High-rise apartment housing complex issues

In addition to the problems faced by a consumer, listed by me on 19th Dec,'08 (here), the following too need to be noted by apartment complexes, having HT (11 KV) installations in their premises: 

 

As per Karnataka rules, one year from the date of commissioning of the transformer installation in your premises, the entire installation becomes the property of BESCOM, even if you have paid for it (through your builder/ developer). As such, the maintenance of the same is the responsibility of Bescom. However, left to them, they will never do it (like also in the case of roadside transformers), and you will land up with a bigger problem eventually (as many complexes have leanred already at huge costs to themselves). So, the best practice would be to entrust the maintenance of the transformer installation too to a Class 1 electrical contractor, alongwith doing so in the case of the other equipment, like switchgear, gen-sets, etc, annually, when you receive the "compliance certification" notice from the Electrical Inspectorate.

 

The transformer installation maintenance would mainly involve 

a) testing the dielectric strength of the oil, filtering it in case it is below the required level, topping it up with fresh charge in case the level has dropped below the minimum in the indicator window,

b) re-activating/ re-charging the gel in the Silica Gel breather,

c) checking the lightning arrestors, fuses, and gang-operating switches 

d) megger testing of the earth pits, and re-activating them where necessary,

e) inspecting the surfaces of the transformer, the associated switch-boxes, the pole structure, etc for paint peel-off (leading to rusting), etc, and cleaning up and paint touching up (or re-painting), as may be required.

f) clearing all the under-growth in the yard, as also any tree branches hanging over the yard.

 

The Electrical Inspectorate inspection also covers lifts, and they have now mandated that their certification has to be done by a registered vendor. As such, it would be best to have an AMC with the OEM (original equipment manufacturer) itself. The AMC copy may be attached to the compliance report when filing the same with the Electrical Inspectorate.

 

Note:

1) Transformer 'burst/ blast" is a mis-understood term. Whenever a fault occurs on the circuit, the MCB (main circuit breaker) trips, with a fairly loud noise, which is mis-understood as a burst/ blast. This is not an uncommon occurance, particularly given Bescom's poor maintenance practices. And, since the fault invariably occurs on the HT side, only Bescom personnel (or personnel supervised by a qualified Electrical Contractor, after the equipment is isolated by Bescom personnel) can attend to it. 

 

2) Yes, having to maintain the transformer installation at our cost, when the ownership has been transferred to them, is iniquitous. It can be challenged in a court. But, the better challenge would be to demand an end to the continued monopoly of the fully government-owned and thereby incapacitated Bescom (leading to the consumer having to suffer the iniquities listed in my post of 19-12-08 too), even as Delhi has transformed on all these counts after switching to a PPP model - check here. 

 

Another factor that needs to be taken into consideration is that, between just the lot of us in the city domestic sector, we are burning up close to 11 million litres (11,000 tanker loads - to get a ready picture) of diesel every year, thanks to unreliable power supply - check my post of 19th Sept,'17 here.

 

PS: This post was first made by me on 28-5-2020 under the blog captioned "Imperatives of Privatisation of Power Distribution", accessible here.

 

 

In case a meter is seen to have developed a fault, or got burnt out, all that is required of a Consumer is to notify the jurisdictional AEE through a letter, and obtain an acknowledgement for the same. The rest of the work is largely that of Bescom. 

 

The above is derived on the basis of what is stated in the "Conditions of Supply of Electricity of Distribution Licensees in the State of Karnataka", relevant excerpts from which have been reproduced (in italics) below.

 

If as @ Cl 28 (a) below, a demand is raised for the cost of the meter, the payment may be made by cheque/ DD, and the matter of getting the report from the meter-testing lab and billing adjustment thereof may be pursued*

 

*The association Homecare Manager should be in a position to facilitate all of these.

 

Page 57:

Cl 27(g): All meters not recording shall be replaced or repaired within a maximum period of 15 days from the date of report by the Consumer/ employees of the Licensee. In case the same is not done, the Licensee shall pay a rebate of 5% on the monthly energy bills after the expiry of the 15 day period till the meter is replaced.

 

Cl 28.00: Replacement of burnt out meters 

 

a) The cost of burnt out meter shall be collected from the Consumer either in cash or by crossed cheque, and the burnt out meter shall be replaced by a good meter immediately without any lapse of time 

 

b) If the meter of required capacity is not readily available, the installation shall be connected on "direct connection basis" and immediate action taken to fix a good meter to the installation in 3 days.

 

c) The consumption during the direct connection period shall be computed on a pro-rata basis based on the recorded consumption of the previous month, or in the month in which the new metre was fixed. 

 

d) The released burnt meter shall be sent to the approved meter testing laboratory. If the meter is burnt out due to mistake of the Consumer or fault in the Consumer premises, there shall be no refund of the cost of the meter collected by the Licensee, and if it is due to technical reasons like voltage fluctuation etc, attributable to the system constraints, the cost of meter collected by the Licensee shall be adjusted against future energy charges of the Consumer commencing from the immediate succeeding month after receipt of the test report under intimation to the Consumer. 

 

e) The meter testing laboratory shall send a report to the Consumer and the Sub-Division Office duly recording the test results with in 7 days and remarks regarding refund of cost of the meter collected to the consumer. 

 

f) Test results and the remarks of the meter testing laboratory shall be recorded in the revenue ledger maintained at the Sub-Division Office. 

 

Note: However, if more than one metre are burnt in the same area due to system constraints, such meters shall be replaced by the Licensee immediately without collecting the cost of the meter from the Consumer.

 

Page 62:

Cl 30.03: Additional security deposit (ASD) Existing consumers shall pay security deposit (ASD) as determined by the  Commission. 

 

Cl 30.04: Meter Security deposit (MSD) Meter security deposit is payable at the time of servicing of all new installations towards the meter/ metering equipment at the rates as per schedule of rates prescribed by the licensee from time to time except in respect of BJ/ KJ installations and IP set installations upto and inclusive of 10 HP under LT4(a)category. 

 

In respect of existing installations where MSD is not collected, MSD shall be collected at the prevailing schedule of rates whenever the is replaced. 

 

Cl 30.05: Applicable to all all security deposits 

a) The amount payable shall be rounded off to the next multiple of Rs 10/- 

b) Security deposit (ISD & ASD) and MSD shall be refunded by the Licensee on termination of the contract by either party after adjustment of dues if any. 

c) Interest on security deposit shall be paid as per KERC regulations, 2004. 

 

PS: This post was first made by me on 02-11-2021 under the blog captioned "Imperatives of Privatisation of Power Distribution", accessible here.