DECLARATION

We, the undersigned do hereby declare, that this project report is an original paper of our
research findings and was compiled by us to the best of our knowledge and that any
credit, mistakes and shortcomings about the report are duly accountable to us.

JOEL MATHE
Signature: …………………………………………………

Date: ………………………………………………………

NABUKENYA PROSSCOVIA
Signature: …………………………………………………..

Date: ………………………………………………………..

UWASHEMA FABIOLA

Signature: …………………………………………………..

Date: ………………………………………………………..

i
 APPROVAL
This project report entitled: Web based load shedding management system case study
Umeme Kabalagala branch was written and constructed under the supervision and
approval of;

SUPERVISOR:

MR. ALFRED OKELLO

Signature: …………………….

Date: ……………………….....

ii
 DEDICATION
Dedications to our parents, guardians, friends, siblings and the almighty God.

iii
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
We greatly thank the Almighty God for his love and protection throughout our studies
and the entire project.
We therefore dedicate this report to our parents and guardians without whose caring and
support it would not have been possible. Thank you.
Special thanks to our supervisor MR.Okello Alfred for his encouragement, help and
guidance which played a significant role during the research. Thanks to the staff of the
school of computing and information technology during the course of studying.

iv
 ACRONYMS

UETCL: Uganda Electricity Transmission Company Limited

UEDCL: Uganda Electricity Distribution Company Limited

AEMO: Australian Energy Market Operator

SQL: Structured Query Language

UML: Unified Modeling Language

SPSS: Statistical Package for the Social Sciences

ANSI: American National Standards Institute

v
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

DECLARATION........................................................................................................................................i

APPROVAL..............................................................................................................................................ii

DEDICATION..........................................................................................................................................iii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT.......................................................................................................................iv

ACRONYMS.............................................................................................................................................v

ABSTRACT...............................................................................................................................................x

CHAPTER ONE........................................................................................................................................1

1.0 Introduction 1

1.1 Back ground of the study 1

1.2 Statement of the Problem 2

1.3 Objectives of the Study 2

1.3.1 Main objective....................................................................................................................................2
1.3.2 Specific Objectives of the Study.........................................................................................................3

1.4 Research Questions 3

1.5 Scope of the Study 3

1.5.1 Geographical scope:...........................................................................................................................3
1.5.2 Conceptual Scope:..............................................................................................................................3
1.5.3 Time Scope:........................................................................................................................................3
1.5.4 Subject scope:.....................................................................................................................................4

1.6 Significance of the study 4

1.7 Limitations of the study 4

1.8 Conclusion 5

CHAPTER TWO.......................................................................................................................................6

LITERATURE REVIEW.........................................................................................................................6

2.0 Introduction 6

2.1 Automatic Load Shedding 6

vi
 2.2 Manual (Selective) Load Shedding 7

2.3 PLACES WHERE A SIMILAR SYSTEM IS BEING USED........................................................12

CHAPTER THREE.................................................................................................................................13

METHODOLOGY..................................................................................................................................13

3.0 INTRODUCTION.............................................................................................................................13

3.1 Research design 13

3.2 Target population 13

3.3 Sampling Design 13

3.4 Research instruments 13

3.4.1 Interviews.........................................................................................................................................13
3.4.2 Document analysis............................................................................................................................14
3.4.3 Observation......................................................................................................................................14

3.4.4 Questionnaires 15

Advantages of questionnaire: 15

3.4.4 Focus Group discussion 16

3.5 Data analysis.................................................................................................................................16

3.6 System requirements 16

3.6.1 User requirements.............................................................................................................................16
3.6.2 Functional requirements..................................................................................................................16
3.6.3 System requirements.........................................................................................................................17
3.6.4 Software requirements......................................................................................................................17
3.6.5 Hardware Specifications..................................................................................................................17
3.7.1 Testing..............................................................................................................................................17
3.7.2 Validation.........................................................................................................................................17

CHAPTER FOUR...................................................................................................................................18

4.0 INTRODUCTION.............................................................................................................................18

4.1 Fact finding analysis 18

4.1.1 Scope regarding occupation of respondents 18

4.2 SYSTEM DESIGN............................................................................................................................18

4.2.2 Conceptual Design 19

vii
 4.2.3 Logical Design 21

4.2.4 Physical design 21

4.3 System Testing 24

4.4 Implementation 24

4.5 Validation 26

4.6 Security 26

4.7 The Start Up Of the System 27

4.8 System Interfaces 27

4.9 Home Screen 28

CHAPTER FIVE.....................................................................................................................................31

DISCUSSION, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS.........................................................31

5.0 Introduction 31

5.1 Discussion 31

5.2 Conclusion 31

5.3 Recommendations 31

5.4 Limitations 32

5.5 Problems Encountered 32

5.6 Future works 33

REFERENCES........................................................................................................................................34

APPENDICES.........................................................................................................................................xii

APPENDIX A..........................................................................................................................................xii

APPENDIX B.........................................................................................................................................xiii

APPENDIX C..........................................................................................................................................xv

APPENDIX D...........................................................................................................................................xx

viii
 LIST OF FIGURES
FIGURE 1: CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK..........................................................................................................................5
FIGURE 2: DATA FLOW DIAGRAM.................................................................................................................................19
FIGURE 3: ENTITY RELATIONSHIP DIAGRAM................................................................................................................20
FIGURE 4: LOGIN FORM SCREEN...................................................................................................................................26
FIGURE 5: HOME SCREEN.............................................................................................................................................28
FIGURE 6: ADMINISTRATIVE SCREEN............................................................................................................................28
Figure 7: Schedule report.............................................................................................................................................29

ix
 ABSTRACT
This research report is about power load shedding management system and the case study
was specifically UMEME kabalagala branch and the surrounding areas.
Umeme owned by CDC Globeleq of UK is an energy distribution network company
which operates under a concession with a structural monopoly on the distribution of
electricity across Uganda, distributing 99% of electricity in Uganda through a single
buyer model. Umeme was formed in 2004 when the Government of Uganda sold Uganda
Electricity Distribution Company Limited (UEDCL) owner of the electricity
distribution network up to 33KV, to a consortium belonging to Globeleq. The electricity
network was handed over to Umeme limited on the 1 st March 2005, under a concession
arrangement.Henseforth Umeme is the largest energy distribution network company
in Uganda.
Due to unknown load shedding programs and difficulties in knowing which areas are to
be load shedded, many Companies, small-scale businesses, individuals have been
experiencing losses and damages due to unexpected load shedding at these particular
moments .This has led Companies and individuals to lose their customers since load
shedding can take four days or a full week hence a decline in their production levels,
hence prompting the research and design for a load shedding management system.
The study was geographically concentrated at Umeme Kabalagala branch in Kampala,
conceptually the researchers concentrated on two levels of users; Administrative and
Users.
Qualitative research design was used in this particular case and among which, the
following research instruments were used; interviews, document analysis, observation
and focus group discussion.
Due course of this research, the researchers came up with a load shedding management
system which helps the users to view their load shedding schedules.

