When Should You Pay For Your Prepaid Meter?

 The Prepaid electricity meter is a unit many Nigerians long to have, however only about 45% of consumers have the unit leaving about 55% of customers in the "unmetered" category.

 

The Prepaid Energy meter is an electrical /electronic device which is used to measure the quantity or amount of electrical energy used.

 

The meter comes in two forms, the split and the compact.

 

The compact means that the keypad which is also known as the customer user interface (CIU) is fixed in the body of the meter,

 

While the split will always come in two units, the main meter unit and the customer interface unit (CIU) or sometimes referred to as user interface unit (UIU).

 

Most utilities prefer the split to be installed for the customers - the reason for this shall be the subject of discussion for another day.

 

Both the federal government and discos have at one time or the other initiated a metering intervention programs which will see that every customer is given a prepaid meter,

 

But these efforts have in one way or the other hit a dead end as the aim of this metering intervention programs was not 100% achieved.

 

Some of the programs which was initiated by the federal government to tackle the issue of unmetered customers are NPPMP which was initiated in 2009 and the CAPMI program which was initiated in 2012.

 

In 2018, NERC introduced another meter intervention program called meter asset provider MAP, where the contractors (MAP) is made to finance the purchase and installation of the prepaid meter.

 

Now before you pay for the prepaid meter, there are processes which should have been undergone.

 

After these processes have successfully been undergone, you will be notified by the MAP to go and make payment in the bank.

 

Some customers make the mistake of going as far as scouting for the MAP’s account number from any source in order to make payment.

 

Some customers also do not adhere to instructions given by the MAP on when to pay and when not to pay.

 

Do not make payment if you have not been cleared by the MAP, else you will placed on an unending waiting list of which many customers have find themselves and they are not happy about it.

 

Now let’s list the processes. Note that these process may be slightly different from what is obtainable from some disco’s.

 

1.    Customer Enumeration: This process requires the customer to fill the know your customer (KYC) form.

2.    Depth Reconciliation: If the customer is owing, he or she is made to discuss and choose a debt repayment option.

3.    Fill the MAP Application Form: This process requires the customer to obtain and complete the MAP application form from the MAP assigned to your area. Normally, your business unit should tell you the MAP which have been assigned to meter your area.

4.    Premises Inspection: This process requires that a local electrical contractor (LECAN) or a COREN registered engineer or technologist have to visit the customer’s premises for inspection and certification that the customer’s premises is ready for metering. This electrical personnel will also recommend the best meter type (single or three phase) to be installed for the customer

5.    Mode Of Payment: It is required that the customer choose between the two available mode of payment, Upfront payment (full payment) and amortized payment (installment payment).

 

After the customer’s premises have been inspected, certified ready for meter installation and mode of payment selected by the customer, then the MAP will send the customer a notification requesting him or her to go and pay for the prepaid meter in the MAP’s escrow account.

6.    Meter Payment: The customer is required to pay for the meter and provide evidence of payment to the MAP.

7.    Meter Installation: The MAP installs the meter on the customers premises.

 

Finally my recommendation is that you only make payment for the prepaid meter if you have been cleared by the MAP to do so.

 

What are use the comment section to share your experience on payment of the prepaid meter.

 

Thanks for reading.

Get BEDC Prepaid Meter

How To Get BEDC Prepaid Meter

Every body’s desire is to get an equivalent value of service for the cash paid for a particular service. But that’s not been the case with the Nigerian Electricity Industry lately. Imagine a situation where you will be told that you are to pay for the cost of the calls you have made for the week or month on estimation.

Sometimes the estimation method may be favorable to some, but in majority of the case, its not favorable to the users. And it gets even worse if the metrics used to calculate such estimation is not standard based. 

Then there is room for the estimation calculation method to be jeopardized and slammed on the users of such services.

And trust me that the metrics which will be used to calculate the estimated values of your calls for the week or month is one which wouldn’t be favorable to you.

