BENGALURU: Smart meters to monitor power usage more accurately will be making their way to Bengaluru soon with the energy department’s plan to replace all meters across the state with smart meters.
Bescom is preparing a detailed project report (DPR) to install smart meters in five lakh households in select areas like Sahakaranagar, Vidyaranyapura, Jakkur, Virupakshanagar, Ulsoor, MG Road, Banaswadi, Rajarajeshwarinagar, Challasandra, Peenya 1st and 2nd stage, Laggere, Electronic City, Chokkasandra, Singasandra and Hulimavu.
Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, energy minister D K Shivakumar said that around 80,000 temporary installations in Bescom division were already being equipped with smart meters. “This will tell us exactly what the load being used is and adjust our load accordingly. If a person takes a 10KW connection and uses more than that, it places stress on our transformers. Smart meters will allow us to charge for usage when it is high and identify power usage patterns accurately,” he said.
New design for transformers
Bescom has come with a new design to make sure that transformers on pavements reduce inconvenience to public. The new design will reduce the transformer to a mere six-inch diameter pipe in addition to the existing spin pole. The design will also ensure ease of operations for Bescom and minimise hindrance to pedestrians. Out of 4,385 transformers on pavements in the city, 3,919 will be modelled after the new design and 116 will be shifted to civic amenity sites.