x
 CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION
1.0 Introduction
This chapter consisted of background of the study, problem statement, the purpose of the
Study, objectives of the study, scope of the study plus significances of the study.
1.1 Back ground of the study
Umeme owned by CDC Globeleq of UK is an energy distribution network company
which operates under a concession with a structural monopoly on the distribution of
electricity across Uganda, distributing 99% of electricity in Uganda through a single
buyer model. Umeme was formed in 2004 when the Government of Uganda sold Uganda
Electricity Distribution Company Limited (UEDCL) owner of the electricity
distribution network up to 33KV, to a consortium belonging to Globeleq. The electricity
network was handed over to Umeme limited on the 1 st March 2005, under a concession
arrangement.Henseforth Umeme is the largest energy distribution network company
in Uganda.
Umeme supplies Electricity that it receives from the UETCL (Uganda Electricity
Transmission Company Limited). UETCL receives power from hydro power generator,
thermal power generators and various mini-hydro power generators. When there is a
reduction in the production of electricity Umeme is unable to meet the demand and
therefore are tasked with rationing it through load shedding.
Electricity is an essential service for personal and household use but more so for use at
such public facilities as hospitals. Interrupting electricity supply through improper
procedures, particularly through unexpected load-shedding, poses a direct risk to the lives
of patients who may be in intensive care, receiving emergency treatment, or undergoing
life-saving surgery.
Umeme Brand Values:
i. Visible customer service
ii. Safety of staff and customers is key
iii. Integrity informing all their actions

1
iv. Transparency and openness in all their dealings

v. Employees are fundamental

Umeme Focus areas:
Umeme’s focus will always continue to be on the following areas
i. Loss reduction to 14% within seven years
ii. Safety for all

iii. Visible customer service Improvement

iv. Cost and efficiency improvement

v. Revenue collection to over 100%

Umeme's key objectives are to:
i. Stabilize the management of the utility
ii. Ensure that the billing system operates optimally

iii. Invest capital in the critical areas of the network to improve quality of supply

iv. Reduce non-technical losses and arrears

v. Systematically transform the business by introducing modern technology and worl
d best practices to achieve our vision of becoming the leading East African Distrib
utor of electricity by any measure, by 20.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

Due to unknown load shedding programs and difficulties in knowing which areas are to
be load shedded, many Companies, small-scale businesses, individuals have been
experiencing losses and damages due to unexpected load shedding at the moment .This
has led Companies and individuals to lose their customers since load shedding can take
four days or a full week hence a decline in their production .

2
1.3 Objectives of the Study
1.3.1 Main objective
To develop a system that is in position to inform the public about the program of load
shedding associated with a given selected area and it generated reports weekly and
monthly basis.
1.3.2 Specific Objectives of the Study
i. To identify the requirements to develop Load shedding System digital solution.

ii. To design a computerized Web solution technologies for UMEME company Uganda
which Showed Load shedding schedule of different areas.

iii. To establish industrial losses due to irregular power supply per day or scheduled load
shedding.

iv. To know the level of Instability in the working cycle due to power cuts.

v. To test and implement the computerized load shedding system solution

1.4 Research Questions

How was the study and analysis of the system done?
What was done in order to create the system?
How was the system modeled to provide solution to the problem mentioned?
How was the new system tested in its working environment?
1.5 Scope of the Study
1.5.1 Geographical scope:
Geographical scope served to set bounds on where the research was carried out. Mainly,
the project was limited to Umeme Kabalagala branch in Kampala.
1.5.2 Conceptual Scope:
The project maintained two levels of users; the Administrator (Managers) and the Users
(Data Entry Operators) levels; each level in the system was assigned unique username
and password to ensure security.

3
1.5.3 Time Scope:
The project took six months for completion with the first 2months for data collection, l
month for data analysis, 2months for system development and the last l month for the
testing of the system in its environment.
1.5.4 Subject scope:
Planning, analyzing, designing and implementation of the web based load shedding
management system
1.6 Significance of the study
With the success of the research, it was of significance to the Organization, the
Researchers and the University in the following ways;

i. The organization was able to boost their services and analyze their performance in
line with UMEME and customer relationship plus other operation to give hand in
fulfilling Load shedding Management tasks since the system catered for problems
in that line.

ii. The study helped the researchers to fulfill the requirements for the award of
bachelor’s degree in computer science, plus mastering the theory basics attained in
all the persuasion of the bachelor’s degree in the university.

iii. The project can also be referred to by other scholars for academic reference and even
for further research.

1.7 Limitations of the study

Although the system was capable of informing the public of various reasons for power
blackout, it was not able to do it automatically. It required a fault recognition subsystem.