The above analogy paints a picture of one of the major challenges faced by Nigerian electricity users. This challenge of having a standard energy measuring device (energy meter) been available to all electricity users in Nigeria have persisted for a while now.

While several efforts have been made in time past by the federal government of Nigeria to address this issue of energy meter shortage in the nation, there haven’t seem to be a lasting solution to the challenge of metering.

Though several programs have been introduced in time past, but they have all failed to perfectly solve the problem of all Nigerians getting a prepaid meter.

Let me save you time by not taking you back to the several programs which have been introduced to solve the metering problems in Nigeria.

So lets head straight on to

How To Get A Prepaid Meter In BEDC

BEDC have outlined the process one needs to undergo before they can get a prepaid meter in their premises.

Now this process applies to both the residential, commercial and industrial customers. The process have been simplified into 6 steps:

11.    Customer Enumeration: this process requires the customer to fill the know your customer form (KYC) online at www.bedcpower.com and be enumerated.

22.  Fill MAP form: this process requires the customer to obtain and complete the MAP application form from the MAP assigned to your area. Your business unit should tell you the MAP which have been assigned to meter your area.

33.   Premises Inspection: this process requires that after the MAP application form have been filled and submitted, a local electrical contractor (LECAN) or a registered coren engineer have to visit the customer’s premises for inspection and certification that the customer’s premises is ready for metering. The LECAN will also recommend to the customer the total number of cable length needed to buy for the installation of their meter to the closet distribution pole.

44.    Pay for the Meter: This process requires that after the customer’s premises have successfully pass the readiness assessment, the customer can now be issued with a customized bank teller to pay into the account of the designated MAP. Customers can either be advised to pay N38,850 for the single phase prepaid meter or N70,410 for the three phase prepaid meter.

55.    Customers are metered: customers will now be metered within 10 working days after confirmation of their payment.

66.    Customer to sign meter installation acceptance form: this process is the final step in the metering steps. It requires that the customer signs a meter installation acceptance form. Upon the signing of this form, the customer hereby agrees that the meter have been installed n their premises and also agrees to abide by the metering regulations as outline by BEDC to ensure that customers do not engage in sharp practices such as meter tampering.

If you have successfully gone through the process, the you should have a prepaid meter installed in your premises.

But if you don’t have a meter installed in your premises after going through all the process outlined above, you can use the comment section below and I will find time to help you.

NERC’S 2018 MAP Program Terminologies And Their Interpretation

In 2018, NERC came up with a program called Meter Asset Provider (MAP) which the commission said will close the metering gap which Nigerian have experienced decades ago. The commission also said that with this program (MAP) they propose by the year 2020 every Nigeria should have gotten a prepaid meter installed in their business or residential premises. Recall that this program was birthed due to the lamentations of Nigerians on the disco’s estimated billing methodology.

Therefore if one must understand all there is to be said about the MAP program, then a good starting point should be from the definitions and interpretations of terms.

DEFINITIONS & INTERPRETATION

Act- means the Electric Power Sector Reform Act no. 6 of 2005, as may be amended from time to time.

Agreement- means the Agreement signed by the Parties and all the attached documents, including the Schedules

Associated Company- means any company in which the concerned party owns 20 percent or more of the controlling shares;

Authorized Access- means all acts related to tampering of meters in accordance with NERC Regulations and Order on Unauthorized Access

ATC&C Loss- means the Aggregate Technical, Commercial, and Collections Loss. This loss is the difference between the amount of electricity received by a Distribution Company from the Transmission Company and the amount of electricity for which it is able to collect revenue from end user/customers;

 Business Day- means any day of the week other than a Saturday or Sunday that is not a Nigerian national holiday or a day on which banks are authorized by law or executive order to be closed in the Federal Republic of Nigeria; provided, however, that in the event that such law or executive order results in banks in the Federal Republic of Nigeria being closed for more than three (3) weekdays or non-holidays in succession, the next weekday following such three (3) days shall be deemed to be a Business Day;

Billing Period- means a Metering Service Charge cycle been a calendar month.

