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[av_heading heading=’SP starts PECO probe ‘ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
BY GLENDA SOLOGASTOA
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Wednesday, May 3, 2017
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ILOILO City – The Sangguniang Panlungsod’s (SP) committee on transportation, energy and public utilities starts investigating today the complaint against Panay Electric Company for alleged overbilling.
Councilor R Leone Gerochi, committee chairperson, leads the investigation.
Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog pressed for the probe and urged the city council to come up with a “regulatory ordinance to protect the rights of our burdened consumers.”
If the complaint turned out to be valid and had legal basis, Mabilog said, a complaint may be filed before the Energy Revolutionary Commission, he added.
In this first round of investigation, Gerochi said, he invited PECO’s billing personnel to determine how its consumers’ electricity bills are computed.
The probe is open to the public.
Gerochi also said he would be asking from PECO a copy of the power distributor’s contract with the company it tapped to conduct meter readings.
Aside from the city council probe, PECO may also face a congressional inquiry.
Stumped with complaints from consumers, the sole electrical power distributor in the city is considering reforms in its systems to address erroneous billing, among other issues.
PECO may offer a long-term payment plan for accumulated bills and create a task force focusing on billing and meter reading concerns, said Vice President for Operation Randy Pastolero.
Under the payment plan, PECO consumers may settle accumulated bills in monthly installments without surcharges.
Disconnection of meters of all affected consumers will be suspended, said Pastolero.
On top of an existing verification team, the “task force for field verification” will immediately verify questionable billings and adjust billing errors, said Pastolero.
PECO plans to reformat its electric bill to include a six-month meter reading information, including the meter reading, the date and the consumption, and the next meter reading schedule.
It also considers providing a call-and-text mobile phone hotline that will entertain inquiries on meter reading and billing — specifically, respond to queries within 24 hours from sending a template acknowledgment text.
PECO may also partially implement an advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) program wherein 1,000 units of “smart meters” will be installed starting this month.
Meter reading accuracy is an advantage of the smart meters. No manpower is required to read them, PECO said. Smart meters could be a “permanent solution” to billing issues, the company added.
“All readings are programmed to go directly to the computers of PECO without any actual meter readers needed on the field,” said Corporate Communications Officer Mikel C. Afzelius. “This eliminates the human factor in meter reading and customers can fully rely on the accuracy of the billing.”/PN
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