Meet deadline and avoid hefty cost, Eskom warns prepaid meter customers

Eskom has urged all prepaid electricity customers to update their meters immediately to avoid an unexpected power loss as the November 24 deadline looms.

The power utility has reiterated meters using key revision number 1 ( KRN1) will no longer accept electricity tokens after Sunday.

This means once the current credit is depleted, customers will lose power and the meter will become inoperable, necessitating a meter replacement that could cost customers up to R12,000.

Monde Bala, Eskom’s group executive for distribution, said customers with meters 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 past six months or more, buy electricity tokens from authorised vendors by November 24 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 in August 2023 and we continue to ask users to come forward so we can offer help,” said Bala.

The power utility said it is prepared to issue tokens to all customers who have not recoded their meters, ensuring continuous and secure electricity purchases after November 24.

According to Eskom, customers who recode by the deadline will be able to buy tokens seamlessly from all official vendors and maintain uninterrupted supply.

“If your meter remains on KRN1 after the deadline, the KRN1 tokens will no longer be accepted after November 24 and once your current credit runs out, you will lose power until the meter is replaced at a cost of R12,000,” said Eskom.

How to check and recode Your meter

To verify if your meter is ready:

• Enter 1844 6744 0738 4377 2416 on your meter keypad.
• If it shows 1 or 1.2, your meter needs to be recoded.
• If it shows 2 or 2.2, your meter is updated and requires no further action.

To complete the recoding:

• Enter the first 20 digits of your recode token.
• Enter the second 20 digits of your recode token.
• Finally, enter the 20-digit token from your latest electricity purchase to recharge your meter.

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