The current hot spell enveloping the Klang Valley has proven to be a bother to many urban dwellers.

“When I switch on the ceiling fan at night, the air that swirls inside my room is hot. When I open my windows, the mosquitoes start to fly in. Air-conditioning helps, but the electricity bill will certainly go up.”

Those are the words of teacher Abdul Rahim Hameed, who stays in Bandar Country Homes near Rawang.

Many tend to agree with the teacher’s words, as the higher usage of air-conditioners will mean higher power bills, apart from more outages because of a surge in electrical usage.

Abdul Rahim is not the only person affected by the current heat wave in the Klang Valley. Thousands of others are in a similar predicament, with sleepless nights a common major issue.

Civil servant Zaidah Zainal said she has to rely on air-conditioners, as her small child is unable to sleep with the use of a ceiling fan.

“My small child will only be able to sleep if I switch on the air-conditioning unit,” she said.
    
Sales of air-cons pick up
    
The current hot spell has proven a boon to suppliers of air-conditioner units.

Boon Lee (who wishes to be addressed as Boon) of Lee Trading, a supplier of home electrical appliances, said the sale of air-conditioners and air-coolants at his outlet in Rawang have picked up since the end of last month.

“Usually, I manage to sell about two or three air-conditioners in a month, but since the current hot weather has come about the end of last month, I have managed to sell 12 units in two weeks,” he said.

Among the most sought-after brands are Acson and York air conditioners, Boon said, adding that buyers prefer 1.5hp (horsepower) units.

“For your bedroom, a 1.0hp is sufficient, while a 1.5 unit is good enough for a medium-size living room. The 1.5hp costs about RM1,200 a unit while the 1.0 hp is slightly less than RM1,000,” he said.

According to Boon, the air-coolant fan is much cheaper and costs only several hundred ringgit, depending on the brand.

(The air-coolant is a box-like fan that has a compartment for water or ice cubes at its base. Hypermarkets report brisk sales of these units, as they are popular because they are much cheaper than air conditioners, apart from being portable.)
    
For former Tenaga Nasional wireman Nasha (not his full name), who now works servicing and installing air-conditioners in Bandar Tasik Puteri near Rawang, business has picked up during the current hot spell.

“I receive many requests from home owners to service their air-con units. Some have also asked me to supply them with aircon units, as many are having problems sleeping at night due to the hot weather,” he said, adding that he charges only RM125 for servicing an air-conditioning unit.

It appears that the current heat wave over the Klang Valley, while being a bane to many, is a boon to people like Boon and Nasha.

What is a heat wave?

According to meteorologists, a heat wave is a prolonged period of excessively hot weather, which may be accompanied by high humidity.

According to the print and electronic media, the Meteorological Department reports that the present heat wave and dry weather in many parts of Malaysia are expected to linger at least until September.

Recently, the temperature soared to 36.2 degrees Celsius in Subang, while Kuala Lumpur hit 36 degrees Celsius.

So far, the hottest day ever recorded in Malaysia was May 18, 1998. On that day the temperature in Chuping, Perlis, went up to 38.9 degrees and Malacca touched 38 degrees.

According to the department, the maximum temperature recorded in the Klang Valley during the current hot spell is between 35.3 and 37.2 degrees Celsius.
    
Hazlinda Hamzah, a journalist and mother of five who stays in USJ, Subang Jaya, says her two-and-a-half storey house has seven air-conditioning units.

“One unit is in the living room, while four bedrooms have one each. One air-conditioner is for the children’s use in the study room and another is for the dining room.

“We switch on the units about three to four hours at night. We cannot open the windows after 6pm as the mosquitoes will come in,” she said.

Hazlinda says the electricity bill usually comes to about RM330-RM380, depending on the usage.

“The current hot spell means our house's electricity will go up slightly higher due to the increased usage of the air-conditioners,” she added.

- Bernama