OFFICE staff at the Jamaica Public Service (JPS) are to be trained to “walk the lines” so they can help the next time a storm or hurricane hits the
THE Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS) says that it is prepared to grant some leniency to its customers, particularly those in Portland, St Thomas and St Mary, who are struggling to recover from the effects of Hurricane Sandy.
The move apparently forms part of efforts by the company to improve its customer service, for which it has received harsh criticisms over the years.
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JPS customers in areas like this in Eastern Jamaica which was devastated by Hurricane Sandy last month will benefit from some leniency with bill payments from the light and power company. |
Since her arrival in Jamaica earlier this year, the company’s President and Chief Executive Officer Kelly Tomblin made it clear that she intends to reposition JPS by paying attention to its customer service flaws, as she focuses on the company’s bottom line.
Tomblin, who was a guest at yesterday’s Jamaica Observer Monday Exchange, disclosed that instructions have already been given for its parish managers and customer service personnel, particularly in the hard hit areas, to exercise discretion and to work with customers who may not be able to settle their bills in one payment.
“This is an important part of JPS that I am committed to. Our customer service personnel and professionals have some parameters, especially around St Mary, St Thomas that really it has to be on a case-by-case scenario. I have also said to my team, people are going to have hard times, because not only have they lost power, they have lost a lot more and to work with them, we are going to have some discretion to make sure we don’t overburden them,” said the JPS CEO, even as she made it clear that the company will still have to honour its debt obligations to its suppliers, particularly state-owned oil refinery Petrojam from which it purchases fuel.
Tomblin’s pronouncement came less than 24 hours after the company announced that about 20 per cent, or approximately 123,000 customers, would be receiving estimated bills for October as a result of the disruption in its meter-reading schedule.
“JPS was unable to carry out meter reading in some communities in the period immediately after the hurricane, as many of the company’s meter readers were redeployed to assist with restoration,” explained Winsome Callum, JPS’s head of corporate communications, who was also a guest at the Monday Exchange.
“Our billing system is set up to calculate estimated bills using an average of the last three actual readings of the customer’s meter. Some customers may therefore have been estimated for days when they were without electricity following the hurricane,” Callum added.
Checks by the Jamaica Observer have revealed that the affected customers could actually see an initial increase in their bills as the three-month average will include consumption for the months of July and August which are normally characterised by higher energy consumption.
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Edwards-Hamilton
NationGrowth Micro-Finance Limited is offering Jamaicans special financing arrangements for the purchase of alternative energy systems and equipment. This will dramatically reduce the cost of electricity bills for consumers within the medium term, with monthly loan repayments being lessened relative to client’s average current electricity bill. The loan period extends for a maximum of five years and effectively generates free electricity for many years with the installation of a full system.
According to chief executive officer of NationGrowth, Kim Edwards-Hamilton, “Energy conservation is a critical component in assisting every householder and business in realising a saving in the current and future cost of electricity. We have packaged a renewable energy loan offer for clients that will increase the use of alternative energy sources and promote energy conservation.”
She said further that, “loans can be accessed to accommodate energy conservation projects, for example conversion to LED fixtures and energy-efficient appliances and the purchase of solar water heaters, solar power systems (photovoltaics), biodigesters and wind turbines.”
Loans are offered at a maximum of J$2 million, subject to clients meeting the necessary requirements. Interest rates are at eight per cent per annum and the borrowing period goes up to five years, including a three-month moratorium on the principal.
benefit of solar system
Following the passage of Hurricane Sandy, IREE Solar, a renewable energy provider, through its managing director, Alexander Hill, pointed out that, “having a solar power system during and after a storm is a huge benefit when the public electricity grid is down”. He stated that, “IREE Solar offers both off-grid and hybrid solar power solutions that allow the owner to generate their own power from the sun during the days and use that power immediately or during the night.”
NationGrowth commenced operations in December 2007. The company was founded by former banker Aubyn Hill. The company aims to be the leading micro-finance company over the long term by extending effectual financial and related services to micro-entrepreneurs, individuals and businesses in the small and medium enterprise sector, by providing fast turnaround decisions on workingcapital assistance and responsive customer service at a profit.
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Tomblin
Power company puts greater focus on regional service
President and chief executive officer (CEO) of the Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS), Kelly Tomblin, has announced the appointments of 15 new parish managers as part of efforts to transform the light and power company into a more customer-centred organisation.
The JPS said the move also formed part of a comprehensive organisational restructuring which is currently in progress within the company.
According to Tomblin, “we are changing the way we serve our customers”.
“We are decentralising our operations so that decisions about serving our customers in the parishes no longer need to be made at the head office,” she said. “Our aim is to create a more personal connection with our customers, so we are strengthening our service delivery capabilities at the local level.”
New directors appointed
In this regard, JPS said it has appointed three new directors who will have oversight for its regional operations.
