No. The business tariffs for categories 2–5 of PEA (Provincial Electricity Authority) and MEA (Metropolitan Electricity Authority) use the same set of figures for every item and every voltage tier — energy charges, demand charges and TOU time windows alike. What differs is a few footnotes under the table, such as the cut-off date for the legacy tariffs in categories 3 and 4. The tariff row a business actually pays depends on its demand size, its voltage tier and whether it is on TOU or a legacy tariff — not on which utility covers the area.
The tariff figures in this article are the energy and demand charges for low-voltage business customers in the September 2026 billing period, taken from the PEA table, which is the same set of figures as MEA's. They exclude Ft and VAT.
| Item in the tariff table | PEA vs MEA (categories 2–5, all voltage tiers) |
|---|---|
| Energy charge | Same |
| Demand charge | Same |
| Monthly service charge | Same |
| On Peak / Off Peak windows for the TOU tariff | Same |
| Voltage ranges used to define the tiers | Written as different figures, but the price for the matching tier is the same |
| Footnotes under the table | Differ on some points |
Where do PEA and MEA business tariffs actually differ?
In the tariff figures themselves, nowhere at all. For categories 2–5 at every voltage tier, both utilities use the same energy charges, demand charges, service charges and TOU time windows.
Picture opening the PEA and MEA business tariff tables side by side and comparing them row by row. Every price cell matches. The energy charge per unit is the same, the demand charge per kilowatt is the same, the monthly service charge is the same, and the On Peak and Off Peak windows of the TOU tariff are the same periods. Supporting mechanisms such as the minimum charge and the power factor charge exist at both utilities as well.
None of these figures include Ft or VAT. The Ft for this period is a single value set by the ERC (Energy Regulatory Commission) and applied to both utilities, adjusted period by period on the schedule the ERC announces. For more on Ft, see What is the Ft rate (in Thai).
The table below shows the low-voltage tariffs used in this article. This same set of figures appears in both the PEA and MEA tables — whichever province the branch opens in, the price is read from the same row.
- TOU
- A tariff that charges a different energy price depending on the time of day electricity is used, split into an On Peak period when system demand is high and an Off Peak period when demand is low.
- Demand charge
- A charge based on the highest power the business draws during the billing month, priced in baht per kilowatt, separate from the energy charge that is based on the number of units consumed.
| Item (low-voltage tariff) | Low-voltage rate (same figure at both PEA and MEA) |
|---|---|
| Small business, normal tariff, energy charge, first block (up to 150 kWh/month) | 3.2484 THB/kWh |
| Small business, normal tariff, energy charge, next block (up to 400 kWh/month) | 4.2218 THB/kWh |
| Small business, normal tariff, energy charge, all units above that | 4.4217 THB/kWh |
| Small business, TOU, energy charge On Peak | 5.7982 THB/kWh |
| Small business, TOU, energy charge Off Peak | 2.6369 THB/kWh |
| Medium business, normal tariff, energy charge | 3.1751 THB/kWh |
| Medium business, normal tariff, demand charge (per month) | 221.50 THB/kW |
| Medium business, TOU, energy charge On Peak | 4.3297 THB/kWh |
| Medium business, TOU, energy charge Off Peak | 2.6369 THB/kWh |
| Medium business, TOU, demand charge On Peak (per month) | 210.00 THB/kW |
| Large business, TOU, energy charge On Peak | 4.3297 THB/kWh |
| Large business, TOU, energy charge Off Peak | 2.6369 THB/kWh |
| Large business, TOU, demand charge On Peak (per month) | 210.00 THB/kW |
Notice that the Off Peak energy charge of the low-voltage TOU tariff is the same figure for small, medium and large businesses. So what makes two branches pay different amounts is not who issues the bill, but which row of this table each branch is placed in and which footnotes apply to it — explained in the next sections.
✗ MEA business electricity is more expensive (or cheaper) than PEA.
✓ The business tariff tables for categories 2–5 at both utilities use the same figures for every item and every voltage tier. If two branches pay different per-unit rates, look at which row each branch is placed in (size · voltage tier · TOU or legacy tariff), not at which utility it belongs to.
Why do the two tables describe the voltage tiers differently, and does it affect the money?
Because each utility's distribution system runs at a different set of voltages, the figures used to define the tiers are written differently. But the low tier at one utility and the low tier at the other are priced from the same row, so there is no difference in what you pay.
A tariff code has three digits. The first is the customer category (category 2 small business, category 3 medium business, category 4 large business, category 5 specific business). The second is the tariff type and the third is the voltage tier. Category 2 has two tiers (.1 medium voltage · .2 low voltage); categories 3–5 have three (.1 high voltage · .2 medium voltage · .3 low voltage). This structure is identical at PEA and MEA, and for categories 2–4 the second digit x.1 means the normal or TOD tariff and x.2 means TOU at both utilities.
The only thing written differently is the voltage range each tier covers, which comes from the two distribution systems operating at different sets of voltages.
- Voltage tier
- The voltage level at which a business takes supply from the distribution system. The tariff table uses it as the third digit of the category code and prices each tier on its own row, split into low voltage, medium voltage and high voltage.
| Voltage tier in the tariff table | PEA | MEA |
|---|---|---|
| Low voltage | Below 22 kV | Below 12 kV |
| Medium voltage | 22–33 kV | 12–24 kV |
PEA's low-voltage tier is the counterpart of MEA's low-voltage tier, and the price in that row is the same. The medium- and high-voltage tiers pair up the same way. So what changes the tariff row is the voltage tier at which the business takes supply, not the utility covering the area. Two branches both supplied at low voltage read their price from the same row even if they belong to different utilities. For the medium- and high-voltage tariff figures, see How much is factory electricity per unit, and why does it differ between factories.
