In a first, Prepaid electricity meters to be installed across Pakistan

[The Eagle]

In a first, Prepaid electricity meters to be installed across Pakistan
3 Sep, 2018

ISLAMABAD - Economic Coordination Committee of Cabinet has decided to disconnect electricity connections of consumers who fail to pay bills for three months.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the Committee, chaired by Finance Minister Asad Umar in Islamabad on Monday.

The meeting decided to install prepaid electricity meters .

It was also decided that an operational and financial audit of energy sector will be conducted.

 

[koolio]

In a first, Prepaid electricity meters to be installed across Pakistan
3 Sep, 2018

ISLAMABAD - Economic Coordination Committee of Cabinet has decided to disconnect electricity connections of consumers who fail to pay bills for three months.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the Committee, chaired by Finance Minister Asad Umar in Islamabad on Monday.

The meeting decided to install prepaid electricity meters .

It was also decided that an operational and financial audit of energy sector will be conducted.

This is a brilliant idea and great initiative, need to cut down on power thefts, upgrade power transmission lines to eliminate load-shedding.

 

[war&peace]

Excellent decision. According to my father, he has been paying around Rs 150,000 per month in electricity bills alone for three homes despite having solar panels installed on all three houses (5 KW, 18.5 KW and 28 KW).
We suspect the current meters are inaccurate and destroying our economy. With prepaid we will get a relief.

Power losses and corruption are also a major reason behind excessive power failures aka load shedding.

 

[IceCold]

I once saw a tv program and this by the way was in 90s where in UK they showed prepaid meters for electricity. It had some sort of strip that you take out from the meter, go to your nearest store, he than swaps it and tells you the amount, you pay and come back and install the strip. Some one from UK can better explain but the point i brought this up is to show how backwards we are really when compared to the rest of the world. Prepaid meters should had been installed ages ago. Plus the excessive burden of meter reader and their corruption can also be saved. Here we had a meter reader as opposition leader of the house.

 

[The Accountant]

In a first, Prepaid electricity meters to be installed across Pakistan
3 Sep, 2018

ISLAMABAD - Economic Coordination Committee of Cabinet has decided to disconnect electricity connections of consumers who fail to pay bills for three months.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the Committee, chaired by Finance Minister Asad Umar in Islamabad on Monday.

The meeting decided to install prepaid electricity meters .

It was also decided that an operational and financial audit of energy sector will be conducted.

This is a drawing room approach ... With digital meters issue of recovery is over you just need to ensure that if bills remained unpaid for 2 months then connection is terminated ... In today's world no one can live without electricity ...

So without changing to prepaid mode payment issue can be controlled with strict policies ... Real issue is power theft through KUNDA system ...

You have to strengthen the law and its implemntation for power theft ,,, Power theft should be treated a criminal offence as harsh as any other theft and rules for evidence should be modified to cover the real-life scenarios ...

 

[Menace2Society]

I once saw a tv program and this by the way was in 90s where in UK they showed prepaid meters for electricity. It had some sort of strip that you take out from the meter, go to your nearest store, he than swaps it and tells you the amount, you pay and come back and install the strip. Some one from UK can better explain but the point i brought this up is to show how backwards we are really when compared to the rest of the world. Prepaid meters should had been installed ages ago. Plus the excessive burden of meter reader and their corruption can also be saved. Here we had a meter reader as opposition leader of the house.

Yes you load up on the key at a shop and slot it back in. Its for people with bad credit rating. Usually its monthly or quarterly billed for what you use.

 

[IceCold]

Yes you load up on the key at a shop and slot it back in. Its for people with bad credit rating. Usually its monthly or quarterly billed for what you use.

Thank you. So this was done in the UK in the 90s and we are still looking for a solution to fix theft of electricity.

 

[Arsalan]

And have the cost of changing the meters nationwide being discussed? It will be in billions of rupees, massive!! Perhaps the same can be used elsewhere and the electricity theft can be resolved by making sure the policy (which is already in place) of jail time and fine is implemented.

 

[war&peace]

I once saw a tv program and this by the way was in 90s where in UK they showed prepaid meters for electricity. It had some sort of strip that you take out from the meter, go to your nearest store, he than swaps it and tells you the amount, you pay and come back and install the strip. Some one from UK can better explain but the point i brought this up is to show how backwards we are really when compared to the rest of the world. Prepaid meters should had been installed ages ago. Plus the excessive burden of meter reader and their corruption can also be saved. Here we had a meter reader as opposition leader of the house.

Even that was a very primitive technology compared to what we have today. Though I never used prepaid meters myself (because I always prefer flat rates due to relatively higher consumption in my household) but I know how these metres work.. now you can swipe a prepaid card and you can charge your account online. Pakistan should go for the latest technology available since those are a lot more energy efficient accurate and convenient to use.

 

[Menace2Society]

Any chance of moving those wires underground?

 

[Dubious]

Thank you. So this was done in the UK in the 90s and we are still looking for a solution to fix theft of electricity.

Not just UK, also in South East Asia 10 yrs ago

Any chance of moving those wires underground?

I never understood why they were never underground? We dont have snow/ frost issues in MOST of Pakistani regions so the wires are better underground then being cooked during summer!

I remember when they were building a street near my dadiyal....they repaired/ built it then broke it coz they had "forgotten" to put pipes...they made it again then broke it again coz they had forgotten to put in wires (so I always assumed the wires would be underground but they arent)

 

[war&peace]

I remember when they were building a street near my dadiyal....they repaired/ built it then broke it coz they had "forgotten" to put pipes...they made it again then broke it again coz they had forgotten to put in wires (so I always assumed the wires would be underground but they arent)

 

[Dark-Destroyer]

I once saw a tv program and this by the way was in 90s where in UK they showed prepaid meters for electricity. It had some sort of strip that you take out from the meter, go to your nearest store, he than swaps it and tells you the amount, you pay and come back and install the strip. Some one from UK can better explain but the point i brought this up is to show how backwards we are really when compared to the rest of the world. Prepaid meters should had been installed ages ago. Plus the excessive burden of meter reader and their corruption can also be saved. Here we had a meter reader as opposition leader of the house.

No in the uk for your pre paid meters you get a key now you take it to the shop and top up accordingly and put in your meter and there’s your electricity even have the same for gas meters and that’s for people who are either in debt or if they can’t afford monthly or quarterly billing

 

[Dubious]

Not funny yaar...the street was "being fixed" for more than 5 yrs (maybe more coz I dont recall seeing that street every fixed for more than a few weeks)! And now they claim they need to break it coz of some nala problems bus paisa daydo street bana nay kay liyea!

 

[war&peace]

Not funny yaar...the street was "being fixed" for more than 5 yrs! And now they claim they need to break it coz of some nala problems bus paisa daydo street bana nay kay liyea!

Sorry.. It reminded me of a joke that a Dr operated a patient, then forgot his tools in in patients body and has to operate again to get the tools out..

@Dubious mate, this is a typical example of corruption and mismanagement at the same time. They do it purposefully because each time they get their kick backs and contractor make money. This also shows the lack of planning and communication between multiple departments...thus there is a need for joint-planning and all the departments do it together to minimise the cost and time.