Meralco goes full blast with prepaid service

THE MANILA Electric Co. (Meralco) aims to roll out 140,000 meters in the first two years of its prepaid electricity service called Kuryente Load.

“We are going full blast now that the ERC (Energy Regulatory Commission) has approved the PRES (Prepaid Retail Electric Service) rules on this project,” company FVP and head of regulatory management Ivanna G. De La Peña told reporters.

Regulators approved Meralco’s application to install an initial 40,000 meters under PRES. An application for another 100,000 meters also has been submitted, she said.

“We are expecting to utilize the 40,000 by the end of this year, and the 100,000 for next year,” Dela Peña said.

Meralco has signed a memorandum of agreement with the National Housing Authority (NHA), under which prepaid systems will be installed in the new projects to be undertaken by the agency, she said.

So far, Meralco has about 5,500 PRES customers.

On net metering, Meralco already has close to 100 customers, and more applications have been entertained.

The rollout of PRES, which utilizes smart meters, is part of the company’s total smart grid strategy under the automated metering infrastructure, called Advanced Metering Infrastructure Integrated Solution (AMI-IS).

The prepaid service is a Meralco initiative, while the net metering is in compliance with the Renewable Energy law.

Kuryente Load “is grid automation, which leads to consumer empowerment and operational efficiency,” Meralco SVP Alfredo S. Panlilio said in a text message. “With the approval of the business rules, Meralco will now be able to implement the commercial rollout of Kuryente Load to more sites within its franchise area.”

As opposed to the prevailing service, which is effectively postpaid, customers enrolled in Kuryente Load have to buy prepaid credits to keep electricity going in their homes—the same way with prepaid cellphone usage.

During its pilot implementation, the service was initially offered in the City of Manila and in parts of Angono, Taytay, and Cainta in Rizal.

Kuryente Load is Meralco’s newest service which allows customers to monitor and control their consumption through daily balance notifications. Customers can save up to 20 percent in electricity expenses through better consumption management, Meralco said.

The service electricity has been made more affordable through denominations of as low as P100. Customers can reload anytime, anywhere, through multiple loading channels such as Meralco business centers, Bayad Center outlets and e-load retailers.

There are no service fees and meter installation fees, Meralco said, making it more accessible for the previously unserved customers.