Why is my TNB bill so high? The 2025 tariff, AFA, the 800 kWh line and what to check

If your TNB bill has jumped, the cause is usually one of a few mechanics that aren’t obvious from the bill itself. Several charges switch on above a monthly usage line, the fuel adjustment has been a surcharge since May 2026, and estimated readings get corrected in one go when a smart meter arrives. This guide covers TNB domestic customers in Peninsular Malaysia as of October 2026. Sabah and Labuan (SESB) and Sarawak (SEB) have their own tariffs.

How the bill is calculated

TNB restructured its tariff on 1 July 2025. On the domestic general tariff, every kWh carries:

• an energy charge of 27.03 sen, or 37.03 sen for all kWh once monthly use is above 1,500 kWh;
• a capacity charge of 4.55 sen and a network charge of 12.85 sen;
• the Automatic Fuel Adjustment (AFA), a monthly surcharge or rebate that passes on fuel and exchange-rate costs.

Then there’s a RM10 monthly retail charge, the 1.6% renewable-energy levy (KWTBB; waived at 300 kWh or less), 8% service tax on usage above the protected level, and an energy-efficiency incentive for households using 1,000 kWh or less. The figures are from TNB’s tariff schedule and tariff page.

The incentive is bigger than people expect, and it steps down as usage rises. The rate for your total monthly band applies to all your kWh: −25 sen/kWh up to 200 kWh, −21 sen at 301–350 kWh, −9 sen at 551–600, −4 sen at 751–800, −2.5 sen at 801–850, and −0.5 sen at 901–1,000. Above 1,000 kWh there’s no incentive. A small household’s energy charge is almost cancelled out; a heavy user gets little relief.

The line that matters: 800 kWh until the end of 2026

Households using 600 kWh a month or less don’t pay AFA, the retail charge or service tax. After a government announcement on 17 September 2026, that protection was raised to 800 kWh a month for usage from 1 September to 31 December 2026.

Above the line, the retail charge adds a flat RM10, service tax applies to the kWh above 800 (for billing periods of 28 days or more), and the incentive drops to a lower band. AFA also starts to apply, and on every kWh, not only the ones above the line. Two TNB bills posted by group members, from May and June 2026 when the line was still 600 kWh, charged AFA on all 923 and all 1,510 kWh bought from TNB; the June bill even itemises AFA on the first 600 kWh separately. Both households had solar, and we haven’t yet seen a breakdown from a home without it or one under the temporary 800 kWh line, but there’s no sign that either works differently. At October’s AFA of +3.61 sen, going from 800 to 801 kWh adds about RM29 of AFA, the RM10 retail charge and about RM12 from the smaller incentive: roughly RM50 for one extra kWh, and more at the higher AFA projected for November and December. One group member’s figures show how much the exemptions are worth. Their August usage of 828 kWh was billed when the protected level was still 600 kWh. Their September usage of 788 kWh fell under the new 800 kWh protection, and that bill came out about RM79 lower, far more than the 40 kWh difference alone would cost. If you’re near the line, the last few dozen kWh matter a lot.

TNB said in September 2026 that the share of domestic customers under 600 kWh had dropped from about 85–86% early in the year to around 80%, citing hotter weather, working from home and festive seasons (TNB via Astro Awani).

AFA: what it is and where it’s heading

AFA has been a surcharge since May 2026: about +1.4 sen/kWh in May, rising to +3.6–3.8 sen/kWh from July to October. From May to August part of it was absorbed by the Electricity Industry Fund; September and October had no such offset. TNB says AFA isn’t profit, and it paid out RM3.1 billion in AFA rebates from July 2025 to April 2026 before fuel prices turned.

TNB’s own projections, published on its tariff page, are +4.27 sen in November, +4.46 sen in December and +7.59 sen/kWh in January 2027. That’s the month after the 800 kWh protection is due to end. The sources don’t say what replaces it, so expect bills above 600 kWh to rise from January unless the protection is extended.

Time of Use: cheaper only if you use power at the right time

Since July 2025 every domestic customer can switch to Time of Use (ToU). Peak is 2pm–10pm on weekdays. Off-peak is the rest of the weekday and all day on weekends and 15 public holidays. Peak is only 40 of the week’s 168 hours. For usage up to 1,500 kWh, the energy charge is 28.52 sen at peak and 24.43 sen off-peak, against 27.03 sen on the general tariff.