4
Figure 1: Conceptual Framework.

5
1.8 Conclusion
In conclusion, for Umeme Kabalagala. This system was a remedy to all the identified
flaws mentioned above; it did not only improve the customer relationship but also saved
their money.
CHAPTER TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW

2.0 Introduction
Load shedding is the term used to describe the deliberate switching off of electrical
supply to parts of the electricity network, and hence to the customers in those areas. This
practice is rare, but is a core part of the emergency management of all electricity
networks.
Load shedding can be required when there is an imbalance between electricity demands
(Customers’ usage) and electricity supply (the ability of the electricity network to
generate and transport the required amount of electricity to meet this demand). In
Victoria, widespread load shedding is almost always a result of a deficit or restriction in
generation and/or on the transmission network.
When there is a shortfall in the electricity supply, there can be a need to reduce demand
very quickly to an acceptable level, or risk the entire electricity network becoming
unstable and shutting down completely. This is known as a “cascade” event, and can end
in a total or widespread network shutdown affecting very large areas of a country. Some
recent examples include the blackouts in northeast America and Canada in 2003 and
across Italy in the same year.
In order to protect the overall security of the national grid, it is sometimes necessary for
AEMO (the Australian Energy Market Operator) to direct the relevant market
participants (distribution and transmission companies) to investigate a localized load shed

6
event, effectively reducing electricity demand by quickly disconnecting consumers from
the grid.
Load shedding normally happens in two ways:

2.1 Automatic Load Shedding

This is a result of concurrent failures of major element(s) in the national grid (e.g. co-
incidental generator or key transmission line failures), resulting in protection schemes
initiating the automatic isolation of additional parts of the national grid, to protect the
entire grid from cascading to a total blackout. Automatic load shedding always occurs on
the transmission system level, with the result being large amounts of electricity and large
blocks of customers taken off supply in a very short time. Typical load reduction amounts
can be in the order of 1000MW – 2000MW, affecting hundreds of thousands of
customers.

2.2 Manual (Selective) Load Shedding

This occurs where time is available (typically up to 30mins) to make selective choices on
what customers are shed. Selective load shedding often occurs on the distribution system
level, and typically requires medium to small amounts of electricity to be “shed” in a
short time. Typical load reduction amounts can be in the order of 50MW – 100MW,
affecting tens of thousands of customers at a time.

Kohlenberg, Phillips, and Proctor (1976) investigated variables influencing consumers

in reducing peak demand energy consumption, which tested the effects of information,
feedback, and feedback plus monetary incentives on electricity consumption.
Findings showed that information alone had little effect. Feedback alone seemed to be
effective but only to a small magnitude. The greatest effect on reducing electricity
consumption was in the incentive-feedback condition-resulting in a 5096 reduction in
peaking. The study concluded that although feedback was important in producing
changes in peak energy use behavior, feedback combined with a payment condition had a

7
greater effect. Removal of the experimental conditions resulted in a return to previous
consumption patterns.

Hayes and Cone (1977) examined the effects of payments, information, and feedback on
levels of electrical energy consumption. This study differed from previous studies by
looking at all three variable classes (feedback alone, feedback plus payment, and payment
alone) separately and in various combinations. The study was conducted from January to
May 1977(, involving four units from a housing complex for married students at West
Virginia University. Electricity was used for cooking, refrigeration, and ventilation fans.
Meter readings, taken for 8 to 13 days, provided a baseline electricity consumption level.
The study found that paying consumers for reduced energy consumption was the most
effective of the three procedures resulting in an average 3396 reduction in electricity
consumption from baseline levels. The combined effect of feedback and 10096 payment
was no greater than 10096 payment alone. Feedback alone was studied in only one of the
four units. In this case, feedback produced a 1596 to 2196 reduction in baseline electricity
consumption during a 2-week period.

Winett, et ale (1978) reported that of high monetary rebates, weekly written feedback, or
conservation information, only a high rebate condition significantly reduced electricity
consumption. This study involved 12 Texas households whose primary use of electricity
was for air conditioning. The period of the study was from June to August 1978.
Results indicated that overall, only the high rebate system (which included feedback)
resulted in substantial reductions (1496-1696) in electricity usage. Information alone may
have actually increased usage. Weekly feedback and information were ineffective in
reducing electricity consumption.

Palmer, Lloyd, and Lloyd (1977) studied the effects of daily prompts and feedback on
electricity consumption in four households in Des Moines, Iowa. Investigators
established baseline levels of electricity consumption at various intervals throughout the

8
study. Research staff collected data from February to May 1977 for a total of 106 days.
All households used electric heat.
Results showed that introduction of cost information appeared to have the greatest impact
on reducing consumption. The investigators did not analyze the magnitude of this
reduction. The power company provided comparable J-month consumption data for pre
experimental, experimental, and post experimental years. In all households, electricity
consumption was lower, by an average of 1696, during the experimental period than
during the pre-experimental period. Three of the households' (one moved from the area)
electricity consumption averaged 996 lower for the post experimental period than the pre-
experimental period.
The study demonstrated the effectiveness of prompting and feedback techniques in
reducing electricity consumption. The study also pointed out that the local power
Company seemed to encourage high rates of electricity consumption by charging a lower
kWh rate for increased usage resulting in proportionately smaller money savings for large
reductions in usage, indicating that it would be more efficient to reverse the billing
procedures by charging increasingly more for greater consumption.

Bittle, Valesano, and Thaler (1979) reported that feedback efforts may be more
effective if made when demands for energy were high. This study involved 30 rural
southern Illinois households for which use of electrical energy was not determined.
Although this study found feedback related to reduced electricity consumption in general,
a greater difference in consumption between feedback and no-feedback conditions was
found when the need for electricity for cooling purposes was lowest. This indicates that
feedback could be more effective in reducing consumption when needs are lower. The
study further pointed out that efforts should be made to promote conservation habits at
low-use times rather than at peak usage times.
Presenting contradictory findings, Bittle, Valesano, and Thaler (1979-80) later found that
feedback was effective in restraining consumption in high consumers but had an opposite

9
effect on medium and low consumers, suggesting that feedback efforts may be more
effective if made when demands for energy are high. This study involved 353 households
in a rural southern Illinois community conducted between June and August(1979-80).
Meter readings taken daily (Monday through Saturday) for 16 to 26 days determined
baseline consumption levels. The study did not describe household uses of electricity.
Intergroup comparisons revealed that feedback was effective in restraining electricity
consumption for consumers who used large amounts of electricity. However, for lower
consumers, feedback appeared to increase consumption. For high consumers, cumulative
feedback was more effective than daily consumption feedback only. For medium
consumers, cumulative feedback was more effective initially but tended to equalize as
feedback continued.

