Owning a prepaid meter in Ghana has become a basic requirement for many households in Ghana. Two of the most important amenities in every home are water and electricity.  In 2005, electricity consumption was estimated at 10 percent – 15 percent per year.

Electricity provision in Ghana has evolved over the years. Initially, most homes used credit meters which involved an officer of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) reading the meter and providing the household with the bill at the end of the month.

Now the trend has changed. most houses use the prepaid meter, which uses a card to purchase units from a vending station.

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Advantages of using the pre-paid meter include managing the consumption rate of the customer to avoid waste, preventing the accumulation of unpaid bills, and collecting revenue upfront from the consumer.

Applying for a Prepaid Meter

The process of acquiring a prepaid meter has changed over the years. The new requirement involves an inspection by an official from the Energy Commission of Ghana. To acquire a new prepaid meter, the following steps should be taken:

1.       Visit an ECG office and fill out a form.
2.       An official of the Energy Commission of Ghana then sets a date with the applicant for a house inspection.
3.       The inspector from the Energy Commission inspects the home.
4.       A check is conducted on all the connections that have been made by the electrician.
5.       The inspector from the Energy Commission then quotes a figure for the household and based on his recommendation, ECG will issue the meter.
6.       The cost of the connection is between 400 and 700 cedis depending on the phase.
7.       A receipt is issued to the applicant who will then be provided with a meter.

How To Change From Post-Paid to a Prepaid Meter

There is a process of changing the meter of one’s property from a post-paid meter to a prepaid one. The process involves:

1.       Paying all outstanding bills
2.       Presenting the receipt to the Electricity Company of Ghana and a pre-paid meter will be presented to you.
3.       According to an official of the ECG, the cost and installation of the pre-paid meter are deducted from the customer’s first purchase of units from the vending station.

An individual can also switch from a prepaid meter to a credit meter if he or she is having issues with the pre-paid meter.

According to an official from ECG, a new type of prepaid meter is currently being issued in certain parts of Accra, “With the new type, when you buy units, you will receive a text message on your phone and the credit will transfer automatically to your meter when the receipt is printed out. We started issuing that out in Legon”.

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On average, acquiring a meter should not take too long. A service connection with a meter should take about three weeks.

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