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Smart Meter: On one hand, many political parties in Bihar are opposing smart prepaid meters. On the other hand, the administration is also continuously making people aware about smart meters. In this series, recently Nalanda district DM Shashank Shubhankar and officials of the electricity department cleared the misconceptions spread among the people regarding smart meters. He said that electricity consumers are getting many important benefits from smart meters. Old meters are being replaced and smart meters are being installed without any charge. Apart from this, 3 percent discount is also being given to the consumers on recharge, which is one of the biggest features of smart meter.
discount on recharge
According to the DM, a total discount of 3 percent is being given to consumers on recharge of prepaid smart meter, which includes 1.5 percent on prepayment, 1 percent on online recharge and 0.50 percent financial benefit on smart meter. Its objective is to encourage consumers to use smart meters. If consumers keep a deposit of Rs 2000 or more in their account, they will also get the benefit of interest. Interest will be given at 6.75 percent bank rate on deposits up to three months, 7 percent on deposits of three to six months and 7.25 percent on deposits more than six months.
Real time information of power consumption is available
Smart meters provide consumers with real-time electricity consumption information, allowing them to monitor their consumption and save energy. Apart from this, it is helpful in preventing electricity theft and the possibility of error is also reduced due to automatic calculation of electricity bill. Consumers get the facility to monitor their consumption through online platforms and also get information about power cuts in advance. Along with this, smart meter also has the facility of load management, which alerts consumers in case of excessive power consumption.
payment of outstanding amount in installments
Before installing smart meters, consumers are being given the facility to pay the outstanding electricity bills in installments, thereby saving them from the financial hassle of making lump sum payment. If due to any reason the electricity connection is cut, the consumer can switch on the electricity for 72 hours through the push button installed in the meter. This facility will be available once a month.
Other benefits of smart meter
- Real-time information about power consumption is available.
- Helps in preventing electricity theft.
- Electricity bill calculation is automated, so chances of error in bill are less.
- Consumers can monitor their electricity consumption online.
- This helps in controlling power consumption, thereby saving energy.
- Smart meters have the facility of remote reading, which does not require a meter reader.
- Information about power cut is available in advance.
- The consumer gets the option to choose the electricity rate based on his electricity consumption.
- Smart meters feature load management, which gives alerts on excess power consumption.
- It is environment friendly, as it helps in saving energy.
