ECG to replace 42,000 meters in Mfantseman Municipality

Work on the replacement of about 42,000 post-paid electricity meters in the Saltpond community in the Mfantsiman municipality of the Central Region with post-paid meters has begun.

The exercise, which commenced last Friday, is part of a grand exercise to replace post-paid meters with more efficient pre-paid meters to improve efficiency in service provision in the region.

To ensure the successful execution of the exercise, improve customer service and enhance customer relations, some selected Electricity Company of Ghana staff and vendors in the municipality were trained to ensure that residents received the meters and addressed any complaints that might emerge.

Additionally, six staff members were appointed as executives to oversee the project.

Speaking at the launch of the project, the Central Regional General Manager of ECG, Emmanuel Lumor, explained that the replacement of meters would help consumers have control over their meters stating that it would help them stay in their comfort zone and buy credit and regulate their consumption.

"We are excited to announce the launch of a new programme that will benefit both our customers and ECG.

With this programme, customers will have the ability to manage their accounts from the comfort of their own homes.

They will be able to purchase credit, communicate with us, and monitor their energy consumption at their convenience," he stated.

The new system, according to Mr Lumor, is intended to boost revenue for the company as well as provide an effective tool for ECG and customers to manage existing customer debts and also control future inefficiencies.

He explained that since stakeholders would have the opportunity to monitor what they consume, it would also help them to reduce cost, unlike the post-paid metering which gave consumers bills at the end of the month.

Mr Lumor again added that this would also help avoid inconveniences such as customers being overbilled and customers not receiving their billings or delayed billing.

He also gave the assurance that ECG would be ready to respond to all complaints of their stakeholders and act on them promptly.

He finally advised the district ECG team to work hard towards a successful project by engaging all relevant stakeholders to come up with a solution that meets expectations.

The District Manager of ECG, Saltpond, Christian Ayensu Nimako, had already spoken to the leaders in the community and they planned to meet all stakeholders to take them through the use and benefits of the new prepaid meters.

He also gave the assurance that there would be vendors whom they would also go and buy their credits from if they couldn't buy it on their mobile phones.

He said they were expecting over 40,000 stakeholders and appealed to them to embrace the new meters adding that he, together with his team, was always ready to address any complaints.

"Our staff and vendors are ready to respond to any complaints because they have been trained very well and have been told that if the problem is beyond their control, they should report it to the main office".