Time-of-Use Electricity Rates in Thailand: Peak vs Off-Peak Pricing

Thailand’s Time-of-Use (TOU) electricity rate charges 5.7982 THB/kWh during weekday daytime hours and just 2.6369 THB/kWh at night and on weekends (MEA (Metropolitan Electricity Authority))(MEA (Metropolitan Electricity Authority)). That’s a gap wide enough to change how households run appliances. In a recent MEA pilot, 93.07% of 923 participating households cut their bill by switching (MEA (Metropolitan Electricity Authority)).

This guide breaks down how TOU billing actually works, who can apply, and whether shifting usage off-peak is worth the switching cost. It also covers the practical side most rate explainers skip: what the switch actually costs, how long you’re locked in, and which appliances are worth scheduling around.

TL;DR: Thailand’s TOU tariff charges 5.7982 THB/kWh on-peak (weekdays 09:00–22:00) and 2.6369 THB/kWh off-peak (nights and all weekend) (MEA (Metropolitan Electricity Authority))(MEA (Metropolitan Electricity Authority)). MEA’s 2025 pilot found 93.07% of 923 households saved money after switching, averaging 492 THB per month (MEA (Metropolitan Electricity Authority))(MEA (Metropolitan Electricity Authority)). It works best for households that can shift heavy usage to off-peak hours.

What Is Thailand’s Time-of-Use (TOU) Electricity Rate?

TOU is an optional residential tariff that charges a different rate depending on when electricity is used, rather than one flat price per kWh (MEA (Metropolitan Electricity Authority)). MEA and PEA have run the current TOU rate structure — 5.7982 THB/kWh on-peak and 2.6369 THB/kWh off-peak — unchanged since November 2015 (MEA (Metropolitan Electricity Authority)).

The tariff carries the same 24.62 THB monthly service charge as the standard flat-rate plan, so switching doesn’t add a fixed cost on top of the energy price (MEA (Metropolitan Electricity Authority)). The real decision isn’t whether TOU rates are cheaper in the abstract — they aren’t, on average — it’s whether your household’s usage pattern can be shifted enough to land mostly in the cheap window.

Mechanically, a TOU meter records consumption separately for each time block instead of one running total. MEA and PEA then apply the on-peak or off-peak rate to whichever block that electricity was actually used in, and the two amounts are added together on the same monthly bill. Nothing about the billing cycle, due date, or service charge changes — only how the energy portion is priced.

When Are On-Peak and Off-Peak Hours in Thailand?

On-peak hours run 09:00 to 22:00, Monday through Friday — a 13-hour window covering most of the working day and evening (MEA (Metropolitan Electricity Authority)). Everything else counts as off-peak: nights from 22:00 to 09:00 on weekdays, plus all of Saturday, Sunday, and public holidays (MEA (Metropolitan Electricity Authority)).

That means a household that mostly uses power after dinner, overnight, or on weekends already spends most of its hours in the cheap window before changing a single habit. Isn’t that the easiest kind of savings — one that doesn’t require buying new equipment?

How Much Cheaper Is Off-Peak Electricity Than the Flat Rate?

Off-peak TOU power costs about 40.4% less per kWh than the flat rate’s top marginal tier (4.4217 THB/kWh), while on-peak power costs about 31.1% more than that same tier (Derived from S2, S16)(Derived from S1, S16). Against the mid tier (4.2218 THB/kWh, covering 151–400 kWh), off-peak is roughly 37.5% cheaper (Derived from S2, S15).

For a household that runs above the 400 kWh flat-rate threshold, TOU turns into a real spread: every kWh moved from the daytime window to the night or weekend window swaps a 4.42 THB/kWh charge for a 2.64 THB/kWh one ()(MEA (Metropolitan Electricity Authority)). The flip side is real too — usage stuck in the daytime window gets more expensive, not cheaper, under TOU (MEA (Metropolitan Electricity Authority)).

Who Can Switch to TOU Billing, and What Does It Cost?

Any residential customer on MEA or PEA can apply to switch to the TOU tariff, but it isn’t free and it isn’t instant. MEA cut the one-time application fee for standard low-voltage meters to 3,350 THB in October 2025, a reduction of more than 50% from the prior fee (MEA (Metropolitan Electricity Authority)).

Once switched, PEA requires a minimum 12-month commitment before a customer can ask to move back to the flat-rate tariff (PEA (Provincial Electricity Authority)). That’s a meaningful lock-in — worth weighing against the projected savings before applying, not after.

The fee and lock-in both apply to the standard low-voltage residential meter class — the same class most single-family homes and condo units are already billed under. There’s no separate application form beyond contacting MEA or PEA directly and requesting the tariff change; the utility handles the meter reconfiguration.

Do Thai Households Actually Save Money on TOU?

