There are plenty of things about living in this country that get on my nerves but many of these things would be just as bad if not worse living in another country. One of the major appeals about Thailand to me and many others is the affordability of almost everything and this honestly extends to every aspect of life. Other than luxury goods I really can't think of anything that is more expensive here than in the west. I am sure there is something.
Anyway, i'm rambling again.
Despite the fact that the electrical systems such as how the power lines are assembled and maintained, for the most part the electricity is pretty reliable here. It is a lot more likely the fluctuate and brownout than in the west, sure, but look at the organizational paradigm, I'm surprised it works at all when I see setups like this.
The electric in this country is extremely cheap and I have no idea why that is the case. I think it likely has a lot to do with the fact that we never have to spend any money on heating because with extremely rare instances, it is literally never cold in this country. I live in nearly the northernmost portion of the country which is also at one of the highest elevations and while it can be necessary to wear a jacket from time to time, it is certainly never cold.
I pay very little attention to attempting to cut down on my electric use. If I am hot, i turn on the air conditioning... period. If it a really hot day I leave it on for my dog when I leave - I am not concerned about how much this might end up costing me and here is the reason why.
May is one of the hottest months of the year in Thailand. Some people would successfully argue it is the hottest. I have had my air conditioning on pretty much every day, all day from 10am onward because the house starts to become a sauna at that point. At the end of the month my total electric bill for my 2-story, 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom house is what you see above and that is almost exactly $50 US.
My water bill is so incredibly low that I tend to not pay it much mind when it arrives. Last month's water bill was just a bit over $2, for the entire month. I can't even imagine how the water company manages to make any money. This is amazing.
Now granted I have not lived in many countries, only 4 of them. I do however, remember that one house that I lived in while still in the United States our electric bill in our 3-bedroom, 1-bathroom house was routinely $500 to $700 a month. In a really hot month we once racked up an electric bill that was over $1000 and to me, that just seems like extortion.
Thailand wins again on one of the major aspects of life that consumes our psyche back in the west: Utilities are affordable.