News Forum - Northern Thai man reveals secret to 44 baht electricity bill

[Thaiger]

In Thailand, the price of your electricity bill almost completely depends on your use of air conditioning. One man in Phitsanulok, northern Thailand, found a way to get his bill down from 4000 baht to just 44 baht, yet keep his air conditioner on all day and night… Despite Hasthanon Lakluang keeping three 12,000 BTU air conditioner units turned on 24 hours a day, he pays next to nothing to turn his house into a haven of cool air in Thailand’s sweltering summer months. On Saturday, Hasthanon posted pictures online of his house covered in solar panels. Before, he was […]

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[Ramanathan.P]

Considering the high initial investment, the break even would be 5 years. Hopefully the panels lasts for more than 5 years for some real savings.

[Poppin]

Can you please tell me the name of the company or where I can purchase the equipment /panels for 300,000 baht. Would be interested to have them installed.

[Soidog]

There are much cheaper alternatives to this to end up with virtually no bill. Ask anyone in a Thai village and they will know someone who can take care of it! 

[dimitri]

3 hours ago, Ramanathan.P said:

Considering the high initial investment, the break even would be 5 years. Hopefully the panels lasts for more than 5 years for some real savings.

 

They say 20 years. The efficiency decreases at the end of the lifespan of panels.

[Artemis080]

I miss my solar panels in Australia. Getting a cheque in the post instead of a bill is something you can get used to.

[Soidog]

7 minutes ago, dimitri said:

They say 20 years. The efficiency decreases at the end of the lifespan of panels.

Correct. And the deep cycle batteries will need replacing after 5-7 years depending on how well they are looked after and operating temperatures. 

[Ramanathan.P]

17 minutes ago, dimitri said:

They say 20 years. The efficiency decreases at the end of the lifespan of panels.

Agree...that is the manufacturers claim. But can the manufacturer assures it? Even commercial warranty is only 24 months. And what about the battery bank replacement. It also has to be replaced after 24months. And the battery needs a controlled environment of 25*C or less to avoid any heat bulging and explosion. There are many hidden costs involved.

[PapayaBokBok]

Soon to be news later this week

A local somchai was busted trying to steal said solar panels.....drunk on lao kao he fell off the roof

[Guest1]

1 hour ago, Soidog said:

There are much cheaper alternatives to this to end up with virtually no bill. Ask anyone in a Thai village and they will know someone who can take care of it! 

Yeah, but the PEA comes around every month, afterwards, and is changing the meter. But most landlords, with private meters, use/know this someone. It works both ways ;-)

[Soidog]

59 minutes ago, Guest1 said:

Yeah, but the PEA comes around every month, afterwards, and is changing the meter. But most landlords, with private meters, use/know this someone. It works both ways ;-)

Well I know plenty of people who have been running their air con this way for years and years. The trick, so I’m told, is not to make a significant step change in consumption. If you do, it alerts the PEA. So I’m told and of course all prefixed with “allegedly”

[Thaidup]

The Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives recently made plans to install solar panels in at least one million farms across Thailand to help reduce electricity bills for farmers amid the global energy crisis which continues to make electricity and fuel prices climb.

 

Just as warnings of food shortages are coming up in the news, Great idea, if we turn into robots and eat electricity.

[farang]

most people will never save  what these solar panels cost.if you get 2 years output youll be lucky.maybe some day they will be made better,but that day is not now.

[dimitri]

3 hours ago, Ramanathan.P said:

And what about the battery bank replacement. It also has to be replaced after 24months. 

 

You do not need batteries. Batteries are too expensive to be profitable.

[dimitri]

21 minutes ago, farang said:

most people will never save  what these solar panels cost.if you get 2 years output youll be lucky.maybe some day they will be made better,but that day is not now.

 

Your comment goes against what is commonly known. I know only the numbers for my home country NL. The payback period for solar panels is approximately 5 years. But that is in a country where the electricity price is almost double than in Thailand. On the other hand, Thailand has a lot more hours of sunshine. So I estimate that in Thailand it will also be about 5 years. The lifespan of panels is about 20 years.

