Kaduna Electric has announced that it has refunded overcharged customers who were billed through estimated billing methods.
Estimated billing entails charging unmetered electricity consumers based on their previous usage, without considering the actual amount of energy consumed.
Earlier reports revealed that the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) sanctioned 11 electricity distribution companies in February for overbilling customers by approximately N105 billion over nine months.
According to NERC, a review of billing practices for unmetered customers in 2023 showed non-compliance with the monthly energy caps set by the commission.
In response, NERC issued an order on Non-Compliance with Capping of Estimated Bills (Order No: NERC/2024/004-01 4), directing Discos to issue credit adjustments to all overcharged unmetered customers for the period January to September 2023 by the March 2024 billing cycle.
On February 23, Kaduna Disco pledged to adhere to the regulatory directive by refunding affected customers.
In a recent announcement on its official channel, Kaduna Electric confirmed its compliance with the NERC directive.
“As directed by NERC, Kaduna Electric has complied with the order to refund overcharged customers from January to September 2023. The full list of beneficiaries can be found on our website,” the Disco stated.
It remains unconfirmed whether other Discos have implemented the NERC order.
As of January 2024, only 5,885,687 out of Nigeria’s 13,231,807 electricity consumers have been metered.