The directors include Omar Sweeney, who was most recently at the Planning Institute of Jamaica; Keith Garvey, previously general director of the Rural Electrification Programme; and Blaine Jarrett, who is a previous director of transmission service at the JPS.
The company said Sweeney would be responsible for the JPS’s east region while Garvey and Jarrett would head the company’s south and western regions’ operations, respectively.
The company added that the recruitment of business executives and professionals from outside the organisation was the first phase of its organisational transformation.
“We are excited about the new direction that JPS is taking, and the value and new perspectives that these new executives will bring. Our customers will definitely be seeing and feeling the new JPS before long,” Tomblin said.
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JAMAICA Public Service Company’s President & Chief Executive, Kelly Tomblin, has announced the appointment of 15 new parish managers as part of her efforts to transform the light and power company into a more customer-centred organisation.
The parish manager appointments form part of a comprehensive organisational restructuring currently in progress at JPS.
“We are changing the way we serve our customers,” Tomblin said in a statement issued by the island’s major electricity provider yesterday.
“We are decentralising our operations, so that decisions about serving our customers in the parishes no longer need to be made at the head office. Our aim is to create a more personal connection with our customers, so we are strengthening our service delivery capabilities at the local level.”
In this regard, JPS has also appointed three new directors who will have oversight for its regional operations. Omar Sweeney, who was most recently at the Planning Institute of Jamaica, will be responsible for JPS’ Eastern region; Keith Garvey, previously general manager of the Rural Electrification Programme (REP), is JPS’s new director of Region South; and Blaine Jarrett, previously director of transmission services at JPS, will now head the company’s Western operations.
In addition to two of its new regional directors, almost half of the newly appointed parish managers are from outside of the company.
“The recruitment of business executives and professionals from outside the organisation is the first phase of our organisational transformation,” Tomblin said.
“We are excited about the new direction that JPS is taking, and the value and new perspectives that these new executives will bring. Our customers will definitely be seeing and feeling the new JPS before long,” she said.
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You monitor your electricity consumption daily, yet your electricity bill continues to climb unabated. Perhaps you have tried extreme cost-cutting measures, but the frustration continues to mount. Your electricity bill is just too high!
Solarbuzz Jamaica can help you achieve a desired level of energy efficiency. They recommend installing an Owl Electricity Monitor in your home or business which allows you to see and monitor your energy consumption. The monitor is plugged into your breaker panel and shows you how much energy each appliance in your home or business is using.
For a one-time charge of $24,000 (including installation and GCT), within the first month, you are able to see at least a 20-30 per cent decrease in your electricity consumption. According to Jason Robinson, chief executive officer of Solarbuzz Jamaica, people who have installed the product become more conscious of the energy usage of each appliance and begin to cut back on their energy cost.
Monitor usage
“For each day of the week, you can monitor how the energy is used. The monitor can be connected to a computer, which can help you to analyse the data. By analysing the data, persons can see what is costing them the most and make changes,” Robinson said.
The company, which is focused primarily on providing solar energy, recommends that people try to cut back on energy consumption before making the bold step to install solar-energy panels. Robinson said, initially, energy usage in the home or business must be determined, and whether a solar panel can be installed at the facility.
“Depending on how much usage is accumulated per day, we can determine the size of the system. Once we know the energy usage, we can start putting together the equipment – including the panels, inverters, electrical – and the labour cost,” Robinson said.
Solar systems can range from $800,000 to $1.5 million for a small house, and depending on the energy usage, can also range from $4 million to $5 million. There is a 25-year warranty on the panels, and the other components can last up to 12 years. A minimum maintenance fee is charged each year.
Robinson also recommends that people have their electrical breakers analysed and cleaned regularly – at least once per year. He said energy can be lost when the breaker panel is not efficient.
“The breaker panel is like the engine of the home or business. It needs to be maintained. We label each panel for persons to know where each breaker is connected, so in case of an emergency, they will know which area in the house they are turning off,” Robinson said.
He said to add a solar system or even the Owl Energy Monitor, the breaker panel must be cleaned. Some, he said, were not installed properly, while others are crammed and become hard to service or clear. He added that many breaker panels are overloaded and that causes it to ‘trip’ out all the time.
Solarbuzz Jamaica also provides wind power solutions. They also install anemometers and let their clients know if the wind speed is sufficient for a wind turbine to be installed.
The company also installs pool and pond energy solutions that use up to 80 or 90 per cent less energy. The costs vary, but can go up to US$2,000 (J$174,000).
Contact Solarbuzz at
DESPITE the possibility of the Supreme Court revoking the Jamaica Public Service
Close to five months after its president and chief executive officer resigned, the Jamaica Public Service (JPS) has found a new head.
Shelly Tomlin, a corporate lawyer out of the United States, is to become the new president and CEO of the light and power company.
The former president and CEO, Damian Obiglio, resigned in November last year after a five-year stint with