An overdue notice vs an SMS/email alert — which is genuine, and how to avoid scams?

Scammers love sending SMS/emails posing as the utility with a "pay now" link — never tap a suspicious link. The safe move is to check the amount in the official PEA Smart Plus / MEA Smart Life apps, or call MEA 1130 / PEA 1129 with your own account number. The real utility never asks for an OTP or a transfer to a personal bank account.

Got an orange/red paper — does it mean the power will be cut immediately?

Not an immediate cut. An overdue notice gives you time to pay first (PEA's is 7 days after the due date). Disconnection follows its own rules and sequence — including that PEA does not cut on weekends — and the full pre-cut timeline and your rights are on the overdue & disconnection rules. Still, do not leave it; paying promptly is best.

After paying per the notice, should I keep proof?

Always keep it. A dated payment slip/proof helps both when the system updates slowly and, if supply was ever flagged for disconnection, because the reconnection window is counted from your payment proof (details on the reconnection rules).

Is the e-Bill / in-app bill different from paper, and can it replace it?

Same amount, same use for checking and paying. Many people sign up for e-Bill to receive it by email/app instead of paper, cutting lost-bill problems; you can view and pay in the official apps with your account number — how to view back-bills and pay when a bill is lost is on the bill cycle / lost bill page.

Electricity User Guide

The Blue Bill, the Orange Notice — what each paper means, and what to do

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Address: 429/44 Sukhonthasawat Rd, Lat Phrao, Bangkok, 10230, TH
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Got a paper from the utility and unsure if it is the normal bill or a demand for payment? What blue, orange or red actually mean, what to do the moment a notice arrives, and which paper is genuine versus a scam — this page separates them one by one, citing the utilities' official documents.

7 min readLast updated: 23 Aug 2026Data as of: Aug 2026

The utility can send you two main kinds of paper with different meanings: the "electricity bill" (ใบแจ้งค่าไฟฟ้า) = the routine bill, stating that cycle's amount and giving at least 10 days to pay; and the "overdue-payment notice" (ใบแจ้งเตือนค่าไฟฟ้าค้างชำระ) = a demand, sent after the due date has passed and adding 7 more days (per PEA news). The "blue / orange / red" talk is just what people call them — not an official colour code — so identify by the document title on the header and the due date, not by colour alone. An overdue notice means you are already past due: pay promptly and keep proof. For how many more days you can be overdue before a cut-off, see the overdue & disconnection rules.

What is the difference between the electricity bill and the overdue notice?

They differ in "when it is sent" and "what it means": the routine bill goes out every cycle with the amount and due date; the overdue notice is sent only after the due date has passed unpaid = a signal that you are now in arrears. See the table.

Aspect	Electricity bill (routine)	Overdue-payment notice
When sent	Every billing cycle	After the due date
Means	Normal amount, not overdue	You are now in arrears
Time given	At least 10 days	7 more days (PEA)
What to do	Pay by the due date	Pay promptly + keep proof

The 10-day / 7-day figures are PEA's, per its official news; MEA has a bill-then-notice sequence too, but no public document states an exact day-count, so go by the dates on the paper you actually receive or call 1130 to confirm — the full timeline before a cut-off lives on the overdue & disconnection rules.

Blue, orange, red — what does each electricity-bill colour mean?

A caution: the utilities publish no official "colour code" saying which colour means what. The colour you see usually comes from the document/utility-logo design rather than a level of urgency. The reliable move is to read the "document title" at the top and the "due date / arrears status" — not to guess from colour.

In practice people call the routine bill the "blue bill", and call a demand paper the "orange/red one" because those often use a hot colour to catch the eye. But to be safe, always check three things: (1) does the header say "electricity bill" or "overdue-payment notice"; (2) is there wording like "in arrears / past due"; (3) has the due date passed. If the bill's line items are unfamiliar, see how to read a Thai electricity bill.

You received an overdue notice — what should you do?

It means you are past the due date: pay in full immediately via any convenient channel (app, counter, convenience store, direct debit) and keep the dated slip/proof. If you suspect the amount is wrong, check it before the deadline.

Recommended order: (1) pay every outstanding period in full — see all channels at how to pay an electricity bill; (2) keep the dated slip; (3) if the amount looks abnormally high, work through the abnormal-bill check and contact the utility before the notice's deadline. Do not wait until supply is cut — reconnection has extra steps and cost (see disconnection & reconnection rules).

Lost or never received the bill — how do you check the amount?

You do not need the paper: view the amount and cycle in the PEA Smart Plus / MEA Smart Life apps or the utility's bill-history web page, and pay using the account (CA) number — no paper required.

The full details of when the bill cycle lands, how many days to pay, and what to do about a lost bill are on the bill cycle / lost bill page. A house nobody lives in that still gets a bill every month is a different question — see do you pay electricity on an empty house.

This page helps you "tell the papers apart" — "how many days until a cut" lives elsewhere

To know whether the paper you hold is a bill or a demand, what a colour means, and what to do — it is all here. To know how many days you can be overdue before a cut-off, whether crews cut on weekends, and how fast power returns after paying — that is the overdue, disconnection & reconnection rules. To read the individual line items inside the bill, see how to read a Thai electricity bill.

Who wrote this page

Compiled by the CapSolar team, a commercial solar provider in Thailand, and reviewed by Frank Lee (Founder). The split between the "electricity bill" and the "overdue-payment notice", and the 10/7-day windows, cite PEA's official news, verified as accessible as of Aug 2026. On "document colour" we do NOT claim an official colour code, because the utilities publish none — identify by document title and arrears status instead.

FAQ

Because a connected meter carries a fixed "monthly service charge" even at 0 units, so a bill arrives every month and it is payable. To stop it you can suspend or cancel the meter — full details at do you pay electricity on an empty house.

A bill so high you dread it every month?

For businesses and factories, solar cuts the bill at its source — CapSolar assesses free of charge, no obligation.

Talk to CapSolaror call +66 2 124 5414

The Blue Bill, the Orange Notice — what each paper means, and what to do

What is the difference between the electricity bill and the overdue notice?

Blue, orange, red — what does each electricity-bill colour mean?

You received an overdue notice — what should you do?

Lost or never received the bill — how do you check the amount?

This page helps you "tell the papers apart" — "how many days until a cut" lives elsewhere

Who wrote this page

FAQ

Keep reading

Overdue, Cut-Off & Reconnection

How to Read Your Bill

How to Pay a Bill

Bill Cycle / Lost Bill

A bill so high you dread it every month?