Saigon Electricity Company will use electronic invoices for its customers in two districts, 1 and 3, in Ho Chi Minh City on a pilot basis for six months starting December 1. The company, an affiliate of the HCMC Power Corporation (EVN-HCMC), has informed its customers that they will pay power charges through e-invoices instead of printed invoices, said Nguyen Anh Vu, head of the Public Relations Board of EVN-HCMC, said. From December 1, an electronic form of invoice will be available at www.hcmpc.com.vn for use by customers. By visiting the site and then providing their customer codes, customers will see an e-invoice that indicates how much they must pay for their monthly power use along with related information. Bill payment will be done the same way as at present, and after paying customers will be given a small receipt by the company’s staff, as opposed to a printed invoice. During the piloting period, along with using e-invoices, company employees will also visit customer houses to record the electricity use as indicated by the meter. Using e-invoices will help reduce the use of paper and printer ink, thereby helping to cut down costs and protect the environment. As for customers who have no access to the Internet, the company will continue supplying printed invoices to them.

Saigon Electricity Companynow has about 97 ,000 customers in Districts 1 and 3, said Huynh Long Hai, deputy director of the company. During the six month pilot program, EVN-HCMC will improve the e-invoice method and collect feedback from customers in order to perfect the method before applying it citywide, Vu said.