Malaysians saw a spike in their electricity bills during The Movement Control Order (MCO) period. How is electricity usage measured during this time? (Updated: Jun 20, 2020)

Subscribe to MyPF YouTube

During the Movement Control Order (MCO), Malaysians are using more electricity than usual as they are mostly house-bound to curb the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) Chairman, Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid, a significant increase in domestic electricity bills in the last few months is due to many Malaysians working from home or spending more time indoors.

He added that the usage of electricity in the residential sector saw a spike of between 20% and 50%.

How are your electricity bills calculated during the MCO period?

As a part of safety procedures during the previous phase of the MCO which began on March 18th, TNB has suspended all meter reading operations for the safety of their employees and consumers.

Since then, the meter reading has resumed in stages starting from May 15th.  

Your bill is calculated based on previous months’ bills (before MCO) as an estimate. You can refer to the diagram below from TNB on step by step of bills calculation during MCO:

Infographic from www.tnb.com.my

Prorated charges for the billing method

TNB insists that its prorated billing method for electricity tariff will not cause a sudden increase in electricity bills to its 9 million customers. TNB Chief Retail Officer, Megat Jalaluddin Megat Hassan explained that the prorated method will ensure accurate billing for each estimated monthly bill, and customers will not be overcharged.

They gave an example if a household had clocked 1,400kWh for a period of four months, the power utilization will be divided by four months and it will then multiply the existing tariff block according to the monthly usage. As a result, each bill under the prorated system will come out to RM102.80 per month or RM411.20 in total for four months, instead of being billed RM681 without the prorate method. 

To reduce the burden of consumers, TNB is also providing discounts to 7.5 million customers under the government’s economic stimulus package. Customers can enjoy tiered discounts up to 50% from April to September 2020.

Residential users will receive discount depending on consumption:

  • Below 200kWh: 50% discount
  • 201kWh – 300kWh: 25% discount
  • 301kWh – 600kWh: 15% discount
  • Above 601kWh: 2% discount

New Discount for Electricity Bills

Updated June 20, 2020: Residential users will receive additional discount depending on electricity consumption:

  • Below 300 kWh per month: 100% FREE electricity for April, May and June 2020
  • 300 kWh above per month: RM77 discount per month
  • Rebates will be reflected in July 2020 TNB bill.
  • Total discounts and rebates: RM942m
  • Total affected residential users: 4m
  • Note: Discount is in addition to originally announced PRIHATIN residential users discount.

No electricity disconnection activity until Sep 30, 2020 in addition to the Easy Payment Plan (EPP) and waiver of interest on late payment.

Overall

Malaysians are definitely using more electricity during the MCO period due to the restriction to go outside. Understand your electricity usage and the calculations involved and take the TNB discounts as an opportunity to channel the remaining money to your savings.  If you are unsatisfied with your billing, you can contact TNB or the Energy Commission (Suruhanjaya Tenaga).

Download: TNB Bill Calculation (MCO Period)
(Excel spreadsheet created by our reader Joe)

TNB Prihatin Discount Calculator (tnb.com.my)

You May Also Like

Did you receive a substantial increase in electric bills for the past few months? Let us know in the comments below.