Intro
First the good news: yesterday I received confirmation from Meter Mate that the payment for our tenant’s electricity from 1st June to the 30th June had been duly deposited into our bank account. Dealing with Meter Mate has been a breeze👍👌👏.
I don’t want to go into a long drawn article but I would like to share a few important points:
What is Submetering?
A sub meter is a meter that is installed after the primary supply, in other words, a prepaid meter that is installed inside your tenant’s flat.
Why Use Submetering?
The main purpose is to create the means for individual consumers to take responsibility and pay for their own consumption.
To me it is a huge time saver. As per the Contract I have with our Tenant, prior to the installation of a submeter at her flat she would message her meter reading on the 1st of each month.
The number of units decrease for the money you pay throughout the month for example if you pay R250 each time you purchase units the amount of units decrease from 102 (on the 3rd June) to 89 on the 24th June.
| Amount (Rand) | Date | Units |
|---|---|---|
| R250.00 | 3rd June 2023 | 102,4 |
| R250.00 | 24th June 2023 | 89,3 |
What a schlep having to do the calculations every single month – no longer needed once you have a submeter installed👍👌
Following the installation of the submeter, the tenant pays for her own electricity usage. She buys electricity on her banking app, enters the code on the actual meter and that’s it! Super simple!
Pre-paid Electricity Meters – Where to Buy Them
Prepaid electricity meters (submeters) are readily available at Builders Warehouse and similar stores. Please note that the admin fee charged differs from each supplier so you might wish to enquiry with each supplier all the costs they will be charging prior to you purchasing a meter.
There are at least 2 reputable prepaid meter supplying companies in South Africa. I have friends using both companies and my friends speak highly of these companies.
Contact details of Electricians and Meter Mate
I have been dealing with Vanessa Naidoo from Meter Mate where I purchased the prepaid electricity and water meters. Vanessa and Team provide outstanding service🙏. In terms of Electricians I have 2 friends who are very competent electricians:
- Jason Adriaanzen (Electrician) – 082 521 7548 (WhatsApp)
- Manny Paiva (Electrician) – 081 715 1697 (WhatsApp)
- Vanessa Naidoo (Meter Mate) – 076 413 1192 (WhatsApp)
Finals Recommendations
I strongly recommend a split prepaid meter. In our household we are very fortunate with the tenant we have but I have heard of cases where tenants tamper with the meter to reduce electricity recording. To avoid this a split meter is recommended.
We are using the Hexing Power-Rail PLC pictured below.
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