The Nigerian Electrical energy Regulatory Fee has ordered Electrical energy Distribution Corporations to interchange out of date pay as you go meters for his or her shoppers detached.
It stated that, in line with the Nigerian Electrical energy Provide Business Occupation, it’s the duty of DisCos to interchange misguided and out of date pay as you go meters for his or her shoppers.
This mandate was once defined in a remark excepted via the regulatory frame’s control and posted on its legitimate X maintain on Monday.
The directive follows contemporary studies of a few electrical energy firms asking shoppers to interchange Unistar pay as you go meters.
Recall that Ikeja Electrical Plc and Eko Electrical energy Distribution Corporate requested power customers on their networks with the impaired Unistar pay as you go meters to modify them on or ahead of November 14, 2024, or chance being moved into the estimated billing division.
This sparked outrage, inflicting NERC and the Federal Pageant and Shopper Coverage Fee to wade into the topic, asking Ikeja Electrical and EKEDC in opposition to phasing out the meters, in particular upcoming Unistar claimed there was once not anything incorrect with its units.
The criticisms that trailed the movements of the 2 DisCos had been as a result of the rise within the costs of the meters, in particular at a day when many Nigerians are fighting with a harsh financial extremity led to via prime inflation and effort prices.
However in a remark on Monday, NERC, which regulates the electrical energy sector within the nation, stated it isn’t the obligation of shoppers to pay for the substitute in their meters, urging them to document any DisCo forcing them to section with their hard earned cash for a unutilized meter.
It additionally reiterated that deny buyer must be subjected to estimated billing.
The remark learn, “The Nigerian Electrical energy Regulatory Fee is mindful that some Distribution Corporations have recommended shoppers to use and pay for the substitute of misguided and out of date meters inside of their franchise fields.
“This instruction contravenes the Fee’s Sequence Negative. NERC/246/2021 at the Structured Alternative of Erroneous and Out of date Finish-use Buyer Meters within the Nigerian Electrical energy Provide Business.
“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 remark additional suggested affected shoppers to document any incident by way of devoted telephone traces and email addresses.
“The fee restates its loyalty to give protection to shoppers’ pursuits and rights via making sure compliance with established regulatory requirements and implementing regulatory consequences for non-compliance via its licensees.
“We urge customers to report cases of non-compliance to the Order by any DisCo,” the remark learn.