Purchasing a new property is one thing. Knowing how to do the little things is another subject altogether. Understanding our homes can sometimes be a complicating task and one should take time to fully know the fundamentals of home settings. This article will guide you on how to better interpret your electricity meter and bill.
Electricity Meter
Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) is the leading electrical company in Malaysia. Every month, they will issue a bill to your doorstep. To calculate the amount, every household will have an electricity meter. These meters measure the amount of electric energy consumed by a household. All electrical power supplied to homes are in the form of alternating current (AC), but measured in different voltages. TNB measures according to kilowatt hour (kWh), which its amount will flash on the LCD of the electricity meter. According to TNB, there are 2 different type of Domestic Ordinary Power Consumers (electricity) meters, which is Single Phase and Three Phase.
SINGLE PHASE
Single phase consists of 3 wires which are Live, Neutral and Earthing/Grounding. This system is suitable if you do not have a high demand for electricity since its power is only 230V. If overloaded, there will be frequent fuse blows and power trips. It will flash the kWh once on the LCD screen on the meter.
THREE PHASE
The Three phase consist of 3 Live wires, 1 Neutral wire and 1 Earthing/Grounding wire, a total of 5 wires that power 400V or more. The advantage of the three phase system is that it can provide more power and if there are any blows to one wire, other parts of the house will operate fine. Three phase electric meters will show and extra Kilo volt amperes reactive hours (kVARh), which are the units of reactive energy consumption. Hence, the LCD screen will show kWh reading, the kVARh reading and a blank screen at 10 seconds intervals. (Note. You are required to know the kWh amount and send it to TNB if requested)
CHARGES
TNB charges according to a Tariff A of the domestic category. According to TNB, “Domestic Consumer” means a consumer occupying a private dwelling, which is not used as a hotel, boarding house or used for the purpose of carrying out any form of business, trade, professional activities or services.
Source from TNB website.
The reading of this LCD screen is 223 kWh.
Source from TNB website
The electric meter is important and mandatory. The fuse and the meter are TNB’s property and tampering with them is a criminal offense.
ELECTRICITY BILL
After knowing how to measure your electricity meter, its time to know how to read your electricity bill.
The monthly electricity bill contains important information for the consumers to refer too. As an individual, the most important details needed to know are the following:
- Station Number
- Customer’s Account & Details
- Last Date of previous bill settlement
- Bill Codes (refer to back part of bill)
- Reading (previous/current month)
- Total Bill amount
Always cross check the bill with the electric meter to ensure the value is correct. In the circumstance where TNB is unable to read the electricity meter, an estimated bill (based on the customer’s 6 months average usage) will be issued. The estimated meter reading will be for the next 3 consecutive months. TNB will later send to the customer a notice for meter reading.
Conclusion
Knowing more about electricity meters and bills will enable home owners to identify certain problems, list out the usage and even budget better with their consumption. Be a smart home owner and ensure the little things for your home settings.
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