Perak residents may have been shortchanged by Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) which is only billing them on alternate months.

NONE Teja state assemblyperson Chang Lih Kang, who raised the matter with the Perak Energy Commission this morning, noted that billing the residents once every two months allows TNB to impose a higher tariff.

“It appears as if they are manipulating users, because the tariff for usage under 400 kilowatt-hours is lower than if the usage is greater than 400 kilowatt-hours,” he said.

Chang said the complaints - compiled by him, Pasir Panji assemblyperson Thomas Su and Batu Gajah MP Fong Po Kuan - come from across Perak.

Users have reportedly seen a spike in their bill. Those who usually pay between RM100 and RM200 a month were slapped with a bill of more than RM400 last month.

Chang said Perak Energy Commission chief Nur Ali Za Omar said TNB has claimed that it is doing so because it is short-staffed.

“It is an unreasonable excuse. Why is it that they could send people to check the meters in March, but were able to do so in April?” asked Chang.

tenaga nasional and electricity price TNB has also broken the law, he claimed, because the Electricity Supply Act 1990 states that energy suppliers must issue bills on a monthly basis.

Chang said he had requested the Energy Commission to suspend the April bill until further investigation, and to compel TNB to issue bills on a monthly basis.

Nur Ali Za had agreed that TNB was acting unreasonably, he added, and said the matter would be raised with the central commission.

The commission is expected to respond to the complaint by the end of the week.  

When contacted, a TNB officer said an official response would be provided soon.

The officer in charge of billing at TNB Perak, however, could not be reached for comment.