The billing and revenue management of
consumers regarding the consumption of electrical energy
is critical to the profitability and expansion of the
electrical network. For distribution companies to start
new projects and purchase new equipment, the loss in
revenue due to non-payment of electricity bills must be
eliminated. In this work, a complete solution for the Ikeja
Government Residential Area (GRA) under Ikeja
Electric Plc. has been designed to monitor consumers and
identify billed (paying) customers and unbilled (non-
paying) consumers.
This study determines three core components:
mapping of electricity distribution network assets and
customers, identification of billed (paying) customers, and
a comparison between unbilled (consumers of electrical
energy) and billed customers. The research uses
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to capture the
coordinates (longitude and latitude) of network
infrastructures and consumers and then compares the
results with those on the existing customer database to
identify billed and unbilled customers. In the past, the
system was traditionally done by conventional surveying
method using analog equipment; storing data in analog
maps and commissioning reports found mainly in
drawing offices with no integration of these activities into
one system.Electricity utilities need to keep a comprehensive
and accurate inventory of their physical assets and
customers. This presents a somewhat disjointed approach
to the management of the electrical distribution network
and revenue. GIS provides a database and a customer
information system (CIS) to help utilize both spatial and
customer information to manage customer billing
accounts and revenue collection. Since the
implementation of this system, the results obtained have
revealed that GIS modeling is an effective way to tackle
crucial problems of utilities with particular regard to
customer energy accountability. The system has
facilitated the identification of the best billing
methodology that will be used to capture 1,985
consumers: 1,757 paying customers and 228 residential
consumers (non-paying) that have caused the electricity
distribution company N868,050; 198 single-phase
customers = N632,610 and 30 customers three-phase
customers = N235,440.
Keywords : Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Customer Information System (CIS), water supply, billing, distribution, residential customers, revenue monitoring, and management.