Power board prepares to put in place prepaid meters in Ggm

The Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (DHBVN) is preparing to get existing postpaid smart energy meters changed to prepaid ones in Gurugram, officials said on Tuesday.

According to senior officials, the conversions will be carried out on a large scale and are part of the smart city project. It will primarily focus on consumers living in government colonies by asking them to opt for the change.

The state-owned enterprise is offering a 5% discount on the monthly energy bill to any consumer who switches to a prepaid smart meter. Campaigns will be soon launched across Gurugram urging consumers to opt for prepaid meters.

These meters are installed with an internal communication module which provides wireless data connectivity. This facility enables DHBVN to remotely disconnect power supply in case of defaults in bill payments, or any other violations. “However, this remote disconnection facility will not be made functional right away as the entire system is new,” a senior official said.

PC Meena, managing director, DHBVN, said that residents of Sectors 14, 15-I, 17, 21-28, 30 to 32, 39, 40, 42 and 42, along with Udyog Vihar Phase-I to III, Palam Vihar, DLF Phase I-V, Sushant Lok I, Nathupur, Sikandarpur, Sukhrali, Jharsa, Chakkarpur, and Saraswati Vihar can approach officials to switch to prepaid meters instantly.

“Consumers can call 1912 or visit the DHBVN office for activation of prepaid meters free of cost. There are only 38 consumers who have switched to prepaid meters in Gurugram at present,” another official informed. “When prepaid meters get installed on a large scale, annual auditing of energy consumption will become accurate and fast,” he added.

According to another senior officer, meter readers face resistance, or are manhandled when they attempt to disconnect power supply in case of irregularities. “Such instances can be avoided as power supply can be stopped remotely with the help of a prepaid meter. It will also significantly reduce the margin of errors in the billing process,” he said.

The officer further said that prepaid smart meters will not only benefit DHBVN, but also consumers. “Consumers can recharge using a mobile-phone based app. Energy consumption can be monitored daily and a consumer can control energy use to keep bills in check. They will also receive alerts for low balance and no auto disconnections will take place on holidays,” he said.

Rajesh Nandal, DHBVN executive engineer for smart city project, said that around 1.95 lakh smart meters have been installed in urban areas of Gurugram by a private firm with which DHBVN entered into an agreement in January 2021. “They are yet to install 2.97 lakh meters which will provide connections with up to 50kw load for domestic and commercial use,” he said.