Meralco enlists 76,763 power users for KLoad

By Lenie Lectura - November 1, 2017
https://businessmirror.com.ph/meralco-enlists-76763-power-users-for-kload/

The Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) has signed up over 76,000 users for its prepaid- electricity service known as Kuryente Load (KLoad).

Meralco Senior Vice President Alfredo S. Panlilio said the utility firm has activated a total of 76,763 prepaid meters as of end-September this year.

The number has increased from the previous month’s count of 70,658.

Panlilio is hopeful that the numbers may reach 100,000 by end-December this year.

“We are pushing very hard in prepaid electricity, and we are hopeful that it will reach the 100,000 mark by end of the year,”Panlilio said. “As you may recall, we got approval from the ERC [Energy Regulatory Commission] for 40,000, and an additional 100,000 is in process,” the Meralco official added.

Meralco was previously granted regulatory approval to install an additional 100,000 prepaid meters on top of the 40,000 meters that were originally approved for rollout by the ERC.

KLoad, the utility firm’s prepaid- electricity service, is available in select areas in Makati, Manila, Pasig, Mandaluyong and Rizal. It will expand the coverage of the service in Marikina, Caloocan, Quezon City, Pateros, Pasay, San Juan and Taguig within the year.

KLoad service runs on the latest smart meters and can detect outages instantly, allowing for faster restoration. The smart meters will cater to both prepaid and postpaid Meralco customers.

The prepaid meter system allows customers to monitor their electricity consumption, allowing them to budget their consumption and expenses. It will also enable them to monitor their electricity consumption as it happens.

Based on research from actual consumer usage, customers who shifted from postpaid to prepaid were able to effectively monitor their consumption daily via text- messaging service and, as a result, they can save an average of 20 percent on electricity consumption. This translates to total savings of around P300 per customer.

Load denomination is as low as P100.