The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) is conducting a study concerning how to compensate people who work at home for the impact of blackouts and an unstable power supply on their business.
The move follows legal complaints lodged against the government by many households after problems of this nature damaged their business.
The complainants sought compensation from the state agencies responsible for providing the electricity supply, but most have failed to win such cases because the relevant laws do not clearly stipulate the punishments should such a conflict between households and electricity authorities come to light, said Worawit Srianunraksa, a member of the ERC board.
The aim is to treat both households and the state power agencies fairly.
The ERC has joined hands with two other state agencies to work on these claimant and compensation issues, he said.
The Thailand Development Research Institute is looking for ways to calculate the compensation claimed by households in the 2024 fiscal year, which began on Oct 1, 2023 and continues through Sept 30 this year, while the state-run National Electronics and Computer Technology Center is developing a new application to facilitate people who want to make a claim for compensation.
In Mr Worawit's opinion, the compensation should be paid in the form of discounts on monthly electricity bills.
According to the ERC, many people had converted their homes and compounds into workplaces running various kinds of businesses, ranging from e-commerce to the farming of fish or poultry.
The number of businesses based within a residence rose particularly sharply during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Meanwhile, the ERC, along with state agencies overseeing power transmission systems, are jointly studying the safety standards of electricity poles and public lighting running along roads in response to various accidents caused by electricity problems.
“A lot of people, including pedestrians, were injured or even died as a result of these accidents," said Mr Worawit.
"The power transmission system must meet safety standards. Overhead telecommunication lines that share electricity poles must be rearranged," he said.