Layne, et al (I987) conducted a pilot study evaluating the effectiveness of a household

energy report providing annual (not just monthly) weather-adjusted feedback data to
electricity consumers. This study asserted that annual feedback was preferable in
programs that were aimed at affecting the consumer's evaluation of retrofit investments
(such as insulation or a new furnace). The feedback model used a monthly and annual
report rather than more frequent feedback.
The research team developed a questionnaire and a prototype report called the Home
Energy Report (HER) for use in conducting interviews with a non-randomly selected
sample (N=173) of all-electric households in central New Jersey.
This study concluded that, although consumers exploit a wide array of tools for
understanding energy consumption, the monthly bill is the most extensively used.

Katzev, Cooper, and Fisher 1980-81 investigated the effects of feedback and social
reinforcement during a 7-week summer period on 11 all-electric apartments in a Portland,
Oreg.suburb. The study consisted of 2-week baseline, information, and treatment phases
and a I-week follow-up phase.

10
Results indicated that feedback had little or no impact on reducing electrical energy
consumption in households receiving feedback compared to households receiving no
feedback. Feedback also had little or no impact on feedback households when compared
to baseline levels of usage.

Becker (1978) found that feedback in relationship to goal setting significantly reduced
energy consumption. This study occurred from June through August in central New
Jersey. It consisted of 100 families residing in townhouses. The investigator assigned
each household to either a control or feedback group. Research staff recorded the
household's meter readings over a 9-week period to determine average daily
consumption.
The investigator used the average daily consumption of each household in the feedback
group to produce a predicted average daily consumption value.
Each household received an information sheet listing various appliances found in the
home and the amount of electricity each consumed. The researcher asked each family in
both the feedback and control groups to adopt either C3; difficult (2096 reduction) or an
easy (296 reduction) conservation goal. Research assistants recorded the meter readings
from each household on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings for 3 weeks in 1978;
after each meter reading, on the same day, the feedback group received data on a plastic
chart attached to the outside of the kitchen window facing inward, reflecting actual
reduction in electricity consumption with respect to the reduction goal of 2096 or 296.
The families assigned to the 2096 goal and given feedback consumed the least amount of
electricity and was the only group that ·used significantly fewer kWh than the control
group. The 2096 feedback group used 1396 less electricity than the control group and the
296 feedback group used 5% less. The results pointed out the importance of setting
difficult conservation goals and giving feedback on performance with respect to the
goals.

11
Morgan (I988) evaluated a pilot electricity usage analysis for residential customers
which Boston Edison piggy backed on its home energy audit program. The project, called
EASY plus, used proprietary software developed by ENERCOM, Inc. to collect data
from households to use in a computer algorithm to produce monthly and annual usage
analyses. The results were presented as bar charts showing electricity costs broken down
by 13 end users (such as refrigerator and clothes washer).
Morgan completed an analysis of the actual electricity consumed in households receiving
and not receiving the analyses. He found that households receiving the analyses saved,
about 796 more electricity than the average Boston Edison residential customer, although
the findings should be viewed with caution due to limitations in sample size and other
study problems. Additionally, Boston Edison found that the electricity usage analysis
helped resolve high bill complaints.
'
Seligman and Darley (1977) investigated the effects of feedback alone via a Lucite
display attached to the outside of the kitchen window in houses located in central New
Jersey. Investigators randomly assigned four households, where electricity was used for
central air conditioning, lighting, and refrigeration, to either a feedback or a control
condition. The study covered a 3-month period from July to September.
Meter readings taken for 5 weeks provided data for predicting each household's future
rate of energy usage based on an outdoor temperature. Research staff then read the
households' electric meters for 5 days per week over a 3-week period. The participants
were told that air conditioning was the largest use of electricity and that it was hoped air
conditioning use would be reduced.
The study revealed that the feedback group used approximately 1196 less electricity
during the feedback period than the control group receiving no feedback. This study also
found that the level of conservation obtained through feedback was unrelated to the initial
level of energy used, suggesting that lower users are as capable of reducing energy
consumption as higher users through feedback techniques.

12
2.3 Places where a similar system is being used
Similar systems can be found for example in the republic of Nepal where the Nepal
electricity authority offers a link to view load shedding schedules.
In south Africa precisely in cape town where the cape town authority offers a link to view
load shedding programs.(www.capetown.gov.za/en/electricity/pages/loadshedding .aspx).
Zimbabwe uses a similar system for their schedule programs on the link
(www.zesa.co.zw/index.php/load-shedding-details)

CHAPTER THREE

METHODOLOGY

3.0 Introduction
The chapter involved a critical study of the existing management systems. This chapter
introduced the methodology and techniques that were used in acquiring and analyzing
information and to achieve the objectives of the project. It therefore includes the
methods, techniques, design tools, approaches and procedures which were adopted to
collect and analyze information.
3.1 Research design
The research design was qualitative; this was because the design would give researchers a
clear picture of the in-depth understanding of load shedding system. Hence, the
researchers identified the essence of the load shedding management system to Umeme
kabalagala branch in Kampala.

3.2 Target population

The target group included 50 business men, 50 business women, 50 students and 50
house tenants of kabalagala.
13
3.3 Sampling Design
The researchers used random sampling method to obtain relevant data. A few people
were selected as a sample from the big population randomly without informing them and
this enabled the researchers to collect the required data.

3.4 Research instruments

The following are the methods which were employed by the researchers as a means to
collect data; these included; Interviews, Questionnaires, Observation, Document analysis
and, Focus group discussion

3.4.1 Interviews
According to Gery B, et al (2001), an interview is a planned meeting during which you
obtain information from another person.
This method was used to collect information from UMEME as the researchers asked
questions about the current system. During the interviews, the UMEME Administrators
described the process they involved and problems faced in administering the current
UMEME management and from the interviews with other staff members plus some other
Stake holders, the researchers were able to identify the problems faced and the user
requirements for the proposed system.
The Interview helped the researchers in the following ways:
i. Interviews gave the researchers an opportunity to motivate the interviewee to
respond freely and openly to questions.
ii. The interviews allowed the system researchers to probe for more feedback from
the interviewee.
iii. Interviews gave the researchers an opportunity to observe the interviewee’s
nonverbal communication.

