Eskom once more urged prepaid electricity customers to recode their meters before the November 24 deadline to avoid a sudden loss of power.
The utility's 6.9 million prepaid meters currently using the outdated KRN1 (Key Revision Number 1) will no longer accept electricity tokens after this date, rendering them inoperable once existing credit runs out.
The power utility said in a statement on Monday night that customers who fail to recode their meters could face replacement costs of up to R12 000.
Monde Bala, Eskom’s group executive for Distribution, said, "Customers with meters still on KRN1 have likely not purchased electricity for more than six months or might be using unauthorised tokens bought from criminal syndicates. To prevent the meter from becoming inoperable, losing power, and incurring replacement costs, it is critical that all customers, including those who have not purchased electricity in the last six months or more, to buy electricity tokens from authorised vendors by 24 November 2024.
“This will provide them with two sets of 20-digit codes needed to recode and update their meters. We started our public awareness campaigns back in August 2023 and we continue to ask users to come forward so we can offer all the help we have available,” he said.
Eskom initiated public awareness campaigns in August 2023 and has ramped up efforts through community support teams, weekend assistance, and multilingual guidance. Self-service tools like the Alfred Chatbot are also available to simplify the recoding process.
How to Check and Recode:
To determine if a meter needs recoding, customers can enter the code 1844 6744 0738 4377 2416 into the keypad. A response of “1” or “1.2” indicates the need for recoding, while “2” or “2.2” confirms the meter is already updated.
To complete the recoding:
– Enter the first 20-digit token.
– Enter the second 20-digit token.
– Recharge the meter using a 20-digit token from the latest electricity purchase.
Eskom said customers who complete the recoding will continue to buy tokens seamlessly from authorised vendors after the deadline.
BUSINESS REPORT