With the popularization of smart electricity meters in Yichang, the “Smart Electric Keeper” has quickly emerged as a brand-new service. According to the Yichang Power Supply Company, from now on, the residents can apply for the service of “Smart Electric Keeper” in the local power-supply business halls. Once the service is started, they can, at any time round the clock, purchase electricity, check the electricity-consumption condition, and realize the self-management of power cut and power transmission, simply via the phones, computers and other mobile internet devices. The Power Supply Company says that it will still settle the electric charges by month in accordance with the original meter-reading cycle, and every record of electricity purchase will be written into the deposit accounts of users.

　　After the users sign the contract with power supply companies, they can realize the goal of “online electricity purchasing, real-time check and self-management”, and understand the service condition of multi-step power quantity by installing the palm-top electricity APP or adding a service window of electricity in the Alipay in the mobile devices. After you get access to the “Smart Electric Keeper”, the way of electricity consumption becomes pre-paid, which means that the residents can purchase the electricity whenever they want. What’s more, the users can still follow the original payment method or choose to pay the fees through Alipay, palm-top electricity, online banks, and so on. If the users need the fee-charging invoice, they can get it from the nearest power-supply business hall.

　　Among the 1.5 million electricity-consumption families in Yichang, there are 1 million families that have installed the smart electricity meters, and the rest of families are to finish the meter replacement and installation by the end of 2016 as expected. In other words, Yichang will realize the full coverage of “Smart Electric Keeper” service within next year. According to the latest statistics, 227.7 thousand families in Yichang have already signed the contract with power supply companies to acquire the service of “Smart Electric Keeper”, and among the 270 thousand users of smart electricity meters in the major urban area, there are 65 thousand families that have signed up for the “Smart Electric Keeper”. (Reporter: Xiao Min; correspondents: Chen Wuyun and Mu Lan)

　　The Price of Every Kilowatt Hour Reduced

　　The price of kilowatt hour in Yichang has been quietly reduced! According to the Yichang Municipal Price Bureau, the price of kilowatt hour for residential customers has been reduced by 0.012 yuan since October 1.

　　The specific reducing price standard is as follows: the price of kilowatt hour of residential customers is lowered by 1.2 cents, and other categories of power price 1 cent. The original retail power price, which had been implemented since 1964, includes the urban public utilities fee (0.01 yuan to 0.012 yuan per kilowatt hour). The public utilities fee is cancelled this time. This price cut for residents is the first one since 2011. For industrial and business customers, it is another time to reduce electricity fees since the first fairly large-scale price cut was implemented on April 20.

　　It’s estimated that the total electricity expenses in urban area will reduce by 74.2 million yuan. The electricity fees for industrial and business customers will reduce by 55 million yuan and the expenses for residents will reduce by 19.2 million yuan. (Reporters: Pei Zhujing; Xiao Min)