Faulty Meters: Angst As DisCos Migrate Consumers To Estimated Billing

The rising complaints by electricity consumers about the actions of Electricity Distribution Companies (DisCos) to indirectly migrate people to estimated billing in the guise of replacing obsolete or faulty meters is currently exacerbated by regulatory complexities, LEADERSHIP learnt.

LEADERSHIP reports rising cases of electricity customers complaining of incessant forceful removal of their meters by DisCo officials on claims that they are already phased out or have developed fault.

For instance, one Mr Sunday Akinnuoye, whose house was burnt beyond recognition in Maryland, Lagos, is still receiving bills.  He reportedly mobilised his family to visit the Ikeja DisCo office and protested.

He was the chairman of the South West Farmers Cooperative.

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Also, Pastor Osalomo was disconnected for owing money, and in spite of that, the DisCo has continued to bring bills totalling N500,000 for six months, even when he was disconnected.

There are complaints that meters are deliberately being destroyed by unknown people in order to enforce estimated bills on end users.

Another complainant, Tosin (surname withheld), said that officials of Ikeja DisCo, on a routine check on his meter, claimed the device was obsolete and had been phased out, only for them to return last December to take it away for repairs.

According to him, they connected him directly, and three weeks later, he received a bill of N1.3 million. After several protests, the bill was arbitrarily reduced to N240,000 monthly.

Attempts by our correspondent to speak with spokespersons of Ikeja Electric and Eko DisCo, Kingsley Okotie and Babatunde Lasaki, were unsuccessful as they didn’t respond to enquiries.  However, speaking on the issue, Kano DisCo spokesman Sani Baba said it was improper to remove customers’ meters without replacing them as required by regulations.

Sani said DisCos have different metering initiatives to ensure gaps are closed, but in some cases where meters are not readily accessible to replace faulty or obsolete meters, the DisCo is under obligation to bill the customer for the previous three months’ vending. According to him, his bill should not exceed the average vending in the last three months.

LEADERSHIP reports that regulations by NERC, cited as Order on the ‘Structured Replacement of Faulty/Obsolete Meters of End-Use Customers,’  says new meters must be installed upon the removal of the faulty meter/obsolete meter and under no circumstances shall the customer be placed on estimated billing on account of DisCo’s failure to install a replacement meter after the removal of the faulty/obsolete meter.

The NERC went on to note that customers shall only be billed for revenue loss where the DisCo establishes meter tampering, bypass, or unauthorised access, as contained in NERC Order/REG/41/2017 on unauthorised access, meter tampering, and bypass.

The NERC policy mandates that Distribution Companies (DisCos) replace faulty or obsolete meters at no cost to the customer, as long as the fault is not caused by the customer. This policy is outlined in the ‘Order on the Structured Replacement of Faulty and Obsolete End-use Customer Meters.”

DisCos are required to ensure prompt replacement, without disrupting service, and are prohibited from using estimated billing in such cases.

Speaking on the issue, executive director, PowerUp Nigeria, an electricity consumer rights and policy advocacy organisation, Adetayo Adegbemle, faulted the DisCos actions but blamed the current situation on states taking up regulatory authority in the power sector, but without clear customer protection mechanisms.

Adegbemle said that several states had established their own electricity regulatory bodies, shifting oversight from the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to state-level regulators.  This transition aims to decentralise power sector regulation and empower states to manage their electricity markets.

Specific states with established regulatory bodies like Lagos, Ekiti, Enugu, Imo, Kogi, Ondo, Oyo, and Edo, among others, have already set up their own electricity regulatory structures and taken over regulatory oversight from NERC.

He noted that the State Electricity Regulatory Commissions (SERCs) were being established to regulate the electricity market within their respective states, but observed that they had not properly established consumer protection policies. As such, cases like those raised above have left consumers confused as to whom to approach to address their predicament.

NERC describes a meter as a piece of electrical equipment that may become faulty or inaccurate due to several reasons, but not necessarily years in service, and that all meters are tested and certified fit for use by accredited meter test laboratories before installation.

The regulator notes that DisCos may at any time decide to test a customer’s meter for accuracy and, therefore, decide to replace it in accordance with the procedure approved by the commission.