A Detailed Guide on Prepayment Meter: Types, Benefits, and More

Everyone is familiar with prepayment systems for the internet and mobile phone recharge. However, you will be amazed to know that you can even recharge your electric meter. 

The prepayment meter system has recently captured much attention worldwide. Do you know why?

Well, it is convenient for both utility service providers and customers. Moreover, companies are looking forward to improving this service to minimise risks and enhance their cash flow.

The concept of prepaid metering is similar to other recharge with little shift in the application. 

This blog consists of all the details that will help you understand why a prepayment meter is the future, its types, and its benefits. Dive in! 

What is a Prepayment Meter?

A prepayment meter operates by helping you buy a certain unit of electricity from the utility company. 

The system is extremely simple, and you don’t need to follow any complex calculation procedure to know your power consumption.

This meter comes with an in-built power disconnecting device. To use electricity through this meter, you need to make an advance payment. Afterward, you can use the grid electricity to power your appliances. 

Once your recharge amount exhausts, the prepayment meter automatically disconnects the power supply after providing you with a notification through an alarm. 

Further, you can easily make another recharge and manually connect the supply to use electricity.  

Implementation of Prepaid Metering System

Now that you know what a prepayment meter is, let’s look at the implementation of the prepayment project.

For implementing this metering project, it is necessary to give equal importance to the needs of consumers and utility companies. 

The following points need consideration for implementing a prepayment meter system:

1. Social acceptance

It is the most crucial aspect of implementing a prepayment meter. Through proper marketing, society can be made aware of this system. 

Moreover, special efforts to make people aware of the benefits of choosing this system can bring much difference in the acceptance rate.

2. Recharge convenience

The ease of recharging mobile phones from easily accessible locations has made people look for such convenience everywhere. 

Therefore, companies need to improve vending infrastructure so that people can easily recharge their electric metres. 

3. Economic large-scale application 

This metering system needs to be cost-effective for large-scale deployment. 

The important elements to make prepayment metering systems feasible are limited utility operating cost, a low failure rate, proper cash collection, etc.

4. System Integration

This system needs to offer a convenient combination of retail cash collection, customer database, and utility service. 

Moreover, for popularising this system, the meter must provide postpaid electricity supply options to meet uncertain power requirements.

Benefits of Prepayment Meter to Customers

Similar to any prepaid system, customers get multiple benefits by selecting a prepayment meter for electricity consumption. These include the following:

• It helps you to pay only for the unit of electricity you use
• The further advancement of the recharge facility will save you from standing in long queues to make payment of the electricity bills
• The prepaid meters provide detailed information on your remaining credit and kWh usage. This facilitates the accurate purchase of electricity to meet your future requirements
• This system enables you to understand your power consumption in terms of money. Therefore, you can limit unnecessary electricity usage for better efficiency
• Appropriate usage of electricity through prepaid meters helps reduce harmful impacts on the environment

Benefits of Prepayment Meter to Utility 

The prepaid meter is beneficial for utility companies in the following ways:

• It ensures proper cash flow to the companies because customers make advance payments for using electricity
• Error in meter reading leads to problems for utility companies and customers. With prepaid meters, utilities don’t need to spend money and time to resolve such issues
• As this system does not require the generation of bills, the utility can use the manpower deployed in this field for other important tasks 
• The prepaid meters automatically disconnect once the recharge exhausts. Therefore, utilities don’t need to disconnect customers’ power connections manually

5 Best Prepayment Meter

Are you planning to install a prepayment meter in your residential building? Here is a list of 5 best-prepaid meters you can consider.

1. Liberty 1P prepayment meter

This meter supports multi-rate time and maintains an energy account. It is suitable for domestic applications. This prepaid meter has the following features:

• LCD display for energy consumption
• Emergency credit facility to get power supply even after recharge exhausts
• Debt recovery through the vending system
• It provides protection from overload damages
• Customers can compare power consumption from the historical data of this meter

2. Inesh 3 phase 415 volts prepayment electricity meter

This is a 3-phase prepaid electric meter from Bharti Automation. It is suitable for industrial applications. It functions automatically, and its features include the following:

• The output voltage capacity is 240 V
• Its frequency ranges up to 50 Hz
• It is compatible with panel mounting

3. Liberty+ Single-phase Prepayment Meter

This meter is suitable for multiple applications like domestic apartments, tenant prepayments for commercial premises, and small and medium-scale enterprises. Its salient features are:

• It supports Slab or TOD tariffs
• Its wiring configuration includes 1 phase, 2 wire connections
• Its output voltage ranges up to 240V

4. ECS Prepaid Dual Source Prepayment Meter

It is an advanced power management and tracking device. Its dual source function efficiently records all the data from the utility grid and domestic power generation system. 

Its features include the following:

• Access to detailed billing history
• Availability of dual password protection ensures zero additional charges
• LCD display for power consumption

5. Liberty 370 

This is a highly versatile prepaid meter. It is applicable for domestic purposes, SMEs, sub-metering, temporary connection meters, and commercial metering. It offers hassle-free electricity purchases. 

Its key features include the following:

• Its wiring configuration consists of 3-phase and 4-wire connections
• Convenient token transfer via Bluetooth
• Double meteorological LCD display for accuracy

Conclusion

The prepaid metering system is an innovative and convenient option for customers and utility companies. However, it is necessary to provide detailed information about its benefits and application to society for mass deployment. 

In addition, utilities also need to improve payment options to encourage people to choose this metering system.

FAQs

Q1. Can I use electricity if my recharge exhausts?

Some meter manufacturers provide the benefit of credit to ensure an uninterrupted power supply even if your recharge value finishes.

Q. Do I need to keep checking my recharge value in prepaid meters?

Not necessarily! These meters provide a warning alarm when your recharge value is about to finish so that you can renew your tariff.

Q. After installing this metering system, do I need to pay a postpaid electricity bill?

No, once you install this meter, you only need to get a recharge from a vending system.