Recently on the Cambodia Parent Network there was a fantastic post by a long-term expat who has worked closely with EDC, Cambodia’s electricity provider. This expat, who prefers to remain anonymous due to his work with EDC as as contractor, gave some great information and dispelled a lot of myths that expats often believe about dealing with EDC. I contacted him and asked if he’d write up some advice for Move to Cambodia readers, and he’s answered all of the questions you need to know about power, water and garbage bills in Cambodia.
Garbage pickup in Phnom Penh.
Can Westerners have their name on their EDC bill?
“No. Westerners cannot have their name on an EDC bill. It will always have the landlords name on it. Make sure when you move into a new house you read the power meter with the landlord present and have them list this reading on the rental contract. Same with water. This avoids any confusion when the bills from the previous month when you were not renting that house arrives.”
How long can I go without paying my bill before they cut off the electricity?
“Always pay your EDC bill before it is due or power WILL be cut off. There is no reminder notice etc., as per the West. They simply turn it off. Usually at 7 p.m. when you are hosting 50 people for a party! You can pay at EDC offices near Wat Phnom, FTB Bank on Street 63, via ANZ Internet banking, and also there are people in every neighborhood who will pay bills for you for a tiny fee – 1,000 KHR or so. Look for the signs on little shop fronts. If you pay at EDC office you need to pay in KHR.”
Isn’t it true that there is a special (more expensive) foreigners rate for electricity?
“Barangs pay exactly the same as Khmers based on a sliding scale depending on usage. The more you consume….the higher your per KW cost. There is no “barang” rate. End of story.
Beware! Some greedy landlords will pull a swifty on the unsuspecting tenant by saying “we will pay the power bill on your behalf for the house/whole building” and they then contract you to an inflated rate like 1000+++ per KW. This is where the rip-off occurs….not at EDC level. Your landlord will make a show of reading the meter and calculating it all “fairly,” but they have marked up the standard EDC rates to profit from your ignorance. It is not uncommon to meet people who are paying 1500+ KHR citing all manner of reasons the landlord has given them, such as “you are an NGO/business/more than 4 people/Barangs/ a large building” etc., etc.,This is robbery on behalf of the landlord pure and simple.
You must insist on receiving and paying the invoice yourself. If you get a whiff the landlord is not prepared to do this, then reconsider renting the house as it speaks volumes as to the landlord’s character. If they will stiff you here they will stiff you everywhere and that dream house will become a nightmare. A medium usage household with lights, fridge, washing machine, several fans running (overhead and floor) with no air-conditioning will usually pay 820 KHR/kw.”
Just because it says so on the meter doesn’t mean it’s the truth.
But my friend has a cheaper rate than I do, doesn’t that prove there is a foreigner rate?
“Rates can vary depending on location. The further out of the city you go, the higher it can get, but usually this is because you are getting your power from a private downstream reseller….not from EDC direct. Places like Kep and Kampot and Sihanoukville may have their own rates. They used to be more expensive but they have come more into line with Phnom Penh.”
What about water? How much should that cost?
“Water is billed bi-monthly and is another potential classic scam by landlords. They will contract you to a charge of, say, $10 ++ a month. Sounds cheap right? And they will tell you that they will pay the water bill when it arrives. Do you know how much water you have to use to get a 2 month/ $20 water bill?? An ocean! A two month bill of $20 allows you to water the garden every other day, wash cars, fill inflatable swimming pools, hose walls, driveways and unsuspecting schoolkids as they walk past the front gate!
If you are a couple with moderate usage your water costs would be much lower than $20 for the two month period that Phnom Penh Water bills you. Always request to receive and pay the water bill yourself. Phnom Penh Water has one rate for all.”
But what about garbage? I’ve heard horror stories about garbage prices.
“There is no hard and fast rule when it comes to Cintri (the garbage service company). Generally in a shophouse or apartment you can expect to pay 4000 KHR per month as a standard. You will pay as high as $20 in large villas and sometimes $5 or $10. Cintri will definitely charge a Westerner more. A decent landlord will usually manage this to the best of their ability for you but at the end of the day you usually have to pay what’s on the EDC bill (EDC does the billing for Cintri) when you get it with little room for negotiation.”
You’ll find all of this information and more in the utilities section of the Move to Cambodia book on page 75.
