ILOILO City – Power consumers here are assured of accurate electric meter readings, thanks to modern technology.
MORE Electric and Power Corporation (MORE Power), the city’s sole power distributor, has invested in a state-of-the-art meter test bench to achieve this.
This five-position test bench has the capability of testing five power meters in three minutes, and a portable desktop meter test station can be brought to different sites during fieldwork, according to Engineer Emil Joseph Cahuya, assistant manager of MORE Power’s metering department.
“Tungod calibrated siya sang ERC (Energy Regulatory Commission), accurate siya. Imported ini, bangud sini, confident kita nga accurate ang metro nga gina-deploy sa field. Fair ini sa MORE Power kag sa customer,” added Cahuya.
Whenever MORE purchases a new set of electric meters, the company’s metering department could check individually each meter if it is defective or it is not calibrated correctly.
“Benefits nya is maka-testing kita sa mga meters halin sa field or meter nga bag-o gani ma-test natun ang iya accuracy. Bal-an naton kung ang meter nga na is fit gamiton or indi. Advantage sini sa operation kay testing position, dasig-dasig lang siya. So in a matter of three minutes may testing na kita kag result sa lima ka metro,” said Cahuya.
Through this, MORE Power could ensure that each meter reading is accurate. Likewise, each consumer is guaranteed the accuracy of the reading of their actual electricity usage, which is the basis of the bill that they receive.
For his part, Engineer Bailey del Castillo, MORE Power’s Senior Assistant Vice President for Network Operations, confirmed that ERC already approved the meter laboratory of the city’s power utility and that the said new equipment was also certified accurate by the regulators.
“We are now an ERC-certified meter laboratory. This means all of the equipment we are using conforms to the standards set by the government. This meter test bench, including the portable meters, are certified by our regulators,” said del Castillo.
He also clarified that the meter laboratory is being operated by a licensed engineer and trained laboratory technicians.
“We have a licensed engineer and trained meter laboratory technicians technically competent to do the testing. This is part of the requirements. Our engineers are well-trained before these instruments are deployed,” stressed del Castillo.
He added: “We are not just testing these meters; we are also doing rehabilitation now and replacement. The volume of our meter installations right now is high, that’s why we need these types of very efficient test equipment. We must catch up with the daily volume.”
MORE Power has around 87,000 consumers and replaced more than 30,000 damaged and inaccurate electric meters when it took over as the distribution utility of Iloilo City last 2020.
“This is really in line with our goal to continuously upgrade our system and improve our equipment to provide quality service to our consumers. We are committed to delivering better service, that is why we are doing all we can to improve in all aspects,” del Castillo emphasized.
MORE Power aims to modernize its facilities in Iloilo City within five years to bring the most cost-efficient service to all its consumers./PN
