Revenue Protection and Technology Interventions in Metering
The power supply industry has reached an impasse where urgent steps are needed to improve the financial health of the utilities. The revenue to the power utilities could be increased only if it could be ensured in which the power sold through them is first of all accounted for billed for and payments linked in time. There is a greater focus now in the electricity utilities to improve their revenue management system. A huge number of meters installed are either defective or stopped. These requirement to be exchanged. An existing meter is tampered to a huge extent. The metering device should have capability of recording tampering along with its identification and profiling at the time of tampering.
Solutions to the limitations and inadequacies of the present metering system could be given through emerging electronic power metering technologies like as electronic meters, prepaid meters and remote metering. Further, the existing system of meter reading and billing is cumbersome and needs a large workforce to serve a large customer base. The system of a two month billing cycle and the time lag among reading of meter and subsequent preparation, delivery and payment of bills, results in delayed advantages realization through the utility. Non-payment and delay in payments in addition aggravates the situation for the utility, along with the utility having no option but to continue supplying power except in certain extreme cases. Often court cases/ public interest litigation cases on account of faulty billing are also causing concern to utility and harassment to the consumers. Accuracy of bills could be improved through implementing better metering technologies, taking accurate readings through preventing manual intervention and automating the billing procedure.