What the meter does, whose side a fault is on, and what to do when it is blank, reads high or is in the way.
A TNB smart meter is TNB's own meter: it records your usage and sends the reading to TNB automatically, so you can see daily use in the myTNB app. It belongs to TNB, so only TNB may test, repair, replace or move it; a blank screen, a suspect reading or a meter in the way of a renovation is a matter for TNB, with a registered electrical contractor handling anything on your side of it. Your wiring, main switch and DB box are yours. ClickBina's guides put an electrical fault-finding call-out at RM150 – RM400 and a DB board replacement at RM1,500 – RM3,500 (indicative 2026, Klang Valley). A site visit is RM150, waived if you go ahead.
TNB describes the smart meter as a device that records your electricity usage and sends that information to TNB automatically by radio-frequency communication, for monitoring and billing. In practice it replaces the meter reader: readings arrive on their own, bills are based on actual use rather than estimates, and the myTNB app can show daily and monthly use. TNB also says the meter has been approved by SIRIM and SKMM, and that it is provided and installed at no charge to you.
It is still a meter and nothing more. TNB's own FAQ is plain that installing a smart meter does not by itself reduce consumption; what it changes is how easily you can see where the units go. For that side of the story, the electricity bill suddenly high guide walks through the usual causes of a real jump in use, appliance by appliance.
TNB's FAQ names kWh and kW as the two values most people will want on the meter screen. In plain terms, kWh is the energy you have used, and kW is the rate at which you are drawing power at that moment. The kWh figure is the one your bill is built on. The kW figure is useful for a quick test: switch everything off at the appliances and watch whether it drops close to zero. If it does not, something is still drawing power.
In the myTNB app, a smart meter account is marked with a green leaf. The app shows daily and monthly usage, a projected bill, and an Energy Budget you can set so the app warns you as you approach it. Checking the daily graph the morning after a hot night, or after the water heater was left on, is the fastest way to connect a spike to a cause.
TNB says you will receive an installation notice by post before the smart meters go into your area. Its installers carry identification showing they are TNB subcontractors and wear an orange uniform, and TNB recommends an adult is present for landed homes; in high-rise buildings, the management office should send someone to watch the work. TNB puts the installation itself at approximately 30 – 60 minutes, with the supply off during the swap.
Two practical points. Before the visit, make sure the meter board is reachable: a meter boxed in behind a new cabinet, a locked gate or a pile of stored furniture delays the job. And if anyone who is not clearly from TNB offers to swap, upgrade or adjust the meter for a fee, do not let them start (see the tampering section below).
This is the most common complaint after a swap, and TNB's FAQ gives two reasons. The first is the old meter: an ageing or tampered meter can under-record, and TNB says it runs an accuracy test on the old meter before replacing it. The second is ordinary change in use, for example hotter weather pushing the aircon, fridge and other motor-driven appliances harder. TNB adds that you can ask for your meter to be tested through its Careline.
Before asking for a test, do your own check. Compare kWh, not ringgit, against the same month last year; switch everything off and watch the meter; then switch circuits back on one at a time at the DB box. A meter that keeps counting with everything off points to a hidden load or an earth leakage on your side, which is a wiring job, not a meter fault.
TNB says that if your smart meter has a fault it will assess it and repair or replace the meter, and that a blank meter screen should be reported to its Careline. The table below sorts the usual symptoms by where the problem most likely sits.
| What you notice | Most likely side | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Meter screen blank, whole house dark | TNB (meter or supply) | Check the street first, then report to TNB |
| Whole house dark, meter screen on | Your installation (main switch or DB) | Check the main switch and RCCB at the DB box |
| Bill much higher after the swap | Usually usage; sometimes the old meter | Compare kWh, test with everything off, then ask TNB to test |
| Meter counting with everything switched off | Your wiring or an appliance | Switch circuits back on one at a time; call an electrician |
| Burn marks, heat or a smell at the meter board | Could be either side | Keep clear and call TNB; do not open the meter panel |
| Seal broken or meter cover damaged | TNB's equipment | Report it to TNB; do not touch it |
When only your side is affected, the whole-house no power guide shows how to tell a TNB outage from a tripped main switch or RCCB in a few minutes.
TNB owns the service cable, the cut-out and the meter. Everything after the meter, including the main switch, the DB box, the RCCB and the wiring in your walls, is your installation. TNB's guidance for getting supply says internal wiring is the job of an electrical contractor registered with the Energy Commission, who traces the wiring (Form G) and tests each circuit (Form H).
That split decides who you call. A fault on TNB's side is reported to TNB; a fault on your side needs an electrician. If the RCCB keeps dropping, the power tripping guide explains what each kind of trip points to.
Extensions, new boundary walls, car porch roofs and kitchen moves sometimes leave the meter in the wrong place. Because the meter and its service cable are TNB's equipment, moving them is arranged with TNB, not done by a renovation crew. In practice your electrical contractor plans the new meter position and the work on your side (new cable from the meter to the DB, a new main switch if needed) and coordinates the application and the supply interruption with TNB. Ask TNB or your contractor what TNB will charge for its part before you commit.
A meter move is often a good moment to look at the DB box as well. If the house is also adding aircon, a water heater or an EV charger, the three-phase upgrade guide explains when a bigger supply makes sense and how the meter change fits into that process. Whatever you do, keep the meter board accessible and ventilated: do not build it into a sealed cabinet.
TNB calls interference with its meter installation Meter Installation Tampering (MIT). Its advice is direct: if someone offers to modify or tamper with your meter installation, inform TNB, because only TNB personnel may check the meter's condition. TNB also says the registered account holder is responsible for the revenue lost through tampering, so landlords are advised to close accounts in their own name when a property is rented out.
The penalties under the Electricity Supply Act 1990 are serious, including imprisonment of up to 10 years for the offences TNB lists, and TNB will disconnect the supply. The safety risk is just as real: TNB warns of shock, of fuses that may not operate properly in a short circuit, and of fire. No genuine electrician sells a device that makes the meter record less.
TNB's own work on its meter is priced by TNB. Work on your side of the meter is priced by the electrician. These published ClickBina figures cover the usual jobs (indicative 2026, Klang Valley):
| Work | Indicative price | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Fault-finding / diagnosis call-out | RM150 – RM400 | Whole-house no power guide |
| Replace a faulty RCCB or MCB | RM250 – RM600 | Whole-house no power guide |
| Replace or upgrade the distribution board | RM1,500 – RM3,500 | Whole-house no power guide |
| Three-phase internal works (DB, main switch, earthing, labour) | RM3,000 – RM8,000+ | Three-phase upgrade guide |
WhatsApp us your job details for a quote — we reply within the hour.
💬 WhatsApp for a quoteWhatsApp us your job details for a quote: what the meter shows, which rooms are affected, or the renovation that has put the meter in the way. ClickBina is an experienced KL & Selangor contractor for whole-house refurbishment and trade coordination, so an electrical contractor's work at the DB box, the building work around a relocated meter board and the finishing can be planned as one job. We reply within the hour, and the price agreed is a flat price with no hidden charges. A site visit is RM150, waived if you go ahead. See also electrical and plumbing.
Methodology: TNB's own charges are not quoted because TNB sets them case by case; prices shown are ClickBina indicative 2026 Klang Valley ranges from the guides named beside each.
WhatsApp us your job details for a quote — we reply within the hour.
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