Smart meters compelling electricity users to be efficient

Electricity consumers in different parts of Nigeria are been compelled to practice energy efficiency as electricity distribution companies increase smart meters installations in different cities.
Kaduna Electric reports that complaints of smart meters running fast have increased with the discos’ drive to deepen penetration of smart meter.
In November, Kaduna Electric started distribution of 20,000 prepaid meters in the first phase of the exercise that was supposed to see a deployment of 50,000 prepaid smart meters it acquired at the cost of $25million for customers in its franchise states of Kaduna, Sokoto, Zamfara and Kebbi.
Abdulazeez Abdullahi, head, corporate communication of Kaduna Electric told BusinessDay that the smart meters were provided to customers free of charge in the first batch of the deployment.
Now some of the customers accuse them of ripping them off, while others say it provides an opportunity to be energy efficient.
“The meter is a fraud, you can’t recover your bad debt on all customers,” Mustapha Muhammad a customer based in Kebbi said.
Hauwa Abubakar, a customer based in Sokoto disagrees, “In this part of the world, we don’t care about conserving energy but with the installation of these meters we would learn how to efficiently manage our energy consumption and I believe it is more cost effective. We should clean up our act on energy and reap the benefits,” she said in a post on Kaduna electric’s blog.
Kaduna Electric was forced to release a statement denying any manipulation of customers meters: “We wish to reassure our customers that the reading accuracy of the meters have been certified by the Nigerian Electricity Management Agency (NEMSA), the government agency responsible for upholding standards in the industry,” said the statement signed by the management of Kaduna Electric.
The disco urged customers to monitor the usage of high energy consuming electrical items at home to regulate electricity usage. Such items include: water heaters, boreholes, pressing iron, boilers and air conditioners. Adopting energy management approach in the home will greatly reduce cost.

Experts say Nigeria can save up to 50% of the power that is currently being generated if it introduces a workable energy efficiency policy.
“This will enable the operators to extend electricity supply to about additional 50% of current clients with the current level of generation, subject to availability of the grid to these clients.

This policy if well implemented will also reduce tariff which is so high now and therefore help with curbing inflation and part of the solution to economic recession,” said Dickson Ozokwelu, director and founder of US-based Bestech Energy Corporation.

ISAAC ANYAOGU