Yes, most do. In MEA’s 2025 pilot comparing 923 households’ actual bills under both tariffs, 93.07% came out ahead on TOU, saving an average of 492.09 THB per month — a 12.61% cut to their bill (MEA (Metropolitan Electricity Authority))(MEA (Metropolitan Electricity Authority))(MEA (Metropolitan Electricity Authority)).

That’s a strong result, but the pilot compared existing usage patterns against the TOU tariff — it doesn’t mean every household saves automatically. A household that runs its air conditioner mostly during the 09:00–22:00 window will see the opposite: a higher bill under TOU than under the flat rate (MEA (Metropolitan Electricity Authority)).

Why did so many households save without changing anything? A likely explanation: in homes where occupants are out at work or school during the day, a large share of usage already falls into the evening, night, and weekend hours TOU prices cheaply — so the pilot may have mostly measured that existing pattern rather than a dramatic behavior change.

Practical Strategies to Cut Costs With Time-of-Use Rates

The math rewards moving heavy loads out of the 09:00–22:00 window. Running a 10 kWh/day shift — laundry, EV charging, or water heating moved from on-peak to off-peak — saves roughly 948 THB per month at current TOU rates, before Ft and VAT (Derived from S1, S2).

Air conditioning is usually the biggest single load in a Thai home, and it’s hard to avoid running it during the day. But pre-cooling a room before 09:00, or programming a unit to run harder overnight and coast during peak hours, shifts real consumption into the cheap window. EV charging and washing machines are easier: both can simply be scheduled to start after 22:00. Related: EV charging cost.

Water heaters and pool pumps are worth a second look too. Both typically run on a fixed daily cycle that homeowners rarely revisit after installation. Moving that cycle to start after 22:00, or delaying it until the weekend, captures the off-peak rate without changing how the appliance is used — only when.

For a household with rooftop solar, the picture shifts again. See our guide to solar plus battery storage. Exporting surplus power earns a flat 2.20 THB/kWh under net billing regardless of the time of day (), while self-consuming that same kWh during the on-peak window avoids paying roughly 2.6 times that amount (Derived from S1, S17). That gap means solar households on TOU get more value from using their own daytime generation directly than from exporting it — the opposite of what the export rate alone would suggest.

The Ft fuel adjustment surcharge — currently 0.1623 THB/unit — applies on top of both the flat and TOU base rates, so it doesn’t change the relative gap between on-peak and off-peak pricing ().

Thailand’s broader energy policy has been pushing demand-side tools like TOU billing precisely because shifting load off the daytime peak reduces strain on the grid at its busiest hours. For households willing to plan around a schedule, that policy goal and a lower electricity bill point in the same direction.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the off-peak hours on weekends in Thailand?

All 24 hours of Saturday, Sunday, and public holidays count as off-peak under the TOU tariff, alongside the 22:00–09:00 window on weekdays (MEA (Metropolitan Electricity Authority)). That makes weekends the cheapest time to run high-draw appliances like washing machines, dryers, or EV chargers without any planning required.

Is TOU worth it if I already have rooftop solar?

Often yes. Self-consuming solar power during the 09:00–22:00 on-peak window avoids a charge of 5.7982 THB/kWh, worth roughly 2.6 times the flat 2.20 THB/kWh net-billing export rate (MEA (Metropolitan Electricity Authority))()(Derived from S1, S17). Households that use most of their own solar output during the day, rather than exporting it, get more value from TOU billing.

How do I apply for TOU billing with MEA or PEA?

Contact MEA or PEA directly to request the switch; MEA’s current one-time application fee for a standard low-voltage meter is 3,350 THB (MEA (Metropolitan Electricity Authority)). Once approved, PEA requires staying on the TOU tariff for at least 12 months before switching back to the flat rate (PEA (Provincial Electricity Authority)).

Does the Ft fuel adjustment apply to TOU rates too?

Yes. The Ft surcharge, currently 0.1623 THB/unit, is added on top of both the flat-rate and TOU base energy charges (). It moves with each billing period but doesn’t change the underlying gap between on-peak and off-peak TOU pricing.

Key Takeaways

• TOU rates charge 5.7982 THB/kWh on-peak (weekdays 09:00–22:00) and 2.6369 THB/kWh off-peak (nights and all weekend) (MEA (Metropolitan Electricity Authority))(MEA (Metropolitan Electricity Authority))
• MEA’s 2025 pilot found 93.07% of 923 households saved an average of 492 THB per month after switching (MEA (Metropolitan Electricity Authority))(MEA (Metropolitan Electricity Authority))
• Switching costs 3,350 THB and locks in a 12-month minimum commitment (MEA (Metropolitan Electricity Authority))(PEA (Provincial Electricity Authority))
• Solar households often get more value self-consuming during on-peak hours than exporting at the flat 2.20 THB/kWh rate ()(Derived from S1, S17)

TOU billing rewards households that can genuinely shift usage — laundry, EV charging, water heating — into the night or weekend window. For anyone running most of their load during the workday, the flat rate is still the safer bet.