What is a smart meter, and is MEA really replacing them free of charge?
MEA is replacing the old spinning-disc electricity meter with a smart meter at no cost to the customer. Its announcement of 8 June 2026 puts it plainly, calling the work free with no charges whatsoever, and says the rollout runs in phases by service area.
The target for 2026 is every home in MEA's Khlong Toei service area, 100% of them, which is 136,000 meters, plus another 12,000 meters for business and industrial customers across the whole service territory of Bangkok, Nonthaburi and Samut Prakan.
What separates it from the old meter is communication. A smart meter sends and receives consumption data both ways, so the reading happens by itself and nobody has to stand at your gate to write a number down.
What does the new meter actually give a homeowner?
MEA lists four benefits, and only the first one asks anything of you. The rest work in the background.
- You can check your own consumption at any time in the MEA Smart Life app.
- When supply fails, the meter signals its location to MEA's control centre immediately, so you do not have to phone the outage in.
- It detects electrical faults such as leakage current and overvoltage, and its data is linked to the measure that exempts a household from disconnection when a resident depends on medical equipment.
- Meter reading is fully automated, which MEA says makes the billing auditable after the fact, 100% of it.
That last point is worth more to a buyer than it sounds. An auditable consumption history is evidence of what a house really costs to run, rather than the seller's recollection of it.
Will the bill fall after the meter is changed?
No. A meter measures units, it does not set the price of a unit. The bill is still calculated on the same residential tariff, plus the Ft adjustment and VAT, exactly as before the swap.
For the September to December 2026 period, the Energy Regulatory Commission's resolution of 22 July 2026 held the average charge at THB 3.95 per unit excluding VAT, made up of a base tariff of THB 3.78 per unit plus an Ft of 16.23 satang per unit.
The normal residential rate for a home using more than 150 units a month, category 1.2, is stepped: THB 3.2484 per unit for the first 150 units, THB 4.2218 for units 151 to 400, and THB 4.4217 for everything above 400, with a service charge of THB 24.62 a month. Those are the base rates in MEA's published schedule, effective from the May 2023 bill, before Ft and VAT.
What the smart meter really changes is the information. Instead of one number a month, you can see which hours of the day the electricity went into, and that is the only piece of data that answers whether your house should move to the TOU tariff.
When is the TOU tariff worth it?
The TOU tariff pays off when roughly 48% to 65% of your monthly units fall in the Off Peak window, with heavier users needing the smaller share. Those figures are calculated from the published rates rather than estimated.
Residential TOU at a supply voltage below 12 kV, which is what an ordinary house has, category 1.3.2, charges THB 5.7982 per unit On Peak and THB 2.6369 per unit Off Peak, with the same THB 24.62 monthly service charge as the normal rate.
On Peak is 09.00 to 22.00, Monday to Friday. Off Peak is 22.00 to 09.00 on those same weekdays, and the whole of Saturday, Sunday, National Labour Day and ordinary public holidays, excluding the Royal Ploughing Ceremony Day and substitution holidays.
| Monthly consumption | Average energy charge on the normal rate | Off Peak share needed |
|---|---|---|
| 300 units | THB 3.7351 per unit | 65% |
| 500 units | THB 3.9698 per unit | 58% |
| 800 units | THB 4.1392 per unit | 52% |
| 1,500 units | THB 4.2711 per unit | 48% |
Here is where the table comes from. A house using 500 units a month pays THB 1,984.88 in energy charges on the normal rate, an average of THB 3.9698 per unit. On TOU the average becomes the Off Peak share times 2.6369 plus the On Peak share times 5.7982, which comes out cheaper than the normal rate once the Off Peak share passes 57.8%.
Ft and VAT are charged per unit at the same figure on both tariffs, and the monthly service charge is THB 24.62 either way, so the break-even does not move when Ft is revised every four months.
One thing to settle before switching: TOU is an optional tariff. You have to notify the utility and pay its charge for the meter, and PEA's published tariff schedule effective May 2023 states that once you have taken it you must stay on it for at least 12 months before asking to return to the normal rate. In the MEA area, ask MEA Call Center 1130 for the current cost before you commit.
How do you find out your own Off Peak share?
Read the time-of-day consumption in the MEA Smart Life app once your house is on a smart meter, because that is the behaviour of your household rather than an average of somebody else's.
MEA has run a free TOU comparison for households before: applications opened on 10 March 2025, it compared three months of usage, it was open only to category 1.2 customers using more than 150 units a month, it was capped at 1,000 places, and results came by email only. That round was limited and is now more than a year old, so call 1130 to ask whether another one is open.
The loads that genuinely move into the Off Peak window are the ones you can put on a timer. A washing machine, a dryer, a dishwasher and a water pump can all be set to run after 22.00.
The largest single load in a modern house is an electric car. Charging it after 22.00 puts that whole block of units in the Off Peak window. The wiring and meter capacity side of it is covered in our guide to installing a home EV charger.
The reverse also holds. A house with somebody home running the air conditioning on a weekday afternoon is buying electricity squarely On Peak, and TOU usually does not pay for a household like that, including a home used for hybrid work.
How do scammers use the meter replacement?