Edited April 19, 2022 by dimitri

[dimitri]

3 hours ago, Ramanathan.P said:

Agree...that is the manufacturers claim. But can the manufacturer assures it? Even commercial warranty is only 24 months. And what about the battery bank replacement. It also has to be replaced after 24months. 

 

I would never buy a car if I were you. You only get a 2 year warranty. And the manufacturer assures nothing. It is better to use public transport.

You do not need batteries, batteries are too expensive to be profitable.

 

[Skip]

4 hours ago, dimitri said:

Your comment goes against what is commonly known. I know only the numbers for my home country NL. The payback period for solar panels is approximately 5 years. But that is in a country where the electricity price is almost double than in Thailand. On the other hand, Thailand has a lot more hours of sunshine. So I estimate that in Thailand it will also be about 5 years. The lifespan of panels is about 20 years.

No guesswork to it... if it cost 300,000 and he's saving 4000 a month it will take 75 months (6.2 years) to break even... but you have to add some years on to that break even point because of the lost investment income on the 300,000 that no longer is earning anything...

Best guess... 10 year break even.

[Fanta]

5 hours ago, dimitri said:

You do not need batteries. Batteries are too expensive to be profitable.

So, in Thailand, how do you store the electricity generated in the day so it can be used at night? 

[HiuMak]

Staying off grid is the best. It is like being your own boss, you are not subjected to rates hike from these * Inappropriate word removed by moderation* power companies

[HiuMak]

46 minutes ago, Fanta said:

So, in Thailand, how do you store the electricity generated in the day so it can be used at night? 

I have solar in Australia without storage, I consume as It generates power in the day. Anything that is not consume in the day will be feed back to the grid and you earn a measly rate. However in the night I will have to rely on the power companies for electricity.

Because I have good usage in the day, it makes sense. If you are out in the day and only return home in the night will not be beneficial. Works best for folks working night shift.

[thaifarmer]

there is a solution to this high investment: 1st off, you don't need an aircon if your house is cooled the whole day. the walls will be cold to the touch at 18:00h.  The sun is gone, so they won't heat up more till next day. A fan would suffice.

Secondly, that actually means a much lower investment in batteries, not running at night

thirdly, you can substitute maybe (have to be calculated) a third of your panels with supercapacitors: an aircon has a powerful motor (compressor) which draws approx double the current while starting which lasts maybe a couple of seconds. After that, it drops to a nominal current. This starting current can be delivered by supercaps, which are quite affordable compared to solarpanels....

fire up, engineers!

 

Edited April 20, 2022 by thaifarmer
correct spelling

[JMJM]

32 minutes ago, thaifarmer said:

if your house is cooled the whole day. the walls will be cold to the touch at 18:00h.  The sun is gone, so they won't heat up more till next day.

If this were true, people all over the world would immediately turn off their air-conditioning after the sun went down.  One must truly have very limited experience with reality to even assert something so obviously silly.  

[Fanta]

22 minutes ago, JMJM said:

If this were true, people all over the world would immediately turn off their air-conditioning after the sun went down.  One must truly have very limited experience with reality to even assert something so obviously silly.  

That all largely depends on the building standards. I read a recent article on the ABC News Australia site about an American guy who was appalled at the air leakage in his new Australian built house compared to a new American built house (can’t find it). He had the energy savings calculated to back up his claim that the construction of new Aussies houses caused a LOT of energy loss compared to a new American house. This guy wasn’t a tree hugging whacko, just surprised and annoyed. So he fixed it. 

[Ramanathan.P]

12 hours ago, dimitri said:

I would never buy a car if I were you. You only get a 2 year warranty. And the manufacturer assures nothing. It is better to use public transport.

You do not need batteries, batteries are too expensive to be profitable.

Exactly....unless use electricity at night and solar power in the morning. ..These panels are only useful for commercial activities like farming and leisure activities like camping. May be more applicable for street lights

[Noble_Design]

10 hours ago, Fanta said:

So, in Thailand, how do you store the electricity generated in the day so it can be used at night? 

During day time solar power will be used to pump water into a tank placed perhaps 3-4 storeys high. At night time water is released from the tank to run a turbine to generate electricity.