Electricity tariff up by average 15% and 17% from Jan 1, 2014

You and I should brace ourselves for a 15% (Peninsula Malaysia) and 17% (Sabah and Labuan) hike in electricity tariffs next year.

Those are the averages of electricity tariff increase announced by the minister concerned few days after hinting that the government will raise Electricity Tariff by 10% to 20% in 2014 earlier.


The government says the tariff adjustment is a step to restructure subsidies into a form that is more targeted and sustainable.


To be exact, the average electricity tariff in:-

• Peninsular Malaysia will be up 4.99 sen/kWh (14.89%) from the current average rate of 33.54 sen/kWh to 38.53 sen/kWh. 
• Sabah and Labuan will be up 5.0 sen/kWh (16.9%) from current average rate of 29.52 sen/kWh to 34.52 sen/kWh.

Rates in Sarawak will not be affected because the electricity supply in the state is operated by state-run company, Sarawak Energy Berhad. There is a clear advantage in being able to control the utilities on your own, isn't it!

The new rates will take effect from Jan 1, 2014.


How it is compared to the existing one. Graphic by TheMalaysianInsider


Who will not be affected

Note that 70.67% of consumers in Peninsular Malaysia and 62% of consumers in Sabah and Labuan will not be affected by the tariff hike. There will be no tariff increase imposed on the consumers who use electricity at a rate of, or lower than, 300kWh a month.

Translated into absolute figures, 4.56 million consumers in the peninsula and 260,000 consumers in Sabah and Labuan will not be affected by this hike.


Who will be affected the most

Consumers whose electricity consumption is more than 300 kWh will be directly affected by the tariff restructuring. The group most likely to be affected are those whose electricity usage is between 301 to 400 kWh and 401 to 600 kWh.


We will look at the electricity tariff restructuring implications on commercial and industrial users next.


Source: The Star

Are our ministers salaries too high?

Last week, the media - mainstream and online portals - were filled with mixed views of Selangor leaders salary hikes. Some said they were justified, but many disagree and they heavily criticised the move by the opposition-led richest state in Malaysia.


How much will Selangor ministers and assemblymen get after the adjustment. Source: The Star


While not interested in politics, let me draw your attention to another move by oil-rich, biggest state in Malaysia, Sarawak. You can read about it here.


In May 2013, the Sarawak ministers and assemblymen approved a whopping three-fold (Selangor increased theirs by two-fold) raise for themselves and administrators of the state assembly. The Star Graphics


To compare, our nearest neighbour, Singapore pays its Prime Minister a whopping SGD$2.2 million annually, that's SGD$183,000 per month or about RM471,000 monthly. Then again, Singapore pays it ministers  and leaders top money and the city state is in a league of its own when comes to country leaders salary.

In no way we should emulate Singapore's remuneration system.

I'm just saying I'm bemused by how people react to Selangor ministers pay hikes.


HAPPY MONDAY!

What is the oxygen level in a plane?

The other question people ask the most when going into the cabin is how clean or stale the air is inside there. There is an earlier article about that here.

Today we are asking  about adequacy of oxygen in the cabin.

Inside the cabin of an Airbus. Photo by de engineur.

Oxygen level in a plane

Oxygen levels in flight are broadly the same s on the ground, about 210,000 parts per million by volume - hat is about 21%.

However, at cruise altitude the cabin pressure is lower than on the ground at around 82kPa, equivalent to about 1,800m (6,000 ft).

For comparison, air pressure at sea level is 101kPa. At this low pressure, oxygen levels in the blood are lower than at sea level. A healthy person suffers no effects, but those with respiratory illness sometimes need additional oxygen.


Source: TheDailyExpress' Sunlife, December 1, 2013 - pp. 14