The Electricity Company of Ghana, Ashanti West Region, has cautioned its customers and the general public against the illegal sale, distribution and purchase of fake meters in the Ashanti Region by some individuals.
According to the power distributor, it had noticed with grave concern how some individuals were flooding their operational areas with fake meters and had taken steps to clamp down on such illegality.
The power distributor also revealed that together with security agencies such substandard meters had been confiscated at the Dabala Checkpoint during a thorough inspection of a bus heading to Kumasi from Aflao and also at Tech Junction in a VIP Bus with checks revealing that these meters were coming from Togo.
According to the ECG Ashanti-West General Manager, Mr. Maxwell Dapaah, private individuals have no right to install their own electric meters without recourse to ECG. Again, such meters installed would not be captured into ECG’s system for purposes of billing and other commercial activities. Thus, meters installed by individual customers constituted an illegality and that the Company will take actions to clamp down on the installation of such meters.
Mr. Dapaah indicated that the company is clamping down on such fake meters since these substandard meters are installed on the blindside of the company. This practice is having a serious negative effect on the commercial and technical operations of the company, he said.
“It is illegal to import meters into the country and also acquire meters from other sources apart from ECG. We will take all necessary legal actions against individuals who are trying to infiltrate our network with these fake meters including those who aid them by selling or buying those meters”.
Mr. Dapaah also revealed that meters installed by individual customers do not meet ECG’s meter specifications.
“These meters are not tested and calibrated by ECG to meet the requirements stated by regulatory agencies such as the Energy Commission and the Ghana Standards Authority, thereby posing danger such as fire outbreak, overloading and damage to transformers, resulting in prolonged outages and increase technical losses to the Company”, he said.
Ms. Dapaah advised customers to avoid purchasing such meters or dealing with third parties when they need meters and visit the ECG Office for such services.
“With the introduction of the Loss Reduction Program (LRP) and Flat rate policy, we have many options to service our customers anytime they apply for meters, so kindly visit the nearest ECG Office and apply to ensure you are served instead of engaging in the illegal act of purchasing from illegal sources”, he said.
The ECG General Manager called on the general public to assist the company win the war against these fake meters to enable the company to gather enough revenue to sustain the electricity supply chain.
“Users of these foreign meters are not in the ECG database, so they consume electricity illegally without paying and this is not fair to customers who pay their bills. Such individuals usually complain that they are not receiving bills, and this is because their meters were obtained and installed illegally without following the process of acquiring meters. We want everyone consuming electricity to prioritize the payment of bills since it is a patriotic act to pay for electricity consumed”, he added.
“Some customers even distribute electricity to other customers illegally with these fake meters and substandard network that pose danger to life and property”, he said.
The General Manager called on the general public to assist the company to win the fight against illegal meters by reporting such people to the Police or any ECG Office and desist from patronizing them.
He further appealed to customers consuming electricity without paying as a result of faulty prepaid meters or direct connections to visit the nearest ECG Office to regularize their supply.
Mr. Dapaah urged customers to download the ECG PowerApp or use the shortcode *226# to pay all their outstanding bills to enable the company to provide stable power supply.