D-day for prepaid meters: Recode now or be prepared to pay thousands

With only a few days remaining until the November 24 deadline, Eskom is urging all prepaid electricity customers to update their meters immediately to avoid an unexpected loss of electricity.

In a media statement, Eskom said meters still using Key Revision Number 1 (KRN1) will no longer accept electricity tokens after Sunday.

This means that once your current credit is depleted, you will lose power, and the meter will become inoperable, necessitating a meter replacement that could cost up to R12 000, which the customer will have to pay.

“Customers with meters still on KRN1 have likely not purchased electricity for more than six months or might be using unauthorised tokens bought from criminal syndicates.

“To prevent the meter from becoming inoperable, losing power, and incurring replacement costs, it is critical that all customers, including those who have not purchased electricity in the past six months or more, buy electricity tokens from authorised vendors by November 24. This will provide them with two sets of 20-digit codes needed to recode and update their meters.”

To simplify the recoding process, Eskom has set up community support teams. In addition, a comprehensive public awareness campaign in all official languages has been launched. The campaign provides guidance on using self-service tools like the Alfred Chatbot, available on Eskom’s Facebook, X, Instagram, newsletters, radio and broadcast channels. Assistance will be available over the weekend too.

Why it’s important to recode

Customers who recode their meters by November 24 will be able to continue buying tokens seamlessly from all official vendors and maintain uninterrupted supply, says Eskom.

However, if your meter remains on KRN1 after the deadline, the KRN1 tokens will no longer be accepted after November 24. Once your current credit runs out, you will lose power until the meter is replaced at a cost of R12 000.

How to check and recode your meter

To verify if your meter is ready:

• Enter 1844 6744 0738 4377 2416 on your meter keypad
• If it shows 1 or 1.2, your meter still needs to be recoded
• If it shows 2 or 2.2, your meter is already updated and requires no further action.

To complete the recoding:

• Enter the first 20 digits of your recode token
• Enter the second 20 digits of your recode token
• Finally, enter the 20-digit token from your latest electricity purchase to recharge your meter.