Korean Job Discussion Forums

[seoulsista]

After much warning on my part and denials on my bf's part our electric bill finally came and it was 169.000 won!!

What was yours? Does anyone know how this whole electricity wattage calculation works. I have heard that the more you use the more they charge. But at what point does this kick in and how much does it go up by?

[kprrok]

is that supposed to be 169.000, or 16.900? My last bill was about 20.000 or so. If your electric is 169.000, then you better have the a/c pumped to full 24 hours a day plus a couple of fans and computers running.

KPRROK

[SuperFly]

About 240 bucks. I live in Arizona. Can't wait for the winter time;
When all the leaves are brown
And the wind blows so chill
And the birds have all flown for the summer
Im callin, hear me callin, hear me callin

[heydelores]

My electricity is included in my building maintnance fee. The whole thing (elec, water, and some other things) was 73,000 this month. I'm pretty energy/resource-conscious, and it seems to make a difference in my bills.

[VanIslander]

What electricity bill? I went over three years here without one. Maybe it was included in the 50,000 monthly management fee (that also included t.v.).

Now that I'm at a new place, I find myself actually getting an electric bill: a mere 14 thousand won. I can handle that.

[eamo]

An electric bill can easily be 150,000+ if you run the AC everyday for 4 hours or more all month.

When all I had in my apartment was a TV and a refrigerator my bill was usually 14,000.

Now I have AC, computer, water cooler, bidet, microwave, toaster oven, kimchi refrigerator, vacuum cleaner, steam cleaner, gigantic washing machine, DVD player, 4 lamps.......To my Korean wife these things are all basic necessities. Our bill is rarely under 60,000.....aigo....

[pegpig]

If it was your first one it might also include some setup charges or a deposit or more than a month's worth. Either way that sure sounds like a heck of a lot, even for Korea. I'm guessing something's up and I'd do some checking for what period the bill covered and how many kilowatts(or whatever) you actually used.

[semphoon]

My bill was also expensive 45.000. I ran the fan all the time. If I had AC it would have been about 200.000

[Zyzyfer]

[Ryst Helmut]

[Boodleheimer]

mine was 8,400

no a/c, no fans. it's hell, but at least it's cheap.

[Qinella]

Where I lived last year, a small town north of Daejon, my summer electric bills were easily in the 169k range. Now in my Seoul officetel, the bill is generally around 25,000 a month. That's with me running the a/c almost nonstop all day and night.

Usually I don't go anywhere on weeknights, so that's about 15 hours a day of a/c use. My computer stays on 24 hours a day. I do laundry about twice a week (which runs 4.5 hours a cycle -- dryer is ssslllooowwww).

Now, my boss explained to me about the usage in our hagwon's building. He said there's a limit to how much you can use, and once you go past that point the price skyrockets. That's why he's always so hesitant to use the a/c. He said his business arrived last in the building, and thus got the worst cut of the power ration. Apparently it's not divided evenly between apartments. That's Korea's uber corrupt building management for you.

Now that I think of it, last year I used to inspect my neighbors' leccy bills because I was so outraged. I lived in a small villa with 8 apartments. None of the neighbors had a bill over 40,000 the entire summer. Even one month when I used the a/c sparingly (less than 2 hours a day), my bill was over 150k. So, apparently, they had it divvied up in such a way that I was shouldering most of the burden because I am the clueless foreigner, so why not.

You might want to check about that. I recommend having a look at your neighbors' bills. If there's a huge discrepancy, make a stink.

Q.

[krats1976]

My last bill was like 10,000 won... cuz I was out of town most of the month.

I'm scared to see the next bill, since I've been running the A/C like crazy and I got a washer/dryer about a week ago (and it's been running almost non-stop as I plow through my moldy laundry pile).

eep!

[inspector gadget]

My bill was 18000 won excellent considering when I am home the a/c is on most of the day when I am home along with my tv and computer.

I would hate to get an electricity bill like some of you get.

My place is a one bedroom place, only about 10 pyeung so maybe thats why mine is not expensive.

[JongnoGuru]