Basseterre, St. Kitts (April 30, 2004): After several phases which commenced since the 2001, the new billing system at the Electricity Department has been officially launched. On Thursday, April 29, several dignitaries and the general public gathered to witness the event.
Chief Engineer of Public Works Dillon James outlined the two components of the project. He said Phase I consisted of upgrading of the billing centre which included the supply and installation of new computers and appropriate software; the supply and installation a network under the contractor IBM Barbados. The prerequisite for this phase was the upgrade and rehabilitation of the billing centre. Phase II consisted of the refurbishment of the main building of the electricity department.
Mr. James also outlined the objectives of the construction and refurbishing segment of the project which were to refurbish designated space for a new billing office and customer lobby. Providing new and additional office space for the electricity department and providing working space that meets safety and health standards were additional goals.
Systems Manger of the Electricity Department Mrs. Eurta Chiverton explained that the advantages of the new system include: increased reliability, increased processing speed, increased consistency in terms of data and reporting capabilities as well as an improved billing format.
Mrs. Chiverton gave a specific example by comparing the old process to the new. She explained that whereas the old billing process could take from one to three hours depending on the number of accounts being processed, the new system could take as little as 15 minutes. Additionally, the backing-up time for the old system was two to three hours while the new system would take a half hour.
Using a poster sized depiction of the new bill, Mrs. Chiverton explained that this type of format is being used by many of the utility companies in the region because of its effectiveness. The new bill is produced in the United Kingdom and consists of a letter sized sheet that is pressure sealed.
The Systems Manager explained that the new features include a bar code for scanning; more information on electrical usage; and a history which includes when the metre was read, the exact duration the bill covers, consumption and consumption per day.
The back of the bill provides details that will enable the customer to calculate their own bill.