These were the disadvantages of using interviews:

i. Interviews were a bit impractical due to the location of interviewees.
ii. Time Consuming and therefore costly, fact-finding approach.
iii. Highly dependent on the researchers’ human relations skill.
14
3.4.2 Document analysis
With this method, the researchers reviewed market documents which included Customer
Members’ register, receipt books, vouchers and the Load shedding schedules. This
method helped the researchers to obtain various information captured for different events
and supplemented to the information from the interviews made at UMEME offices.
3.4.3 Observation
According to Gery B, et al (2001), observation is another fact finding technique. Seeing
the system in action gives you additional perspective and a better understanding of
system procedures.
Observations were carried out accompanied by visits to the UMEME Offices where the
research was carried out, in this line this kind of method helped the researchers to gain a
clear flow of the activities involved and how they were conducted.
Advantages of Observation
i. The method is Cheap.
ii. People work and their schedules are not interrupted.
iii. Provides a cross view of the work, that is to say people, objects, documents and
other occurrences are observed concurrently.
Disadvantages of Observation
i. Many people don’t like to be observed during time of work.
ii. For better results the researcher must be kin that is time consuming
3.4.4 Questionnaires
This is a written document that is used to gather data from a large number of people in
the same region. They are used to gather facts, attitudes and some suggestions about the
system.
Advantages of questionnaire:
i. The questionnaire is answered quickly. People respond and then return them at
their convenience.
ii. Questionnaires prove to be relatively cheap in gathering the information.
iii. Response comes very fast.

15
iv. The researchers find out that questionnaires allow individuals to maintain
anonymity, therefore individuals provide real facts rather than what their bosses
want them to tell us.

Disadvantages of questionnaires:
i. There is no guarantee that an individual will answer or elaborate on all questions.
ii. There is no opportunity for a respondent to clarify on vague answers.
iii. Good questionnaires are hard to design.
iv. It is hard to guarantee genuine answers.

3.4.4 Focus Group discussion

The researchers used focus group discussion in collecting some of the information. A
focus group was preferred and composed of five individuals who shared certain
characteristics which was relevant for the study. The researchers interacted with the
group while they recorded the necessary information relevant to the study.
3.5 Data analysis
The researchers used SPSS to analyze the data which was collected from the selected
people of kabalagala branch in Kampala.
3.6 System requirements
Requirements specifications involved what the system was supposed to do. Therefore it
provided detailed documentations of requirements and these were categorized into
collection and analysis of user requirements, functional requirements and systems
requirements.
3.6.1 User requirements
In this line it comprised of the preferred features by the users of the system, which from
the interviews and comments from the UMEME staff and users who used the system
revealed that the system was able to;
i. Provide user friendly interfaces for easy interactions.
ii. Allow Administrators to enter data easily from the interface and was saved to the
database.
16
iii. Print the necessary reports with the most accurate information.
iv. Restrict unauthorized login attempts to the system.

3.6.2 Functional requirements

This outlined how the system served the users by ensuring efficient and effective
functionality. The system therefore;
i. Allowed registration of Areas
ii. Enabled the administrators to effectively schedule Load shedding areas.
iii. Allowed easy complaining of customers.
iv. Provided adequate reports

3.6.3 System requirements

These are requirements that were needed to incorporate the desired functionalities in the
system. This therefore called for the description of the properties of the system and this
addressed both the software and hardware requirements.
3.6.4 Software requirements
For the success of the system’s objectives, it was a combination of several software
which worked hand in hand to execute as per the expectation of the study on which the
system was built. Examples included;
Windows 8 64 bit operating system was used for efficient running of the system, Asp.net,
Microsoft Visio and Sql server 2008.

3.6.5 Hardware Specifications

Due to the need of reaching to the expected efficiency of the system per study the
following hardware specifications were considered;
The system ran efficiently on a computer of 2.2 GHz Processor Speed, with 2 GB of
RAM.
3.7 System Testing and Validation
3.7.1 Testing
Carefully selected data was used to find out if the system had bugs. In case of bugs, they
were analyzed and fixed.
17
3.7.2 Validation
The functionalities of the system were compared against the original requirements to see
if the functionalities were actually the original requirements.

CHAPTER FOUR

SYSTEM ANALYSIS, DESIGN, TESTING, IMPLEMENTATION AND

VALIDATION
4.0 Introduction
This chapter focused on the analysis of the data generated during the course of the field
study, design, testing, in addition to implementation and validation of the system.
4.1 Fact finding analysis
Most significant data was analyzed from 200 respondents’ (50 business men, 50 business
women, 50 students and 50 house tenants) questionnaires gathered from the survey.
4.1.1 Scope regarding occupation of respondents
The respondent’s scope comprised of 10 business men, 10 business women, 10 students
and 10 house tenants.
4.2 System Design
It refers to the art of defining the architecture, components, modules, interfaces, and data
for the system to fulfill the project main objective.
The main goal of the design phase was to find the best possible design, within the
limitations imposed by the requirements and the physical as well as social environment in
which the system operated.

18
The Unified Modeling Language (UML) class diagrams were used to model the entities
in the system, UML scenarios (sequence diagrams) were used to show the flow of data
between the various entities, and the interfaces modelled how the system users interacted
with the system.
4.2.1 System Data Flow Diagram
This refers to diagrammatic representation of information flow in the system between the
different entities and processes. Data flow Diagram shows how data moves through the
system but does not show program processing steps however, it provides a logical model
that shows what the system does. This diagram was used to exhibit the business
processes, inputs and outputs of each process, and the flow of data between the processes
and the data stores.
Figure 2: Data Flow Diagram

Area

1 Area Info
Registration Area Records
Area Info

Load
Shedding 2 Area

Scheduling Load Shedding

2 Area
Complain
Info
Complaining
Complaint Records

Comment 2
Comment Records
Commenting
19
4.2.2 Conceptual Design
Conceptual design refers to the explicit construction of the idea or concepts that a user
needs to learn about what a product is, what it can do, and how it is intended to be used.
This involved various entities and attributes’ identification on which can be seen as
follows;

Table 1
Entity Attributes
Load shedding - Load_shedding_id
- Area
- Power Time Off
- Power Time On

The data model was also produced that defined the relevant entities, their attributes and
relationship from which a context diagram was developed. Entities and relationships were
identified to come up with an entity relationship diagram.
Entity Relationship Diagram
Entity relationship Diagram was the tool which we used to show the relationship between
different entities that were involved in the system information flow. This tool helped the
researchers to identify the attributes of each entity and the cardinalities between the
relationships.

