Shri Manohar Lal, Minister of Power, submitted a written reply to the Lok Sabha that, in a major development for India’s power distribution sector, a total of 4.93 crore smart meters have been installed across the country, with 1.6 crore meters functioning in prepaid mode.
Under the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS), smart metering works have been sanctioned for 19.79 crore consumers in prepaid mode, 2.11 lakh feeders, and 52.53 lakh distribution transformers (DTs), totaling 20.33 crore smart meters, based on proposals submitted by the states and distribution utilities. So far, 3.58 crore smart meters have been installed under the scheme, while the balance have been deployed by states under their respective plans or other schemes.
Traditionally, postpaid service has been the default mode for electricity consumers. However, considering the multiple benefits to both consumers and distribution utilities, the deployment of prepaid smart meters has been prioritized under RDSS. Installation is being focused initially on government establishments, commercial, industrial, and high-load consumers, followed by other consumers based on the demonstration of benefits.
For consumers, prepaid smart meters offer several advantages, including:
- Convenience of recharge with small amounts
- Emergency credit in the meter to avoid disconnection on zero balance
- Tracking of consumption
- Error-free billing
Distribution utilities also stand to gain from prepaid smart metering through improved billing and collection efficiency, automatic energy accounting, enhanced load forecasting, and the use of data analytics for demand-side management. The benefits to utilities are eventually passed on to consumers in the form of better services and lower costs.
Initially, challenges in implementing smart metering arose due to inadequate consumer awareness. To improve engagement and confidence, the Ministry has issued several advisories and Standard Operating Procedures (SoPs), including:
- Incentivizing consumers for prepaid meter installation through bill rebates
- No penalties based on maximum demand recorded by smart meters
- Recovery of past arrears in easy installments
- Installation of check meters to enhance confidence in accuracy
- Availability of smart meter mobile apps for consumption tracking and easy recharge
- Advance alerts for balance and emergency credit to consumers.
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