Meter Reading Dispute at a Rural Connection
A rural domestic consumer disputes a bill of BDT 4,850 for a billing period of 62 days. The meter is a single-phase electromechanical unit rated 240 V, 10(40) A, with a current reading of 3,412 kWh and a previous reading of 3,180 kWh. The consumer claims the meter was replaced midway through the period and that the old meter's final reading was never recorded. The lineman's notebook shows a meter change on day 40 with a final reading of 3,205 kWh on the old meter, but the new meter's initial reading was not entered. The tariff is BDT 4.10 per kWh plus a fixed charge of BDT 120 and a 5% demand charge on the energy component. The consumer also reports that the meter disk spins even when the main switch is off. The subdivision officer must decide the bill and whether to test the meter.
1. Reconstruct the correct energy consumption for the period and identify the data gap.
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The period splits into two segments. On the old meter, consumption from the previous reading of 3,180 kWh to the final reading of 3,205 kWh is 25 kWh over 40 days. On the new meter, the current reading is 3,412 kWh, but the initial reading was never recorded, so the new-meter consumption cannot be derived from the readings alone.
The data gap is the missing initial reading of the new meter. Without it, the total of 232 kWh (3,412 minus 3,180) cannot be split correctly, and using it directly would double-count nothing but would also misattribute the old meter's 25 kWh. The correct approach is to use the old meter's final reading of 3,205 kWh as the starting point for the new meter, assuming the new meter was installed at zero or that its initial reading equals the old final reading. If the new meter started at zero, the new-meter consumption is 3,412 minus 0 = 3,412 kWh, which is implausible for 22 days. This inconsistency must be flagged.
The answer should state that the bill cannot be finalised until the meter change sheet is retrieved or the new meter's initial reading is verified from the installation record. The officer should not simply accept the consumer's or the lineman's verbal account.
2. Explain what the spinning-disk observation implies and what action follows.
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A disk that rotates with the main switch open indicates either a wiring fault, a bypass or theft, or a meter defect. In a correct installation, opening the main switch disconnects the load, so no current should flow through the meter and the disk should stop. Continued rotation means current is flowing somewhere, possibly through a neutral-earth path, a crossed connection, or an illegal tap upstream of the switch.
The officer should order a meter test and a wiring inspection rather than adjust the bill on the consumer's word alone. The test should check registration accuracy at low and high load and verify the meter constant. The inspection should trace the consumer's internal wiring and the service drop. If the meter is found fast beyond the permissible error, the bill is adjusted for the tested period. If tampering is found, the relevant penal provisions apply.
A strong answer distinguishes three causes and assigns a proportionate response to each, and notes that the consumer must be informed in writing of the test result and the revised bill. It should also note that the fixed charge and demand charge are computed on the corrected energy, not on the disputed figure.