Capital Cost- means the cost of the meter, meter accessories, financing costs, return on investment, communication infrastructure costs, installation costs, testing and certification of the metering system and all associated cost.

Commission- means the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission established by the Act.

Contracting Parties- mean parties entering into a legal Agreement

Contact Center- is a customer service center equipped to handle large amounts of customer communications.

Cost of the Meter Asset- means the cost of the meter, meter accessories and all associated costs of meter installation plus a return on investment.

Customer- means any end user who is contracted to receive electricity supply from a Distribution Licensee.

Customer information- means all data related to personal information as well as electricity consumption pattern of the customers who are metered by the MAP

Distribution Company- Means the counter party to this Agreement who has been issued a distribution license under section 67 of the Act.

Distribution Company Confidential Information- shall mean any information of a confidential or proprietary nature received by MAP, directly or indirectly, from Distribution Company, or acquired or developed pursuant to the provision of the Services, including, but not limited to, business affairs, data, designs, manuals, training materials and documentation, formulas, ideas, inventions, knowledge of manufacturing processes, mask-works, methods, prices, financial and accounting data, products and product specifications, systems, and technical information and the terms of the Agreement

Distribution Licensee- means a person that has been issued a distribution licence under section 67 of the Act.

FGN- means the Federal Government of Nigeria;

Force Majeure- means an extraordinary event or circumstance beyond the control of the Bidder such as a war, strike, riot, crime or an act of God such as flooding, earthquake or volcanic eruption;

Government- means all Government of Nigeria, including the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN), and State and Local Governments;

Incidence Response- means the organization and approaches adopted by the MAP to address and manage any breach of security of the metering system

Irrevocable payment guarantee- means an instrument assuring the MAP of a determined payment to be made by the utility into its account at the end of every month

Leveling – means the process of reconciling the accounts of MAP to capture outstanding payments made from the variance account

Licence Terms and Conditions means the terms and conditions of licences under the Act including terms and conditions on the metering of customers in NESI authorized and approved by the Commission under section 67 - 71 of the Act.

Line of Sight – means an authorization to review the data of payment going into the dedicated account

Maintenance Cost- means the planned or unplanned recurring costs required to support the ongoing operation of the metering system, meter reading and inspection as may be agreed between the parties. Where applicable, costs associated with monitoring of meter tampering and bypass shall be as agreed by the parties.

Meter- means a device that measures the amount of electric energy consumed by a customer.

Meter Asset Provider (MAP)- means a person that is granted a permit by the Commission to provide metering services which may include meter financing, procurement, supply, installation, maintenance and replacement.

Metering Installation Standards- means the requirements for the connection of meters and metering systems to an electrical circuit as specified in the Metering Code.

Metering Code- means the code issued by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission that regulates metering systems in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI).

Metering Service- means the services required to supply and install the Metering Infrastructure, including but not limited to insurance, warehousing along the MAP’s value chain,  installation, training, customer service/help desk options and other such obligations of the MAP related to the deployment of the Metering Infrastructure under the Agreement”;

MAP Regulations- means the Meter Asset Provider Regulations 2018.

Metering Service Agreement- means an agreement entered into between the Distribution Licensee and the MAP for the provision of metering services.

Metering Service Charge-This refers to periodic payments made by an electricity customer to cover the cost of metering services rendered by MAP. Meter service charge covers the cost of providing meters and the ongoing costs of operating and maintaining the metering infrastructure. This cost structure provides a transparent way of billing metering costs so that customers are only required to pay for their own metering services.

Metering Services Provider- means a person certified by the Commission under the MSP Regulations as a manufacturer, importer, supplier (vendor), or installer of Electric Energy Meters and /or Metering Systems.

Metering Infrastructure- means the Meters and all ancillary materials to enable successful deployment and use of the Meters and handheld devices such as customer interface units, meter boxes / enclosures, cables, circuit breakers, network or as particularly set out in Schedule 2 (Meter Specifications and Installation Requirements);

MSP Regulations means the NERC’s Guidelines for Certification of Metering Service Providers and Related Matters (Guideline No: NERC G-0112);

Multi-Year Tariff Order- means the schedule of tariffs to be paid, established by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC);

MYTO- means Multi-Year Tariff Order;

Naira- means the currency that is the legal Bid of the Federal Republic of Nigeria;

NERC- means the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission;

NESI- means the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry.

