The adequate provision of electric power has been a major problem over the years in Nigeria. It now appears to be something we have been cursed with. This is because for a very long time, the government has claimed to have spent unbelievably large sums of money on developing the power sector but no improvement has been recorded. It has been darkness year in, year out.
In fact, many Nigerians cannot remember even having a 24-hour uninterrupted power supply. Other persons, especially those in rural areas, do not even have electricity at all. It is that bad. For this reason, many people have resorted to using power generators in their homes and offices for business as well as for recreational purposes.
But, even with power generators, there is a still a problem; fuel! Not everyone can afford to constantly fuel their power generators on a daily basis. The terrible state of the economy has left many people quite bankrupt and miserly. This effectively ensures that darkness pervades the entire land. Since there is no adequate power supply by government and not enough cash to buy fuel for generators, the only thing left is to endure the deep darkness that follows.
However, in the midst of the hopelessness, there is now a solution, something which can ensure that you have adequate power supply in your home whether or not ‘NEPA’ or ‘PHCN’ as you may choose to call the power provider, gives you electricity or not.
The interesting thing with this new solution is that you can actually have power for 24 hours every day if you want it. So what am I talking about? I’m talking about the Lumos Mobile Electricity.
Lumos Mobile Electricity
The Lumos Mobile electricity is a working partnership between one of the most popular telecommunications companies in Nigeria, MTN and Lumos Solar, a company dedicated to the provision of solar energy to homes and offices. This partnership has birthed a very safe, convenient and affordable means of getting power all day round to those in remote areas and to those who have suffered a reign of erratic power supply in their areas.
The system is so convenient that you can actually enjoy 24 hours of power every day by making small payments from your MTN SIM card. You can now replace kerosene, fuel and candles with proper modern electricity.
Lumos Mobile Electricity generates its energy through a photovoltaic process. It then converts the energy into DC electricity stored within a battery. This stored energy is then made available for usage on demand.
How Does The Lumos Mobile Electricity Work?
It is very simple. All you have to do is walk into an MTN store near you where the the Lumos system is sold and purchase one.
When you have purchased the Lumos system (which has been nicknamed ‘MTN Yellow Box’) from your local mobile operator store, all you have to do next is install the solar panel in your house. An operator from MTN will follow you to your house to help you do the installation.
The operator will install the solar panel on the roof of your house and put the indoor battery unit inside your house then proceed to connect all the provided cables and LED lights in your home.
The solar panel which has been installed on the roof of your house is what converts sunlight into electricity which is then stored in the indoor battery unit inside your house. It takes as much as 6 hours of sunlight for the battery to get full charged. After it has been charged, the generated electricity can then be used consistently and uninterruptedly day and night to charge your mobile phones, power your light bulbs, TVs, fans, radios, computers, and other small electronic devices.
Note that after all the connections have been done in your house and the Lumos system has been set up, you will then have to pay for the power usage through your mobile phone using your airtime. The whole system has been designed to look as simple as ABC.
The Mobile Electricity is a Pay-As-You-Go solar system. This means that you only pay for the amount of power of you want to consume.
How Much Do I Pay To Enjoy Lumos Mobile Electricity?
The payment plans on the Lumos system have been designed to be a lot less than what people have been spending on buying fuels for generators, kerosene for lanterns, batteries for flashlights as well candles.
To sign up for the system and purchase the Lumos system, you will have to make a one-time payment of 26,000. Note that when you walk up to the store to buy the Lumos system, you will have to go with your registered SIM card and an ID card.
After making this initial payment, you will be given the Lumos mobile panel which you will install in your house. When the installation is complete, you will then need to make another payment for a subscription plan. The Lumos system has many subscription plans that you can choose from. The duration of power supply you get depends on the kind of subscription you have paid for.
Note that these subscriptions have been broken down to suit everybody. There is even a daily plan. Apart from that there is a 5-day plan, a 10-day plan, a 20-day plan, a 30-day plan, a 90-day plan, a 180-day plan, a 365-day plan and a 1800-day plan.
Below is the list of different plans you can choose from and their prices.
How to Recharge Lumos Mobile Electricity
While setting up your Lumos Mobile Electricity system, you will have to provide a MTN number which will be associated with the system. It is this MTN number that you will use to constantly subscribe to the plan you want.
For instance if you are going for the 10-day plan, all you need to do is load your MTN line with the needed amount (N1,800) and then SMS 10 to 317. You have to remember that when your existing plan has been exhausted, the system will default to the daily plan. But you can cancel by texting EXIT to 317.
You must also take note of the fact that the terms and conditions of the Lumos Mobile Electricity states that you have to use the system for at least 20 days in a month. If you don’t do this, you will be required to pay for any deficit from the previous months before you can use the system for the current month.
The good news is that after using the Lumos Mobile Electricity for as long as 1,800 days (approximately five years), you will become the permanent owner of the system and will be able to enjoy power supply without having to pay. The reason for this is that the system is given to you to use on lease for 5 years after which you would have fully paid for the system and become the owner.
During these five years, Lumos/MTN will effectively take care of all maintenance that are required should a breakdown occur. This maintenance is free of charge.
Does The System Work During Rainy Season Or When There Is No Frequent Sunlight?
Realize that the Lumos electricity system works with sunlight so what you should be looking out for is the availability of sunlight. The system will work during the rainy season as far as there is enough sunlight to power it.
It is advisable to manage the usage of your Lumos electricity supply as well minimize any unnecessary consumption when there is a bad weather limiting the availability of sunlight.
