Energy spending reduces for Nigerians with smart meters, says PPC
Nigerians who have replaced their old prepaid energy meters with new smart meters are enjoying premium energy savings, says PPC Limited, Nigeria’s leading engineering and infrastructure development company.
In a statement on Monday, the Head of Power Division at PPC, Engr Kelechi Onuigbo (Ph.D), said the ability to pay only for the units of energy used and control energy usage is just one of the numerous benefits of migrating to smart meter technology.
He explained that the real-time data produced by smart energy meters is crucial to reducing energy consumption and driving greater efficiency in utility management.
The energy expert said the ease and convenience smart prepaid meters offer are some of the reasons why PPC is supporting local manufacturers of smart metres with high-quality live wire sets that improve connectivity and data collection.
Onuigbo said, “We are committed to bridging the metering gap, increasing energy savings for Nigerians, reducing the revenue leakages, and ultimately improving last-mile electricity supply. PPC’s investment in high-quality live wire sets for prepaid meters is driving the quick rollout of prepaid meters and ensuring accountability in energy consumption.”
“The live wire sets are key components of any smart prepaid meter. The factory for the production of live wire sets is Located in Ojota, Lagos. The combined efforts of PPC and other industry stakeholders is driving the quick rollout of prepaid meters to electricity consumers in the country.”
Onuigbo added that the advanced technology for energy monitoring offers a cost-effective solution that can help businesses achieve tangible financial savings and support facility managers to optimise operations for maximum efficiency.
He added that power distribution companies are able to utilise the data from the smart meters for the optimisation of power networks.
The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) introduced the Meter Asset Provider (MAP) programme in 2018 in order to close the metering gap, and eliminate estimated billing. The initiative encouraged the local manufacturing of smart meters by companies in the country.
The scheme aims to address the issues of estimated billing of customers, close the metering gap, attract private investment in the provision of metering services, protect the revenue stream of the Electricity Distribution Companies (DisCos) and improve revenue optimization in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI).
PPC is keen on accelerating the robust upgrade of power infrastructure in the country and enabling widespread electricity access.