An OCA member wrote to us that the City of Cape Town is conducting a mandatory, free replacement of older electricity meters with new, smart, or upgraded prepaid meters.’
The facts are that access to premises is mandatory but installation of prepaid meters is not – if residents/owners choose, they may opt for upgraded Credit Metrers – but at their own cost – currently R9784.90 for 3 phase and R 6043.25 for single phase.
Please stop spreading city disinformation!
In response from The City:
Good day
Trust you’re well.
The City is not an entity left to their own, we need to comply with National standards. SANS 474 states that electricity meters need to be maintained every 20 years. These meters are not manufactured any longer, therefore the replacement is compulsory.
Please refer to Sections, 12, 14 and 21 of the Electricity bylaw.
The prepaid meter is offered at no cost to the resident.
The other option is to install a smart AMI meter, which allows for remote management and removes the need to manually purchase and enter units. Please note that the cost of the smart AMI meter would be your responsibility, and there may be additional charges if a contractor needs to make adjustments for the installation.
All Home User customers wishing to take supply via AMI may do so, subject to the installation of an AMI meter at their own expense and subject to the payment of the monthly Residential AMI Administration Fee of R69.
The costs for AMI meters are as follows:
Three Phase Whole Current AMI: R9 784.90
Single Phase AMI: R6 043.25
Kindly note: the above costs apply to the meter only. Any additional costs will be determined through a formal quotation.
The primary option is the prepaid meter, which is free of charge.
If you are happy to proceed with the smart AMI Meter, then kindly advise so that the new process may start.
Thanks.
Regards,
Milton Fisher
Specialist Engineering Artisan
Revenue Protection