Latest news with #meterreading
Arab News
29-06-2025
- Business
- Arab News
Pakistan launches mobile app allowing power consumers to submit meter readings
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday inaugurated a mobile application that allows power consumers in Pakistan to record and submit their meter readings themselves, with the government saying the initiative will introduce more transparency in the electricity system and reduce overbilling. Electricity bills are generated in Pakistan every month by readings obtained from power meters installed at homes and businesses. These readings show the number of electricity units consumed during a monthly cycle and are taken by meter readers employed by power companies. Pakistani power consumers have frequently complained of overbilling and incorrect readings taken by meter readers. To include power consumers in the process and to bring more transparency to the electricity system, the Power Division said it had launched the Power Smart App under the government's 'Apna Meter, Apni Reading' (Your Meter, Your Reading) slogan. 'And this app, this technology, this reform, is a revolutionary technological reform whose benefit will reach every consumer in every home,' Sharif told participants at the app's launching ceremony. He urged Energy Minister Sardar Awais Leghari and his ministry to strictly monitor the use of the app to ensure power consumers avail its benefits. 'I would want you to introduce this app to every home from Karachi to Peshawar,' the prime minister told the energy minister. In a press release, the Power Division said consumers can use the app by taking a picture of their meter on a specified date and uploading the image to the app. Based on the picture, their monthly bill will be generated Highlighting the features of the app, the Power Division said If both the consumer and the meter reader upload the readings, the lower reading will be used to generate the bill. It further said that if the consumer submits a reading on a designated day, any reading taken by the meter reader after that date will not be accepted. The Power Division pointed out that this method will prove beneficial for consumers eligible for power subsidies. 'For example, a consumer using up to 200 units typically receives a bill of around Rs2,330 but crossing just one additional unit results in the loss of subsidy, raising the bill to around Rs8,104,' the Power Division said. 'Through this app, it will be ensured that eligible consumers can timely submit readings and continue to benefit from subsidies.' Pakistan has aggressively pursued reforms in its energy sector recently, which has long struggled with financial strain due to circular debt, power theft and transmission losses. These problems have led to blackouts and high electricity costs throughout the country, especially during the summers when demand peaks.
Yahoo
23-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
A Fredericton man was perplexed by his high power bills. He was paying the wrong bill
Bob Gibson couldn't figure out why his power bill was so large. He had his heat pump assessed and parts replaced–even installing a new thermostat. Then, last month, he discovered he'd been paying his neighbour's bill for nearly two years. "We looked at the meter ,and then we compared it to our bill and they didn't match," Gibson said. The meter on Gibson's Fredericton home was replaced in late 2023. It wasn't long after that he saw his consumption start to rise, although at first not particularly quickly. After the winter of 2023-2024, Gibson was convinced that something wasn't right and was told by N.B. Power that the increased consumption was likely due to weather. He also began examining power-hungry appliances in his home to see if something was wrong with them. "It wasn't alarming initially," he said. "The consumption went up and it just didn't make any sense. We've done a lot of things. We spent a lot of money on checking our heat pump, our switches, changed the thermostat … and it still didn't make any difference. The consumption still went up and up and up. WATCH | Meter mix-up means N.B. man paid neighbour's power bill for nearly 2 years: Gibson's February and March bills were more than $600, even though he and his wife were away both those months. Before leaving, Gibson said, he turned off his hot water heater and set the thermostat to 12 to prevent the house from freezing. "And it just seemed that there's no way that consumption could be that high if we're not in the house using power." When raised with N.B. Power, Gibson was told he could pay out of pocket to get his meter assessed. The technician sent to the house quickly discovered that the number on the meter did not match the one tied to Gibson's account. "The rep that came to actually change the meter, he said, 'We don't need to change the meter. Check the number you have. You have the wrong billing interface.'" Phil Landry, the director of N.B. Power's project management office, said there are procedures in place to prevent such mistakes. "When our meter installers get to their premise, first thing they do is to verify their work order and address," he said. "Then they take a picture of the old meter and the new meter to assure that we're in the right place and we're putting the meter on the right premise. "Before we actually bill, the system will look to see if the consumption aligns with what's typical for that area. So that will pick up an error as well." Landry added that these types of errors are extremely rare. But with the installation of thousands of meters per year as part of the utility's smart meter roll out, there are a handful of mistakes each year. Once an error is identified, Landry says the utility works with the customer to find out what happened and work toward a solution. Gibson says that it took a month to six weeks for a formal response from N.B. Power. N.B. Power gave Gibson a credit for $5,000–after applying his actual consumption for the beginning of the year that credit now works out to $3,775. However, Gibson says he still wants to see a detailed breakdown of his actual consumption over the last few years. "It's been bothersome over the last few years, particularly when you have your heat turned down and you're away for a vacation period of time and the consumption is through the roof," he said. "It's disturbing, it's upsetting and I don't feel N.B. Power has really done their job on following up and being diligent and being in contact with me."
