Meralco prepaid customers surpass 42,000

MANILA, Philippines - Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) is eyeing an additional 100,000 customers for its prepaid retail electricity service (PRES) this year after breaching 42,000 clients, a company official said.

The distribution utility now has over 42,000 prepaid customers under the Kuryente Load (KLoad) program, Meralco vice president and head of marketing and customer solutions Jose Antonio Valdez said during a visit to a condormitel using the prepaid services in Manila.

Of the 42,000 customers, 20 percent are lessor-lessee accounts, 20 percent are condo units, and 60 percent are residential customers.

Meralco is now ready to accept an additional 100,000 prepaid customers, Valdez said.

Aside from Manila, Pasig and parts of Rizal, KLoad is now also available in Mandaluyong, and will soon reach Makati.

By the end of 2017, Meralco plans to bring KLoad to Quezon City, Caloocan, San Juan, Marikina, Pateros, Taguig and Pasay.

Rapid expansion of the prepaid retail service is possible since government has eased rules in installing electricity services even in the marginalized sector, Valdez said.

“Some of the rules were also relaxed so that even just presenting a proof of ownership of the homes especially in areas of Baseco and Parola (in Manila) can be allowed with the prepaid service,” he said.

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 Meralco’s consumer research, customers who shifted from postpaid to prepaid are able to effectively monitor their consumption daily via SMS and as a result, they can save an average of 20 percent on electricity consumption, translating to total savings of around P300 per customer.