An expert on power, Ayotomiwa Adekahunsi, says a survey conducted by his firm showed that consumers are willing to pay for electricity consumed if they are metered transparently.

Mr Adekahunsi, who is the Chief Executive Officer of Q-Tech Nigeria Limited, said this on Wednesday in Abuja.

He said that poor metering remained a challenge in the country’s power sector.

“A survey was carried out by my company, and it was discovered that a lot of consumers are willing to pay their bills if the metering system is made more transparent and accurate.

“This means that the payment can only be done if the consumers are appropriately metered. We use metering to secure revenue. As you well know, within the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI), liquidity is a big problem.

“This means the power that is being generated, transmitted and distributed is not being paid for accurately. And this is not good for the business, and in no time, the problem might affect some operators to fold up,” he said.

Mr Adekahunsi said that with accurate metering, the Electricity Distribution Companies (DisCos) as well as the government would be able to secure revenue and improve the power supply in the country.

He said that Q-Tech deployed smart meters to some DisCos, adding, that the company’s target was government and large corporate entities,

“When you look at aggregate, technical and commercial losses, you would see that some of the sub-segments of customers who contribute to the revenue loss are with government or large corporate organisations.

“So, if we are able to adequately meter the consumers using powerful software and analytics application then you would be able to track and secure revenue for the DisCos and government.

“This also applies to the government organisations and corporate entities, with our smart meters, that will allow visibility into their consumption, usage payment and billing,” he said.

According to him, with the initiative, there is now a transparent platform and the willingness to pay is there.

“It is no longer a black box, where people just send you a bill and you don’t even know how it came about. But with this platform, which is the “power track,” you are able to see what you are using daily and monthly.

“As Nigeria’s energy landscape has evolved, demand has shifted toward smarter technologies capable of improving efficiency, transparency and accountability,” he said.

Mr Adekahunsi said that Q-Tech is making sure that the issue of liquidity is addressed in the power sector as it is expanding its expertise in intelligent metering and automation.

He said that the company would continue to strengthen its capabilities in conventional electrical engineering and power infrastructure.

“Looking ahead, Q-Tech’s commitment remains unchanged: to provide reliable power solutions and strengthen lasting partnerships.

“With this innovation, we continue to earn the trust of clients and communities through consistent performance, technical excellence and service delivery,” he stated.

(NAN)