Nigerian Electricity Regulatory (NERC) has said it is the responsibility of electricity distribution companies (DisCos) to replace customers’ meters free of charge if they are faulty.
Gatekeepers News reports that NERC had on October 18, ordered DisCos to replace phased-out meters.
Responding, Ikeja Electric Distribution Company (IKEDC) and Eko Electric Distribution Company (EKEDC) announced that Unistar prepaid meters, first deployed over a decade ago, would no longer be supported from November 14, due to technological upgrades and token identifier (TID) rollover issue.
Reports that went around on November 11, stated that DisCos said customers must pay for replacement of their functional meters.
Reacting to the reports through a statement released on Minday, NERC said the move by DisCos violates its order.
According to the regulatory body, the directive noted that no meter-based consumer should be forced to switch to estimated billing.
It said, “The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission is aware that some Distribution Companies (DisCos) 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.”
NERC further urged customers to report cases of non-compliance with the order by any DisCo.
