Consumers to pay more as NERC increases electricity meter prices

*The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission announces increment in prices of single-phase and three-phase electricity prepayment meters with effect from Monday, November 15

Isola Moses | ConsumerConnect

As the electricity Distribution Companies (DisCos) currently struggle to improve electricity supply to homes, offices and businesses and meet consumer demand for quality service in the economy, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has jacked up prices of electricity prepayment meters by 20.17 percent and 32.38 percent respectively.

ConsumerConnect reports the country’s electricity regulator, in a circular dated November 11, 2021, disclosed that the latest hikes in meter prices take effect from Monday, November 15.

The Commission addressed the circular, titled: ‘Review of the Unit Price Of End-Use Meters Under the Meter Asset Provider and National Mass Metering Regulations,’ a copy of which the publication sighted, to Managing Directors, all electricity Distribution Companies and all Meter Asset Providers in the country.

The statement noted the increased the price of a single-phase prepayment meter from the current cost of N44,896.17 to a revised price of N58,661.69.

The NERC stated it also increased the price of a three-phase meter from the current cost of N82,855.19 to a revised rate of N109,684.36.

Recall the Federal Government, October 2020, announced it had commenced the rollout of prepayment meters under the National Mass Metering Programme (NMMP)

The programme is part of Federal Government’s effort at bridging the country’s metering gap.

According to the government, the principal objective of the National Mass Metering Programme is to increase the metering rate in the country, and close the gap of unmetered power consumers.

The metering initiative was designed to ensure a seamless metering process that enables electricity consumers to register and be metered on the same day after, following due process.

According to NMMP, the beneficiaries cut across all the 11 DisCos, who would not be required to pay upfront for the installation of meters.

Rather, the modalities of cost recovery for the meters will be clearly defined and communicated to the beneficiaries.

It is also expected that it will assist in reducing collection losses, while at the same time, increasing financial flows to achieve 100 percent market remittance obligation of the DisCos.

Other objectives of the programme include the elimination of arbitrary estimated billing, improving network monitoring capability and provision of data for market administration and investment decision-making.

Besides the NMMP job creation potential in the meter value chain, the programme will further strengthen the local meter value chain by increasing local meter manufacturing, assembly and deployment capacity, all in support of Nigeria’s economic recovery plan, the authorities said.

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