Hundreds of Eskom prepaid customers flocked to vending sites across South Africa on Saturday, 23 November, in a frantic bid to upgrade their electricity meters before a looming deadline. Many arrived as early as 3 AM to secure their place in line, eager to avoid the potential disruption of losing power.
The urgency stemmed from the initial deadline of Sunday, 24 November, for customers to activate the KRN2 mode on their meters. However, Eskom has since extended this deadline, providing a glimmer of hope for those still needing to upgrade. Nonetheless, customers must purchase new electricity tokens by the end of Sunday to successfully complete the transition.
Eskom spokesperson Daphney Mokoena explained the situation, stating, “Zero buyers in this situation need to go to their legal vending sites with their meter numbers to buy electricity.” This upgrade process is crucial for households that have not been purchasing electricity, often referred to as “zero buyers.”
The rollout of the KRN2 mode is part of a technological breakthrough that allows Eskom to pre-create Key Change Tokens (KCT) through its online vending system. As the deadline approached, many customers found themselves in long queues, anxious about their electricity supply.
For those unsure if their meters have been updated, verification is simple. Customers can check their meter status by entering their meter number. If it shows 1 or 1.2, the meter still needs re-coding. If it shows 2 or 2.2, it is already updated and requires no further action.
The re-coding steps are straightforward:
- Enter 1844 6744 0738 4377 2416 on your meter keypad.
- Check the display for the status.
- To complete the re-coding, enter the first 20 digits of your re-code token, followed by the second set of 20 digits, and finally, the 20-digit token from your latest electricity purchase.
As of Sunday, 24 November, at 20:15, all STS-prepaid electricity meters that had not been updated to the new vending standard ceased to accept new electricity credit. Customers whose meters have not been upgraded face the prospect of being left in the dark once their existing credit runs out, potentially leading to serious inconveniences.
Eskom has reported that a significant majority of their customers have successfully transitioned from KRN1 to KRN2. However, there are still 1.86 million meters logged on the Eskom TID rollover dashboard that have not been updated. Additionally, approximately 222,000 meters are outstanding on a dashboard maintained by the South African Local Government Association (Salga), which tracks the progress of municipalities in the rollover process.
Silas Mulaudzi, a sustainable energy specialist involved in the TID rollover for Salga, noted that while there are a few isolated cases of paying customers still needing to perform the rollover, this is no longer a significant concern. “At this stage, these customers are mostly holiday home owners,” he explained.
Electricity and Energy Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa recently stated that almost all paying customers have had their meters updated. He emphasised that the utility had reached a stage where anyone who purchased electricity would be automatically rolled over to the new system.
Despite the significant turnout at vending sites, there has been a muted response online, with a relatively low volume of complaints regarding the rollover process noted by News24. However, customers who remain on the old metering standard may only realise the seriousness of their situation when they attempt to buy and load electricity and find themselves unable to do so.
For those uncertain about their meter status, a prudent approach is to purchase a low-value electricity credit token and enter it into their meters. The outcome will provide clarity on whether their meter has been successfully upgraded.
A well-placed industry source shared insights into the possible scenarios customers may encounter when trying to enter a credit token into their meters:
Scenario 1:
You purchase prepaid electricity, receive a credit token, and successfully enter it into your meter, resulting in an increase in credit. This indicates your meter has been successfully updated.
Scenario 2:
You buy prepaid electricity, receive a credit token, but it is not accepted when you enter it into your meter. If you believe you entered it correctly, your meter likely needs updating. In this case, contact your meter authority to request the two 20-digit key change tokens.
Scenario 3:
You receive two 20-digit key change tokens along with your electricity credit voucher. Enter these tokens and your credit token into your meter. If the credit reflects, your meter has been updated and you can continue vending.
Scenario 4:
You may encounter an error at the point of sale when attempting to purchase a voucher. In this situation, contact your authority to inquire about the status of your meter.
As the deadline looms, the rush to upgrade meters has put tremendous pressure on both customers and Eskom's vending sites. With the promise of extended deadlines and the potential for a smoother transition, many hope for a swift resolution to avoid disruptions in their electricity supply.
