PUTRAJAYA has approved additional discounts on electricity usage for the months of April, May and June.

Energy and Natural Resources Minister Shamsul Anuar Nasarah said 7.66 million users will benefit from the discounts.

Up to four million consumers using less than 300kWh a month will not have to pay the electricity bills for April, May and June this year.

Consumers whose usage exceeds 300kWh will receive a RM77 discount on the bills for the same three months, for a total savings of RM231.

Those who have paid their bills for the three months will receive the discount by way of credit which will be reflected in their July bill.

Shamsul said those who complained about high electricity bills during the MCO were users in the 301-600kWh range, whose high usage automatically excluded them from the tariff block.

“The Bantuan Prihatin Elektrik Tambahan scheme will cost an additional RM942 million,” he said during a press conference today with the management of Tenaga Nasional Bhd and Energy Commission.

He said TNB has agreed to suspend disconnection over unpaid bills until September 30 to give consumers time to settle their arrears.

Consumers were outraged when they received their most recent electricity bills which were unusually high.

In response, TNB said the high billing was due to charges for usage in the previous months. It said the additional amount was adjustment charges after it performed meter readings that it was unable to do during the MCO period, and that the previous bills were estimated based on the consumers’ usage record.

As the complaints over billing persisted, however, TNB had promised to take another look at the charges.

Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi was among those calling for an explanation for the high charges.

He said TNB needed to provide a more comprehensivle explanation for the high charges.

He urged the utility company to do “whatever it takes” to resolve the issue that had caused many people anxiety.

“The explanation needs to be simplified and made easier to understand. Anything to resolve the issue,” he said last week on Facebook. – June 20, 2020.