ECG announces nationwide meter audit with no advance notice, authorized staff verifiable via *226#

The Electricity Company of Ghana Limited (ECG) has announced that it will soon begin a Nationwide Meter Audit Exercise across all its operational areas, as part of efforts to reduce commercial losses, improve revenue assurance, and combat electricity theft.

In a public announcement, the company said the exercise will involve inspecting and verifying all prepaid and postpaid meters, Special Load Tariff (SLT) installations, and associated wiring. The aim is to confirm the integrity of metering systems and ensure accurate measurement and billing of electricity consumption.

ECG said the announcement serves as official notice of the exercise and that no further prior notices, appointment letters, or advance notifications will be issued. It therefore advised customers, landlords, estate managers, property managers, facility managers, and security personnel that the absence of a separate notification letter shall not be a basis for denying, restricting, or delaying access to authorized ECG personnel.

The move comes against the backdrop of persistent commercial losses at the utility. ECG’s Managing Director, Kwame Kpekpena, disclosed in the company’s 2025 annual report that total system losses fell only marginally from 27.05% to 26.88%, remaining at what he described as an “unacceptably high” level. In August, ECG’s Western Region recovered GH¢4.3 million within six months through anti-theft operations, screening 2,367 customers and recovering 3.64 gigawatt-hours of electricity. Irregularities uncovered included meter tampering, meter bypassing, and unauthorized connections. ECG has listed “deepening loss reduction” among its 2026 priorities, including the deployment of Distribution Transformer and Boundary Metering (DTBM) schemes in high-loss areas to identify and eliminate losses at the transformer level.

On the legal basis for the exercise, ECG reminded the public of Regulation 4(h) of the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (Customer Service) Regulations, 2020 (L.I. 2413). The regulation requires a consumer to grant a utility’s employee or agent safe and reasonable access to the consumer’s premises to read a meter or check utility equipment, subject to the production of a verifiable identity card and the agent following the access procedure prescribed in the utility’s Customer Charter.

To guard against impersonation, ECG said all its employees and authorized agents taking part in the exercise will carry official ECG identification cards. Customers are encouraged to verify the identity of field personnel before granting them access, through either of two channels: the Customer Call Centre line, 0302 611 611; or the *226# USSD verification code, available on all mobile networks.

To use the USSD code, customers should dial *226# on their mobile phone, select Option 5 – Verify Staff, enter the 6-digit verification code provided by the staff member, and check that the staff member’s full name, region, and district are displayed. Customers should then confirm that the information matches the staff member assisting them.

For further information, customers can contact the ECG call centre on 0302 611 611 or reach the company on social media via @ECGghOfficial on Facebook, X, Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn.