Prepaid metering as a remedial mechanism for improved electricity
(Nigeria) By Carl Umegboro: Inarguable, electricity customers have never gotten a fair
deal from the distribution companies (DisCos) in Nigeria, instead outrageous
bills have remained their lot.
The service providers every now and then freely bombard the electricity consumers with outrageous bills even without services rendered. It doesn’t matter to them if the customer didn’t use any electricity for months probably the customer toured abroad or kept apartment under lock and key. It therefore implies that presently, all that is required for the service providers to be hitting jackpots from their vulnerable customers is only to be connected to its grid; supply or not immaterial. And failure to pay their arbitrarily and outrageous bills subjects the customers to embarrassing disconnections. Still, even when on the disconnection, bills continue to accumulate for the customers.
The service providers every now and then freely bombard the electricity consumers with outrageous bills even without services rendered. It doesn’t matter to them if the customer didn’t use any electricity for months probably the customer toured abroad or kept apartment under lock and key. It therefore implies that presently, all that is required for the service providers to be hitting jackpots from their vulnerable customers is only to be connected to its grid; supply or not immaterial. And failure to pay their arbitrarily and outrageous bills subjects the customers to embarrassing disconnections. Still, even when on the disconnection, bills continue to accumulate for the customers.
In most cases, the bills are strategically, mischievously
overestimated aimed at putting customers in perpetual debt bondage such that
they would always have outstanding. Then, each time some of the workforce are
broke particularly during festive seasons; Easter, Sallah and Christmas or
personal engagements like parties, naming ceremonies, burial etc, harassing the
vulnerable customers over outstanding with ladders for informal settlement
becomes a viable option. Sometimes, a room apartment or mini-shop gets as much
as N25,000 as monthly consumption bill whether power was supplied or not. Some
apartments get as much as N120, 000 as monthly consumption bills. Some even get
over N1, 500,000unjustifiably as bill. And where the customer struggled and
paid all, he gets increment in the following bills such that outstanding must
exist for selfish interests someday.
The ugly implication of the anomalies is that the arbitrary
bills embolden the service providers to relax and remain unproductive since
services rendered do not determine earnings but indiscriminate billing system.
The glitch encourages laxity as come rain – come shine, customers must pay
bills outrageously. It implies that where as little as feeder pillar in the
transformer or other accessories required replacement, the service provider may
not bother as its earnings are not determined by services rendered as would be
the case under a prepaid metering system.On account of this, a whole community
over time had been abandoned in blackout as long as the DisCo wished despite
the fact they ought to generate their incomes from services rendered to the
communities. Unfortunately, only prepaid metered customerspay accurately for
services rendered while DisCos overbearinglyexploithelpless customers on
estimation, sadly in majority.
Prepaid metering system therefore provides an effective
mechanism for boosting electricity supplies in the country as the device makes
it absolute that only services rendered are paid for. As a matter of fact,
federal government has no business banning importation of generators into the
country but ensure that all electricity consumers are prepaid metered on
pay-as-you-use basis. The estimated billing system whether outrageous or
underestimated constitutes threats to economic growth and productivity as it
unconsciously provides avenues for exploitation. Every economy grows when
citizens and services users pay accurately for services rendered to them. And
essentially, it brings some disciplines and accountability thereby eliminates
avoidable wastages.
For example, the number of prepaid metered customers that
leave power running when away or not needed have drastically reduced if at all
they still exist when comparable to those on estimation. The implication of
prudently managing the use of electricity is that a lot of energy will be saved
for those that actually have good need of them. From a practical study, all the
electric lights and gadgets unnecessarily switched-on during the day when not
useful are not connected to prepaid metering system. It is therefore imperative
that while federal government continues in its onerous drive towards boosting
sustainable power generation for the country, a viable mechanism to judiciously
manage and checkmate the ones already generated for optimal use is put in place
through prepaid meters. Until all electricity consumers are regulated digitally
through prepaid metering systems, loss and waste of energy will continue
unabated and supply remains inadequate.
The key benefits of the prepaid metering system are emphatically
tripartite in nature. Prepaid metering system automatically creates a
responsibility and efficiency chain starting from consumers - distribution -
generation. For instance, aside making all consumers to strictly and accurately
pay for services used, it automatically propels DisCos to go extra miles
towards improving in their services to ensure steady supply knowing that no
income is derived without services rendered. The Discos will irrefutably
without any external pressures ensure at all times that not only adequate power
is distributed but supervised to see that it is effectively delivered to
customer send points for their earnings to occur.
And finally, digital metering conserves energy against the
usual wastages as only customers in need of electricity switch on to power for
use. The present-day laxity among the distribution companies that even when put
on notice that customers are in blackout, they relax without taking any urgent
measures to remedy the situation is because supply or not, majority are on
estimated billing system. Hence, their monthly targets are spread to the
vulnerable customers on estimated bills with threats of disconnections. The way
out of the predicament is simple; compulsory prepaid metering system for all
customers and its failure should be taken as economic sabotage.
*Umegboro is a public affairs analyst and an associate of The Chartered
Institute of Arbitrators (United Kingdom).
The title of the blog suits very well. AMR based prepaid metering is indeed remedial for improved electricity.
ReplyDelete