Monday, June 30, 2008

New electricity tariff takes effect today

KUALA LUMPUR, July 1 ─ Consumers in Peninsular Malaysia will have to be more prudent than ever when the new electricity tariff takes effect today.

Under the new tariff, Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) decided that domestic users would still be eligible for the existing tariff of 21.8 sen/kWh if their monthly usage does not exceed 200 kilowatt hour (kWh).

However, for electricity usage between 201kWh and 400kWh, they will have to pay 34.5 sen per kWh unit.

The rate will increase on subsequent 100kWh of usage ─ 30 sen for 401-500kWh, 39 sen (501-600kWh), 40 sen (601-700kWh), 41 sen (701-800kWh) and 43 sen (801-900kWh).

A maximum rate of 46 sen will be charged for each kWh when the usage reaches 901kWh and above.

Assoc Prof Dr Mohd Wazir Mustafa of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM)'s Faculty of Electrical Engineering said a majority of households would be affected by the new tariff.

"I think more than 50 per cent households in the country use over 200kWh of electricity monthly, and the effect would be felt by most of them.

"Most of us live in terrace houses with few windows, and we need the lamps and fans switched on for 24 hours a day. If there is no one in the house during the day, maybe the electricity usage will not reach 200kWh per month," he said.

On the use of solar energy as an alternative, he said, it could help in long-term energy-saving, but it would costly to install such devices.

"If we want to depend 100 per cent on solar energy, our house will need more panels, space and, of course, money," he said.

That was why, he said, currently solar energy devices were only used by the well-to-do and in island resorts where there were no sources of electricity.

On several gadgets in the market which claimed to be able to save on consumption, Mohd Wazir said he was not sure of their effectiveness.

In fact, he said, apart from solar energy, the consumer was left with no choice other than to be more prudent and not to depend too much on electrical appliances in their daily chores.

He said ironing, for example, should be done on a large scale, because the iron needs more electricity and time before it could really heat up.

The amount of items placed in the refrigerator could also help in saving electricity, he said.

"Reduce the items in your fridge. The more items you placed in it, the more power it needs to keep them cool.

"And if you are on vacation, empty the fridge, switch it off, but leave the door ajar so it won't smell," he said.

Better still, Mohd Wazir said, electric rice cookers could be replaced with conventional pots and stoves.

His view was shared by his colleague, Professor Dr Shah Rizam Mohd Shah Baki, who said that the key in energy-saving was actually public awareness and not on technology only.

She said, however, that there were several energy-saving approaches that could be used, especially in lighting aspects.

As such, she said, the T5 fluorescent tube, compact fluorescent and light emitting diode (LED) bulbs would definitely help because they only use minimum power.

Although the bulbs might be a little expensive, they usually last longer and are more environmentally-friendly, she added.

Federation of Malaysian Consumer's Associations (Fomca) communication director Yusof Abdul Rahman said the public should change their lifestyle to cope with the new tariff.

He said the tariff was unavoidable as the government had to bear the rising cost of gas and coal which were the main fuels for power generation in the country.

"The public must be willing to buy and use efficient electrical appliances even though they might cost a little higher, but they can save energy in the long run," he said.

The Malaysian Muslim Consumer Association (PPIM) however asked the TNB to explain thoroughly how the new tariff would be determined so the public could be prudent in their power usage.

"A clear guide to count the new tariff should be attached in the monthly bill to enable consumers to count and monitor their household usage," PPIM project coordinator Noor Nirwandy Mat Noordin said.

Meanwhile, Malaysian Bumiputera Manufacturers and Services Industry Association president Datuk Raja Nong Chik said the new tariff would definitely affect the industrial businesses, especially the small and medium enterprises.

He estimated that about 50 per cent of small and medium entrepreneurs would have to adjust to the new tariff, a process which he said would take up to two years to complete.

The new tariff would also increase their operational costs and they would be left with no choice but to pass them to the consumers in the form of higher prices of goods, he.said. ─ Bernama

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