More discounts on residential electric bills as people stay home

In the midst of Thailand's new and most serious COVID-19 outbreak, the government approved lowering residential electricity bills for two months to assist those sheltering at home with the air on.

Ratchada Thanadirek, a government spokesperson, said Wednesday afternoon that the two-month reduction in water and electricity bills would be valid for May and June bills to provide relief and allow people to stay at home.

The method for measuring the lower bills, on the other hand, is byzantine.

Electric

Households who use less than 90 units of electricity will not be charged anything. Those that consume 90 to 150 units will have the first 90 units waived but will be responsible for the remainder.

But what if you use more than 150 units? Users who consume 150 to 500 units will be charged the same as in April, and those who consume 500 to 1,000 units will be charged the same as in April but will offer a 50% discount on additional units consumed.

Water

On their May and June bills, households will see a 10% reduction in their tap water rates.

People protested about the delay as soon as the relief plan was announced since many people have been working from home since April, which is also the hottest month of the year.

“In April, my bill doubled. Instead, why don't you ask us to pay the same amount as the March bill?” Ratchada's declaration of the relief initiative prompted Noi Warissra to write.

“April bills are more costly than the rest of the month; why are you using it as a payment benchmark?” Another Facebook user, Chuen Kru, posted, "This measure would just cause people to complain."

When Thailand was struck by its first wave outbreak last year, utility rates were cut after complaints flooded social media, prompting the hashtag #ExpensiveElectricityBill to trend on Thai Twitter. People complained that their bills were exorbitantly high and requested that the government intervene to alleviate their suffering while they obeyed orders to remain at home.

As a result, the Energy Ministry has agreed to lower prices from March to May 2020.