If you got a bill shock for high electricity usage during the movement control order, here’s some good news for you. The Malaysian Government has approved the Bantuan Prihatin Elektrik Tambahan initiative which offers additional RM942 mil worth of discounts and rebates for domestic electricity users. The new rebates will benefit 7.66 million households.
Free electricity for usage of 300kWh and below
For consumers that use 300kWh and below, you will enjoy free electricity for the month of April, May and June 2020. Meanwhile, households that utilise more than 300kWh per month will receive a flat rebate of RM77 for the month of April, May and June 2020. It is estimated that 4 million households will enjoy free electricity while over 3.6 million households will get the RM77/month rebate.
According to BERNAMA, the discounts and rebates will be reflected in the July 2020 bill. The announcement was made by Energy and Natural Resources Minister, Datuk Dr Shamsul Anuar Nasarah.
When TNB resumed its actual meter reading in mid-May, many Malaysians were shocked to see a significant spike in their electricity bills. The power utility company has clarified that the actual billing is correct as it uses a prorated method which divides the actual power consumption across the number of months.
According to the power utility company, the higher electricity bills was due to Malaysians staying at home during the MCO period. TNB reported an increase of 20-50% usage for residential sectors and it explained that the prorated method is used to ensure consumers don’t get overcharged. It also said that the prorated billing method was also reviewed and approved by the Energy Commission.
To ease the burden of consumers, TNB has offered an easy payment plan until December 2020 with no additional surcharge. They have also stopped issuing disconnection notices until end of July and waive interest on late payments until 30th September 2020.
TNB Chairman Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid had recently said that TNB will review its mechanisms together with the authorities including the Ministry of Water, Land and Natural Resources and the Energy Commission.
[ SOURCE 2, IMAGE SOURCE ]
