THE City continually strives to improve the level of service that they provide.
In a release, EMM spokesperson Themba Gadebe said EMM trusts that the electricity service they provide meets with residents expectations – and that they deliver on their promise of service excellence.
Each electricity connection in EMM is equipped with an electricity meter. This meter can be one of two types only, these being:
* A conventional (credit) meter – this dated device simply measures the kilowatt-hour units consumed by the property. The meter is read monthly and these units are then used to create a monthly bill;
* A pre-payment meter – this modern device is loaded up front with kilowatt-hour units, which are counted down on the meter. There are no meter readings involved and no bill is received, in relation to electricity consumption.
Conventional meters are getting old and need to be replaced with modern technology – this new technology being pre-payment metering. The City has targeted a project in several areas, during which each property will receive the new pre-payment meter free of charge. The same holds true for efforts to replace individual faulty meters, as they get reported by our meter readers.
“Please assist us by making it as easy as possible for our contractor to install the meter. It should take no more than about 30 minutes, after which you’ll be changed to the new pre-payment metering, taking control of your electricity consumption.
“Sadly, we’re unable to accommodate customers who feel they must remain on the old credit/conventional meter system. New conventional meter stock hasn’t been sourced since the beginning of 2012, hence there simply is no conventional meter to replace your old, or faulty meter with,” he added.
Gadebe explained that it’s very risky for a property to have a broken electricity meter, or no meter at all. “When a new meter is installed, back billing will take place to recover lost units (as per the provisions of the by-laws). Please help us not to end up with a situation like that.
“We do acknowledge that our communications efforts can be improved and we commit to work on that aspect immediately. The Energy Department finds that weekends provide the best opportunity to execute this project, hence the reason for the work scheduled for a Saturday. Pre-empting the next question: no, the contractors do not receive overtime; they work only at one rate,” he concluded.
