BEDC Kick Starts New Billing System

The Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) has introduced a new billing system and all customers under its network are being moved into the structure.
The company in a statement made available to the Leadership at the weekend said that the new billing format had commenced for customers in Edo “effective March 2016,” for all Maximum Demand (MD) customers and all other categories of customers.
BEDC said: “In order to provide better billing information to customers, BEDC has commenced migration to a new billing system named Electricity Billing Management System (EBMS).
Effective March 2016, the new billing format commenced for all Maximu Demand (MD) customers and all other categories of customer in Edo. Customers in Delta, Ondo and Ekiti will be moved to the new billing format effective April 2016,” the company said.
Sensitising the customers on the new billing system, the BEDC said reading of customers’ meter is expected to be done monthly or at least once in three months, but however noted that whenever a reading is not done in any month, an adjustment will be used with the subsequent reading.
Also, where a customer’s meter is found to be obsolete or incorrect, the meter reading will be suspended and direct/estimated billing will be utilised prior to the replacement of the meter. Such suspension will be notified to the customer via a letter.
“All customers under estimated billing will have their estimation done based on NERC approved cluster billing average methodology. Where bypass is noticed during meter reading and/or billing period, the read information may be suspended and customer billed appropriately on Direct/Estimated using NERC cluster billing methodology,” the statement said.
The programmes of the company including its billing system had earlier received accolades from customers including civil society activist, Reverend Olu Martins.
Martins had at forum, explained to residents of communities in Egor area of Benin, Edo state, that the reason why they are experiencing power outages arising from inadequate supply, was that BEDC is facing challenges due to inability of Generating Companies (GenCos) to generate more electricity for domestic and industrial needs.
Rev Martins, who made the assertion during a town hall meeting held in Ugbowo, said there was a great challenge of power in Nigeria with less than 5,000 megawatts to a population of 170 million, stressing that the current energy output of 1,500 was a reflection of the perennial energy crisis that was yet to be addressed.
He explained that the power sector had been starved with investment since 1984 whereas the country has increased in population and infrastructure.
The Civil Society activist added that current operators of BEDC spent huge amount to purchase the company and “it is only natural for them like businessman to get their returns on investment and equally make profit, hence they are to give services only to those who will pay for it”.