Against the backdrop of the recent introduction of the National Mass Metering Programme, Abuja Electricity Distribution Company has said it will refund customers who had paid for meters.
AEDC disclosed this on Monday on Twitter, saying the metering programme was set up by the Federal Government to provide prepaid meters for customers to ease the burden of meter acquisition.
“According to the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, customers who have made payment for prepaid meters will have the cost of the meter refunded via energy units over a period not exceeding five years,” it said.
On the fate of customers who had subscribed for a meter via the Meter Service Charge plan, the Disco said the meter service charge would be terminated and the MSC account would be returned to zero due to the National Mass Metering Programme.
“The meter cost you have paid so far will be pro-rated and the cost of the meter refunded via energy units over a period not exceeding five years,” it told its customers.
But another Disco, Eko Electricity Distribution Company, also said on Monday that customers would bear the cost of the meters deployed to them under the National Mass Metering Programme.
It described the current efforts at improving power supply and mass metering as part of the agreements recently reached with the organised labour to help boost the implementation of the new service reflective tariff.
EKEDC said, “The NMMP aims to close the existing metering gaps in phases for all grid-connected customers estimated at 6.5 million over the next 24-36 months.
“The initial phase comprises the immediate deployment of meters available in the country estimated at one million units.”
It added that no upfront payment for the installation of meters would be requested while the modalities of cost recovery for the meters would be communicated to the beneficiaries.
