Tuesday, November 19, 2024 - The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, has cautioned electricity consumers against paying for replacement of faulty meters, saying it is the responsibility of electricity distribution companies, DisCos, to replace the meters.
The Commission in a statement on Monday, November 18, explained that as
long as meters were not tempered with by consumers, replacement must be done by
the utility company at no cost to the consumers.
Data from NERC showed that as of the end of the second quarter of 2024,
45 percent, or 5.99 million, out of 13.19 million customers in the industry had
meters, with seven million customers subjected to estimated billing.
NERC said it “is aware that some Distribution Companies have instructed
customers to apply and pay for the replacement of faulty and obsolete meters
within their franchise areas. This instruction contravenes the Commission’s
Order No. NERC/246/2021 on the Structured Replacement of Faulty and Obsolete
end-use Customer Meters in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry.
“The Order clearly states that no customer with a meter should be
forcefully migrated to estimated billing. If any customer’s meter is adjudged
by any DisCo to be obsolete or faulty, it is the responsibility of the DisCo to
replace the meter free of charge, provided that the fault was not caused by the
customer.
“The Commission restates its commitment to protect customers’ interests
and rights by ensuring compliance with established regulatory standards and
enforcing regulatory penalties for non-compliance by its licensees”.
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