New electricity meter system on its way

Metro revising ways to assist customers with budgeting and monitoring their consumption

BUFFALO City Metro ratepayers are in for a major “new and smart” electricity metering project where 200 industrial and commercial sites will have their old electricity boxes replaced soon.

The metro is trying to improve its revenue collection through its billing system while promising customers a better service.

BCM spokesman Samkelo Ngwenya said the city had a control room operating as the intelligence operating centre located at the Munifin building to deal with the roll-out and implementation of the project.

Ngwenya said the centre would be operational from February 1.

“BCM is currently implementing a pilot project on electricity smart metering technology that is set to improve the accuracy and efficiency of domestic, industrial and commercial billing process. This process will kick off with the industrial and commercial sections as the first phase and later in the project the domestic billing will kick off,” said Ngwenya.

The project will include an electricity meter audit and changing the old meters to the new smart meters.

“We have picked up that many businesses in this city, in fact over 100, are using old meter systems that are outdated and ultimately cost their bottom line,” said Ngwenya.

Following the replacement of 200 electricity boxes in industrial and commercial sites, the project will be rolled out to the domestic customers.

The project is funded by National Treasury.

Between February and June an estimated R59 000 will be spent in changing the old meters to the new “smart” system in the first phase.

Business and domestic customers have been requested to cooperate with the process which promises customers “accurate billing, monitoring of electricity consumption via mobile app and the completeness of monthly billing”.

Ngwenya said the mobile app, called SmartWire, had already been developed for consumers to monitor their electricity consumption.

“The app allows the consumer to view their electricity consumption in 30-minute intervals.

“In October we introduced an advanced prepaid vending system which enabled people to buy electricity in the luxury of their comfort and increased many vending areas.

“All these efforts that we are putting together will enable people to monitor their consumption, budget properly and ultimately be able to pay for services easily,” Ngwenya added.

For more information on the project customers can e-mail the project manager Siya Peter’s office on Smart_Metering_Query@buffalocity.gov.za —