Metering and Billing Systems

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Standard kWh meter

Advantages

Digital meter. Its price is about 120-150 USD
Standard kWh meter. Its price is about 40-50 USD
  • technique is "state of the art"
  • billing is fair and transparent 
  • reading can be uncoupled from tariff collection
  • allows amount and time related tariffs  (demand steering) 

Disadvantages

  • high costs (metering device)
  • especially at rural areas in dev. countries the investment cost for a meter unit are way out of range
  • dis- and re-connection in case of late payment

Digital meter. Its price is about 120-150 USD

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Standard kWh meter. Its price is about 40-50 USD

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  • technique is "state of the art"
  • billing is fair and transparent 
  • reading can be uncoupled from tariff collection
  • allows amount and time related tariffs  (demand steering) 

Disadvantages

  • high costs (metering device)
  • especially at rural areas in dev. countries the investment cost for a meter unit are way out of range
  • dis- and re-connection in case of late payment



Pre-paid system with coins or cards

Pre-paid system with coins or cards. Its price is about 40-80 USD

Advantages

  • fair and transparent
  • no meter reading
  • no overdue costs
  • no costs for dis- and re-connection
  • close to “ability to pay”-variations
  • coins less expensive than cards

Disadvantages

  • relatively high cost for metering device
  • less forgery proof
  • costs for re-collection of coins and selling system for coins/cards


Current limiter

Current limiter. The price may be less than 5 USD
Current limiter

Advantages

  • simultaneously protecting against overcurrent (actual purpose)
  • delimiting peak demand
  • no meter reading required; flat rates according to max. amperage

Disadvantages

  • danger of fraud and theft of switch fuses
  • additional costs for replacement of cut out fuses
  • time of usage not considered; less fair




Flat rate

Advantages

  • very cheap (no metering or delimiting device)
  • especially in rural areas of Indonesia quite common and accepted
  • can be combined with number of appliances or installed wattage (social control)

Disadvantages

  • provokes waste of electricity, no incentive for saving
  • no load control / demand steering possible (peaks)
  • less fair


Experience form Nepal : Innovative Metering


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