Updated August 2026. Tariff guide for Peninsular Malaysia landlords, tenants, and room renters. Verify current rates on myTNB.
Under Regulatory Period 4 (RP4), the domestic TNB electricity tariff in Peninsular Malaysia is built from Generation, Capacity, Network, and Retail charges, plus monthly Automatic Fuel Adjustment (AFA), Energy Efficiency Incentive (EEI) discounts, the Kumpulan Wang Tenaga Boleh Baharu (KWTBB) levy, and Service Tax (SST) above set thresholds. Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) still bills the registered supply account for the whole premise.
Before AFA and EEI, those components commonly add up to about 44.43 sen per kilowatt-hour (kWh) at or below 1,500 kWh per month, and about 54.43 sen/kWh above that.
In bilik sewa (rented room) and co-living setups, that tariff stack matters because one master meter still bills the whole house while each room uses different amounts of power. When landlords recover electricity from tenants, the fairest approach is to pass through the master bill’s blended RM/kWh rather than a flat markup that no longer matches current TNB tariffs.
Why shared rentals need a fresh look at the TNB bill after July 2025
Most multi-room rentals in Peninsular Malaysia run on one master TNB meter. The owner or master tenant holds the registered TNB account while several rooms share the same electricity supply account. That arrangement was already awkward under the old five-tier block TNB tariff. The tariff changes under RP4 makes the monthly TNB bill even more difficult for everyone in the house to read and understand.
On 1 July 2025, the Energy Commission (Suruhanjaya Tenaga) replaced the old block tariff with itemised RP4 billing for domestic TNB accounts in Peninsular Malaysia. The schedule runs through 31 December 2027 under the Incentive-Based Regulation (IBR) framework, with an average base tariff of 45.40 sen/kWh.
Under the previous block tariff, the rate rose with each usage band, from about 21.80 sen/kWh on the first 200 kWh to about 57.10 sen/kWh above 900 kWh. RP4 works differently: Generation, Capacity, Network, and Retail are charged at fixed component rates, and the generation rate steps up when monthly use crosses 1,500 kWh. In shared houses where several bedrooms run air-conditioners (AC), one master meter can hit the 600, 1,000, and 1,500 kWh thresholds in a single month even when individual rooms do not look like heavy users.
TNB bill anatomy under RP4
Each domestic bill shows four core usage charges before adjustments and levies.
| Component | Malay label | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Generation | Caj Tenaga | 27.03 sen/kWh (≤1,500 kWh) or 37.03 sen/kWh (>1,500 kWh) |
| Capacity | Caj Kapasiti | 4.55 sen/kWh |
| Network | Caj Rangkaian | 12.85 sen/kWh |
| Retail | Caj Runcit | RM10/month, waived at ≤600 kWh |
Add Generation, Capacity, and Network together and the headline rate is about 44.43 sen/kWh when monthly use stays at or below 1,500 kWh, or about 54.43 sen/kWh when it goes above that. Those figures exclude AFA, EEI, KWTBB, and SST.
There is one important detail to take note of. When usage crosses 1,500 kWh, the higher generation rate (Caj Tenaga) of 37.03 sen/kWh applies to every unit for that month, not only the units above the threshold. That is why a multi-room house can see a sharp jump once the electricity consumption crosses above the 1,500 kWh threshold.
Automatic Fuel Adjustment (AFA) is the monthly fuel-cost line that replaced the older six-monthly Imbalance Cost Pass-Through (ICPT) mechanism starting from July 2025. The Energy Commission sets a sen/kWh figure each month based on fuel prices and exchange rates, with a target monthly variation within about ±3 sen/kWh. Households that use 600 kWh or less are commonly exempt from this component. In August 2026, the AFA rate was set at +3.80 sen/kWh.
Energy Efficiency Incentive (EEI) is a banded discount for lower domestic use. The discount amount decreases as consumption rises. Above 1,000 kWh of electricity usage per month, the EEI discount becomes zero.
Two further charges can still change the final amount. The Kumpulan Wang Tenaga Boleh Baharu (KWTBB) renewable energy levy is commonly charged at 1.6% for all applicable bill components. Service Tax (SST) at 8% applies to the portion of residential usage above 600 kWh. Crossing just above 600 kWh can therefore bring on the retail charge, AFA, and SST in the same billing period.
Practical rates and kWh cliffs for shared rentals
In a shared rental, the useful question is not the headline sen/kWh alone but which thresholds the whole property crosses. One master meter aggregates every room’s fans, fridges, water heaters, and bedroom AC.
| Threshold (kWh/month) | Typical effect on domestic bill |
|---|---|
| 300 | KWTBB exemption often applies |
| 600 | Retail charge waiver; AFA exemption; SST exemption on usage at or below this level |
| 1,000 | EEI discount ends |
| 1,500 | Generation rate steps from 27.03 to 37.03 sen/kWh on all kWh that month |
These thresholds apply at property level, not per room. A sub meter shows each bilik sewa tenant’s kWh, but the retail charge, AFA exemption, SST base, EEI band, and generation step all follow the master meter total.
