Around 43 per cent of complaints regarding high electricity bills after the installation of the new Unified Smart Metering System (USMS) were a result of meter tampering and wire diversion, according to a statement issued by the Department of Electrical Services, the Department of Water Services and DST Networks Sdn Bhd (DSTN).
This was a result of an investigation of some 77 complaints regarding high bills, after some 2,000 smart meters were installed between February and April, according to the statement.
Other complaints include lack of awareness regarding the use of electricity and water supply and lack of understanding of electricity tariffs (33 per cent); leaving the water smart meter credit empty for 48 hours which will cause the credit to be automatically transferred from the electricity smart meter to the water smart meter (21 per cent); and other issues (three per cent).
The statement said that the departments and DSTN are aware of the complaints and public grievances regarding the determination of USMS electricity usage charges.
The statement reiterated a previous statement that the installation of the new system is to support the Token Identifier transition process (TID Rollover), whereby the three prepaid meters branded STAR, INHE and PLESSEY will not be able to receive electricity tokens.
TID Rollover is a global issue that affects prepaid meters whose standards have been certified by the Standard Transfer Specification Association (STS) around the world and is expected to occur on November 24, said the statement, adding that the new system is one of the mitigation measures to ensure that the supply of electricity to consumers is not affected at all during the TID Rollover process.
Since the new system was implemented in October 2022, a total of 21,891 USMS smart meters have already been installed by DSTN to customers, as project implementers, said the statement.
The system uses the existing electricity and water tariffs without any changes to the tariffs.
On the matter of dues in the use of electricity and water, the government through the Department of Electrical Services and the Department of Water Services continuously provides instalment payment facilities as a preferred method for the public to pay off their dues in stages.
The statement reminded the public that any illegal meter modification which may result in the uncertainty of the operation of the USMS smart meter and will certainly affect the supply to the public, is an offence and can be fined not more than BND50,000 or imprisonment of up to three years or both, under Chapter 71 of the Electricity Act. – Azlan Othman
