commercial losses in electrical systemscommercial

Question

Commercial Losses in Electrical Systems

Commercial losses are caused by pilferage, theft, defective meters, and errors in meter reading and in estimating un-metered supply of energy.

                                  Box: Reasons for commercial losses

Non-performing and under-performing meters. Wrong application of multiplying factors. Defects in CT and PT circuitry. Non-reading of meters. Pilferage by manipulating or bypassing of meters. Theft by direct tapping, etc.

All these losses are because of non-metering or under-metering of actual consumption. Non-technical losses occur at several places in a distribution system.

                                                    Table: Losses Due to Non-technical Reasons

•  Loss at consumer end meters	•  Poor accuracy of meters, •  Large errors in CTs/PTs, •  Voltage drop in PT cables, •  Loose connections in PT wire terminations, •  Overburdened CT.
•  Tampering/bypass of meters	•  Where meters without tamper-proof/tamper-deterrent/tamper-evident meters are used, •  Poor quality sealing of meters, •  Lack of seal issue, seal monitoring and management system, •  Shabby installation of meters and metering systems, •  Exposed CTs/PTs where such devices are not properly securitised.
•  Pilferage of energy	•  From overhead "bare" conductors. •  From open junction boxes (in cabled systems), •  Exposed connections/joints in service cables, •  Bypassing the neutral wires in meters.
•  Energy accounting system	•  Lack of proper instrumentation (metering) in feeders and DTs for carrying out energy audits, •  Not using meters with appropriate data logging features in feeder and DT meters,  •  Lack of a system for carrying out regular (monthly) energy accounting to monitor losses, •  Errors in sending end meters, CTs and PTs, •  Loose connections in PT wires (which results in low voltage at feeder meter terminals), •  Energy accounting errors (by not following a scientific method for energy audits).
•  Errors in meter reading	•  Avoiding meter reading due to several causes like house locked, meter not traceable, etc.  •  Manual (unintentional errors) in meter reading, •  Intentional errors in meter reading (collusion by meter readers), •  Coffee shop reading, •  Data punching errors (at MRI end by meter readers), •  Data punching errors by data entry operators, •  Lack of validation checks, •  Lack of management summaries and exception reports on meter reading.
•  Errors in bills	•  Errors in raising the correct bill, •  Manipulation/changes made in meter reading at billing centres - lack of a system to assure integrity in data, •  Lack of system to ensure bills are delivered.
•  Receipt of payment	•  Lack of system to trace defaulters including regular defaulters, •  Lack of system for timely disconnection, •  Care to be taken for reliable disconnection of supply (where to disconnect).