TNB gives checklist of suspects behind high electricity bills

Water purifiers with heating and cooling technology have been identified as one of the causes of higher electricity bills, says Selangor TNB retail chief Ismail Lathifi Teh.

He said electrical appliances with cooling systems such as refrigerators, air conditioners and water purifiers consume a lot of electricity to maintain a constant temperature, especially during the current hot weather.

“During hot weather, machines with compressors will use more energy to maintain a steady temperature.

“So if we keep opening the refrigerator door or take chilled water from the water purifier in our homes, more electrical energy consumption is required to maintain the cold temperature,” he told Bernama today.

Giving the example of household water purifiers, he said whenever chilled water stored in the tank runs out, more water flows into the tank and the compressor is kept running to cool the water.

“As more water is filled, the compressor cooling system will continue to operate resulting in more electricity consumption,” he said.

Meanwhile, to reduce the power consumption of air conditioners, Ismail advised consumers to utilise the timer function and to set the temperature at 24 to 26 degrees Celsius.

“Consumers are encouraged to use the timer so that the air conditioner is switched off early in the morning or from 2am onwards when the room has cooled down. Thereafter, switch on the fan to maintain the cool temperature,” he said.

He also urged consumers to service their air conditioner units regularly so that they operate more efficiently and economically

“I have received complaints from consumers that they do not use air conditioner but their electricity bill has increased substantially. They forget that other electrical appliances also consume electricity,” he said.