20
 Figure 3: Entity Relationship Diagram.

Comment Power off Date Accnt no

Photo Load_I
d cmpl Addre
Area id ss

Date
Load Complain
Comment
Shedding

County Power on Date

Name_
Commen
t id

Area

District Area_Id
21
 Divisio County
n

4.2.3 Logical Design

The logical design of the system consisted description of the conceptual presentation of
data flow, inputs and out puts of the system, this was conducted via modeling, involving
theoretical and graphical representation of an actual system’s design.
4.2.4 Physical design
This illustrates the data dictionary, which consists of the table fields, the size of
characters allowed and the description of the field in the table.
During the physical design process, the researchers translated the expected schemas into
actual database structures and mapped; Entities to tables, relationships to foreign key,
attributes to columns, primary unique identifiers to primary key constraints and unique
identifiers to unique key constraints. These were achieved with the use of SQL database
software
Data dictionary
The data dictionary defines the basic organization of the database; the database consists
of several tables which contain entity records that include their data type, font-size and
field.
Data was captured in sql database as seen below;

Area table

22
Comment Table

Complaint Table

Load Shedding Table

23
Users

4.3 System Testing

System testing is a critical aspect of Software Quality Assurance and represents the
ultimate review of specification, design and coding. Testing is a process of executing a
program with the intent of finding errors. The purpose of testing was to identify and
correct bugs in the developed system. Testing was vital to the success of the system.

24
In the code testing the logic of the developed system was tested. For this, every module
of the program was executed to find errors. Specifications test was performed during the
examination stating what the program could do and how it could perform under various
conditions.
Unit testing focused first on the modules in the proposed system to locate errors. This
enabled to detect errors in the coding and logic that were contained within that module
alone. Those resulting from the interaction between modules were initially avoided. In
unit testing each module was checked separately.
System testing does not test the software as a whole, but rather integration of each
module in the system. The primary concern was the compatibility of individual modules.
4.4 Implementation
During implementation, the database and user interfaces were created by use of web
technologies. The user interfaces were developed to input data, to process and output
information. The database was developed for storage of information. The fronted layer of
the system design is the web based user interfaces (Graphical User Interfaces (GUI’s).
They are developed to facilitate the users computing environment.
The database management system and languages used are described below;

SQL
SQL (Structured Query Language) is used to communicate with a database. According to
ANSI (American National Standards Institute), it is the standard language for relational
database management systems. SQL is a special-purpose programming language
designed for managing data held in a relational database management system.

C#
C#, pronounced c sharp, is a programming language that can be used to give instructions
to a computer. The instructions can be written from a text editor such as Notepad.
Another way is to use a programming environment that is equipped with many tools that
make it easy to work on projects, to create the necessary files, and to distribute a

25
completed application.
Probably the most popular programming environment you can use to write C#
instructions is Microsoft Visual Studio. This is commercial application available for
purchase from Microsoft.

JavaScript
JavaScript is a scripting language designed primarily for adding interactivity to Web
pages and creating Web applications. The language was first implemented by Netscape
Communications Corp. in Netscape Navigator 2 beta (1995). JavaScript is different from
the Java language (developed in the 1990s at Sun Microsystems). However, the two
languages can interoperate well. Client-side JavaScript programs, or scripts, can be
embedded directly in HTML source of Web pages. Depending on the Web developer's
intent, script code may run when the user opens the Web page, clicks or drags some page
element with the mouse, types something on the keyboard, submits a form, or leaves the
page.

Asp.net
ASP.NET is a web platform that provides all the services that you require to build
enterprise-class server-based web applications. ASP.NET is built on the .NET
Framework, so all .NET Framework features are available to ASP.NET applications.
Your applications can be written in any language that is compatible with the common
language runtime (CLR), including Visual Basic and C#.
To create ASP.NET web applications, you can use Visual Studio. In addition, a free
standalone product—Visual Studio Express for Web—is available that includes the core
set of web design features from Visual Studio
4.5 Validation
Refers to the process of using the new software for the developed system in a live
environment i.e., new software inside the organization, in order to find out the errors. The
26
validation phase reveals the failures and the bugs in the developed system. It was
intended to know the practical difficulties the system faces when operated in the true
environment.
4.6 Security
Security is the first thing each manager has to put into consideration, in any system to be
used by more than one person for example in an organization like Golf Electricity
companies and others that contain lots of important information. Therefore the
researchers came up with a login form that permits use of the system, on which none
authorized users cannot access the system. Only valid users with correct user name and
password can log into the system.

Figure 4: Login Form Screen.

27
The login form is presented with two text boxes and one command button as shown in the
figure above. Enter the correct user name and password in their respective text boxes and
then click the “SUBMIT” command button.

4.7 The Start Up Of the System

The startup is as simple as any other websites, the user just puts in the website address
and the home screen will show up indicating various parts of the system.

4.8 System Interfaces

These are user friendly pages that the users use to view and enter information according
to their privileges and authorization. The pages perform the following tasks:
 Welcoming the user
 Displaying information according to user privileges.
 Entering information according to user privileges.

4.9 Home Screen

The Home screen acts as a navigation point of all pages of the system, through the main
form, you can access any part of system depending on your level of authentication. Some
users cannot access some forms that are not in their area of concern. Only the
administrator is allowed to access everything in the system.

Figure 5: Home Screen.

28
Figure 6: Administrative Screen.

29
The above figure is the main page on which every authorized user goes to after the login;
it contains most of the features of the system for example different privileges like editing
users and other functionalities.

30
Figure 7: Schedule report

This report shows the scheduling programs of various areas giving their respective power
off and on dates, this allows the administrator to review and analyze the load shedding
schedules.
Note: Other User interfaces of the Load Shedding Management System can be accessed
in the Appendix B.

