Municipality adopts smart meters to overcome issues with electricity usage
"Smart meters use a secure national commun"
Msukaligwa Local Municipality has decided to use smart meters to resolve electricity usage problems.
According to the municipality, they have conducted several studies and investigations to find the best possible solutions to its problems with the use of electricity.
The municipality will soon supply and install fully integrated smart meters at no cost to customers, home owners, businesses and other all other users of electricity in Msukaligwa.
According to municipal spokesman Mr Mandla Zwane, the smart meters will assist residents in controlling and managing their electricity usage by providing them with real time and accurate consumption of their electricity usage regardless of where they are.
“Consumers will no longer have to wait in queues or make calls to the call centre as consumers will have control of their meters, consumption and costs,” said Mr Zwane.
When asked how the smart meters will reduce over-billing and how different they are from the current prepaid system, Mr Zwane stated that currently consumption and usage is obtained from the existing meters by an individual physically visiting the meter and recording actual readings. In the event of a reading not being obtainable, an average consumption is calculated and charged.
“Smart meters use a secure national communication network to automatically and wirelessly send your actual usage to your mobile phone and to the municipality so that it is always correct and accurate,” added Mr Zwane.
