The Management of Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) plc, has announced an upcoming upgrade for its Standard Transfer Specification (STS) prepaid meters to enhance efficiency and align with global standards.
This is contained in a statement and signed by the Managing Director, Mr Kingsley Achife on Thursday in ilorin.
He said the upgrade, known as Token Identification (TID) Rollover, aimed to ensure the continued seamless operation of prepaid meters while maintaining customer satisfaction.
He added that the upgrade scheduled to take effect from Aug. 1, which involved the integration of a global software update into STS meters, making them compatible with the new TID Rollover protocol.
“This upgrade is imperative as, starting from Nov. 24, 2024, all STS meters worldwide will cease to accept old credit tokens without the necessary meter upgrade.
“To facilitate a smooth transition, IBEDC will provide its prepaid meter customers with Key Change Tokens (KCT) alongside their regular energy tokens when purchasing electricity” Achife said.
He further explained that the KCT would serve as a special ‘reset’ token and remained crucial for the successful completion of the meter upgrade process.
Achife said that obtaining the KCT is free of charge, and customers could upgrade their meters without any impact on the current electricity tariff.
“During the upgrade period, customers are advised to take note of the following important details:
Mandatory Upgrade: Customers must upgrade their prepaid meters by sequentially entering the two KCT tokens (KCT1 & KCT2) and then the energy token, as provided by IBEDC.
“Expiry of old tokens effective from Aug. 1 old credit tokens will become obsolete.
“Customers must ensure that any unused or previously purchased energy tokens are loaded into their meters before this date.
“The meter upgrade process will not affect the credit unit balance on the meter.
“Customers can rest assured that their balance will remain intact after the upgrade.
“The meter upgrade is a one-time process. Subsequent energy token purchases will continue as usual after the upgrade has been completed.”
According to him, IBEDC is committed to supporting its customers throughout this transition.
“Field officers will be available to assist customers and monitor compliance.
“If a meter fails to load energy tokens following the KCT upgrade, customers are advised to promptly contact our customer care at 07001239999, email us at customercare@ibedc.com or send messages to a WhatsApp number 07059093900″, he said.
(NAN)
