Following complaints from citizens to lower costs as electricity bills triple during the lockdown, Energy Minister Sontirat Sonthijirawong announced there will be a meeting of all departments involved on the issue on Monday.
As a suggestion, Senator Khamnoon Sithisamarn said electricity bills that are below 1,000 baht should be made free while the rest should be halved for three months.
“Nobody wants to be inside the house all day and all night but we are cooperating and we are practicing the self-quarantine method in accordance with the government’s policy,” he said. “We do not want money, we just don’t want to pay a lot more than what we usually do.”
Many people have opted to post their bills online the weekend of April 19 in protest. One such bill saw the cost increase from 1,500 baht the previous month to 5,200 baht in April.
The cabinet had approved a temporary 3 per cent discount on the electricity and water bills in April but 3 per cent of 1,500-5,000 baht is only about 45-150 baht discount. Additionally, only 21 million households will get their meter deposit, not everyone.
The discount is nowhere near enough as the consumption of electricity is already high during the summer while the lockdown and curfew are forcing many people to work and stay at home.
Citizens are now saying that if the State of Emergency is to be extended, the government should provide more discount for these bills as people’s income are already running low. Some have lost their jobs and the added cost will only serve to tighten the noose on their lifeline.
Thailand’s energy bills for household is usually calculated based on the step-up methodology, which means that the higher the usage the higher the bill will be.
