Energy Auditing of an Electricity Distribution System in Nigeria: A Case Study of Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company

In practical terms, energy losses in electrical power systems are inevitable. Power system losses, especially in distribution systems are usually high and result in increasing the cost of operations to the electricity utilities and the price tag of electricity to the consumers. The main objective of this research is to make an appraisal of an existing power distribution sector in Nigeria with special focus on loss reduction and efficiency improvement in power supply. Different major aspects of technical and nontechnical losses have been identified and based on that, a few remedial measures have been suggested for loss reduction and to facilitate the improvement of overall efficiency of the power distribution system Aggregate Technical, Commercial and Collection (ATC & C) Losses is a reliable parameter that reveals the true energy and revenue loss conditions of distribution systems. This study presents a pragmatic feeder-wise method for establishing the ATC & C losses in a typical Nigerian distribution system. Mathematical models were developed for the determination of key factors Billing efficiency, Collection efficiency, and ATC&C losses using the Garden City Main Integrated Business Centre network of the Port-Harcourt Distribution Company (PHEDC) of Nigeria as a case study. The analysis was achieved through extensive field survey and critical study of the schematic diagram of the network area. The average Billing efficiency, Collection efficiency and ATC&C losses for the period under review were found to be 68.60%, 76.29%, and 49.54% respectively. An understanding of appraisal of these losses is important to the power system Engineers, energy policy makers, and the power firms as it enables areas of high losses in the network to be identified, which will give room for credible investment plans, subsequent monitoring of the losses and
ultimately result in profitability to the electricity utility.