It is no longer news that a majority of Nigerians prefer the prepaid meter installation as opposed to estimated billing when it comes to paying their electricity bills. Why you may ask? This is simply because it is cheaper and more efficient to be billed for what electricity you have used than just to be billed as the epileptic power supply in Nigeria would pose estimated billings as rip-offs.
But first off, what is a prepaid meter? Prepaid meters are smart meters that allow you to pay for electricity consumed beforehand. This payment is usually housed in a keycard. These keycards are recharged by inputting the generated code by the electricity providers into the meters. These meters are gradually gaining wide acclaim all around the country as Nigerians would rather be charged for what they have used as opposed to getting charged for electricity they might or might not use.
Here in Nigeria, prepaid meters are usually sold and serviced by the various power companies that manage each region. So if you are in the Abuja district AEDC would sell to you. If you are in Lagos EKEDC or IKEDC would be your best option whilst the residents of the southwest would rather IBEDC.
Now that we know what a prepaid meter is and where to get them, we would look at the Advantages a prepaid meter has over the generic estimated meter presently being used by numerous Nigerians. We would look at why you should go for prepaid meter installation when moving into a new house if they already don’t have one.
A prepaid meter is fair no doubt. You get to pay for your electricity consumption on a pay-as-you-go method and wont be charged any excess fare for what you haven’t used. The Prepaid meter helps present you with a fair cost of what you consume in electricity. With a prepaid meter, customers can only use the amount of electricity they have paid for in advance. This means that they are not at risk of receiving unexpectedly high bills due to estimation errors. So, if you want a prepaid meter installed you have to get in touch with a professional prepaid meter installer.
Prepaid meter installation is far preferable to the estimated meter because it would help you curtail your budget. Unlike other metering methods, you keep paying a fixed amount. The prepaid meter also favors the metering company as it helps them reduce the risk of non-payment. With a prepaid meter, customers are required to pay for their electricity in advance, which reduces the risk of non-payment. This can help to improve the financial stability of the utility company.
With a prepaid meter, you are in control of the electricity consumption. You tend to consume more when you cant even measure how your electricity is calculated (as is the case with estimated meters). But when you know what you use on a daily using the prepaid meter, you would be able to turn it down a notch when you seem to be going overboard. Because you are required to pay for your electricity in advance, you may be more mindful of your energy usage and may be motivated to conserve energy in order to stretch your prepaid credit.
This is the best part of it. Unlike the estimated metering method. Installing a prepaid meter allows you the liberty of recharging anytime, any day, and from anywhere. You can pay with your card on vendors sites like BuyPower etc at any time of the day even in the middle of the night and on weekends. But for the estimated billing, you would have to visit the electric providers office to make payment. This can be very stressful.
In some cases, prepaid meters may be easier to install than traditional meters because they do not require the same level of infrastructure and connectivity. But this is not true in all cases as some traditional meters are connected in such a way as to bypass the measuring needle and hence provide a skewed measurement of the electricity consumption.
The process for installing a prepaid meter in Nigeria will vary depending on the specific procedures and requirements of the utility company and local regulations hence hiring a professional from our platform would be your best option as they are well-versed in the installation of different types of prepaid meters. In general, however, the process may involve the following steps:
The first step in installing a prepaid meter is to contact the utility company to request the installation. The utility company will be able to provide information on the specific requirements and procedures for installing a prepaid meter. Contact the utility company that is specific to your location.
The utility company may require certain documents to be submitted in order to process the request for a prepaid meter installation. These documents may include proof of identity, proof of ownership of the property, Passport photograph, address, and any other required documents.
There may be fees or charges associated with the installation of a prepaid meter. These fees will vary depending on the utility company and the specific meter being installed. The meter itself would cost you and some VAT associated with it but this is usually not very expensive.
Once the necessary documents have been submitted and any fees have been paid, the utility company will schedule an appointment for a technician to visit the property. Or you could suggest that they get you the meter and you could use your personal meter installation expert whilst they verify it was done properly afterward.
During the installation appointment, the installer will install the prepaid meter and ensure that it is properly connected and functioning. They may also provide instructions on how to use the meter and top up the prepaid credit.
It is no news that prepaid meters have been saving a lot of people exorbitant fees that they would have paid if they kept on using the estimated meter types. And not just cost, theres also energy conservation and ease of operation.
Why not get in touch with us and get a technician to visit you for a proper prepaid meter installation?
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