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lose to the month’s end, if you stepped out of your house in daylight, you might notice individuals standing next to the electricity poles, their gaze fixed on the energy meters. Some would be trying to take images of the meters with their cell phones. This exercise isn’t for fun; it is part of their efforts to keep track of the units consumed during the billing month.
As the power distribution companies’ slab system works in a rather tricky way, every single unit matters. The consumers are compelled to check whether they’ve crossed a slab or not. This is often meant to compare their readings with those of the official meter readers, especially in the event of overbilling.
It was in this context that the government recently launched an online service, called Apna Meter Apni Reading, to empower the electricity consumers across Pakistan (excluding Karachi’s KE users). As the name suggests, the service allows the consumers to submit their meter readings directly via their smartphones.
In order to avail the service, one has to download the mobile app, Power Smart, on their phones. The government claims that this app is aimed at keeping overbilling in check, eliminating faulty readings and increasing transparency.
The app, which has been developed by Power Information Technology Company, is available in five languages — English, Punjabi, Sindhi, Pashto and Balochi. The idea is to reach a broad user base. It is easy to download and sign up on. The user is required only to enter their name, CNIC number, phone number and a password. Then they are good to go.
Both the meter owner and the tenant can sign up. Once they have signed up, they need to provide their 14-digit electricity meter number in order to get the designated meter-reading date. Next, they are asked to upload the image of their meter. If submitted on time, the click overrides the one recorded later by the meter reader. The app then confirms submission and provides a usage summary.
The good part is that the app can help one avoid crossing the slab thresholds in which just one extra unit can spike a low unit bill from Rs 2,300 to over Rs 8,000. The app is expected to reduce chances of overbilling and remove human error, putting the control in the hands of the consumer. Moreover, it supports regional languages for easy access and operates as a free service.
Users’ side of the story
As per App Brain, the Power Smart app (which hosts the Apna Meter Apni Reading feature) has been downloaded over 830,000 times at the time of writing this story. Over the previous 30 or so days, it is said to have averaged 25,000 downloads per day.
“The vast majority cannot navigate the mobile phone application. Besides, Internet access is patchy at many places. So, while the idea looks progressive on paper, its utility is limited in practice.”
This scribe downloaded the app but received a message that the meter reading date had passed. Other consumers too shared similar experiences. Abdullah Bhatti, who owns a convenience shop, said, “Our electricity consumption had never exceeded 100-200 units, but this month [our meter] showed more than 200 units being consumed. As a result we were charged Rs 23,000 despite minimal consumption.”
On the other hand, Rizwan Haider, a resident of Gulberg II, said he’d rate the app “10 out of 10.” He was of the view that the app had “revolutionised my relationship with the Lesco. At last, transparency has replaced guesswork in billing.”
Iftikhar Alam, a journalist reporting on the power sector, regarded the app as “one of those cosmetic measures that will do you no good.” According to him, the power distribution companies (DISCOs) operating across the country — LESCO, SEPCO, GEPCO, FESCO, PESCO, MEPCO, TESCO and QESCO — supply electricity to nearly 40 million consumers, which include residential users, industrial units (around 3-5 million) and 1.5-2 million agricultural connections. Additionally, there are bulk supply connections like streetlights and public sector consumers. Apna Meter Apni Reading allows consumers to submit their meter readings, apparently to address longstanding complaints of overbilling. “It is quite like those agriculture related apps previously launched by the Punjab government. Such initiatives end up being showpieces rather than practical solutions,” he added.
The real question, according to Alam, is as to how many (of the 40 million electricity consumers) are able to use this app. “The vast majority cannot navigate such a mobile phone application. Besides, internet access is patchy at many places. So, while the idea looks progressive on paper, its utility is limited in practice,” he said, adding that overbilling was caused by systemic instructions, not technical flaws.
“The DISCOs frequently boast about high recovery rates. Those are often achieved by counting pending recoveries towards current metrics. Overbilling is seldom accidental. It is mostly engineered.”
Alam cited a recent report in which the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority had highlighted that in the last year alone, overbilling by 7-8 DISCOs had totalled Rs 244 billion. This figure doesn’t account for all power companies, he added. “Apna Meter Apni Reading is being projected as a quick fix, but the way it functions is deeply flawed. When a consumer submits a [meter] reading via the app — basically, by uploading a photo — it is supposed to override the reading by the meter reader. If the photo submitted doesn’t match the DISCO’s own record, or if it is submitted late (even by a few hours), it is rejected.”
Alam commented that the meter reading schedules “are arbitrary. A consumer may be told that their reading will be taken on the 24th of every month, but the DISCO might decide to record on the 20th or the 23rd of the following month. There’s no consistency or transparency.”
Ahsan Raza is theeditor of Minute Mirror. He can be reached atahsanbudhhotmail.com