Electrical Engineering experts from the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) Nanang Hariyanto rate, the increase in electricity costs to be paid by some residents due to lack of electricity usage calculations by PLN for the past three months.
That is because for three months, from February 2020 to April 2020, PLN officers could not directly check the electricity meter to residents’ homes because of the corona virus pandemic (Covid-19).
Thus, PLN is averaging the use of electricity by residents during the last few months in 2019 for electricity payments from February 2020 to April 2020. However, it turns out that the electricity costs paid by residents do not match the actual costs that must be paid.
It was known after PLN checked the meter directly to the residents of Pata May 2020. The shortage of payment was then charged to residents in May 2020 so that the electricity bills of the residents swelled.
Nanang also considered that the increase in the people’s electricity bills was due to the possibility of increased electricity usage during the period of working at home during the Covid-19 pandemic. However, to convince the public, Nanang hopes that PLN will soon implement a device called the smart meter. With this tool, the use of electricity can be read immediately after electricity is used.
Nanang also believes that in order to convince customers, an independent institution should be required, one of which is to monitor PLN’s electricity usage records. With the presence of an independent institution, the public will not be suspicious of the electricity bill provided by PLN. ***
Translated from Pikiran Rakyat