The Jos Electricity Distribution Company (JED) has commenced the installation of 109,000 free prepaid meters to its customers on its Band A feeders.

JED’s acting head of corporate communications, Saratu Daudu, said in a statement on Tuesday in Jos that the exercise began on Monday.

Ms Daudu said that the gesture was in line with JED’s Distribution Sector Recovery Programme (DISREP) Metering Scheme.

The head of corporate communication said the initiative was aimed at improving service delivery and bridging the metering gap in its franchise areas of Bauchi, Benue, Gombe and Plateau states.

According to her, the exercise would focus strictly on providing meters for existing unmetered customers and replacing faulty meters only on Band A feeders.

She pointed out that such customers would be given a complete installation kit comprising the metre and User Interface Unit (UIU) (for checking token values) and a metre card.

“The scheme would not cover new connections. New connections must apply through the Metre Asset Provider (MAP) Scheme, as no direct connection on Band A feeders will be allowed.

“The new prepaid meters featured advanced technology to enhance efficiency, security, and transparency, such as automated token uploads, which eliminate the need for manual entry via the UIU.

“The metre’s geo-lock functionality ensured meters only operated at the assigned GPS location in JED Plc’s database.

“The new prepaid meters allow customers to have real-time consumption monitoring, with alerts sent to JED PLC when tokens are exhausted or in cases of prolonged non-purchase.

“The meters also have tamper and bypass detection, with instant notifications sent to JED PLC for any interference,” she explained.

Daudu said that in line with regulatory requirements, customers benefiting from the DISREP Metering Scheme were required to visit the nearest JED office after installation to validate their debt profile.

The head of corporate communication said such customers would also be eligible for discount offers under the ongoing debt validation and discount promo.

She said that there was a 30 per cent discount for customers who cleared their total debt in full.

Ms Dauda said customers who choose to repay their debts in instalments within three years would enjoy a 25 per cent discount.

The official emphasised that the DISREP meters were also completely free of charge and warned customers who were unmetered on its Band A feeders not to make any payments to staff or agents for meters or installations.

“Any customer who makes such payments does so at their own risk, as the company will not be liable for any losses incurred,” she warned.

She appealed to all customers, especially those on Band A feeders, to cooperate fully with its staff during metre validation and profiling visits.

She urged the company’s clients to report fraud-related complaints with evidence through the company’s communication channels.

(NAN)