Smart meters: SEB offering flexible instalment payment plans for previous unbilled charges

KUCHING (Oct 9): Sarawak Energy Berhad (SEB) is offering flexible instalment payment plans to assist customers with managing previous unbilled charges.

In a statement, SEB vice president for retail Ng Shou Fui said SEB’s Customer Service Counter is ready to help customers arrange these instalments for a more manageable approach to settling any billing adjustments.

She explained that during any meter replacement process, including installation of smart meters, the final reading of the replaced meter is recorded as it registers the actual consumption of consumers.

“The difference between this final actual reading and estimated readings in Sarawak Energy’s system will be corrected accordingly.

“This results in a one-time billing adjustment to offset against prior long-term estimated reading by Sarawak Energy,” she said in a statement.

The statement said following meter replacement, customers may experience noticeable drops or significant increases in their bills as they are adjusted from estimated readings to actual readings.

Customers with long-term overestimated bills will see a noticeable decrease, while those with long-term underestimated bills will experience a significant increase.

According to the company, customer bills are estimated when meter readers are unable to access the meter due to locked gates, or when meters are installed in locations such as side walls, or inside customer premises, obstructing visual readings.

SEB said smart meters address this issue by enabling remote monthly readings of actual consumption, eliminating the need for prolonged estimated bills with future bills reflecting real-time usage and ensuring timely billing.

Ng said the changeover to smart meters is in line with global technological advancements, with meters calibrated to meet accuracy limits in compliance with international standards.

“These digital features offer several benefits to customers, including faster outage detection and restoration, as well as self-monitoring to better manage electricity consumption,” she said.

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

The feature, targeted for release by the end of the year, will enable customers to self-monitor and manage their consumption more effectively, helping to avoid wastage and potentially reduce costs.

“We will also actively engage with the local community leaders and residents to offer a platform for customers to seek clarification about smart meters and address any billing concerns,” she said.

She also said a committee will be formed within SEB to manage the smart meter rollout, ensuring communities are engaged before installation and handling all matters related to smart meters.

Since its pilot rollout in 2019, about 93,000 units of smart meters have been installed in Kuching, approximately 38 per cent of the capital city’s 245,061 customer account holders.

Recently, both commercial and residential customers have complained of surges in electricity charges following the installation of smart meters.