Prepaid electricity consumption is a sensible option for many people, under a number of different circumstances: for the home or business owner, for the tenant, for the owner of an Airbnb property, for example. But how do you know what to look for when you first set out to share in the benefits offered by prepaid electricity consumption?

Your metering company should be rock-solid

A prepaid electricity sub-meter is a device that helps users control and regulate the usage of electricity. It works much like a prepaid cellphone, whereby you pay upfront before you use it, therefore eliminating large unexpected monthly bills. And as with your cellphone service, you want to know that you are signing up with a good provider.

Here are some points to ponder when choosing your electricity sub-metering company:

• Find out if the company has a national and international footprint.
• Where can you purchase vouchers to recharge the prepaid electricity account? Are they available at ATMs and retailers nationwide?
• Determine whether the company has a direct supplier of vending systems to meter companies.
• Determine whether your service provider offers a guarantee on its devices.
• Determine whether your service provider has a history of solid delivery in this arena.

Recharger Prepaid Meters can confidently tick all the above boxes. Our prepaid electricity sub-meters are used in homes, cottages, apartment blocks, retail stores, and holiday rentals, to name a few, across the country to easily monitor and manage electricity consumption.

Acquiring your sub-meter

Recharger has a national presence through a number of outlets. In addition, our prepaid electricity sub-meters are also conveniently and efficiently available via Takealot, South Africa’s largest online retailer. Currently, we are the only local prepaid electricity sub-meter company with a brand store on Takealot. 

This offers important advantages for purchasers, including the fact that the site is a familiar and widely-used platform that offers ease of process as well as quick delivery or collection of purchases nationwide. We also offer unmatched after-sales service.

Product quality and warranties

Recharger proudly offers a life-time warranty on a number of our selected sub-meters (subject to terms and conditions). In so doing, we are the only local prepaid electricity sub-meter company in South Africa to do so.

Such a warranty, for example, is offered on our best-selling offering for the residential market, namely, the Recharger Single Phase 80 Amp sub-meter. This device features a built-in battery which ensures that the sub-meter is on, even if the power is out, keeping it alive even during power outages. Additionally, the sub-meter cannot be tampered with, regardless of whether there is power or not.

A comprehensive product range for commerce, industry and homes

Recharger supplies a comprehensive range of three-phase and single-phase electricity sub-meters, and we are highly experienced in assisting our clients to select the correct device for their needs.

Residential homes are usually served by a single-phase power supply, while commercial and industrial facilities typically use a three-phase supply.

International specifications and installation guidelines

In addition to supplying a comprehensive range of three-phase and single-phase electricity sub-meters, the prepaid sub-meters offered in Recharger’s range are all of international standard, as well as STS (Standard Transfer Specification) certified, and installed independently. Prepaid electricity sub-meters must be installed by registered electricians.

The STS standard, which was an initiative by Eskom in 1993, provides compatibility between certified STS-compliant electricity dispensers and vending systems in the electricity dispensing industry to the benefit of the customer, distributor and agent.

 The standard was an initiative by Eskom in 1993 to address social, political and economic needs in South Africa after the introduction of prepayment metering in 1989. The STS Association acts as the custodian of the STS and ensures the integrity of the open systems standard, as well as the quality of the supporting infrastructure, facilitates and services.

Getting started: installing and registering your sub-meter

A registered electrician must install the sub-meter. Once the registration form is completed and sent to Recharger with the necessary documents, it will be processed and you will receive an SMS to notify you that your sub-meter is activated.

Thereafter, it is easy to register your Recharger prepaid sub-meter(s). The registration forms are included with each sub-meter and you can use one form for multiple devices. Once completed, take a clear photo and send the completed registration form back to Recharger via WhatsApp, fax or e-mail.

Day to day: recharging with prepaid electricity tokens

You can use the unique number on each card that comes with your sub-meter to buy prepaid electricity tokens from a variety of online and mobile vendors, retail stores, banks and petrol stations.

Recharger prepaid electricity tokens can be bought countrywide from retail outlets like Checkers, Spar, Dischem, Shoprite and Boxer stores. You can also get tokens at banks including FNB, Absa, Nedbank and Standard Bank, and petrol stations such as Shell, Sasol, Caltex, Engen and BP. Or you can buy tokens online from the Recharger Pay Portal or PayCity, as well as from mobile vendors using Flash and Kazang.

Once you have bought your prepaid electricity credit token, which comes with a 20-digit number, simply enter this number on your device keypad and press the red or blue button to recharge.

 In conclusion, market research has shown that there is a global rise in the demand for utility sub-metering in commercial buildings because of the noted benefits for property managers and building owners[1]. It can be seen that the local arena of prepaid electrical sub-meters is well-regulated and controlled. Installing a prepaid electricity sub-meter will assist property owners and managers to work together in measuring and monitoring electricity consumption.