Small traders glad not affected by electricity tariff adjustment

KUANTAN, Dec 26 — Small traders, who are struggling with the impact of the rising cost of living, are relieved that the electricity tariff adjustment in the Peninsula from next year will only involve high electricity users.

Twenty-nine-year-old Marzaitul Husna Abu Johar, who sells gula kabung and sambal hitam in Kampung Peruang, Lipis, said although her workshop produces an average of 200 pieces of gula kabung a month, her electricity consumption is still below 60kWh, allowing her to get the rebate of 2 sen/kilowatt-hour(kWh) under the electricity tariff adjustment.

Being a trader without a fixed income, she considers the government’s decision to “protect” those with low electricity consumption as a positive step in helping the community.

“I pay an average of RM36 per month for my workshop’s electricity bill and am quite relieved that we won’t be affected by the electricity tariff adjustment.

“So far, we can pay our monthly bill and it doesn’t feel like a burden… it will be hard if the electric bill is high as it will affect our family’s spending because the cost of living now is quite high,” she said. 

Previously, the Energy Commission (ST) announced that 85 per cent or seven million domestic consumers in Peninsular Malaysia will not be affected by the electricity tariff adjustment for the Jan 1 to June 30, 2024 period, implemented under the Imbalance Cost Pass-Through (ICPT) mechanism.

This is following the government’s decision to maintain the rebate of 2 sen/kWh for users with a monthly electricity consumption of 600kWh and below.

As for chocolate chip biscuit trader Wan Mohammad Amir Wan Yusof, 31, he has always practised electricity-saving measures.

“If we do not use the fan or lights, I would switch them off. So far, we only use a small stove at home to make the biscuits to be sold on a small scale,” he said.

Meanwhile, 32-year-old Norhabibah Herman, who sells desserts, admitted that she would now try to find electricity-saving measures to avoid the burden of having to pay high electricity bills.

As a trader who has been making durian crepe for the past three years in Kuantan, she said she had to use three refrigerators to store her products so that they could last longer and are fresher when sold.

“Still, I must try to find ways to save electricity. Since I have to use the refrigerators to keep my products fresh, I must make sure the other electrical items that are not being used are unplugged and also not to leave the fans and lights on,” she said.