The real differences are in the footnotes — which ones affect which businesses
The footnotes under the two tariff tables differ on the legacy-tariff cut-off date, the cost when a small business switches to TOU, the row a business drops back to in category 2, and the sub-item numbering of category 5. Each affects a specific group of businesses, not everyone.
If all the tariff figures are the same, the next question is what is not. The answer sits under the table, in the footnotes that set who qualifies for which row and how a customer moves between rows. This table summarises the points the two utilities write differently, and who each point concerns.
| Footnote | PEA | MEA | Who it affects |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legacy-tariff cut-off, categories 3.1 / 4.1 | Customers already on supply before the Nov 2015 billing month | Customers already on supply before Oct 2000 | Existing businesses still on the normal or TOD tariff |
| Cost when a small business (category 2) switches to TOU | Pay as PEA specifies | Choose between paying for the TOU meter upfront or paying an additional monthly metering service charge | Small businesses considering a move to TOU |
| Which row a category 3/4 business drops back to in category 2 | 2.1 or 2.2 | 2.1 | Businesses whose electricity use has fallen |
| Sub-item numbering of category 5 | 5.1 = TOU · 5.2 = TOU meter not yet installed | 5.1 = normal tariff · 5.2 = TOU | Hotels and residential rental businesses comparing bills across areas |
The first point only affects existing businesses. The normal tariff of category 3 (3.1) and the TOD tariff of category 4 (4.1) are kept for existing customers. On the PEA side, an existing customer is one already on the legacy 3.1 or 4.1 tariff before the Nov 2015 billing month. On the MEA side, an existing customer is one already on supply before Oct 2000, and can therefore stay on the normal or TOD tariff. A new branch, wherever it opens, is not covered by this footnote and goes onto the TOU tariff.
The second point affects small businesses considering the TOU tariff, which is optional. PEA requires payment as PEA specifies. MEA lets the customer choose between paying for the TOU meter upfront or paying an additional monthly metering service charge on top of the normal service charge. At both utilities, once the required period on TOU is complete the customer may ask to return to the normal tariff.
The third point affects businesses whose electricity use has fallen. If the demand of a business in category 3 or 4 drops below 30 kW for 12 months in a row, it is moved back down to category 2, with the existing tariff applied in the meantime. On the PEA side, the business may drop to either 2.1 or 2.2 without the TOU cost being charged again; MEA states it drops to 2.1.
The fourth point affects hotels and residential rental businesses (category 5) comparing two branches' bills across areas. The substance of the rule is the same at both utilities: the TOU tariff applies to every category 5 customer, those without a TOU meter yet are provisionally billed on the non-TOU tariff for the time being, and every tariff figure is the same. What is swapped is the sub-item number. PEA uses 5.1 for the TOU tariff and 5.2 for customers without a TOU meter yet, while MEA uses 5.1 for the normal tariff and 5.2 for TOU. To compare two hotels across areas, compare by tariff type (TOU or non-TOU), not by sub-item number.
So what decides which row your branch pays?
Demand size, the voltage tier of supply, and whether it is on TOU or a legacy tariff — moving across areas only changes the utility that issues the bill; it does not by itself change any of these.
The first is size. The utility classifies a business as small, medium or large from the peak demand measured at the meter, not from the type of business or the size of the building. The main thresholds are: a small business (category 2) has demand below 30 kW; a large business (category 4) has demand of 1,000 kW or more, or a three-month average consumption above 250,000 kWh/month; a medium business (category 3) sits between the two. These thresholds are the same at PEA and MEA. For details of each category, see How do category 3, 4 and 5 tariffs differ.
The second is the voltage tier at which the branch takes supply. As explained in the previous section, a branch supplied at low voltage reads its price from the low-voltage row, whichever utility's table it is in.
The third is the tariff type. For categories 3 and 4, new customers go onto the TOU tariff (3.2 / 4.2) only. The normal and TOD tariffs (3.1 / 4.1) are kept for existing customers according to the cut-off dates in the previous section. Existing customers may choose to move to TOU, but cannot move back. This rule is the same at both utilities. So a new medium or large branch will be on TOU whether it opens in a PEA or MEA area, while an existing branch still on the normal or TOD tariff is billed differently. The difference between the two branches' bills in this case comes from the tariff type, not the utility.
As for service areas, MEA covers Bangkok, Nonthaburi and Samut Prakan; every other province belongs to PEA. Opening a branch across these provincial lines therefore means a different utility issues the bill, but the tariff row the branch pays still depends on size, voltage tier and tariff type as above.
For businesses on the TOU tariff thinking about solar rooftop, the per-unit value of self-generated electricity depends on which day and time it is produced, because the units displaced replace units priced differently. Monday to Friday daytime is On Peak; Saturdays, Sundays, National Labour Day and regular public holidays are Off Peak all day, while substitute holidays do not count as all-day Off Peak. These time rules are the same at both utilities. For the detailed windows, see Which hours are TOU On-Peak / Off-Peak.
- Legacy tariff
- The normal tariff for medium businesses and the TOD tariff for large businesses, kept only for customers already on supply before the cut-off date. New customers go onto the TOU tariff.
It is like two branches of a restaurant using the same menu prices: the bills differ only when you order different things, not because the branches charge differently.
What changes when the new branch is under a different utility
- The utility that issues the bill and covers the area
- The voltage range figures the table uses to define tiers (but the price for the matching tier is the same)
- Some footnotes: legacy-tariff cut-off date · cost options when a small business switches to TOU · the row a business drops back to in category 2 · sub-item numbering of category 5
What does not change
- Every tariff figure, at every voltage tier, categories 2–5
- On Peak / Off Peak windows and holiday rules of the TOU tariff
- How business size is classified from demand
- The rule that new category 3 and 4 customers go onto TOU only