The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has directed electricity distribution companies (DisCos) to replace obsolete or faulty meters for their customers free of charge.
The directive, issued in a statement on Monday, comes after reports that some DisCos required customers to pay for meter replacements.
The issue centers around Unistar prepaid meters, first deployed over a decade ago, which are no longer supported due to technological upgrades and the Token Identifier (TID) rollover issue.
Following NERC’s directive, both Ikeja Electric Distribution Company (IKEDC) and Eko Electric Distribution Company (EKEDC) confirmed the discontinuation of support for these meters from November 14.
NERC reiterated that the cost of replacing outdated meters is the sole responsibility of DisCos and emphasized that customers should not be subjected to estimated billing due to meter obsolescence.
“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,” NERC’s statement read.
“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 regulatory body clarified that DisCos must bear the cost of meter replacement unless the damage is caused by the customer. It also reaffirmed that no customer with a meter should be forcefully migrated to estimated billing.
NERC urged affected customers to report incidents of non-compliance through designated phone lines and email addresses.
“The commission restates its commitment to protect customers’ interests and rights by ensuring compliance with established regulatory standards and enforcing regulatory penalties for non-compliance by its licensees,” the statement added.
