30.
With one of the ac units being used for a month with all of the above the bill comes in around $60/$65.
You could try one of these: 
Phone: 012 928 544, 011 345 245
Is it a scam? A quick google says it works by correcting power factor, which might help if you're on an industrial KVAR meter, but domestic meters measure actual KWh, so this doesn't do a thing, and in any case, it only helps with motors, not cookers, lights, etc.
From the comment above, perhaps scoffer is a spark of some kind, what's the deal with these on Cambodian meters scoffer?
My electricity bill also shot up this month, it's usually about $110 a month, using two air-cons every night, hot water, large fridge/freezer, washing machine and electric stove but this month shot up to $160.
I'm used to a spike this time of year as the air-cons get turned on far more frequently and to a lower temperature than usual and because of the time of year I guess they have to do far more work to keep it at that temperature. But it's usually 20-25% spike, so this one was a bit of a jaw dropper. Wonder whether there is something bigger at play here as it seems like a lot of people getting higher bills than normal at the same time?
Last month I copped a $ 310 back penalty as I had been charged for the last 11 months at ''Khmer'' rates and now am on higher ''foreigner rates''.
So now am on much higher tariff on top of the normal spike through increased air-con consumption etc.
Tried complaining, landlord (normally brilliant and very supportive- couldnt help in this instance it seems): bottom line is if I want power, I pay.
My bill by the way , using same appliances as chriscambo, is around $ 240 +-. I suspect I am suffering some neighbourly borrowing but to date havent found a culprit.
Wow, I thought I had it bad with my bills. I run my a/c nearly 24/7 as I work from home. Plus running two TVs, 3 comps, an electric oven, vacuum cleaner, fridge/freezer, hot water etc plus having the in laws staying with us. All this for around $90-$120 USD p/m.
What I find is that the more the electricity are cut, the more I have to pay, can't figured that out. When I use to live in an apartment in BKK I use to pay around 200++ p/m just for myself. Go figure some of the logic on how they calculate, but I know there's a lot of profiteering by the owners when you are staying in an apartment building.
Crikey-some big bills here.
My air con is a one horse inverter,inverters use half power of a non inverter.
An old air con can use heaps but these bills are still very high.
I must be paying for several houses then. The average bill is about $750 per month for a villa in BKK1
I knew it was high but the amounts suggested here seem to indicate that I am supporting a group of people. I will have to get onto this
mmm. Seems there is a market for a Mr Fix It - someone to drill into these issues for a final solution - for a fee , no problem - to get the problem solved . ML perhaps ; are you up for it??
I was sitting out front of a well known barang feeding trough on st 172 last week, reading the paper, having coffee and keeping a lazy eye on tho Khmer guys running insulated cable over the street to (presumably) their shop from an apartment above me that had been up for rent until that very day.
There's masses of wires going in every kind of direction from a great many buildings here. I bet it's easy as pie to nick some power here and there.
marklatham, what model of aircon, and how much did you pay if I may? Does it really use less power - I'm very interested in getting an inverter model if the price is right.
At the moment I have an oversized 1Kw (1.5hp) aircon for a 4x4m bedroom, and it is short-cycling, even this month, so must be wasting a load of power, on top of which the constant start-stop is quite annoying.
I've had a couple of months without using aircon, and for lights, fans, tv, laptops, a 200L fridge/freezer the bills have been $12/month or so at 720r/kwh. We'll see what damage the aircon has done when I get the first bill since it's been working, in a week or two.
As a footnote...I was down in Kep last weekend and the owner of Kep Lodge told me that his bill spiked hugely in April for no reason, as did many of the locals bills like the tuk tuk driver etc. All their meters read correctly though and they were all talking about it.Something about April was definately dodgy.............