No Customer Should Pay For Replacement Of Faulty, Obsolete Meters -NERC
By Sunday Etuka, Abuja
The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has once again directed that no electricity customer should be compared by the Distribution Companies (DisCos) to pay for the replacement of faulty or obsolete meters.
NERC reiterated this in a statement posted on its social media handles on Monday, 18 November 2024.
The Commission said, it is aware that some DisCos have instructed the electricity customers to apply and pay for the replacement of faulty and obsolete meters within their franchise areas.
It said, the instruction contravenes its Order No. NERC/246/2021 on the Structured Replacement of Faulty and Obsolete end-use Customer Meters in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI).
NERC emphasised that the Order clearly stated that no customer with a meter should be forcefully migrated to estimated billing. Noting that 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 reaffirmed its commitment to protecting customers’ interests and rights by ensuring compliance with established regulatory standards and enforcing regulatory penalties for non-compliance by its licensees.
It therefore, urged customers to report cases of non-compliance to the Order by any DisCo through the following channels: Phone: 1.07000 CALL NERC (07000 2255 6372) 2.0201 344 4331 3.0908 899 9244 Email: complaints@nerc.gov.ng
