VINLEC says Smart Meters record only what you use 

By Val Matthias. Updated 11:35 a.m., Thursday, September 24, 2026, Atlantic Standard Time (GMT-4). 

The St. Vincent and the Grenadines Electricity Services (VINLEC) says customers are not being charged for electricity when appliances are switched off, as the utility sought to address growing public concern over smart meters and higher electricity bills.

The clarification came during a media briefing on Tuesday, September 22, where the state-owned utility explained how its new digital meters record electricity consumption, how readings are taken and how customers are billed.

Electrical Engineer Stanley Harris said the smart meters only accumulate electricity use when current is flowing through the customer’s installation.

He said the movement of numbers across the meter’s LCD display does not mean electricity is being consumed.

“Only when the customer has the power being used, that’s when you’re going to have charges applied to the customer,” Harris said.

He explained that the display cycles through several operating parameters, including total energy consumed, electricity exported from solar systems, peak demand, voltage, current and power factor.

According to Harris, the key indicator is the current reading, labelled 005. When no appliances are operating, the current reading displays zero and no electricity use is recorded.

Harris also addressed concerns that the digital meters consume electricity themselves.

He acknowledged that the meters require a small amount of power to operate but said that energy is supplied by VINLEC and is not billed to customers.

“Nothing is charged for the meter being powered up to the customer,” he said.

VINLEC said it is currently using Automatic Meter Reading (AMR) technology, which allows meters to be read through a walk-by or drive-by system, eliminating estimated readings.

Additionally, they said that a second phase, Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI), will provide additional data to help identify unusual consumption patterns, current leakage and low-voltage conditions.

As concerns over electricity bills persist, VINLEC says the new metering system is intended to improve billing accuracy while giving customers a clearer picture of their electricity use.

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About the Author: This story was written and submitted by freelance journalist Mr. Val Matthias, a trained communicator with more than two decades in the media sector. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Media and Communication (UWI Mona), a Master of Science in Tourism and Hospitality Management (UWI Cave Hill), a Certificate in Digital Marketing, and has years of broadcast journalism experience rising to ranks of a programme manager. All supporting materials for this story have been presented, vetted, and verified. Mr Matthias can be reached at [email protected]