A Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (Bescom) staff reading a meter in Bengaluru on September 04, 2023.
| Photo Credit: Murali Kumar K
Two years after the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (Bescom) started replacing old electro-mechanical meters with new electrostatic, or digital meters, the project has neared completion. So far, at least 17,90,882 electro-mechanical meters have made way for 17,12,977 digital meters.
According to data provided by Bescom, the replacement of 77,905 electro-mechanical meters is pending.
The meter replacement programme began in July 2022 in the four divisions of Bengaluru Metropolitan Area Zone (BMAZ). The replacement was undertaken after the old meters were unable to accurately record consumption.
Two private companies were tasked with the replacement of meters on a turnkey basis. So far, 3.92 lakh digital meters have been installed in the East circle, 3.35 lakh meters in West circle, 4.63 lakh in North circle, and 5.20 lakh in South circle of BMAZ.
Electro-mechanical meters replaced with digital meters
| Circle | Replaced meters | Pending |
| East | 3,92,961 | 7,747 |
| West | 3,35,504 | 3,501 |
| North | 4,63,895 | 24,035 |
| South | 5,20,617 | 42,622 |
| Total | 17,12,977 | 77,905 |
| Source: Bescom |
“The project will be completed in about 45 days in BMAZ,” said a senior official from Bescom.
While no charge was levied on consumers for the replacement of meters, Bescom incurs a cost of ₹959 to replace each old meter with a new one. Bescom has spent over ₹200 crore on this project so far.
Once the project is completed in BMAZ, Bescom plans to extend it to other areas, including the Bengaluru Rural Area Zone (BRAZ) and Bengaluru Rural Circle.
“We will also begin replacement in other districts in Bescom limits, like Davangare, Ramanagara, Kolar and Chitradurga. Around 6.75 lakh meters need to be replaced in those regions, which will take around one-and-a-half years,” the senior official said.
After the introduction of digital meters, several consumers had initially complained of discrepancies in their bills. Some had received higher bills while some had alleged that their consumption had gone up. Bescom officials had terms such complaints as rare cases at the time, and denied any glitch in the system.
“Of late, there has been no such complaint. Consumers are happy with digital meters,” the official said. Unlike the old meters, digital meters display voltage, maximum demand, load, current and old consumption rates, among other things.