31
 CHAPTER FIVE

DISCUSSION, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

5.0 Introduction
This chapter gives a summary of the entire system with emphasis on its achievements
and limitations. There are also suggestions on possible areas of enhancement.
5.1 Discussion
The system was designed to fulfill the basic aim and specific objectives that were
proposed at the earlier stage of the system development. A system comprises of people,
equipment, space and procedures. The researchers were mindful of the input, processing,
storing and retrieving requirements necessary for an effective system. The main users to
interact with the system are the Umeme Load Shedding Administrators and Umeme
Customers.
In any software development, security is always a very important issue for
considerations. The administrators should therefore make use of authorized persons to
take charge of the system. It is thus management obligation to ensure internal controls
and security about the system, the system cannot be accessed by any user except the
authorized user with the login ID and password.
5.2 Conclusion
Computer-based Load Shedding Management System functions are essential for Umeme
because of the Technological progress which makes it possible to provide, cost-
effectiveness and more complete accurate Umeme information to the public and to offer
improved performance.
5.3 Recommendations
It is important that Umeme Load Shedding Management continues to use the old manual
system alongside the new one per speculations in the implementation section in the report
as the Umeme Load Shedding Management has many clients and the system users have
to be trained to use the system as they may lose information on which may be of great use

32
in the Umeme Load Shedding Management , thus the users should first use the manual
and the automated system parallel till when the automated system is worth their
expectations.

The users need to be trained on how best they can use the new automated system. Users
with basic computer skills will be required in order for them to appreciate the
functionality of the system.

The system has a lot of room for further improvement though as it stands it can be used
as a prototype to develop a Umeme Load Shedding Management and more features could
be added, since less time was available for the researchers.

5.4 Limitations
It is not usually possible to design a system that meets the needs of every user; therefore
the system has the following limitations;

There are fixed queries that have been designed by the researchers. This means that the
users cannot run queries of their choice unless the system is upgraded.
The Project was quite limited since it entails some components that required to be
delivered on time with full functionality

Biased responses from some of the interviewees.

Lack of interest from some of the would-be users of the new system due to fear of loss of
jobs as a result of the automation that the new system inhibits.

5.5 Problems Encountered

There are as many problems encountered as a system is one of the tasks on which needs
much of attention, thus the following problems were encountered during the development
process of coming up with the System;

33
One of the biggest problem encountered, which is more a general problem per all
students of Kampala international university that were carrying out their research was
limited time to enable development of a system with better features thus leading to
compression of functionalities that would be included in the system.

In accessibility to the most current literature on software development Despite the normal
programming procedures followed, some segments could not run normally especially in
viewing forms, may be due to computer memory problems since Visual Studio takes a lot
of memory.

Lack of proper documentation about the existing system which was a big bottleneck for
System development.

During data collection process, the staff was reluctant to release any information, as it
was hard for the researchers to access sample forms to be used in Umeme Management
System with the fear that they might be supporting a competitor.

5.6 Future works

Certainly we did not accomplish all we intended to do. This can be attributed to time and
resource constraints. The research project is scheduled to take a semester and even an
extension did not provide us ample time to complete our objectives.
There is need to add more features in the Load shedding management system and
changes need be made in future.

34
 REFERENCES

Becker, Lawrence J. (1978). Joint Effect of Feedback and Goal Setting on Performance.
A Field Study of Residential Energy Conservation. Journal of Applied Psychology
63:428-433.
Bittle, et al (I979).The effects of daily cost.
Feedback on Residential Electricity Consumption. Behavior Modification 3:187-201.
Bittle, et al (1979-80). "The Effects of Daily cost.
Feedback on Residential Electricity Usage as a Function of Usage Level and Type of
Feedback Information. Journal of Environmental Systems 9:275-287.
Hayes, et al (1977). Reducing Residential Electrical Energy.
Use: Payments, Information, and Feedback." Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis
10:425-435.
Katzev, et al (1980-81). 'The Effect of Feedback and
Social Reinforcement on Residential Electricity Consumption. Journal of
Environmental Systems 10:215-227.
Kempton, W. and L. L. Layne (1988). 'The Consumer's Energy Information
Environment. Behavior and Lifestyle, Proceedings of the 1988 Summer Study on
Energy Efficiency in Buildings II: 11.51-11.66.
Kohlenberg, et al (1976). "A Behavioral Analysis of peaking in Residential Electrical-
Energy Consumers." Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis 9:13-18.
Layne, et al (1987). "Design Criteria For A Consumer Energy Report: A Pilot Field
Study." Unpublished. Princeton University.
McClelland,et al (1979-80). "Energy Conservation Effects of Continuous. In-Home
Feedback In All-Electric Homes." Journal of Environmental Systems 9:169-173.
Seligman, et al (1977). "Feedback as a Means of Decreasing Residential Energy
Consumption." Journal of Applied Psychology 62:363-368.
Morgan and Stephen J. (1988). "Evaluation of the Boston Edison Company 'EASY-Plus'
Disaggregated Utility Electric Usage Analysis," in Innovative Energy Programs for
Homes.
35
 APPENDICES

APPENDIX A

Sample interview questions for Umeme staff

Interview Guide

i. Acquiring knowledge on the means by which Umeme uses to inform their

customers about power blackouts.

ii. Establishing whether Umeme would be comfortable with their customers knowing
their load shedding schedules.

iii. Determining if Umeme would profit from a power load shedding system.

xii
 APPENDIX B

Sample screenshots

User viewing load shedding schedules:

xiii
User entering a complaint form:

xiv
 APPENDIX C

Sample codes:
Login screen codes:
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using System.Web;
using System.Web.UI;
using System.Web.UI.WebControls;

public partial class login : System.Web.UI.Page

{
protected void Page_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
Session["loginStatus"] = 0;
string dateInString = "08.24.2014";

DateTime startDate = DateTime.Parse(dateInString);

DateTime expiryDate = startDate.AddDays(20);

if (DateTime.Now > expiryDate)
{

ASPxLabel3.Text = "Trial Version Has Expired ";

}

// }

}
DataSet1TableAdapters.QueriesTableAdapter df = new
DataSet1TableAdapters.QueriesTableAdapter();
protected void ASPxButton1_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{

string role;
Class1 clas = new Class1();
string dateInString = "08.24.2014";

