Muda Sarawak calls for extending electricity bill flexi payment to older meters amid billing discrepancies

KUCHING (Oct 10): KUCHING (Oct 10): Sarawak Energy Berhad’s (Sarawak Energy) flexible instalment payment initiative to assist customers in managing unbilled charges is expected to ease the burden of those dealing with unexpectedly high electricity bills caused by discrepancies between estimated and actual meter readings, said Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (Muda) Sarawak.

Its chairman, Jeffery Ngui, emphasised that this instalment plan should be extended to all consumers, regardless of whether they use the utility company’s smart meters or older ones.

“Sarawak Energy’s care in this matter will greatly benefit the affected people of Sarawak.

“This will help prevent recurring issues of outstanding bills, which bring no solution other than difficulties for users, particularly the M40 and B40 income groups,” he said in a statement today.

Ngui pointed out that the issue of sudden spikes in electricity bills following actual meter readings is not new to Sarawak consumers.

“This situation has been ongoing for a long time, even before the implementation of smart meters by Sarawak Energy.

“Inaccurate estimated readings have often been the main cause of outstanding bills, affecting consumers significantly,” he said.

Ngui also highlighted that meter reading responsibility is shared accuracy is between Sarawak Energy and consumers.

“We hope for closer cooperation in ensuring accurate meter readings and preventing financial burdens on the people of Sarawak in the future,” he added.

Sarawak Energy in a statement yesterday said its Customer Service Counter was ready to assist customers in managing previous unbilled charges by arranging for flexible instalment payment plans so as to ensure a more manageable approach to settling any billing adjustments.

The utility company explained that following the meter replacement, customers may experience noticeable drops or significant increases in their bills as they are adjusted from estimated readings to actual readings.

These one-time adjustments are due to the previous conventional meter’s estimated readings, it said.

It also said that smart meters will allow customers to monitor their electricity usage through the SEB cares mobile app or web portal.

This feature is targeted for release by the end of the year, enabling customers to self-monitor and manage their consumption more effectively, helping to avoid wastage and potentially reduce costs, it said.