Eskom has announced progress in its key revision number (KRN) rollover project, converting all prepaid electricity meters to KRN 2 by the November 24 deadline. This milestone impacts municipalities and distributors, ensuring their customer bases align with the latest prepaid technology.
The utility reports that approximately 400 000 previously unregistered “zero buyers” have transitioned to paying customers. This shift could strengthen revenue streams for municipalities reliant on prepaid meter compliance for electricity billing.
Key highlights of the KRN transition:
- Eskom converted its 6,91 million prepaid customers to KRN 2 and updated an additional 341 000 customer records during a data-cleaning exercise to total 7,25 million users.
- By the November 24 deadline, 5,5 million customers – including 400 000 zero buyers – rolled over to KRN 2 and are transacting successfully.
- The number of zero buyers decreased to 1,7 million – down from a 12-month average of 2,1 million. Eskom has urged these customers to register as paying users by December 13 to avoid penalties and ensure their meters function properly.
Eskom is also urging customers experiencing issues, such as tampered or bypassed meters or trouble loading tokens purchased before November 24, to visit an Eskom centre by December 13 for assistance. “Eskom will assess their situations, apply tamper fines if necessary and schedule meter updates or replacements,” the utility says.