BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN – The government has attributed meter tampering as one of the main factors causing rising complaints of higher electricity bills in Brunei.
Speaking at the Legislative Council (LegCo) on Saturday, Second Minister of Finance and Economy Dato Dr Hj Mohd Amin Liew Abdullah said investigations into complaints of high utility bills found that some users had illegally altered the prepaid meter to prevent it from accurately recording the amount of energy used.
He said the previous prepaid meters allowed users to continue using electricity without payment.
New prepaid utility meters, dubbed Unified Smart Metering System (USMS), were launched in 2020 and allow consumers to track their energy and water consumption in real time.
The minister said the installation of smart meters ensures that users pay for electricity based on the actual amount being used.
He added that some instances of higher electricity bills were caused by users forgetting to purchase credit for their smart water meters.
“If the credit for the smart water meter runs out and is not topped up within 48 hours, there will be an automatic transfer of credit from the electric smart meter without disrupting the water supply,” he said.
Dato Dr Hj Mohd Amin Liew further said an increase in water usage may also be caused by leakage from the user’s water tank, as the smart water meter can detect leaks.
“Additionally, some users may have overdue electric or water bills that are automatically deducted each month from their credit purchases to a predefined level after an agreement is reached between the user and utility provider,” he said.
Noting that there are no changes in electricity and water tariffs, the minister said the factors mentioned above gave users the wrong impression that their credit is being used unfairly.
Brunei has one of the lowest electricity and water tariffs in Southeast Asia, leading to overconsumption.
Dato Dr Hj Mohd Amin Liew went on to say that the USMS experienced technical issues in 2023, causing discrepancies in users’ accounts and consumption readings.
“The relevant parties have thoroughly checked all affected accounts to ensure accuracy in charges and usage. The results of the investigation confirm that most meters only experienced delays in backdated charging, but the amount charged still aligns with electric usage,” the minister said.
“There were 16 meters that were excessively charged a total of $97.63, averaging $4.65 per account,” he said, adding that reimbursements had been made to all affected accounts.
USMS is a joint initiative between DST Network, Department of Electrical Services, Public Works Department, and Berakas Power Company. DST Network is a government-linked company under Darussalam Assets.