KUALA LUMPUR: The highest ever demand for electricity in Peninsular Malaysia was recorded at 17,788 megawatts (MW), two days ago by Tenaga Nasional Berhad(TNB).

In a statement today, TNB said the peak reading of 17,788 megawatts recorded on Wednesday was a 37.82 per cent increase, compared to demand on Jan 1(12,906 MW) due to the El-Nino phenomenon.

“The scorching hot and dry weather which has continued to today can cause the use of electricity to increase.”

“The heat during the day has a prolonged effect that lasts up to the early morning of the following day, this has influenced the use of appliances such as air conditioning units which are relatively used more compared to other appliances,” it added.

TNB however said that the use of units that are not maintained properly could cause the consumption of electricity to increase.

It cited that reducing the temperature, increasing fan speed and prolonged use of air conditioning units caused the spike in usage while ultimately resulting in higher bills.

“A case study in Selangor showed that a consumer who turned on his three air conditioning units for five hours a day in December last year has increased it to eight hours a day this month.

“The use of electricity increased from 428kWh (kilowatt-hour) to 598kWh (kilowatt-hour) and this caused his bill to increase from RM125.52 to RM231.69.”