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SUNDAY, 04 SEPTEMBER 2011 17:45 PAUL ANTHONY A. ISLA / REPORTER
VISAYAN Electric Co. Inc. (Veco)—the power retail arm of Aboitiz Power Corp. (Aboitiz)—targets to pilot test about 1,000 prepaid meters next year,” Sebastian Lacson, the company chief reputation officer, said.
In an interview, the AboitizPower official said he recalls Veco placing an order for 1,000 prepaid meters.
Lacson said they will need to test the prepaid meters. “Though nothing has been finalized, it’s still early and I can’t even tell you where, he added.
Ricky Lacson, Veco vice president for administration, said they have yet to determine the approach and kind prepaid meters will be used in the system. He added that one major concern is the cost of the meters.
Apart from identifying the meters, Lacson said that they are looking identifying areas within franchise to pilot test the meters.
“Nothing is concrete yet, maybe by next year we will have something more concrete. We did plan on smart meters before but the first batch was quite expensive,” he said.
Juan Antonio Bernad, AboitizPower for vice president, earlier said the full use of prepaid meters might still take awhile.
In May last year, Bernad said the prepaid meter plan is not yet practicable and they have to ascertain its cost benefits. He added that they have to wait until the cost of the prepaid meters will go down.
The official added that the rules set by the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) seemed to favor consumers as startup will provide users two months’ worth of prepaid electricity.
Bernad also pointed out that clients might prefer the prepaid scheme as payment will be made in smaller but more regular terms rather than on a monthly basis. “In essence, you break up the bill to smaller and more affordable components,” he added.
In Singapore, Bernad said prepaid electricity is offered not only for convenience but also as a platform for competitive open access.
In August 2009, the ERC approved the rules for Prepaid Retail Electricity Service (PRES) using the prepaid metering system.
With the issuance of these rules, distribution utilities may now file their applications with the ERC to offer PRES to residential customers using a prepaid metering system.
As required under the rules, the prepaid electricity meter system must have the capabilities to load the purchased energy, display real-time information on how the load is being consumed, and give warning that the load is close to zero, thereby providing a sufficient buffer before electricity is completely disconnected.
The distribution utilities should also provide reasonable means from which the residential electricity consumers will have easy access to the purchase of the electric-energy credit for 24 hours daily to ensure continuous electricity service.
ERC added that the cost of the metering system is to be shouldered by the distribution utilities and that no meter deposit will be collected from the consumer. It further noted that distribution utilities are required to source prepaid meters that are certified and compliant to the standards of the International Electromechanical Commission or the American National Standards Institute. Prepaid meters should be further subjected to ERC testing and certification.
Existing postpaid consumers will also have the option to apply for PRES on a voluntary basis.
ERC said a six-month trial period will be available to interested customers to give them the opportunity to assess the impact of using the new system.
ERC pointed out that a consumer who opts to permanently move to PRES, under a minimum retention period of 24 months, will be entitled to the refund of his/her bill deposit including the interest earned, net of outstanding obligations with the distribution utility.
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