Prepaid electricity lets you buy power in advance, load it via a token, and monitor usage in real time, so there are never any surprise bills at month-end. Most South African homeowners buy prepaid electricity online through their banking app, generate a token, and load it directly into their meter's keypad. Below, we walk through the full buying and loading process, common meter issues, and safety information every new prepaid electricity meter owner should know.
See our Complete First-Time Home Buyer’s Guide for more useful tips, including: rates and taxes, insurance, backup inverter systems, and more.
Using a prepaid electricity meter means you pay for power before you use it, rather than being billed in arrears. This is one of the biggest advantages of prepaid utilities: it puts you in control of your cash flow, lets you budget accurately for monthly expenses, and removes the risk of an unexpected or inflated bill.
When you receive the keys to your new home, you'll also receive a client information handover pack containing all the details you need about your prepaid water and electricity meters, including your meter number, which you'll need every time you buy prepaid electricity online.
The easiest and most secure way to buy prepaid electricity is through your banking app. Here's how:
This is the most common answer to ‘where can you buy prepaid electricity:’ your bank's app, USSD codes, or municipal vendors all work, but banking apps are generally the quickest and most convenient for homeowners.
Once you have your token, here's how to load prepaid electricity into your meter:
Your electricity should load immediately. Double-check the token was entered correctly before contacting your municipality if it doesn't.
Prepaid electricity meters remain the property of your municipality. Your municipality is responsible for sending a technician to repair or replace the meter if you experience any technical problems or errors. This isn't something homeowners should attempt themselves.
Meter tampering is illegal and dangerous. Beyond the legal consequences, tampering carries a real risk of injury or electrocution. A tampered meter also stops functioning correctly, which affects the accurate recording of consumption, something landlords and municipalities rely on to recover costs fairly and prevent electricity theft.
Load shedding is a reality for most South African homeowners, and it's worth understanding how it interacts with your prepaid electricity meter.
Your prepaid balance is not consumed during load shedding. Since load shedding cuts power supply entirely, your meter isn't drawing electricity during that time, so you won't lose units while the power is off. Your balance only depletes when you're actually using electricity.
Check your load shedding schedule in advance. Apps like the EskomSePush app or your municipality's own notification service let you check upcoming outage stages for your specific area, so you can plan around them, including timing when to load a new token.
Your meter may need a moment to reconnect after an outage. When power is restored, give your meter a minute or two to reconnect and resume normal display. If the screen stays blank longer than expected, follow the steps in the section below before assuming there's a fault.
Keep a buffer on your balance. Because you can't buy or load prepaid electricity while the power is off, it's worth keeping a small buffer of units loaded so you're not caught out mid-outage needing to top up.
You may be interested in reading: A Homeowner's Guide to Your Solar and Electric Geyser.
This is one of the most common questions from new prepaid electricity meter owners. In most cases, the meter has simply gone into sleep mode, which can look like the display has switched off entirely. Pressing any button on the main panel should revive the screen.
If the display stays blank after this, check that the meter is still plugged in and powered, and that your DB board switches are all in the ON position before contacting your municipality for a technician.
Thinking of buying a house? Visit Step-by-Step Guide to Buying a House.
Make sure your DB board switches are on and the meter is plugged in and powered. The meter will search for and pair with your keypad automatically. Once paired, enter the token number you bought via your banking app, then press and hold enter, followed by enter again to confirm.
You can buy prepaid electricity online through your banking app, via USSD, or through municipal and third-party vendors. Banking apps are usually the fastest option, letting you generate and receive your token via SMS in a few steps.
Enter the token number generated from your purchase into your meter's keypad, then press and hold enter, followed by enter again. Your units should reflect immediately once the transaction is confirmed.
A beeping meter usually indicates low power. Press enter to silence the alert, then load a new token as soon as possible to avoid running out of electricity.
Your meter has likely entered sleep mode. Press any button on the main panel to wake the display. If it remains blank, check the power connection and DB board switches.
No. Prepaid electricity meters are municipal property. Any technical fault, error, or replacement must be handled by a municipal technician. Do not attempt to repair or tamper with the meter yourself.
Yes. Meter tampering is illegal and dangerous, carrying risks of electrocution and injury. It also disrupts accurate consumption readings, which are essential for fair billing and preventing electricity theft.
No. Your prepaid balance only depletes when electricity is actually flowing, so no units are used while the power is off during load shedding. It's still a good idea to keep a buffer of units loaded, since you won't be able to top up during an outage.
