Confused about your TNB electricity bill during MCO? Here’s what you need to know

[ UPDATE 03/07/2020 23:15 ] TNB has provided additional information as follows:

For your info, you will receive a notice regarding the Bantuan Prihatin Elektrik in July 2020 after the meter has been read.

Over the next seven days, you will receive a July 2020 bill along with the statement*. The bill and statement will be mailed to your premises.

You can also obtain the bill and statement through the myTNB app or portal, 48 hours after the notice is received.

*Only applicable if you have received your actual bill in June 2020

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The Movement Control Order (MCO) was first implemented on the 18th of March 2020 as part of the Malaysian government’s move to help curb the spread of COVID-19, and various industries have had to readjust SOPs to help “flatten the curve” of the coronavirus. This also applies to Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB), who initially suspended manual readings of meters on the 18th of March 2020.

Manual meter readings have since resumed as of the 15th of May 2020, although there has been some degree of confusion regarding the new prorated billing method used by TNB. But first, it’s important to understand how TNB’s new billing method works.

Estimated bills, and how they’re calculated

As physical meter readings were suspended between 18 March 2020 and 15 May 2020 for selected areas, TNB has used estimated bills based on the previous month’s bill amount at that point in time. 

Now, your latest bill should reflect your actual usage over the last few months or so. To calculate your bill, take your total usage over a period of time (kWh), and divide that by the number of months within the bill. For example, for total usage of 900kWh from February till May 2020—divide 900kWh by 3, and you get a prorated monthly usage figure of 300kWh.  

The usage of 300kWh is then charged based on TNB’s preset monthly tariff rates: RM0.218 for the first 200kWh, RM0.334 for the next 100kWh, and so on. You can view the full tariff rates here. Then, the monthly charge is multiplied by the total number of months: your total actual bill for the 3 months is now RM231. 

What happens if I paid too much for my estimated bills?

Any amounts that were overpaid or underpaid for previous estimated bills will then be reflected in your current bill from TNB. It’s worth noting that your electricity bill may be relatively high due to a higher amount of time spent at home during the MCO. 

Additionally, TNB has launched a relief package to help 7.5 million customers with the economic effects of the COVID-19 global pandemic. This includes an Easy Payment Plan (EPP), which is automatically available to all residential customers when their first bill is received (15 May 2020 onwards).  

No registration is needed, with payment schemes running until the 31st of December 2020; to view EPP amounts, the amount is displayed in yellow at the top-right corner of your physical or digital bill.  

TNB is also waiving interest for late payments up till the 30th of September 2020, and disconnecting of services for non-payments have also been suspended until the 31st of July 2020. Discounted rates of up to 50% are also available to all residential customers from April 2020–September 2020 based on total electricity usage: 50% off for 1—200kWh (RM43.60 and below), 25% off for 201—300kWh (RM43.70–RM77), 15% off for 301—600kWh (RM77.10–RM231.80), and 2% off for usage above 600kWh (RM231.90 and above). 

If you have any further questions, you can contact the TNB CareLine at 1-300-88-5454 from 8am–5pm, 7 days a week, or you can email tnbcareline@tnb.com.my.  

This post is brought to you by Tenaga Nasional Berhad.