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With many households undergoing financial pressure from burgeoning electricity costs, it is not surprising to see a growing number of customers defaulting on bill payments.
The interest in prepay metering technologies by Tonga Power aims to provide a worthy solution for clawing back arrears and helping non-paying customers to achieve bill payment continuity.
Unlike the post-paid metering system where a customer is not in control of his consumption and only has visibility of his consumption once the bill is delivered, in the prepayment system the customer has full visibility and is in total control of the consumption.
In 2012, Tonga Power piloted a prepayment metering solution in Tongatapu where it trialed two single phase and two three phase meters. The result shows that both customers and TPL have benefited from the prepayment meters. Predicting when a disconnection might occur was no longer an issue for these customers as the prepayment meter can calculate how much they have left in their credit before they are out of power, based on their average daily consumption.
The main objective of the pilot project was to assess how customers respond to prepayment as an alternative to paying bills at the end of every month. Additionally the pilot also gave a gauge of the impact of prepayment on Tonga Power’s business efficiency, loss reduction and customer service delivery. Furthermore, the trial provides TPL with answers to determine which technology and prepayment method is most suitable for Tonga.
According to TPL Business Development Engineer Nikolasi Fonua, “The customers that have participated in the trial have all said that they would recommend prepayment to family and friends. This shows that there is a positive future for prepayment in Tonga. Prepayment will provide some much needed help for customers that experience multiple disconnections every year.”
Tonga Power has already started delivering benefits to some of our customers by undertaking trials and installing the four prepayment meters for the trial phase in Tongatapu. Our prepayment metering trial will also ensure we are equipped to rollout smart meters in the most efficient way to minimize cost and disruption to customers. The results and findings from the trials will help TPL to develop a plan for implementation of a multiple tariff system to protect customers in lower income households by first understanding consumer attitudes along with practical trials to determine the most cost effective way to ensure this project is effectively implemented.
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For more information contact:
Nikolasi Fonua
TPL Business Development Engineer
Tonga Power Ltd
P: (+676) 21400
E: nfonua@tongapower.to
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