ECG assures public: New smart meters end era of inaccurate billing

The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has moved to allay public fears over soaring electricity bills, asserting that the newly installed smart prepaid meters are functioning accurately and have merely exposed the defects of the outdated devices they replaced.

Speaking on Channel One TV’s Breakfast Daily on Wednesday, February 25, the General Manager for External Communications at ECG, Dr. Charles Nii Ayiku Ayiku, addressed the growing public outcry. Consumers have flooded the company with complaints that the new meters are depleting credits at an alarming rate, leading to significantly higher bills.

Dr. Ayiku explained that the old meters were obsolete and malfunctioning, consistently failing to capture the true volume of electricity consumed by households and businesses. This, he stated, was the primary reason for the discrepancy customers are now experiencing.

“If you are using an old car, the efficiency wouldn’t be like that of a new car. So, if you are using an obsolete meter that is not able to capture the correct readings, this is the experience you are going to have,” Dr. Ayiku explained. “The meters they were using are defective and malfunctioning, and were not capturing the right consumption, and that was affecting our revenue.”

He characterized the new smart meters as a significant upgrade, designed to record precise electricity usage and ensure that customers pay only for what they actually consume. The ECG has therefore intensified its public education campaign to help customers understand the transition and the improved accuracy of the new system.

The explanation comes as the Ministry of Energy and Green Transition has directed the ECG to launch a full investigation into the mounting complaints. The Ministry aims to ensure the new billing system maintains public confidence and to verify that the sudden increase in charges is indeed a result of accurate metering rather than a technical fault with the new devices.