BEL is asking consumers to trust its billing system, even as complaints about higher electricity bills continue to mount. Executive Chairman Lynn Young says employees have occasionally misread meters, but BEL corrects those mistakes. He argues that deliberately manipulating the computerized system to overcharge selected customers would be extremely difficult.
Lynn Young
Lynn Young, Executive Chairman, BEL
“How do you suggest we assure them? This is what we are trying to do. I understand people being skeptical about big companies. That is something that all companies face. You are from Channel 5 I am pretty sure you have had some skepticism about your news coverage and other things. We have to be factual, honest about what is happening. If we find we have done something wrong, we say it, hey there is a mistake here and we make the correction. There have been instances of people making mistakes when they read the meters, people put a nine for a six and when we have that situation we correct. But to systematically be charging people higher than they should be charged, nothing is impossible, but if you understand the billing system it is a computer system, it would take a lot of genius to manipulate it so they can pick somebody.”
Are BEL’s New Electronic Meters Costing Consumers More?
BEL is modernizing how it measures electricity use, one meter at a time. The company has already replaced more than forty thousand older units and wants every customer connected to an electronic meter by 2028. But the rollout is raising a pressing question among consumers: are the new meters contributing to higher bills? Executive Chairman Lynn Young says they are not. According to him, the devices simply provide a more accurate reading.
Lynn Young
Lynn Young, Executive Chairman, BEL
“There is another issue that has come to our attention, and we need to be upfront about it. It is the issue of the new meters. The company is implementing a system of putting in electronic meters, which are far more accurate. The electronic meters, which are far more accurate. The electronic meters are accurate between one point five percent, plus the minus, where the old meters have an accuracy rate between three plus minus and three percent. So, they are more accurate to start with. If anybody understand electrical they will know that old meters, if they are going bad, they may actually, many be under recording that over recording. They have these coils set up in them that if it is malfunctioning it might not be recording accurately than reading more. So, when we changed an old meter for a new meter we realized yes, some people might be getting more accurate reading.”
Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.
Watch the full newscast here:
