ECG Officials Explain How Electricity Meters Work and Why You Pay More as You Use More. Two officials from the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), Leila Abubakari, Manager for External Communications, and Kwame Afari Cheku, Manager for Billing, appeared on the Sunrise show on 3FM to answer questions from listeners about electricity meters and tariffs.
Abubakari explained that power supply interruptions can be caused by a variety of factors, including trees falling on power lines, overloaded networks, burnt transformers, faulty generators, and other environmental factors. She noted that these are all physical phenomena that can affect the flow of electricity.
When asked why ECG does not have a toll-free number, Abubakari said that the company has received requests for a toll-free number, especially from people who need to access credit in the middle of the night. She said that the customer service department is working on implementing a toll-free number soon.
Cheku clarified that there are different types of electricity meters, and that Neu is not the only one. He added that ECG is working to improve its customer service.
Cheku also explained how prepayment meters work. He said that customers load money into the meter as they use electricity, and that the money is then drawn from the meter as electricity is used. He said that it is not possible for money to disappear from the meter if no electricity has been used.
Finally, Cheku explained that electricity tariffs are tiered, meaning that customers pay more for each unit of electricity they use as they use more electricity. He said that this is done to encourage customers to conserve energy.
ECG officials hope that by providing this information, they can help customers better understand how electricity meters and tariffs work.
