NIGERIANS should be ready to spend more for electricity consumption with the noticeable improvement of power supply across the country. According to Peter Ewesor, managing director, Nigerian Electricity Service Agency, NEMSA, consumers need to conserve energy, adding that Nigerians must learn how to conserve energy in their homes to effectively minimize their electricity bills.

Ewesor stated this while addressing journalists in Abuja on the need to sensitise electricity consumers in the country on the standard expectations from the meters that electricity distribution companies, Discos, install in their homes and offices. He also noted the latest trend where customers have resorted to questioning  the functionality of their meters when faced with high electricity bill which they have consumed.

Ewesor noted that meters being installed by the Discos passed accuracy and compatibility tests administered by NEMSA before installation. According to him, the test is normally carried out to ascertain the functionality of these meters to avoid cases of custumers being cheated by their distribution companies and vice versa. He also observed that the agency had facilities to carry out required tests to declare that a meter was fit and proper for use in Nigeria.

“When there are complains of meter overrunning by consumers, the agency sends its officials out to verify such complaints. After installation, we deploy our men to go out there and check if the installations are properly done. When it is wrongly connected, the meters will read wrongly. We do follow up check to make sure that meters installed in the country are certified,” he said

Ewesor said some consumers who had been on five hours electricity supply before now, have had their supply increased to 10 to 18 hours daily due to increase in power generation. “Since power supply has increased, consumers have to pay more for the supply.

“Maybe a consumer, who was paying N3,000 monthly before now, has to triple the payment. But Nigeria consumers will still want to pay the same amount he used to pay when the power generation was low; this is wrong calculation. This is why every consumer has to do energy management or conservation in his house when electricity supply has improved so that he or she can pay less,” he said.

–  Jan. 26, 2018 @ 16:14 GMT