The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has advised electricity consumers to refuse payment for replacement of their obsolete meters.
The commission also directed distribution companies (DisCos) to replace obsolete meters for their customers at no cost.
In a statement on Monday, the commission said the directive became necessary following recent reports of some electricity companies requiring customers to replace Unistar prepaid meters.
NERC emphasised that the cost of meter replacement is the sole responsibility of the distribution companies and reiterated that no customer should be subjected to estimated billing.
“The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission is aware that some Distribution Companies (DisCos) have instructed customers to apply and pay for the replacement of faulty and obsolete meters within their franchise areas.
“This instruction contravenes the Commission’s Order No. NERC/246/2021 on the Structured Replacement of Faulty and Obsolete end-use Customer Meters in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry. The Order clearly states that no customer with a meter should be forcefully migrated to estimated billing.
“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,” NERC said.
The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) recently directed the Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company (IKEDC) and Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDP) to immediately halt the replacement of Unistar prepaid meters due to their non-compliance with directives from the NERC.
The FCCPC also advised DisCos to engage with energy consumers before placing them in tariff bands and to strictly adhere to industry regulations when billing unmetered customers.