No Objection- means an authorisation issued by the Commission to qualified Applicants for the purpose of participating in a Distribution Licensee's procurement process for the provision of meters and metering services.

Permit- means a permit granted to the MAP under the MAP Regulations.

Proprietary Rights – means the rights owned by OEMs or software developers for the equipment or solutions deployed by the MAP

Quality Management System- means is a collection of articulated business processes focused on consistently meeting customer requirements and enhancing their satisfaction.

Regulations- means these Meter Asset Provider Regulations or any other specific regulation made pursuant to section 96 of the Act.

Service Agreement- means an agreement between two parties where one agrees to provide a specified service to the other.

Service Level Agreements (SLA) ­-means a contract between the Meter Asset Provider and the Distribution Licensee which defines the level of service that the Distribution Licensee expects the MAP to provide to customers.

Statutory Requirements- This refers to those requirements which are applicable by virtue of law enacted by the government.

Testing and Calibration- means all required tests to be carried out by NEMSA designated Meter Test Stations

Utility- means the electricity distribution company

Variance account- means an account set aside by the utility created from security deposit of customer to cover the cost of non-payment for meter as a result of non-vending by a customer within a given period of time.

Vending data- means record of units of electricity purchased by the customers metered by the MAP.

Welcome to Meterise Nigeria

I’ll first like to say a big thank you for taking out your time to know more about Meterise Nigeria and the fingers that wields the pen here and if you are here it simply means you want to know more about electricity energy meters.

Therefore I’ll refer to this post as the first post that will usher in other posts in this blog or simply the introductory post and I think that a good take off path will be for me to introduce myself and after which follows introduction of the blog and finally the purpose which this blog will satisfy.

About Me

My name is Philip Okechukwu, I studied Electrical/ Electronics Engineering and I have quite a number of years of experience in domestic/low voltage Electrical installations, worked as an IT/Meter engineer in an electricity meter manufacturing company and I will be the lead author in this blog.

I’m totally open to accept contrary opinions from my point of view provided they are facts justifiable. So if you think you don’t agree with what I say, feel free to e-mail me or hit the comment section with your opinion and I will respond accordingly and you can read more about me here.

About This Blog

This blog, “Meterise Nigeria” will be used as a platform to educate the Nigerian people and also her sister countries that uses similar electricity energy products which are also bound under the same international equipment (hardware/software) regulatory body in the use of the energy meter.

Purpose Which the Blog Will Satisfy

Regularly, I receive mails and calls such as this:

Now if you have ever had or heard of someone complaining of any of the above mentioned issues with their energy meter then that means your guess is as good as mine. Yea, you heard me clear.

In this blog, I will provide guidance on how issues of such nature can be solved and that’s not all, I will also bring to your knowledge the specifications of various electricity energy meters in Nigeria and their compliance regulatory bodies not leaving behind the technological advancements and news in the local/ international energy meter manufacturing industries.

More importantly, I’ll be showing you the steps involved in writing a typical standard operating procedure (SOP) for most operations in power, energy or metering company since they (SOP’s) are vital documents that ensure conformity of all products (tangible/ intangible).

That’s not all, I will also be reviewing energy products for small power users (SPU) such as single phase energy meters, three phase energy meters, maximum demand meters, data capturing devices (Hand Held Units (HHU)), data concentrators, e.t.c.

Lastly, I will assure you one thing ”I’m not a fan of gigantic grammar when it comes to technical issues as I like been concise and straight to the point, and trust me, no matter your academic history (maybe a doctor, architect, banker e.t.c.)

I am certain that I will use explanations that will drive home the ideas I am trying to portray. So even if you are not an Engineer or tech savvy type, you are still in safe hands.

Thank you…