Meralco to install 3.3 M smart meters to prevent ‘billing errors’

To prevent non-real time or inaccuracies in electricity billings for consumers in the future, power utility giant Manila Electric Company (Meralco) said it will be deploying 3.3 million smart meters in the medium term.

During the company’s annual stockholders meeting, Meralco President and CEO Ray C. Espinosa indicated that the immediate plan which shall start next year will be completing the rollout of 145,000 smart meters both for its prepaid electricity service (PRES) and for its post-paid subscribers.

The pilot installation phase for the post-paid smart meters or the socalled advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) will just be initially at 5,000 meters; then will be ramped up in the next three years.

“Meralco has already deployed 102,000 smart meters for its prepaid electricity service. And by the first half of 2021, we would have installed a total of 145,000 meters – 38,000 more for PRES and 5,000 for postpaid. All of these services provide real-time data for the benefit of the customers,” Espinosa said.

He added the company is targeting to deploy 1.0 million smart meters more at the homes and businesses of its customers in the next three years upon the approval of the Energy Regulatory Commission.

“Meralco continues to work with the ERC for the approval of 1.0 million more smart meters which are to be deployed over a period of three years. Meralco’s roadmap is actually to have 3.3 million customers on smart meters over the next eight (8) years,” the company chief executive emphasized.