We’ve not tampered with prepaid meters – ECG assures Ghanaians

The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has assured its customers that prepaid meters have not been re-calibrated to charge customers more.

Director of Communications for the ECG, William Boateng indicated that the newly introduced meters are rather effective and leave no loopholes for the seepage of electricity.

“It is wrong for one to say that the meters have been tampered with so we can charge more from our customers. It is untrue. The thing is our customers are used to the postpaid system but these new meters come with new ratings. The technology used in our new meters are quite effective and have very little loopholes as compared to the old meters which were being used”.

According to him, the old meters never recorded the electricity being used when phones were being charged or when television sets were placed on standby mode. “But now, immediately you plug your phones into the power outlet and switch it on, the meter starts recording the power being used. The same thing happens when you put your television set on sleep or standby mode. The meter will record these readings because you are actually using electricity and this is why people think we have tampered with their meters; we have not”, he insisted.

With the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC), Energy Commission’s Technical Advisor and other regulatory bodies effectively playing their oversight role over the ECG, it is very less likely they (ECG) will attempt to rip off customers.

William posited that his outfit has a meter laboratory which calibrates meters and make sure they all meet standards and are according to the PURC tariffs.

With over 6,000 ECG staff also living amongst the populace and using the same meters as the ordinary Ghanaian, “we will never tamper with our meters. The law works and you only pay what you have to”, he said.

The ECG has faced some challenges as the country gradually phases out from the use of post-paid meters to pre-paid ones. Although some Ghanaians are in love with the pre-paid meters, others claim they cost them more in utility bills than the post-paid meters and have accused the ECG of tampering with them (pre-paid meters), which the ECG has refuted on countless occasions.