Thailand’s Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) will inspect an empty house in Udon Thani after its monthly power bill jumped from about 26 baht to 49,681.90 baht, with officials confirming that electricity had been leaking for almost a month.
The unusual electricity bill came to light after the 57 year old homeowner, who lives in Bangkok, noticed the charge despite the property having stood empty for several years. He travelled to Udon Thani and discovered that the house had also been broken into and stripped of valuables.
Police found signs of forced entry and reported that electrical wiring, air-conditioning units, a water pump, a lawnmower, a fan and other property had been stolen. The homeowner filed a complaint with Mueang Udon Thani Police Station, which began checking fingerprints and nearby CCTV footage.
He told reporters that the property previously belonged to his mother but had been left vacant after she became ill and moved in with him.
The homeowner said he first became concerned after seeing the 49,681.90-baht bill on September 3. Before the surge, he had been paying only around 26 baht a month to keep the electricity connection active.
He suspects that damage caused during the burglary, including cut and removed wiring, might have caused the unusually high consumption.
Niphaphat Jitkham, deputy manager of the Provincial Electricity Authority’s Udon Thani office, said officials had already visited the property after receiving the complaint.
However, heavy vegetation around the vacant house and the owner’s absence meant staff could initially inspect only the outside. PEA later removed and tested the electricity meter, finding that it was operating normally.
PEA said its preliminary checks nevertheless confirmed an electricity leak between July 31 and August 29, lasting almost one month, though the cause remains unclear.
Officials said it would discuss the findings with the homeowner and seek a resolution once the cause had been established.
Meanwhile, police are continuing their investigation into the burglary and the theft of property from the vacant house.
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The story Empty Udon Thani home gets nearly 50,000 baht power bill as seen on Thaiger News.
