In today’s discussion, we are going to show you how to know if your prepaid meter is cheating you. So, if you are not sure whether your prepaid meter is cheating you or not, this comprehensive guide is for you because we are going to show you how to detect unfair energy consumption in your prepaid meter and many other related aspects of this article.
There are many signs that, when you see them, you will know that your prepaid meter is cheating you. When you notice unusual unit depletion, high unit consumption at night, unit deduction without power supply, discrepancy in tariff charges, etc., it is a sign that your prepaid meter may be cheating you.
Clear Signs That Your Prepaid Meter May Be Cheating You
As we stated in the introduction, there are many signs that when you see any or a combination of them, you will know that your prepaid meter may be cheating on you. We are going to discuss them in detail in this section; keep reading.
1. Unusual Finishing of Electricity Units
One of the signs that your prepaid meter is cheating you is if your electricity units finish faster than they are supposed to. For instance, if you buy 50 units of electricity today and it barely lasts 2 days—while the same amount lasted a week last month—this is a red flag. Hence, it is an indication that your prepaid meter may have started cheating you.
2. High Unit Consumption at Night
Another way that you can know if your prepaid meter has started cheating you is if you start noticing high unit consumption at night. So, if you notice that your prepaid meter consumes more electricity units at night even when most appliances are off, then it is a sign that your meter may be cheating you.
3. Inconsistency in Electricity Tariff Charges
In one of our posts, we made mention that there are different electricity bands: A, B, C, and D. Band A is the most expensive, while Band D offers the cheapest tariff charges. So, if you are in band C but you are being charged band A rates, it means that your prepaid meter may be cheating you.
4. Unit Deduction Without Power Supply
If you notice that your electricity units are being deducted even when you don’t have a power supply, then something is wrong somewhere, which means your prepaid meter may be cheating you.
Unit deduction without power supply can occur due to electric current leakage, poor wiring, or ghost load. In addition, if your meter is faulty or over-calibrated, you may also notice unit deduction even when there is no light.
5. Sudden Change in Electricity Unit Consumption After Meter Change or Upgrade
If you changed or upgraded your prepaid meter recently and find out that there is a sudden change in your unit consumption, it is a sign that your prepaid meter may be cheating you.
How to Stop Your Prepaid Meter From Cheating You
There are different measures that you can apply to stop your prepaid meter from cheating you if you notice that your electricity units finish faster than they are supposed to. The measures are:
- Always purchase electricity units from verified and reliable vendors
- You should never tamper your prepaid meter
- Ensure that your house wiring is standard and certified by an electrician
- Keep track of your daily energy consumption and if you notice any changes, report to your electricity provider
Summary
In conclusion, a prepaid meter is not supposed to cheat you; however, when there are issues like faulty wiring, wrong tariff settings, or meter faults, etc., it is a common sign that your prepaid meter may be cheating you. To avoid this cheat, you can monitor your consumption closely and use the tips in this article, and by doing so, you can quickly tell if something isn’t right and take further right steps to resolve it.