LOL you are so right my brain is in a fog to many things going on at once Thank you Lina you are a sweetheart David
Good luck! Do make sure it will work with a converter — it may be better to source one that’s meant to work on the voltage in Cambodia.
Thanks Lina I had throat cancer so I have a hole in my throat they took my vocal cords out and now have to use a suction machine to get any garbage my lings fight against out of my throat it’s mucus from anything in the air that my lings and body does not like so I will assume I will need the adaptors for these machines Thank you for your help David
I would recommend checking with the manufacturer of the product to see if it can be used with a converter (what you need is a converter, which is not the same thing as an adapter).
are adaptors needed for American electric materials?
You need a converter for anything heat generating or with moving parts, and my advice is not to bring things like this (blowdryer, blender, etc). Most places in Cambodia have American or international sockets, and adaptors cost about $1.50 in Cambodia, so if you end up needing any, you can get them here.
Buy and install your own meter, cost of meter is $25-35 depending on rating (5-20 Amps suits most apartments). Price includes certification by EDC with sticker & lead seal, making it more or less tamper-proof.
Installation is easy but you should probably hire a sparky.
Yes, scams happen. Landlords apartment, garden lights, lift, common area lighting, water pump can all be connected to your master! But I read Cambodian electricity is the most expensive in SE Axis, so it depends where you are. Rates can vary between 8 and 80 cents per kW/he. But you need to check your bill and the Landlord sometimes charges over the standard rate. An a/c unit normally used about 1 kW/h per hr and more at higher temperatures.10 hrs a day at 25 cents a kW/hr is $2.50 a day, that’s $75.00 a month, not including fans, fridge, T.V., laptop, hot water etc. Switch off your hot water heater and fans when not in the. Cheers.
EDC Kampot
It seems the EDC Kampot Office is not as “straight forward” as in Phnom Penh. Several hurdles along the way keep screaming SCAM.
See for yourself: http://www.kampotbuildersguide.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=569
Just a bit curiosity, what does EDC mean?
Electricite Du Cambodge
Hey, I have a question. I believe I have a fair rate, but it still seems at the end of the month I’m paying more than people I know in comparable apartments with comparable electricity usage. Is it possible that the meter (which is in my apartment) could be running too fast and miscalculating? Is there any way to get this checked?
Thanks!
Yes, it’s possible but it’s more likely that someone is siphoning off your electricity. Unplug EVERYTHING in your house, fridge, etc, etc, everything. And then watch the meter for an hour and see if it keeps moving. Often you’ll find that you’re paying for your landlord or your neighbor’s electricity in addition to your own. Can I ask how much a month you are paying and for how many people? Edited to add: You can have EDC come check but most report that they aren’t much help.
Ooh, that is definitely a good point. I technically moved into a new apartment, but it’s just upstairs from where I lived before. It’s a fairly large one bedroom (so it takes a few more lights than before to keep it lit at night), but it’s just me and I’m gone for most of the day at work. I do use my one aircon moderately, some nights for a full 8 hours, other nights for just a few before sleeping, so I would guess an average of 5 hours per night. My bill I got today was $120 which is almost as much as we paid before with 2 people and 2 aircons going full blast in April. Although we definitely heard down there also that we were paying too much. Plus I was gone for a week this month so it seems pretty steep. If someone is siphoning off of it, how do you get it fixed?
Just to give you an idea of how badly you are getting ripped off, I pay less than $40 a month for a one bedroom and I run A/C all night every night and sometimes during the day. I would suggest doing some Harriet the Spy style sleuthing and see if you can figure out what’s going on before enlisting anyone else’s help. If your landlord is doing it, they aren’t going to be much help. I’ll contact the person that wrote this piece and see if he has any suggestions.
Yeah, I had a feeling it was pretty off. $40 is what we would pay when we didn’t use the aircon at all. How do I get a hold of him? Thanks!
Its bad enough that we are charged $20 per month on water. $10 per person. And our electricitybill can go up to $400 usd! Even when we werenot home for half the month, the bill was $160usd.
This is too crazy. We changed the light bulb to energy saver. Tried switching off our ac. Nothing works!
Your landlord is the problem. $10 per person is ridiculous, you will never use that much. How much are you being charged per kw? Also, try unplugging EVERYTHING and seeing if your meter is still going up. You may well be paying for your landlord’s apartment, too.