ECG installs prepaid meters for customers in Western Region

The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) is installing smart prepayment meters for its customers in the Western Region to replace the existing postpaid meters.

The new meters have features such as voltage regulators which help in protecting appliances of customers, and also help in the reduction of electricity-related fire outbreaks.

Where there is a fault  with the wiring system, the meter is able to indicate where the challenge is.

Implementation

The implementation of the new system, which is  ongoing in the Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipality and the Prestea Huni Valley District, is in line with the ECG’s policy of systematically replacing most of its postpaid meters to prepayment meters.

 As part of the implementation process, major stakeholders including chiefs, opinion leaders, and security agencies will be briefed on the exercise.

Success

Speaking at a stakeholders meeting in Takoradi, the Western Regional General Manager of the ECG,  Mr Abraham Anokye Abebreseh, described the introduction of smart prepaid metering so far as a remarkable success in the company’s revenue collection efforts in the region.

“The prepaid metering system encourages and supports consumers to be more receptive to energy conservation practices which leads to savings,”  he said.

He said the era of uncollected billed revenue would soon become a thing of the past.

Features

 For his part, the General Manager for Metering and Technical Services of ECG,  Mr Sariel Etwire,  said the meters came with additional features which  provided a higher level of transparency in the measurement of electricity consumption thus reducing disputes and providing the customer with the confidence required for continuous purchases.

The new meters, which are user-friendly , were being installed at convenient places to provide the customer with a safer means of contact, he said.

He advised the regional ECG team to work hard towards a successful project by engaging all relevant stakeholders to come up with solutions that met expectations.