VINLEC explains its metering operations at press briefing

The meters previously used by the St Vincent Electricity Services Limited (VINLEC) were electromechanical ones as Senior Transmission and Distribution Engineer Stanley Harris, explained at a press briefing on Tuesday September 22, 2026, noting that “This is what our industry began with”.

However, the industry moved quite ahead some time ago, and what is now being used as the AMR meter, which is a digital meter which has been in use in the industry for about two decades with readings being automatic.

Dr. Vaughn-Lewis CEO-of-VINLEC-at Tuesday-press briefing-(photo-by-Robertson-S.-Henry)

“The meter has no moving parts. The meter is fully electronic. Underneath, current and voltage is being picked up essentially by sensors. It goes to a microprocessor, and it’s doing calculation on a consistent basis, unlike its predecessor. That was taking proportionality. This is taking samples within fractions of time,” Harris outlined.

“…that accumulates to create a wave; and that wave is what is calculating the energy. So there are two fundamental differences between both devices. Both are measuring energy. However, the digital is utilizing a method unlike the electromechanical. Because it has no moving parts, and those moving parts in the electromechanical is what constitutes the change in those moving parts to reflect energy,” he told members of the media and others at the company’s generation plant at Cane Hall.

“The digital is taking sampling measurements, and it’s making calculations by its microprocessor. What is displayed here are items indicating the specification of the meter, indicating the maximum current that this meter can take without being destroyed.”

Tuesday’s press briefing which was dubbed “From the Meter to the Bill”, was intended to provide media practitioners with clear, factual information on VINLEC’s metering and billing processes, particularly in the context of the VINLEC ongoing Smart Meter Project. The presentations covered a number of areas including how electricity consumption is measured, smart meter features and accuracy, the fuel surcharge, and how information is reflected on customers’ electricity bills.

One of the issues raised was the possible reduction in the cost of electricity to consumers through the use of alternative forms such as wind turbines, geothermal, and solar. It was pointed out that it would be difficult to build wind turbines due to the close proximity of residential dwellings in the areas which were identified as the most suitable. VINLEC has considered wind generation for the windward coast but the presence of communities has forced them to shelve that consideration.

Geothermal exploration is not the purview of VINLEC, but the company is fully supportive of it as this would prove to be a game changer, as the cost of fuel keeps rising. This year would be the first time in VINLEC’s history that the company would spend over EC$100 million for the importation of fuel to produce electricity.

Thi, CEO Dr. Vaughn Lewis said was of grave concern for they have realized a significant increase in the consumption of electricity by householders due to the increase in atmospheric temperatures by the approximately 50,000 customers. Dr. Lewis said that VINLEC has been encouraging households to establish solar systems, but they are not going to approve for battery storage due to safety concerns, but for large private sector installations. However, the current legislation which is the Electricity Supply Act that governs everything VINLEC does, “would have to change”.