Overbilling: Uncalibrated meters ‘mad’ – KT Hammond

The enormous problems with the electricity meters that have resulted in billing anomalies are an indication those meters supplied are “mad”, K T Hammond, Member of Parliament for Adansi Asokwa, has said.

According to him, the bills Ghanaians are paying for electricity consumption are not reasonable because the meters are not of the highest quality.

The state power distributor, the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), has faced severe criticisms lately regarding the anomalies in its billing system. The Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) directed the ECG to suspend the use of its new billing software following the numerous complaints it received from Ghanaians.

But Mr Hammond, who is a Ranking Member of the Energy and Mines Committee in Parliament, said the billing software alone could not be the cause of the problems but the fact that the meters were not calibrated.

Speaking on ‘Ekosii Sen’ on Accra-based Asempa FM Wednesday June 22, he said the meters are ‘mad’ because they were not calibrated by the Ghana Standards Authority.

Touching on the promise made by President John Dramani Mahama that the government was working to offer Ghanaians relief in electricity bills, Mr Hammond said Ghanaians could only hope that the president would live up to his promise by the 1st July deadline.

President Mahama said the Electricity Company of Ghana would from July 1, 2016, begin implementing a new billing cycle which would address concerns of overbilling.