Oredola Adeola
The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has provided a portal to empower customers who were overbilled by eleven (11) electricity distribution companies (DisCos) between January and September 2023, to ascertain their energy refund balance.
This development was announced in a statement released by NERC on Wednesday and obtained by Advisors Reports.
The action comes in response to NERC’s order served to DisCos for non-compliance with capping orders and overbilling of customers during the period under review.
According to NERC, customers on estimated billings are expected to select their DisCo using the portal and enter their account number to receive their adjusted energy credit value.
Last week, Advisors Reports published a report revealing NERC’s plan to sanction all DisCos, compelling them to refund the amount overbilled to estimated customers from January to August 2023 through credit adjustment.
Additionally, NERC imposed a 10% fine of the Naira value of the total overbilling for the period January to September 2023 on all DisCos’ annual operating expenses (OpEx) over a rolling period of 12 months during the next tariff review.
Based on this development, Advisors Reports review of the order showed that Yola Electricity Distribution Company (YEDC) is expected to refund N541,888,623 to its customers through power credit adjustments, as it overbilled them by this amount during the first to eighth months of 2023.
NERC’s hammer also dropped on Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHEDC), with the order of a N14.2 billion to be refunded to its customers through credit adjustments, while a 10% fine of N1.4 billion is applied to DisCo’s annual OpEx to deter future non-compliance, within a rolling 12-month period during the next tariff review.
The Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) was also hit with a N10.5 billion refund to customers and a 10% fine of N1.05 billion, to be deducted from the DisCo’s annual allowed revenues over the next tariff review period, as a result of overbilling its customers in the period under review.
NERC’s sanctions against Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (Enugu DisCo) for overbilling its customers during the period include a N11.866 billion refund to customers and a 10% fine of N1.186 billion, which will be deducted from the DisCo’s annual allowed revenues over the next tariff review period.
The Eko Electricity Distribution Company (Eko DisCo) is also expected to refund N14,137,661,759 to its customers through power credit adjustments as overbilling, while a 10% fine of N1,413,766,176 will be deducted from its annual allowed revenues over a rolling period of 12 months during the next tariff review.
The Commission ordered the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) to refund N333,680,585 to its customers through power credit adjustments as overbilled and approved a deduction of N33.368,059(10%) of the Naira value of the total over-billing for the period under review, shall be applied to all the DisCo’s annual OpEx over a rolling period of 12 months during the next tariff review.
Ikeja Electric was ordered to refund N20.95 billion to customers as power credit adjustment and with a fine of 10% from annual revenues, totaling N2.095 billion, to prevent future overbilling.
NERC’s sanction on Kano Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO) includes a 10% fine and a refund of N196.9 million overbilling.
Jos Electricity Distribution Company has been ordered by NERC to refund N13,319,601,562 to its customers through power credit adjustments as overbilled, and a deduction of N1,331,960,156 shall be applied to all the DisCos’ annual OpEx over a rolling period of 12 months during the next tariff review to forestall further non-compliance.
The Kaduna Electric was ordered to refund N1.1 billion to its customers through power credits, while a 10% fine of N114.5 million is applied to DisCo’s annual expenses as sanction against the overbilling order.
Advisors Reports can confirm that customers are expected to click on Overbilled Energy Refund (nerc.gov.ng) to complete the process of ascertaining their Overbilled Energy Refund Balance from their respective DisCo.
The Commission also emphasised that at the billing cycle for energy consumed in February 2024, the DisCos shall reconcile the accounts and issues credits adjustments for all customers that were over-billed between January -September 2023 based on the Commission’s assessment.Meanwhile, the commencement of the enforcement Order took effect from February 12, 2024 and will remain effective until amended or revoked by the subsequent order issued by NERC.
Advisors Report gathered that the performance indicator by NERC regarding the assessment of compliance with Order on capping of estimated billing sought to ensure that the billing of unmetered DisCo’s customers is compliant with the methodology and the energy caps issued monthly by the Commission.
The Order provides that the DisCos are obligated to strictly comply with the monthly energy caps and that no unmetered customers shall be billed above the approved caps for the feeders serving the customers.
NERC noted that the DisCos’ persistent non-compliance with the Order on capping of estimated bills for the period of January and September 2023 has led to widespread customers dissatisfaction which has aggravated customers apathy to pay their bills thereby contributing to the liquidity issues in the NESI.
The regular meter number given or meter number was imputed according (this is where I usually get my over estimated bill or what they referred to as estimated billing) and returned cannot be found.
Funny
Good morning, for the past one year Nepa have been given my over bill pls I need all my refund