DateTime startDate = DateTime.Parse(dateInString);

xv
 DateTime expiryDate = startDate.AddDays(20);
if (DateTime.Now > expiryDate)
{
Response.Redirect("login.aspx");
ASPxLabel3.Text = "Trial Version Has Expired ";
}
if (clas.checkuser(ASPxTextBox1.Text, ASPxTextBox2.Text) == true)
{

Session["loginStatus"] = 1;
role = df.get_role(ASPxTextBox1.Text, ASPxTextBox2.Text).ToString();

if (role == "Admin")
{

Response.Redirect("scheduling.aspx");

}
else if (role == "Manager")
{
Response.Redirect("Viewschedulingmanager.aspx");

}
else
{
ASPxLabel3.Text = "Invalid Login";

}
}
}

Load shedding main page codes:

<%@ Page Title="" Language="C#" MasterPageFile="~/Siteadmin.master"
AutoEventWireup="true" CodeFile="Area.aspx.cs" Inherits="Area" %>

xvi
<%@ Register assembly="DevExpress.Web.ASPxGridView.v11.1, Version=11.1.5.0,
Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b88d1754d700e49a"
namespace="DevExpress.Web.ASPxGridView" tagprefix="dx" %>
<%@ Register assembly="DevExpress.Web.ASPxEditors.v11.1, Version=11.1.5.0,
Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b88d1754d700e49a"
namespace="DevExpress.Web.ASPxEditors" tagprefix="dx" %>

<asp:Content ID="Content1" ContentPlaceHolderID="HeadContent" Runat="Server">

</asp:Content>
<asp:Content ID="Content2" ContentPlaceHolderID="MainContent" Runat="Server">
<table class="style3">
<tr>
<td>
<dx:ASPxGridView ID="ASPxGridView3" runat="server"
AutoGenerateColumns="False"
CssFilePath="~/App_Themes/Office2003Blue/{0}/styles.css"
CssPostfix="Office2003Blue" DataSourceID="ObjectDataSource1"
KeyFieldName="Area_id" Width="136%" CssClass="txt">
<Columns>
<dx:GridViewCommandColumn VisibleIndex="0">
<EditButton Visible="True">
</EditButton>
<NewButton Visible="True">
</NewButton>
<DeleteButton Visible="True">
</DeleteButton>
<ClearFilterButton Visible="True">
</ClearFilterButton>
</dx:GridViewCommandColumn>
<dx:GridViewDataTextColumn FieldName="Area_id" Visible="False"
VisibleIndex="1">
<EditFormSettings Visible="False" />
</dx:GridViewDataTextColumn>
<dx:GridViewDataTextColumn FieldName="District" VisibleIndex="2">
</dx:GridViewDataTextColumn>
<dx:GridViewDataTextColumn FieldName="Division" VisibleIndex="3">
</dx:GridViewDataTextColumn>
<dx:GridViewDataTextColumn FieldName="County" VisibleIndex="4">
</dx:GridViewDataTextColumn>
<dx:GridViewDataTextColumn FieldName="Sub_county"
VisibleIndex="5">
</dx:GridViewDataTextColumn>
<dx:GridViewDataTextColumn FieldName="Parish" VisibleIndex="6">
</dx:GridViewDataTextColumn>
xvii
 <dx:GridViewDataTextColumn FieldName="Zone" VisibleIndex="7">
</dx:GridViewDataTextColumn>
</Columns>
<Settings ShowFilterRow="True" />
<Images SpriteCssFilePath="~/App_Themes/Office2003Blue/{0}/sprite.css">
<LoadingPanelOnStatusBar
Url="~/App_Themes/Office2003Blue/GridView/gvLoadingOnStatusBar.gif">
</LoadingPanelOnStatusBar>
<LoadingPanel
Url="~/App_Themes/Office2003Blue/GridView/Loading.gif">
</LoadingPanel>
</Images>
<ImagesFilterControl>
<LoadingPanel Url="~/App_Themes/Office2003Blue/Editors/Loading.gif">
</LoadingPanel>
</ImagesFilterControl>
<Styles CssFilePath="~/App_Themes/Office2003Blue/{0}/styles.css"
CssPostfix="Office2003Blue">
<Header ImageSpacing="5px" SortingImageSpacing="5px">
</Header>
<LoadingPanel ImageSpacing="10px">
</LoadingPanel>
</Styles>
<StylesEditors>
<ProgressBar Height="25px">
</ProgressBar>
</StylesEditors>
</dx:ASPxGridView>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<asp:ObjectDataSource ID="ObjectDataSource1" runat="server"
DeleteMethod="Delete" InsertMethod="Insert"
OldValuesParameterFormatString="original_{0}" SelectMethod="GetData"
TypeName="DataSet1TableAdapters.AreaTableAdapter"
UpdateMethod="Update">
<DeleteParameters>
<asp:Parameter Name="Original_Area_id" Type="Int32" />
</DeleteParameters>
<InsertParameters>
<asp:Parameter Name="District" Type="String" />
<asp:Parameter Name="Division" Type="String" />
<asp:Parameter Name="County" Type="String" />
xviii
 <asp:Parameter Name="Sub_county" Type="String" />
<asp:Parameter Name="Parish" Type="String" />
<asp:Parameter Name="Zone" Type="String" />
</InsertParameters>
<UpdateParameters>
<asp:Parameter Name="District" Type="String" />
<asp:Parameter Name="Division" Type="String" />
<asp:Parameter Name="County" Type="String" />
<asp:Parameter Name="Sub_county" Type="String" />
<asp:Parameter Name="Parish" Type="String" />
<asp:Parameter Name="Zone" Type="String" />
<asp:Parameter Name="Original_Area_id" Type="Int32" />
</UpdateParameters>
</asp:ObjectDataSource>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
</asp:Content>

xix
 APPENDIX D

BUDGET
ITEM AMOUNT
Computer set(Laptop) 1,500,000/=
Flash disk(2Gb) 15,000/=
Transport 100,000/=
pens 3,000/=
papers 24,000/=
Internet cost 20,000/=
Printing and binding 100,000/=
Total 1,762,000/=

xx