Energy board invites public to comment on prepaid metering

CEBU, Philippines - The Energy Regulatory Board is inviting the public to comment on the revised draft rules for an electric service using a prepaid metering system.

The rules provide residential customers a choice for energy management strategies as well as to establish technical standards for Prepaid Retail Electric Service (PRES) using a pre-payment metering system, among others.

Under the rules, a prepaid meter will be installed at the house of a residential customer to monitor the energy consumption. The consumer will be warned when his credit drops to the agreed threshold.

Distribution utilities offering a PRES using a prepaid metering system would allow residential customers to have easy access to electric energy credit for 24 hours to ensure continuous service.

The draft rules added that the prepaid meter should be certified by the International Electrotechnical Commission or the American National Standards Institute.

The prepaid meter will have the capability to show the current balance, time and date; to display the customer’s previous 30 day-period consumption and the number of days into the current 30-day-period followed by the consumption in kilowatt hour. — Mitchelle L. Palaubsanon/LPM  (THE FREEMAN)