Smart meters project a myth
After receiving an official response from the SED for Technical Services, Lindile Zincume, it seems the project might not be available to residents in the near future.
The saga surrounding the smart meter project, which has been ‘imminent’ for some time, took another turn into the unknown depths of local governance.
Questions were posed to the municipality and, after receiving an official response from the SED for Technical Services, Lindile Zincume, it seems the project might not be available to residents in the near future.
“It is difficult to answer the question because I am not sure of the municipality’s communication plan with regards to the smart meters,” he said. “There is R23-million that has been set aside to implement water meters. I have requested the water guys to ask their potential service providers to incorporate an electricity module on the meter or an ability to incorporate an electricity module when requested.”
At a press briefing in February this year, Mayor Afzul Rehman gave feedback on a renewable energy summit he had attended in Abu Dhabi, and mentioned the pilot project would roll out in the near future.
“The municipality is also participating in the Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs project for smart meters in a Public Private Partnership (PPP) format,” Mr Zincume continued. “I am not certain how to communicate this as there are a lot of details which are not yet available,” he concluded.
A comment on one of the previous articles published on www.newcastleadvertiser.co.za , painted a picture of residents coming up with their own solutions to the problem of monitoring electricity usage accurately.
The comment read: Unfortunately smart meters also come at a price and the tariff per KW per hour is much higher. It is better to install your own power use meter. You can then manage your power use.
