Will you use prepaid electricity?
Author : teriannWhen cellular phones were first introduced to the Jamaican marketplace, the consumer was tied to a contract that offered a limit to the number of minutes they could use for the month.
This arrangement made consumers feel trapped as the amount of time they spent on the call varied daily. There was also a service charge that remained regardless of how much time was spent on the phone.
Those days are long gone, although post paid services still exist within the telecommunication industry, the majority of the population has embraced the prepaid system.
Benefits of Prepaid Systems
When consumers have the option to ‘pay as you go’, they are able to use the service only when it is needed and avoid paying any additional service fees.
Prepaid systems also help in reducing the amount of money spent on being charged for using more than was originally planned.
There are no bills to pay at the end of the month since you have already paid for whatever service you needed.
Prepaid electricity
Although telecommunications services have been offering prepaid options for their customers, it is only recently that electricity has been given that same treatment.
The Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS) on April 20,2015 launched a campaign to get at least 2,000 customers across Kingston, St Andrew, and St Catherine to sign up for its pay-as-you-go service
This would operate like purchasing telephone credit, so consumers would purchase credit that they think they will need and top up whenever they desire more.
How will consumers know when their credit needs to be recharged?
According to the information published in The Gleaner’s website on April 22, 2015, “There will be an electronic device placed in those homes that will beep if when five kilowatt-hours (5kWhs) are remaining on the meter – an average of one day’s energy. An additional 5kWhs can be easily forwarded to the customer after a call to the utility’s customer care centre.”
Sounds too good to be true?
Well according to my research, the service charge of $395 that post paid customers are charged will not be charged to prepaid customers.
Post paid residential customers are also required to pay a deposit of $5000.00, which prepaid customers are exempt from paying.
In my humble opinion, I see where this programme could work if it is managed effectively. I would hate to have the electricity go off in the middle of a favourite show or when entertaining guests!
On the other hand, it would help to make everyone conscious of how much electricity they are using and encourage them to make an effort to reduce their consumption.
It would also be a relief not to see an exorbitant bill each month!
So what’s your take ? Drop me a line.
Teri Ann Renee Paisley
Gleaner online writer
Tags: electricity
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6 Responses to “Will you use prepaid electricity?”
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I have used this option for years in Dominica and it is much as explained above. As was indicated there is a device install un your house to keep track of your balance. It encourages disdiscipline. It must be noted that this arrangement is exexcellent for Landlords. They are not stuck with a bill after the tenant has moved out.
Hello there Teri Ann,I think is a wonderful idea But a few Questions If the Device is Damage or Stolen How much&how long will it take to replace it,Also if the owner of the house is away for a few Months..But a family or friends will be staying there. Can they still call to the utility’s customer care centre for more Electricity??? What info will be needed and not been the owner of the House or device????
This Pay-As-You-Go for electricity has been used in Dominica for almost 10 years now. It works very well. You have the option of going to an outlet (most supermarkets) to purchase electricity or you could do it online from the comfort of your home.
WIth one version of the system, if your electricity runs out on the weekend, you do not get disconnected until Monday morning.
You get an alert when your electricity is running low.
You could ‘top-up’ from any location.
There is no electricity bill at the end of the month.
It is especially good for persons who rent out their properties so tenants can’t leave any huge electricity bills.
It helps you manage your electricity better.
Hey Ricky, thanks for replying to my post. You asked some interesting questions. I will tell you what I think about it but of course it’s still in its infancy here so I guess there will be some things to work out. I think that there should be some insurance that if the device is stolen or damaged it can be replaced although I am not sure if it would be at a cost for the consumer. I also think that friends or family staying at the house while the owner is away should be able to get more electricity provided that they can provide the number on the account. Hope that helps. Keep reading and commenting as I enjoy hearing from my readers.
Hi Mart, I didn’t think of the owners of rented properties, you are absolutely right, prepaid electricity will help them to keep their costs down! Thanks for commenting, and keep visiting the site.
Hey Cheriolee, great to hear from you and your experiences with prepaid electricity. Hopefully Jamaica will have a positive experience with the programme as well. Keep visiting and sharing your views!