A very big change is coming, and it will affect all of Eskom’s prepaid customers’ meters on 24 November 2024.
A new series of electricity vending codes will be introduced to all meters in South Africa. This will ensure that the meter’s key change code does not expire. Eskom is informing its prepaid customers that the lifespan of the current vending codes of meters will be expiring on this date. If you are an Eskom prepaid customer, you will need to take action to ensure that your meter keeps working and that you will still be able to top up your meter when you purchase your meter tokens.
Why is this happening?
All prepayment meters based on STS technology will stop accepting new credit tokens because of the expiry of these vending codes. This will mean they will stop dispensing electricity after the existing credit is used up, thus making the meter inactive. Each credit token has a unique token identifier (TID) encoded in the 20 digits to prevent token replay at the meter. The TID is referenced to a base date of 1993 and will run out of range in 2024 (known as the TID rollover event), thus causing the prepayment meter to stop accepting new tokens.
If your meter has not been recoded, it will not accept the tokens you have purchased, which means it will stop working. All prepaid meters must be recoded, whether you are an Eskom customer or a municipally supplied customer.
What do you need to do?
This programme is a customer DIY rollover. As a prepaid meter user, you will be guided on how to recode your own meter. It is very easy. Just follow three steps, and you are done!
Get your two key change tokens from your local or online vendor when Eskom prompts you that your area is active follow these steps
- Eskom launches the KRN Recode ProjecT
After keying in your recode tokens, proceed to key in any other tokens you may have received e.g. free basic electricity tokens.
Areas that are active in the roll-out
Various sections of Eskom’s customer base will become active at different timeslots/periods to allow Eskom to assist customers if needed. Please keep a close eye on communications from Eskom and your local media to find out when your area is ready for you to do your recoding.
Important! Your electricity tokens bought in advance will not work after your meter has been recoded.
Pre-purchased tokens will not work after you have recoded your meter. All tokens purchased before your meter is recoded must be loaded into the meter before recoding is done. Once the meter is recoded, the meter will reject old electricity tokens.
Where to get your key change tokens
When purchasing an electricity token, customers will also receive two 20-digit numbers. These tokens will be made available when buying a recharge token and will be accessible to all customers once the key change system goes live in their area.
Key change tokens will be dispensed automatically from the vendors where you buy your electricity.
Your security is our priority
This is a DIY initiative. Eskom will not send a contractor to customers’ homes. Do not let anyone into your home under the pretext that they want to help you recode your meter. No matter how convincing they may be, if you have not been told by a local media campaign, Eskom, or your local councillor to let someone in, you should not let anyone in. Criminals take advantage of these campaigns to gain access to community members’ homes to commit crimes. Call the Eskom ShareCall number 08600 37566 if you are not sure of the identity of a person requiring access to your home.
Is there a charge by Eskom to recode your meter?
No, there is no charge for this recoding, and you should report it to Eskom if anyone wants to charge you to recode your meter. No Eskom staff member or supplier will come to your home to charge you for the recoding. Please report any such event to the South African Police or Eskom at 08600 37566. For more information on the worldwide key change rollover, go to www.tidrollover.com.
The Key Revision Number (KRN) or the Token Identifier (TID) Rollover Programme is a prepaid electricity metering industry undertaking to ensure that all prepaid meters that will roll over to a new Token Identifier Code on 24 November 2024 are correctly re-coded.
Each token is encoded with a unique Token Identifier (TID), which has a limited range and will run out (rollover) on 24 November 2024. After this date, all STS-compliant meters will stop accepting credit tokens, unless an intervention takes place, which means that all these meters need to receive the TID Rollover Key Change with the new base date before this date.
What will happen if I don’t recode my meter?
If you don’t recode, when you buy electricity after November 2024, your meter will NOT load your purchased tokens. Every meter in South African HAS to be recoded.
Why is it necessary to update the codes on all prepaid meters?
If the meter codes are not updated, the prepaid tokens bought will not work on those meters, leaving you without electricity. The meter coding project is being done for technical reasons to ensure that all Eskom prepaid meters continue working.
It is like upgrading your cellphone – you can use most cellphones for a long time, but sometimes they stop working correctly so you need to upgrade your phone’s software.
Has Eskom started rolling out and when are you expected to complete?
Eskom has successfully completed a pilot project in Riverside View in Gauteng. 5000 meters were recoded and rolled over to KRN2. Eskom is preparing to kick off its prepaid meter recode initiative to all its customers around the country. It is envisaged that Eskom will start within the next month or two.
The prepaid meters are not being changes, they will work exactly the same as they work now, they are just being recoded. The only change coming in now is if the meter is not recoded, it will not accept the tokens purchased after 24 Nov 2024. All prepaid meters in South Africa that comply to the Standard Transfer Specification (STS) must be recoded.
Why is it necessary to update the codes on all prepaid meters?
If the meter codes are not updated, the prepaid tokens bought will not work on those meters, leaving you without electricity. The meter coding project is being done for technical reasons to ensure that all Eskom prepaid meters continue working.
It is like upgrading your cellphone – you can use most cellphones for a long time, but sometimes they stop working correctly so you need to upgrade your phone’s software.
Has Eskom started rolling out and when are you expected to complete?
Eskom has successfully completed a pilot project in Riverside View in Gauteng. 5000 meters were recoded and rolled over to KRN2. Eskom is preparing to kick off its prepaid meter recode initiative to all its customers around the country. It is envisaged that Eskom will start within the next month or two.
How will this prepaid meter work?
The prepaid meters are not being changes, they will work exactly the same as they work now, they are just being recoded. The only change coming in now is if the meter is not recoded, it will not accept the tokens purchased after 24 Nov 2024. All prepaid meters in South Africa that comply to the Standard Transfer Specification (STS) must be recoded.
Will this project only involve the updating of meter codes?
Yes, this project is only to recode prepaid meters, to ensure they remain working after 24 November 2024.
All STS prepayment meters will be affected by the TID rollover on 24 November 2024. Any tokens generated after this date and utilising the 24-bit TID will be rejected by the meters as being old tokens as the TID value embedded in the token will have reset back to 0.
How many meters must be recoded for Eskom customers?
There are about 6.6 million prepaid meters in the Eskom supply areas, across South Africa.
How will Eskom ensure customers do the right thing and there aren’t elements of manipulating the system?
Eskom will communicate the KRN rollover through a comprehensive education campaign to customers. Eskom will use regional radio live reads, community print and radio media release, radio interviews, leaflets, posters, Facebook and Twitter posts, You Tube videos, community forums and customer communiques.
