KUCHING, Oct 9 — The state government is extending the electricity bill discount under Bantuan Khas Sarawakku Sayang (BKSS) to December 31, said Utility and Telecommunications Minister Datuk Julaihi Narawi.

He said the discount for domestic users is up to 25 per cent; 15 per cent for small commercial businesses; and up to 10 per cent for small industrial businesses.

"For domestic users, the discount will be applied as follows: for electricity consumption from July to October this year, the discount will be included in their December bill. For electricity consumption in November and December, the discount will be applied in the respective bills for November and December as well as January 2024.

"Sarawak Energy Berhad’s (SEB) special task force will make the necessary adjustments and calculations to ensure that customers can receive their discounts starting from July this year,” the minister said in a press conference at his ministry here today.

Julaihi said for small businesses, such as workshops, coffee shops, shop houses, restaurants and stall vendors, they can apply for the monthly bill discounts by submitting their applications to SEB until December 31.

"The eligibility for this discount depends on electricity consumption not exceeding 30,000 kWh for the period of July 1-December 31 and is limited to users of tariff categories C1 (normal commercial business) and I1 (normal industry).

"This means 5,000 kWh per month on average. The cap is 30,000 kWh for a period of six months,” he said.

Adding on, he said the estimated discount totalling RM123 million for domestic users and RM80.7 million for small businesses will be fully subsidised by the state government, and is expected to benefit 700,000 users statewide.

Julaihi said the BKSS assistance package was first introduced in March 2020, when the first movement restriction was implemented in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

"The government has spent approximately RM1.15 billion on this initiative since it was first introduced in April 1, 2020. The discount will come to an end on December 31,” he said.

Meanwhile, customers who have received their estimated electricity bills are encouraged to contact SEB to make bill adjustments to ensure they receive the appropriate discount.

Customers will need to provide supporting documents, such as images of the estimated bill and actual meter readings.

Applications can be made through the "Make a Report” function in SEB Cares; by calling Sarawak Energy Customer Service at 1300-88-3111; sending an email to customercare@sarawakenergy.com or visiting their customer service counters directly.

Upon receiving the application, SEB will make bill adjustments to provide discounts based on actual electricity usage. — Borneo Post