[Photos] Hanoi Electric Company Using “Selfie Sticks” To Read Meters

State-owned EVN Hanoi has found a new tool to help its employees read electricity meters more easily – selfie sticks.

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The narcissistic accessories, typically used by smartphone users to take pictures of themselves from a distance, have proven to be a welcome addition for electricity workers as it allows them to leave their ladders at the office and “make the meter reading more transparent,” according to the company’s website.

Tuoi Tre writes that the city has already put 1,300 sticks and companion tablets into operation at a cost of VND4 – 5 million per pair.

EVN workers use selfie sticks to read electricity meters. Photos via Dan Viet and Galaxypub.

In the selfie stick-equipped teams, one employee uses the device to read the meter while another manually inputs the readings into a tablet.

“Customers can ask to see the photos captured of their electricity meters,” EVN Hanoi said, adding this helps “rebuild customers’ trust in the power sector.”

The additional dose of transparency aims to address complaints about abnormally high electricity prices in recent months.

40% of Hanoi residents will have their meters checked with the sticks Nguyen Anh Tuan, head of the Electricity Regulatory Authority of Vietnam, told Lao Dong (Labor) newspaper on Tuesday.

If applied city-wide, EVN would need to budget VND20 – 25 billion (US$918,695 to US$1.15 million) for 5,000 sets.

According to Zing, the sticks may be phased out after the city modernizes its electricity meters. New boxes, like those currently being installed in hotels and apartments around the capital, are integrated with an e-banking system that automatically records power consumption.

However, the price to replace the 22 million current meters comes in at over VND10,000 billion (US$500 million) between now and 2021. The retrofit cost will be passed onto consumers via higher electricity prices.

[Top photos via Thanh Nien and Bao Giao Thongao Giao Thong]