Light improves revenue collection in 2007, plans even better results for 2008

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil — (METERING.COM) — February 25, 2008 – Brazilian utility Light reported its best results since it was privatized in 1996; among other highlights, the rate of collection was 99.4 percent of turnover, thanks mainly to improved relationships with customers. Light conducted negotiations with many of its customers who had been failing to pay their power bills, and reached agreements whereby current bills are regularly settled, with a percentage payment being made to offset older debts.

Improvements in identifying revenue theft have also been recorded. In 2007 teams of revenue protection personnel found some 290,000 customers who were stealing energy, and Light reported that 72 GWh had been recovered. The utility says that the extra revenue arising from these activities will allow it to invest even more in revenue protection methods in the years to come. These methods will include communication programs with customers and the implementation of new technologies to identify energy theft more efficiently, including smart meters. Regular inspections of customers’ premises will be carried out, and obsolete meters will be replaced.