NT Reporter
Panaji
Amid fears among power consumers in the state that smart meters will inflate electricity bills, the Electricity Department’s nodal officer for the smart meter project, Mayur Hede, said that smart meters are not different from the existing electronic digital meters and will record the same energy consumption as the current meters.
“There will be no change as far as the power consumption is concerned and no change in the energy bills,” Hede said, adding that the smart meter app will shortly become functional.
“The app is more useful under prepaid mode although presently the meters are post-paid,” he said.
According to the Electricity Department, smart meters offer several advantages and empower consumers.
“The consumer gets information on consumption, voltage, power failure, etc. The app gives full information which existing meters don’t give,” the nodal officer explained.
To create awareness about the benefits of smart meters, the Electricity Department is distributing pamphlets, putting up posters and also plans to set up helpline kiosks to address residents’ queries.
At present, smart meters have been installed in some government and private buildings. In Panaji, around 20,000 meters have been installed in some housing complexes, and a few residents have already received electricity bills through the new meters. The target is to install one lakh smart meters in the near future.
“Multiple bills have been generated so far on smart meters, giving consumers the opportunity to check whether smart meters inflate the bill,” Hede pointed out.
Some consumers visited the Electricity Department on Friday requesting that smart meters be made optional and that they be allowed to continue using existing meters. Several housing complexes have also refused permission for the installation of smart meters.
A total of 7.5 lakh smart meters will be installed across Goa under a project fully funded by the Centre at a cost of Rs 890 crore. The project is being implemented under the central Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS), and the installation of smart meters is free of cost for consumers.
