Dear Editor,
Firstly, I would like to thank the Power Company for making some effort to keep its promise made to the residents of Buxton/Friendship concerning the clearing of customer’s arrears, at their outreach held at the Buxton Village Office.
Customers of Buxton/Friendship are grateful for the outreach held by the Power Company, and this was demonstrated through the overwhelming support the company received from residents. Customers expressed concerns about not having bills cleared for dead parents or relatives and would like the company to fix this issue.
In my previous letter, ‘GPL has provided no good reason why Buxton/Friendship cannot receive 110 voltage,’ 14 October, 2018. GPL has failed to issue any response. I have heard from a credible source that the Power Company is considering providing 110 volts to the communities of Buxton/Friendship.
The company has completed its network upgrades and has since partially installed smart meters to about 90% of the homes and businesses in the communities. It is to this very extent that there is now a greater call by residents to have 110 volts. Some residents have now had their smart meter for a month and others for weeks.
Residents who receive their bills have seen a 100% to 150% increase in their actual consumption, with one resident receiving a bill of $35,000. After inquiries, the customer was told that the bill was wrong and will be fixed, as it was reduced. It should be noted that the customer’s actual consumption before the smart meter was less than 30% of $35,000. Concerns have been raised by residents as they weren’t informed about how the smart meter works and, rates and how rates are calculated. I was able to obtain information as it pertains to the rates; $48 per Kwh up to 75 Kwh and $53 per Kwh from 76 Kwh, this rate is now higher than the previous meter rate of $46 per Kwh.
As it pertains to the 110 volts, evidence of the power company’s plans to reconfigure the network in Buxton/Friendship to a three-phase one can be seen, as the company has changed more than three distribution transformers from two-phase to three-phase. These transformers are necessary for the provision of 110 volts and were changed at Buxton Side Dam, Company Road and Friendship Road.
Residents would like to know if these changes are being made for the provision of 110 volts. If not, why? If yes, when can residents expect to receive 110 volts? It cannot be overstated how much customers stand to benefit from having a 110 voltage supply, as it will reduce the additional cost of residents having to purchase many transformers/stabilisers. If the power company decides against providing the 110 volts to residents of Buxton/Friendship it would be a deliberate act, to make more money from residents through the higher actual consumption that can be attributed to the need to purchase transformers/stabilisers.
I believe that since this was a promise the company should honour it, because it is in the best interest of its customers it should be granted. Residents would wish to have the 110 volts before the festive season.
Yours faithfully,
Jermaine Cockfield
