aurora
Business Writer
ELECTRICITY users who suffer losses due to power surges can now be compensated after the Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC), developed a compensation mechanism to cover such mishaps, a senior official has said.
Power and Energy Development Minister Zhemu Soda told The Sunday Mail Business in an interview that ZETDC, a power transmission unit of ZESA Holdings had a facility to mitigate against losses incurred by customers owing to sudden increase in voltage.
A power surge usually is an oversupply of the voltage from a source to appliances or equipment.
A boost in electricity supply above the normal operating voltage can cause severe damages to the appliances. Power outage may occur when or during restoration of electricity after a power loss.
“There is an insurance policy to cover for such losses and a process of validation will be done to ascertain the loss before compensation,” Minister Soda said. Many households normally use surge protectors to protect their appliances from surges.
Surges slowly deteriorate and shorten the life of the equipment or appliances. Household and office appliances at risk of power surges include air conditioning units, entertainment equipment, computers, refrigerators, ovens and stoves and lighting.
Scores of power users have been suffering loses after power surges with the majority of them unaware of recourse routes to follow.
Bongani Ndlovu