HARARE The Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority has employed a consultant to take on the delayed pre-payment metering system, whose introduction was disturbed by the arrest of Energy and Power Development Minister Elton Mangoma.Under the new prepaid smart metering system ZESA will partially reduce load-shedding and other consumer grievances.
If fully implemented, the system will enable landlords and tenants to easily monitor their electricity use and spend as much as they can afford, thereby creating greater awareness and control of costs.
In an interview ZESA spokesperson Fullard Gwasira said the programme was now under way with the power utility having engaged a private company to do a feasibility assessment.
As you are aware the issue encountered tender and legal challengesbut obviously we are proceeding because it is the best practice for power utilities worldwide and we are going in that direction. We have contracted a consultant to determine
whether we want an ordinary prepayment metering system or a smart metering system. The difference is that with the ordinary system there is no communication with customers, but with the smart system we can communicate to see whether the customer is juiced up or not, said Gwasira.
The new system is coming at a time when electricity consumers are complaining about uneven distribution of power. Urban dwellers nationwide have been accusing ZESA of defrauding them by charging them for a service not rendered.
Post published in: News