Alleviating energy poverty in rural India through network expertise

In India, around 200 million people do not have the resources or access to sustained power. In a state where the majority of the population fall below the poverty line, an electricity network appointed Enzen to oversee its power distribution operations and alleviate energy poverty for its 175,000 consumers.

With high losses and low collections, our focus was two-fold i) to improve customer satisfaction and revenue collection and ii) reduce low voltage Aggregate Technical and Commercial (AT&C) losses. Through a strategic plan, teamwork and implementation of actions across input and meter management, theft detection, network improvements and recovery of arrears, we achieved both goals. Our assessment of consumer consumption patterns delivered improvement in billing efficiency by:

• offering multiple payment methods and creating awareness that changed payment habits, leading to on-time collections
• timely redressal of complaints and disputes related to billing
• improved recovery via dedicated arrears collections teams and active consumer engagement
• use of sub-contingent staff to conduct regular ‘check meter reading’ drives
• leveraging relationships with government bodies and educational institutions to create more awareness on the need for timely billing and the pitfalls and penalties associated with energy theft
• replacement of faulty meters with new, more efficient ones.

We were also able to provide new connections in a timely manner, shift energy meters outside consumer premises, thus increasing automation in the process. To further step-up performance, we examined macro elements including contracts, payments and local law and order that could affect our operations. Through effective co-ordination with local agencies, we accelerated ongoing infrastructure work such as meter replacement. Our intensive study on upstream technical losses provided insight on creative ways to reduce losses, while our energy audit studies helped detect loss-making feeders and assign dedicated teams to resolve the underlying issues.

Through our concerted efforts, we generated a remarkable 9% reduction in low voltage AT&C losses within 12 month and a 9% improvement in billing efficiency. In some places, we reduced AT&C losses by up to 40%. Moreover, we have been able to bring significant improvement in the utility's operational performance through stringent controls of supervision, automation and IT solutions in commercial operations.