Smart meters threaten zero electricity bills plan

EARLIER, CONSUMERS WHO HAD PUT UP SOLAR SYSTEMS AT HOME HAD TO ONLY PAY FOR UNITS USED MORE THAN GENERATED UNDER SOLAR POWER

- Siddharth Gadkari

PUNE: Consumers rue that the installation of time of day (TOD) meters by the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL) has failed the Centre's Pradhan Mantri Surya Ghar Yojana to install solar systems in one crore homes to reduce electricity bills to zero. They claim that though the smart meters will track electricity generation, bills have to be paid as usual.

In the Pune circle, 31,000 TOD meters have already been installed.

Earlier, consumers who had put up solar systems at home had to only pay for units used more than generated under solar power.

Units generated more than used were credited to their account to be paid by the power utility at the year's end. Smart meters will facilitate accurate power generation and usage.