Noida Several resident welfare associations (RWAs) across Noida have raised concerns over recent changes to electricity billing and payment systems implemented by the Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Ltd (UPPCL), alleging widespread inconvenience and unresolved technical issues, particularly following the rollout of smart prepaid metres beginning January 2026.
RWA representatives said the new system – intended to streamline billing and consumption – has instead made the process harder to navigate, with both the UPPCL Smart App and the consumer app remaining non-functional in recent days.
To be sure, UPPCL maintains that these issues are small and will be resolved overtime.
According to the Federation of Noida Residents Welfare Associations (FONRWA), only around 10 sectors such as Arun Vihar (sectors 28, 29 and 37), sector 51, sector 19 etc, currently have fully functional prepaid smart meters, while several others are still in transition.
UPPCL officials have said that they have plans to install smart meters in every house within Noida.
Previously, households used post-paid individual meters, with monthly bills paid directly by residents. Now, under the new system, the same infrastructure is being transitioned into a prepaid multi-point model.
However, few societies in Noida still operate under a single-point system, where the RWA collects payments from residents and pays the electricity bill to the UPPCL.
The UPPCL is still working on how smart meters will be implemented in such setups.
Residents HT spoke to reported that technical glitches prevent them from tracking or maintaining their balance, even as the system automatically disconnects power once the balance reaches zero. Some alleged that payments are not being updated in the system, leading to disconnections despite successful transactions.
“Even the amount paid is not getting updated. Despite paying the money, UPPCL is disconnecting the power supply of residents without reason” said Sharad Jain, secretary of Kendriya Vihar RWA in Sector 51.
Some residents also said they are being billed more under the new smart meter system.
“There is an urgent need for immediate improvement in this system,” said OP Karan, president, Kendriya Vihar, Sector 51.
UPPCL officials acknowledged the issues but described them as temporary.
“What is happening is that recharge is not showing properly in the smart app due to a system synchronisation issue. As this is in the initial stage, such issues are arising. We are working on resolving them,” said Umesh Singh Yadav superintending engineer, electricity urban distribution circle, Noida.
Beyond smart meter problems, residents flagged frequent power outages linked to maintenance work. In Sector 19, electricity has been cut daily for two to three hours for nearly two months, affecting students with board exams and those working from home. “In Sector 19, for the past nearby two months, electricity has been cut daily for two to three hours. Authorities cite transformer repairs or tree trimming, but outages continue,” said RC Gupta, president, RWA Sector 19. Asked about the prevailing situation in Sector 19, Yadav said, “It is a maintenance issue; we are looking into it.” The official did not further explain on the matter.
RWAs have demanded urgent intervention, restoration of local-level services, and immediate resolution of technical glitches in the smart metering system.