The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission has warned electricity distribution companies against collecting money from its customers to replace their old meters that are not embedded with the software to enable their upgrade.

NERC stated in a statement that it is aware that some Distribution Companies (DisCos) have instructed customers to apply and pay for the replacement of faulty and obsolete meters within their franchise areas.

All meters across the world are expected to undergo a software upgrade by November 24 to enable them to recharge new electricity tokens due to the limitation in their current system.

According to the statement, the instruction contravenes the commission’s Order No. NERC/246/2021 on the Structured Replacement of Faulty and Obsolete End-Use Customer Meters in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry.

“The order clearly states that no customer with a meter should be forcefully migrated to estimated billing. If any customer’s meter is adjudged by any DisCo to be obsolete or faulty, it is the responsibility of the DisCo to replace the meter free of charge, provided that the fault was not caused by the customer.”

NERC restated its commitment to protecting customers’ interests and rights by ensuring compliance with established regulatory standards and enforcing regulatory penalties for non-compliance by its licencees.

The commission advised customers to report cases of non-compliance to the Order by any DisCo.