Eneo Hits 800,000 Prepaid Meters Milestone ⁰

Cameroon’s public electricity provider, Eneo, announced earlier this month that it has installed nearly 800,000 prepaid meters. This represents about 34% of its total meter installations.

Indeed, the push towards modernization began in 2018, with Eneo replacing outdated electromechanical meters with new prepaid models. Since then, the company has added 798,700 new meters to its network, building on the 1,300 units installed in the program’s first year.

The company, backed by the British investment fund Actis, is taking steps to further increase this number. Eneo is offering a free upgrade for old electromechanical meters to new prepaid ones. “Our recent assessment revealed around a thousand installations needing an upgrade to meet global standards. We’re focused on converting these old meters to the newer prepaid technology,” Eneo explained.

To make this transition smoother for customers, Eneo has set up a robust support system. This includes field teams, assistance at local agencies, online resources, and a network of partners to ensure a seamless experience. The new prepaid meters give customers more control over their electricity usage, eliminate issues like missed bills and billing errors, and remove the need for upfront payments or handling disputes over unpaid bills.

The switch to prepaid meters has already made a noticeable impact. According to Eneo, billing-related complaints dropped by 54% between 2020 and 2022. This improvement has helped ease tensions between the company and its customers, addressing one of the most common points of contention. In 2019, bill disputes made up 43% of conciliation cases, and the new meters are expected to continue reducing these conflicts.

However, the introduction of prepaid meters has not been without its challenges. Eneo has reported a rise in fraud linked to these devices. In the first half of 2023, 62% of fraud cases in Douala involved prepaid meters, up from 38% for traditional meters. “We’ve seen various methods used to bypass these meters, including ‘shunting,’ ‘direct connections,’ and tampering with the meter’s internal components,” the company noted.

Source: Business in Cameroon