The above is something that came up when I typed in World energy sm energy bank into Yahoo. It came up with something about gas distribution in Tunisia. They are thinking about using prepaid gas meters, except that those meters cost more, reported 180 dollars. Here's what they said...
http://www-wds.worldbank.org/servlet/WDSContentServer/WDSP/IB/2000/08/26/000094946_00041905581979/Rendered/INDEX/multi_page.txt
"Basic customer activities (e.g., bookkeeping; sending
and processing self-reading cards; billing; and processing overdue bills) are outsourced at
a cost4 of $11.55 per customer per year, which is comparatively low. One step beyond is
prepayment metering, which is already operated to a significant extent by electric utilities,
although not in the countries surveyed. The use of such prepayment meters is attractive,
but it is currently limited by the high cost of sophisticated electronic equipment, about
$180 per meter (i.e., about three times the cost of a conventional meter), although costs
are decreasing. The advantages of such a system, however, are tremendous: (a) it
decreases the cost of customer service because it eliminates most of the meter reading,
bookkeeping, billing, and cutting off and reconnecting tasks; (b) it significantly improves
the utility's cash management and decreases the cost of short-term money because the gas
is paid for before, not after, it is consumed; and (c) it resolves from the beginning the
management of overdue bills and bad debt."
USe of such meters in America would turn everything we do on its ear, I think anyway. Not everyone pays the bills on time. It would have a significant affect on how children are taken away from their parents in social services cases, if a parent could not prepay the gas would the child be taken away? I mean gas usually powers the furnce, stove, and water heater so without those things could a parent be considered responsible? In a credit society, what would this do to credit card bills? Some people pay the credit card bill then the gas bill. If they were one bill what would happen? Yes, it would be easier to pay one bill, (if they choose to put it on credit), but what of seniors who are on a fixed income. Would poeple run out of gas mid month and just live without it?
I think this would put more strain on the eletric company if they didn't change to prepay at the same time. One thing that I didn't mention is the gas or eletric dryer. My family has gas because it costs less, but I think if we went to prepay I would be drying things via the sun, because I would not want to pay so much. A prepay socity I think would spend less, I know I would want more money to go out and go to movies. A prepay socity would possibly create more disposable income that we do not have right now.
Of course, it could go the other way to. People do not know how to manage money from the cradle. It is something that must be taught or learned though trial and error. So a move to a prepay socity could cause a massive loss of disposable income.
This move to prepay could solve for a little while another energy crises in a few years when we have exceeded what we can produce again. Houses are being build at an incredible rate and being fliped (watch HGTV) so more energy is being used, more gas and eletric for each house. So if every house is on prepay the company will know how much is availble. But thats not for years.
I believe the move to prepay in America would have many cultural and econamic conseceqences, but that it would be the right move.
As a recycling responsible person I would like everyone to use energy sparingly and with a mind to the future.
Thank you for reading.
~Maybee Sinclair~
mybeitstrue.zoomshare.com
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