Tangedco plans to introduce automated meter reading

Tangedco has initiated the assessment of meter reading by directly downloading the units from the digital meters against the manual reading, which was, hitherto, the normal practice.

Tangedco is working on a new system of automated meter reading wherein the number of units consumed is directly downloaded from the meters against the present practice of assessors manually noting down the reading and then uploading it on the portal.

The power utility has introduced its new system for a section of consumers beginning this month. The automated downloading of units would be carried out by field assessors and the local engineering staff on a trial basis before being implemented across the State. Tangedco’s latest initiative is expected to be helpful to domestic consumers who have been facing issues of errors in reading by the assessors. This could also be a prelude to the power utility’s plan to launch smart meters, which is to be funded by the Centre, next year.

Special software

A senior official said a software package had been created for downloading readings directly from the optical port of the meters and automatically upload the data to the individual consumer accounts completely removing the manual intervention in the whole process.

The software will download the meter reading in Tangedco app with the officials able to monitor the assessors not involved in the “malpractice of manual reading”. The information technology wing of Tangedco will soon roll out the software through mobile network to speed up the process. Once the smart meters are installed, the app will be useful for downloading the units consumed.

Tangedco has started this automatic uploading of meter reading for current transformer (CT) service connections (a service connection which has more than 50 kilo watt). The normal domestic consumers are designated as non-CT service connections as their load would be less than 50 KW. As per the latest statistics, Tangedco has more than six lakh CT consumers.

At present, the trial reading is being carried out in 440 electricity distribution circles (EDCs) with five section offices of the EDCs selected for this purpose in the State.