Is Solar Panel Worth It in Malaysia? How to Work It Out

The Short Answer

For many landed homes in Peninsular Malaysia, yes. For some, no. The answer depends on three things you can check yourself.

1. How big your bill is. The more you spend on electricity, the more there is to save.
2. When you use electricity. Solar power is made in the daytime.
3. Your roof. It has to be yours, and it has to get sun.

Why Daytime Use Matters So Much

Under Solar ATAP, your home uses its own solar power first. That power never reaches the meter, so it comes straight off your bill.

Power you do not use is exported. It comes back as a credit against the energy charge on that month's bill. Credits you do not use end with the month.

So two homes with the same system can save different amounts. The one that runs air conditioning, a water heater or a home office in the afternoon saves more.

Homes That Gain the Most

• Someone is home in the daytime
• Air conditioning runs in the afternoon
• The bill is high enough to justify the system
• The roof faces open sky, without tall trees or buildings next to it

Homes That Gain Less

• Everyone is out from morning to evening
• The bill is already small
• The roof is shaded for much of the day
• The home is a condominium or apartment, where the roof is shared property

If your home is empty all day, a smaller system sized to your real daytime use is the honest answer. A battery is the other option. See solar battery storage.

How to Work It Out

You need two numbers: what the system costs you, and what it saves you each year.

Cost. Take the quotation and subtract the SuRIA Home rebate if you qualify. An 8 kW system at RM28,000, less the RM3,000 rebate, costs RM25,000.

Saving. We estimate RM400 to RM600 a month for an 8 kW system. Take RM450 as an example. That is RM5,400 a year.

Payback. Divide the cost by the yearly saving. RM25,000 divided by RM5,400 is about 4.6 years.

After that, the saving continues for as long as the system runs. Panels carry a performance warranty of up to 25 years.

The saving is the number to question. Ask your installer how it was worked out, and how much daytime use it assumes.

What Solar Will Not Do

• It will not bring your bill to zero. You still buy power at night.
• It will not run your home in a blackout. An on-grid inverter switches off when the grid is down. Backup needs a battery.
• It will not pay back overnight. Most homes need four to six years.

What Could Change the Sum

• The rebate. SuRIA Home is for systems commissioned by 31 December 2026, first come, first served.
• The programme. NEM has already given way to Solar ATAP. The Solar ATAP contract runs for 10 years.
• Your habits. Moving washing, water heating and cooling to the daytime raises the saving.

Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan

Solar ATAP and SuRIA Home are for TNB customers. Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan have their own suppliers and schemes, so the sum is different there. Start from our pages for Sabah and Sarawak.

Get the Sum for Your Home

WhatsApp SolarKita with your latest TNB bill. Tell us who is home in the daytime, and we will size the system to that.