The first step is for the electricity utility to install the revenue management infrastructure and system. This is made up of the following items:

•  Vending unit: this is where the consumer purchases electricity. It can be a computer based
    solution, a point-of-sale device, the internet, or a scratch-card system. The important consideration is
    the convenience of your consumer’s to be able to purchase their electricity needs, 24 hours a day.
•  Vending server: this is housed within the utility and forms part of the IT infrastructure solution. The
    vending server communicates with the vending unit, to generate the requested electricity tokens. The
    vending server also contains the meter and customer information.
•  Management server: also housed within the IT facilities of the utility, this is the heart of the revenue
    management solution. It is here that all the data is housed and a full audit record is kept, along with the
    ability to generate a variety of reports, such as sales per customer, vending unit and more.

Next, it is necessary to install a prepaid electricity meter in the consumer’s premises. Depending on the installation application, this could be a split meter, whereby the metering device is placed outside the consumer’s premises, for example, in a meter box or kiosk; whilst a user interface unit (keypad) is installed in the consumer’s house for them to interact with the meter. The split configuration is used in culturally sensitive environments, as well as where additional security is needed as the consumer cannot access the meter.

In other applications, the combo meter would be used. This is a combined device that incorporates both the metering device, as well as the consumer keypad, in one solution. The entire meter is then installed within the dwelling.

The final component is our services offer, which will provide you with all the technical experts to install and commission the whole solution; we also provide ongoing guidance and counselling, as well as on-site training for all the relevant personnel.

Further, through a variety of after-service products, such as maintenance and service contracts, we are able to assist in the growth and sustainability of your solution.