Do not pay for faulty meter replacement – NERC tells Nigerians

The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, has cautioned electricity consumers against paying for replacement of obsolete or faulty meters, saying it is the responsibility of electricity distribution companies, DisCos, to replace the meters

The Commission in a statement on Monday explained that as long as meters were not tempered with by consumers, replacement must be done by the utilities at no cost to the consumers.

Data from NERC showed that as of the end of the second quarter of 2024, 45 percent, or 5.99 million, out of 13.19 million customers in the industry had meters, leaving over seven million customers subjected to estimated billing.

NERC said it “is aware that some Distribution Companies have instructed customers to apply and pay for the replacement of faulty and obsolete meters within their franchise areas. 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 Order clearly states that no customer with a meter should be forcefully migrated to estimated billing. If any customer’s meter is adjudged by any DisCo to be obsolete or faulty, it is the responsibility of the DisCo to replace the meter free of charge, provided that the fault was not caused by the customer.

“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”.