A four-room landed house with nightly bedroom AC use can reach 1,200–1,800 kWh on the TNB meter. Worked examples in the Malaysia4U bill guide land near RM413 at 900 kWh (about 45.9 sen/kWh effective) and about RM1,205 at 2,000 kWh (about 60.3 sen/kWh). To make it even more complicated, these rates change on a monthly basis as the AFA rate changes.
Tracking those moving parts by hand is tedious for anyone splitting a master bill across rooms. PowerLah applies the current TNB electricity tariff stack in real time as each room uses power, so landlords and tenants do not have to recalculate blended rates every month when AFA or usage bands shift.
Fair electricity billing for bilik sewa and co-living
TNB bills the registered account holder on the supply contract, not each room occupant (owner–tenant FAQ). A private tenancy deal among roommates does not change that. If the landlord or master tenant is on the bill, TNB still pursues that name for any unpaid balance.
When landlords recover electricity from rooms, the clearest method is measured use times a blended rate from the same master bill:
Blended RM/kWh = total amount payable ÷ total kWh on that bill
Landlords who recover electricity costs from tenants should share the bill, or a redacted copy, for each period. Tenants can ask for that calculation before accepting a room rate. Flat rates such as RM0.50/kWh sometimes appear in listings as a shortcut for aircond costs, but they work best when they stay close to the blended average over time. Undisclosed markups above the real bill are a common cause for disputes between landlords and tenants.
Other common models have trade-offs. Equal splits of one TNB bill are easy to run, yet unfair when bedroom AC use differs. Utilities included in rent remove the monthly chase, but they also remove any incentive to save power. Prepaid sub-meter top-ups give both sides pay-first visibility; each room pays for what it uses before the credit runs out. For a fuller comparison of billing models, see fair utility billing for tenants and roommates in Malaysia.
Domestic tariff, Time-of-Use, and East Malaysia
Most bilik sewa houses stay on the Domestic General Tariff. Moving a whole residential house onto a non-domestic low-voltage category to avoid domestic thresholds usually changes the component rates and removes domestic EEI discounts.
Optional Time-of-Use (ToU) pricing can lower the rate for off-peak hours: weekdays from 10 p.m. to 2 p.m., plus all day on weekends (myTNB tariff page). Peak hours on weekdays run from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. ToU helps when load can shift into off-peak windows. It helps less when several tenants run bedroom AC through weekday afternoons, which is common in student and work-from-home houses.
This guide covers Peninsular Malaysia where electricity supply and tariffs are set by TNB. Sabah electricity is supplied by Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (SESB), and Sarawak by Sarawak Energy Berhad (SEB). Those utilities have their own tariff schedules, so the Peninsular RP4 rates should not be copied across without checking local tariffs.
How prepaid metering aligns room rates to the live bill
PowerLah lets landlords align prepaid room rates to measured kWh while the master TNB account stays in the registered holder’s name. Tenants see their own usage and top up without waiting for a month-end split. See how smart power metering works for landlords for the hardware flow.
Frequently asked questions
AFA is the monthly fuel-cost adjustment that replaced ICPT from July 2025. On the bill it appears as Pelarasan Bahan Api Automatik. The Energy Commission and myTNB publish the current sen/kWh for each month, so a fixed room rate agreed in a tenancy can drift from the live master bill when AFA moves.
A fair pass-through is sub-meter kWh multiplied by the master bill’s blended RM/kWh for the same period, with that method written into the tenancy agreement. The blended figure comes from the actual TNB invoice: total amount payable divided by total kWh.
Above 1,500 kWh, the generation rate moves to 37.03 sen/kWh on all units that month, not only the excess. EEI discounts also end above 1,000 kWh. Shared houses with several bedroom air-conditioners cross these thresholds more often than single-family homes.
Undisclosed markups above the documented pass-through cost are a frequent dispute in Malaysian room rentals. A transparent room rate is one that matches the blended average from the real master bill and can be checked against published tariff components.
Yes: 8% on the portion above 600 kWh for domestic accounts, subject to rules on the bill date.
No. Sabah uses SESB and Sarawak uses Sarawak Energy under separate schedules.
Read the bill before setting a room rate
For shared rentals, the TNB electricity tariff on the master bill is no longer a single block rate on the invoice. RP4 splits the bill into components, moves fuel costs monthly through AFA, and creates whole-premise cliffs at 600, 1,000, and 1,500 kWh. Landlords who recover electricity costs from tenants should read the master bill, compute the blended RM/kWh, and pass that through to each room by metered kWh.
Sources
- Suruhanjaya Tenaga, Jadual Elektrik Baharu: Lebih 23.6 Juta Pengguna Domestik Semenanjung Nikmati Kadar Lebih Adil — 20 June 2025. Accessed 2026-08-31.
- myTNB / Tenaga Nasional Berhad, Understand Your Electricity Tariff. Accessed 2026-08-31.
- Malaysia4U, Malaysia TNB Electricity Bill Guide — 2025–2026. Accessed 2026-08-31.
- Paul Tan’s Automotive News, Big changes to domestic TNB bill structure — 20 June 2025. Accessed 2026-08-31.
- Tenaga Nasional Berhad, Owner / Tenant Issues. Accessed 2026-08-31.
- Arus EnerG, TNB Tariff Malaysia RP4 guide — 2026. Accessed 2026-08-31.