The City of Ekurhuleni (CoE) is upgrading its prepaid electricity meters to ensure uninterrupted service, with the final deadline for updates set for 24 November.
This is line with the national rollout of updated meters. As at the 1 October 2024, the Western Cape was leading the changover with 96% of the public’s electricity meters updated.
Who is affected?
This upgrade applies to all 11-digit prepaid meters, not just those in the CoE’s jurisdiction. Read here about the progress made in Nelson Madela Bay with the upgrade process.
There are roughly 12-million prepaid meters in South Africa. Of the 6.9-million STS-complaint prepaid meters run by Eskom, only 4 million have been updated with new software.
If the upgrade isn’t completed, old meters will stop functioning. This means users won’t be able to load tokens from the current system after 24 November.
Here’s everything you need to know about the process:
How to update your electricity meter
When you buy electricity for the first time after the system change, you’ll receive a receipt with three tokens. The first two are Key Revision Numbers (KRNs), followed by your electricity token.
Enter these tokens in the exact sequence printed on the receipt—this will take about two minutes to complete.
These 20-digit KRN codes are being distributed in phases through the same platforms customers use to purchase their electricity.
The process is designed to be quick and user-friendly, ensuring no disruptions to power supply.
Where is the upgrade happening?
For residents in the CoE, the project began last month in Edenvale and Nigel, where 78% of the meters have already been updated. The next phase will focus on Benoni, Springs, and surrounding areas, writes The Citizen.
Why the electricity meter upgrade matters
The upgrade addresses a Token Identifier (TID) rollover issue.
The meters have stored more numbers than they can handle, and the recoding clears previous data to allow continued operation.
Without actioning the update, the old meters will stop recognising tokens after the deadline. If residents have any unused tokens purchased before the update, they will no longer work.
Staying ahead of the deadline
“The Token Identifier (TID) rollover programme the CoE is using to update the electricity meters will continue until 24 November,” explained CoE metro spokesperson Zweli Dlamini.
To avoid losing access to electricity, users are encouraged to complete the upgrade the next time they buy tokens.