Because the smart meter swap costs nothing, anyone asking you to pay for a meter change is a scammer. In the same announcement MEA warns that people impersonating its staff phone customers to threaten disconnection and ask for a transfer to settle the bill, and MEA confirms it does not have any service in which its staff call customers that way.
Outside the capital, PEA published its own warning on 9 May 2025: fraudsters posing as PEA staff say they are coming to replace a meter that is running abnormally fast, offer to refund the electricity security deposit, and then push the victim to download an app called PEA Smart Pro and to make contact through a LINE account called PEA 422.
The app name is the detail to read carefully. PEA's real app is PEA Smart Plus, available only from the App Store and Play Store. Its official LINE account is @PEAThailand with the green shield, its website must be www.pea.co.th, and PEA states it has no policy of staff sending links to customers to claim benefits through any channel at all.
The way out is to end the call and dial the utility yourself: MEA Call Center 1130 or PEA Contact Center 1129, both answered around the clock. MEA's official LINE, MEA Connect (@MEAthailand), carries the same green shield in front of the account name.
Buying, selling or letting: what has to happen to the meter?
The name on the meter has to be changed to the current occupant or tenant every time a property is sold, transferred or let. MEA advised exactly this on 3 April 2026, and gave the reason: if a bill goes unpaid or an offence such as electricity theft occurs, MEA pursues the debt and takes legal action primarily against the contracting party named as the meter owner.
A seller who forgets is still the counterparty on a house they no longer own, and the arrears the new occupant runs up follow them.
There are two ways to file: online through MEA e-Service, or at a district office. The documents are an ID card or a company registration certificate, something that ties you to the premises such as the house registration, the letter granting the house number, a sale and purchase agreement, a lease, a hire-purchase agreement for the land and building or a title deed in the customer's name, and a power of attorney if somebody else files for you.
Two details catch people out. The name change only completes if there are no arrears, and the electricity security deposit already lodged can be transferred into the new customer's name by attaching a copy of the deposit receipt, as MEA explains in its guidance on changing the meter owner's name through MEASY.
Before transfer day, ask to see six months of consumption in units rather than in baht. Ft is revised every four months, so the money figures are not comparable while the unit counts are, and a house already on a smart meter has a history you can audit.
If you are preparing a house for sale, clearing the meter name and the electricity paperwork belongs on the pre-transfer list. The full sequence is on our house selling service page.
Landlords carry one more layer, because what you may charge a tenant for electricity falls under the contract committee announcement controlling the residential letting business. The detail is in our article on the current rental contract control law.
Owners who would rather have the screening, the contract and the rent collection handled for them can read our rent-out service page.
Frequently asked questions
Does the smart meter replacement cost anything?
No. MEA's announcement of 8 June 2026 states that the smart meter replacement is free with no charges whatsoever, so treat anyone who contacts you asking for a meter replacement fee as a scammer.
Do I have to apply to have my meter changed?
No application is needed. MEA replaces meters in phases by service area, and the 2026 target is 100% of homes in its Khlong Toei service area, 136,000 meters, plus 12,000 business and industrial meters across Bangkok, Nonthaburi and Samut Prakan.
Will my bill go up after the swap?
The tariff does not change because the meter changed, and your units are still priced on the same schedule. MEA says reading is fully automated and the billing is auditable after the fact, 100% of it, so if a bill jumps, compare the units against the history in the MEA Smart Life app and call 1130.
Does a smart meter put me on the TOU tariff automatically?
It does not. TOU is an optional tariff that you have to request, paying the utility's charge for the meter, and PEA's published tariff schedule states that once taken it must be kept for at least 12 months before you can ask to return to the normal rate.
When does Off Peak start?
Off Peak runs from 22.00 to 09.00 Monday to Friday, and covers the whole of Saturday, Sunday, National Labour Day and ordinary public holidays, excluding the Royal Ploughing Ceremony Day and substitution holidays.
My house is outside Bangkok. How do I know when my meter's turn comes?
Ask PEA Contact Center 1129, which answers 24 hours, and follow your consumption in the PEA Smart Plus app, which is the genuine one and is only available from the App Store and Play Store. Beware the fake app named PEA Smart Pro that PEA warned about on 9 May 2025.
What is electricity costing per unit this period?
For September to December 2026 the average is THB 3.95 per unit excluding VAT, under the Energy Regulatory Commission's resolution of 22 July 2026, made up of a THB 3.78 base tariff plus an Ft of 16.23 satang per unit.
Summary
- MEA replaces smart meters free of charge, and the 2026 target is 100% of homes in its Khlong Toei service area, 136,000 meters, plus 12,000 business meters.
- The new meter does not lower the bill. What it adds is visibility of which hours of the day the electricity went into, through the MEA Smart Life app.
- Residential TOU charges THB 5.7982 per unit On Peak and THB 2.6369 Off Peak, so it pays once roughly 48% to 65% of the month's units fall Off Peak.
- TOU is an optional tariff with a meter charge, and PEA's schedule requires at least 12 months on it before returning to the normal rate.
- The replacement is free, so a call demanding payment or pushing an app download is a scam. Hang up and dial 1130 or 1129 yourself.
- Change the name on the meter whenever a property is sold or let, because the utility pursues arrears against the party named on the supply contract.