The Enugu Electricity Distribution PLC (EEDC) has said that it will from the April 2020 energy bill begin to reflect the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) order on capping of estimated bill.

It explained that energy consumed in the month of March will only reflect in April energy bill, in line with the billing cycle.

Head of Communications, EEDC, Emeka Ezeh, who stated this in Enugu, disclosed that the company has already initiated every necessary arrangement to ensure the smooth implementation of the directive.

He then, enjoined customers who had received their March bill, for energy consumed in the month of February, to pay their current energy bills in full, as well as any arrears.

The regulator, NERC had on February 20, 2020, issued an order capping estimated billing which repealed the estimated billing methodology as a basis for computing the consumption of unmetered customers.

The development had sparked off speculations that the distribution companies were directed by NERC not to bill the unmetered customers anything above N1,800.

But Ezeh debunked the claim, explaining that the regulator had actually provided thresholds which the distribution companies were expected to use in billing unmetered customers within their respective network.

Eze emphasised that: “It is also important to note that these thresholds are not uniform, as there are variations”.

He also urged the unmetered customers within the EEDC network to take advantage of the ongoing Meter Asset Provider (MAP) scheme to procure their smart prepaid meters.

MAP is a metering programme designed and approved by the Federal Government and the NERC to close the inherited metering gap in the sector.

The Disco has had running battle with electricity customers in the five South East states in recent times especially when there was strong speculation of likely increase in electricity tariff.

A group of South East journalists under the auspices of Izunwanne, the National Unity Forum (NUF) and others had protested move by the EEDC to suddenly phase out standalone meters, saying that it had further aggravated the “untold hardship electricity consumers in the South East zone are subjected to”.