Winner of the National Excellence Award, recipient of a World Billing Award for the best implementation of a billing system at a global level, and evaluated number one in the Colombian electrical sector. These are just a few of the accolades that EPM, the public utility service company, has secured.
In addition to their depth of experience, EPM’s technical capability coupled with its financial strength, has resulted in this organisation being at the forefront of the sector in Colombia.
EPM has deployed some 125,000 prepaid meters, predominantly into lower income areas, where there may be issues around non-payment or tampering.
The technology has proven to be highly successful as it allows the consumer to control their usage and, more importantly, to be able to budget for electricity according to their income.
Most interesting is that, unlike many countries, the consumer is given the legal right to select their metering mechanism. This means that an utility may not unilaterally install a prepay meter, without the written acceptance of the consumer.
The success of the technology can be seen by the fact that thousands of consumers opt for a prepay meter each month. As more consumers become aware of the prepayment option, EPM expects the uptake to continue to increase further. This results in a win-win scenario for consumers and the utility.
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