Liberalisation and smart meters to impact your electricity services

Muscat: Consumers can expect to see changes in their electricity bills, with more companies entering the market and using smart meters.
These solutions were introduced at the first Czech-Oman energy workshop, which took place yesterday. The workshop was attended by Jiří Slavík, Ambassador Extraordinary to Oman.
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The liberalisation of electricity distribution and supply, which encourages competition between companies for money, will affect prices.
Dr Jiri Gavor, President of the Governmental Committee on Sustainable Energy Development, said exclusively to Times of Oman, "The ability to choose your electricity supplier is a big change. When you don't regulate the electricity market, it becomes important for suppliers to be smart. When they make good decisions and manage risks, this is reflected in your electricity bill."
Ahmed Al Naddabi, consultant at Awtad, who held the event, said, "In Europe, if you are unhappy about your electricity provider or find a better offer, you can simply speak to your company, pay your bills, and switch. This sort of competition can aid the consumer, but it will take time to be fully implemented."
Smart meters can also affect services, when they are combined with competition.
Said Salim Al Mashani, Manager of Customer Affairs & currently Acting Director of Supply at Dhofar Power Company, said, "One of our reasons for being here is the talks regarding smart meters, which we believe to be the future of power companies."
"With smart meters, you don't need to send an employee or take average measurements. You can get everything done correctly, which minimises the number of mistakes but also makes taking readings more convenient for us and our costumers," he added.
These benefits come directly due to the benefits that companies gain from implementing smart meters.
Miran Cerny of ZPA Smart Energy said, "In some countries with estimated bills or multiple tariffs, having smart meters can aid the consumer by giving more accurate predictions. This eliminates mistakes."
At the same time, these changes can help companies. Ales Mikula of ZPA Smart Energy, which provides smart electricity solutions in the Czech republic, said, "Smart grids can protect revenue, allow the company to analyse data, reduce losses, and also reduce environmental impact."
Smart meters could also combat blackouts by giving accurate readings.
Cerny said, "In Lebanon, we attempted another project. At the average substation, from May 1-16, 2014, power outages were over 33 per cent. That means that 33 per cent of the time during those days, you had no power from the state. At the worst substation, they were at 62 per cent."
"We replaced all mechanical meters with smart ones in six locations. Using the information from the meters, we were able to tell them about the regularity and patterns of blackouts, then offset them successfully," he added.