STARTING from June 15 onwards, the Tenaga Nasional Berhad will be installing smart meters in Penang in phases, which is an initiative to improve the convenience of customers.
State Transport and Infrastructure Committee chairman Zairil Khir Johari said, so far three million smart meters have been installed by TNB in Melaka and Selangor (Klang Valley) as of June 9.
Zairil said the smart meters are for those TNB customers categorised under residential and commercial tariffs respectively, and it is an agenda of energy sustainability implemented in Peninsular Malaysia.
“Smart meter installation is free as no cost will be charged to TNB customers.
“With the installation of the smart meters, customers via the myTNB app and portal can monitor their energy usage.
“For instance, if suddenly there is an increase in usage, at least they will be able to check out whether the electrical devices had malfunctioned or perhaps not been switched off,” Zairil said during a press conference today at Komtar.
Apart from that, Zairil also said that the project is also fully monitored by the Ministry of Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change (NRECC) through the Energy Commission to realise a net zero carbon emission target by 2050.
“Installation and replacement of the meter will be done by TNB technicians and vendors.
“Each unit will receive a smart meter installation notice and form B (electricity interruption) before the installation is carried out.
“Each unit involved is expected to experience a power outage during the installation and the estimated time is between 30 minutes and an hour for each unit,” Zairil said, while adding that for the stratified units, the TNB will inform the management prior to the installation.
It is learned that the smart meter installation will begin in Pulau Tikus and then in other areas in phases and is expected to be fully installed all over Penang by the middle of next year (2024).
Meanwhile, Pulau Tikus assemblyman Chris Lee, who was also present, thanked Zairil for his effort as well as TNB for upgrading its electricity services.
Story by Tanushalini Moroter
Pix by Siew Chia En