…Bills now issued seven days after meter readingGuyana Power and Light (GPL) is in the process of implementing new systems that would reduce the time between the date that meters are read and the issuance of bills, among other improved services to customers.Bills are expected to be issued within an average of seven days after meter- reading as opposed to the current billing arrangement where bills are issued approximately 32 days after.The company, according to a government statement Tuesday, is also implementing a modern Customer Information System (CIS) which is aimed at improving the quality of service to customers. The project, funded by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) under the investment component of the Loss Reduction Programme,Jerseys NFL China, is expected to be fully implemented during the second quarter of this year.The CIS is expected to provide major benefits to consumers as it provides for immediate allocation of a customer account and number on receipt of an application for electricity supply and immediate allocation of any payment made against an outstanding balance at any of GPL’s commercial officesIn order to facilitate a smooth transition from the existing system to the new CIS, the company will be issuing two bills within a six-week period. The bills will represent consumption between January and February and March that will be due for payment during April.Originally, the bill reflecting consumption for January and February would have been issued in March while the February to March bill would have been issued in April and May respectively.Due to this transition, GPL will not conduct any disconnection activities during April for outstanding balances on these bills.Rather it will continue to conduct its disconnection activities on previous unpaid balances. The situation will return to normalcy during May where one bill will be issued per month.However, GPL is encouraging customers to continue settling their accounts in a timely manner.
