Cape Town electricity meter replacement reaches new areas - ESI-Africa.com

Oct 15, 2024

The City of Cape Town electricity meter replacement programme, continues apace in certain parts of the city, free of charge.

The City of Cape Town meter replacement programme continues in more parts of Cape Town.

Between September and October, the programme will be rolled out in areas such as the Cape Town City Centre, Gardens, Zonnebloem, Foreshore, Vredehoek and Tamboerskloof.

Between November and December 2024, the rollout will move to Paarden Eiland, Brooklyn, Rugby and Tijgerhof. Areas such as Gardens, Green Point, Bantry Bay, Parow were completed between July and August.

Replacing the meters is compulsory and free of charge. CoCT municipality says the meter replacement of older city-owned credit and prepaid meters helps to “avoid inaccurate reading and offers greater management of energy usage for residents” especially now that some of the meters are older than 30 years.

“The meter replacement programme is highly beneficial to residents. There is no difference in the cost of electricity between the old credit meter and the new prepaid meters,” said the City of Cape Town Mayoral Committee Member for Energy, Xanthea Limberg.

The municipality has assured Cape Town residents that there is no difference in the cost of electricity between the old credit meter and the new prepaid meters.

The municipality states that the cost per kWh is the same for both prepaid and credit meters.

The only difference is that prepaid tokens reflect a VAT-inclusive cost per kWh, whereas the municipal bill for a credit meter will show the energy charges as an ex-VAT cost (VAT is added at the end of the bill).

“The new meters are merely a measuring mechanism. The newer meters help with cost management, accuracy of readings, usage control, and monitoring.

“It also enables qualifying beneficiaries to move to the highly subsidised, affordable Lifeline Tariff, which includes Free Basic Electricity (FBE). We encourage residents to reach out to us to make the switch.”

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The municipality has informed residents that its team and contractors are delivering letters to residents in scheduled areas over the next few months.

Residents are also encouraged to contact the municipality to make an appointment to replace older electricity meters at their convenience once their area is active.

The City of Cape Town Municipality says the tariff for prepaid meters is the same as that for credit meters. Customers remain on the same tariff after the conversion. If the customer qualifies for the Lifeline tariff that includes free basic electricity, they will be converted to that tariff.

The municipality says there are two electricity metering programmes underway:

The municipality says the customer’s tariff will remain the same. If the customer’s usage remains the same, they should see no change in the cost of electricity, albeit that the customer will now purchase units before use.

Outside of this CoCT-run electricity prepaid meter programme, you can apply for a prepaid electricity meter replacement by contacting the CoCT or Eskom directly, depending on who supplies electricity in your area.