Peak costs 1.49 sen more than the general rate and off-peak 2.60 sen less, so ToU only lowers the energy charge if more than about 36% of your kWh fall off-peak. A household that uses power evenly around the clock is roughly three-quarters off-peak and gains. One that runs aircond mostly on weekday afternoons and evenings can lose. In one group thread, TNB advised a family who were home all day, and who also had solar covering daytime use, to switch back to the general tariff. Note that switching tariff incurs RM10 stamp duty, and service tax applies to the whole bill if the switch leaves a billing period shorter than 28 days. A commenter’s route for changing tariff online was myTNB web: Menu → Apply → “I want to do something else” → “I want to know something else” → choose the account → “Change my tariff”.

Common causes of a sudden jump

An estimated reading, then the real one. If a reader couldn’t access your meter, TNB issues an estimated bill (“bacaan anggaran”). When an actual reading follows, often after a smart meter is installed, the difference lands on one bill. The group’s most-reacted post had one bill marked as an estimate, both bills only part-paid, then RM928 in arrears after a smart meter went in. Check whether your bills say “anggaran”, photograph the meter with the date, and keep paying current charges while you query it.

Something that never switches off. Hot-and-cold water dispensers come up again and again. One owner measured theirs at 100 kWh in 30 days, enough to tip a household near the line over it. Fridges, freezers and aquariums add up too. A smart plug with energy monitoring, or your smart meter’s half-hourly data on the myTNB web portal, shows where the kWh go. The ringgit-per-day figure in the app isn’t reliable for this, because the bill isn’t linear in usage. Use kWh.

More aircond than you think. Hot months, festive seasons and working from home all push usage up. Aircond is usually the largest controllable load.

“Power saver” plugs. Gadgets sold as guaranteed bill savers are widely mocked in the groups, and a viral post showed one opened up with very little inside. Your meter bills the energy your appliances use, and a device plugged into a spare socket doesn’t change that.

If you think the bill is wrong

1. Compare the reading. Note the meter reading and date, and compare it with the bill. For smart meters, check daily and half-hourly kWh on the myTNB web portal.
2. Raise it with TNB first, in writing. Use TNB CareLine (1300-88-5454 or 15454), [email protected] or myTNB. Keep the ticket number and copies of what you send.
3. Escalate to the Energy Commission (ST) if it isn’t resolved. ST asks for your account number and the TNB complaint reference, and aims to resolve complete complaints within 15 working days.

If TNB says your meter was tampered with

Group members describe tampering letters after smart-meter replacements, with claims reported from about RM1,800 to RM10,000. Common anomalies cited include live and neutral connected the wrong way round at the meter. ST’s procedure for these “revenue-loss” claims sets rules worth knowing:

• TNB must explain the claim period and calculation method, and the demand letter must state the amount and how it was worked out. It can’t simply be added to your monthly bill.
• Claims can be calculated several ways. The simplest uses your average usage before a “sudden drop” that lasted at least three consecutive months; others use meter-accuracy tests, maximum demand or, for smart meters, the load profile. The claim can’t reach back more than five years.
• If TNB claims for a period more than six months back from when the problem was found, it must go through the courts.
• TNB can consider documents you provide, such as water bills or a tenancy agreement showing the house was empty. Meters in riser rooms or common areas can be inspected without the owner present.
• Disconnection after an inspection finding needs a notice first and can happen between 48 hours and 30 working days after it. If TNB corrects the installation on the spot, it can’t disconnect over it.

Ignoring a valid demand can lead to disconnection or a civil claim, and group members’ outcomes vary. Some paid; one negotiated a large calculated amount down to a few thousand ringgit; one condo case went to court and ended in a monthly instalment order. The practical advice: don’t admit anything or sign on the spot. Ask in writing for the inspection report, photographs and calculation. Ask TNB to show who caused the anomaly: a past contractor, a previous occupant or the installation itself. Dispute it with TNB, then ST. Make a police report if you believe someone else interfered with the meter, and check with CareLine before paying anyone who contacts you claiming to be TNB.

What about solar?

Solar cuts the part of the bill you’d otherwise buy from TNB, but it rarely takes the bill to zero now. Under Solar ATAP, the scheme for new systems since 1 January 2026, exported power is credited only at the energy charge (27.03 sen on the general tariff; the peak and off-peak rates on Time of Use) and only against what you import in the same month. Unused credit is lost at the end of the billing period (Energy Commission guidelines). The capacity and network charges on what you import are never offset, and once your import passes the protected line, AFA, the retail charge and service tax apply as they do on any bill. Owners on older net energy metering (NEM) contracts saw bills rise from May 2026 for a similar reason: their credit offsets the energy, capacity and network charges, but not AFA, tax or the retail charge. See home solar in Malaysia for what owners actually save, sizing, batteries and the SuRIA Home rebate.