Equity, Social Justice, and Empowerment Minister Joachim Henry has announced that the St. Lucia Electricity Services Limited (LUCELEC) will launch a prepaid electricity pilot project in August.
“Persons will be able to receive electricity in a prepaid mode,” Henry told reporters during Monday’s regular pre-Cabinet press briefing.
“So you buy your top-up electricity. You can see it on your phone, and then you can manage your electricity,” the Minister explained.
He indicated that caring for people and the high incidence of electricity disconnections prompted the prepaid initiative because people cannot afford the postpaid modality.
“We asked for it. LUCELEC has communicated to me that in August this year there will be a launch of prepaid electricity,” the Castries South East MP stated.
“If you have never experienced it, it is something to try. I had it when I was in Dominica,” Henry disclosed.
Dominica allows consumers to purchase power for their prepaid meters via telephone at their convenience.
The system also operates in other countries, including Jamaica.
Like prepaid telephone service, consumers may buy credit and top-up as required.
In Jamaica, the consumer gets a Customer Interphase Unit resembling a security alarm keypad, which the power company installs in the home.
The unit beeps when only five kilowatt-hours remain. If the consumer cannot top up before the credit expires, they can call the power company for an additional five kilowatt-hours.
Saint Lucia’s Equity, Social Justice and Empowerment Minister recalled that he recently spoke with Dominica’s Health Minister, who was having a Father’s Day activity.
“He just gave a guy to top-up his electricity bill – fifty dollars for him to have the activity,” Henry told reporters.
He declared that there was no need to wait on a monthly bill.
LUCELEC has two left feet. The system probably works wonderfully in other countries, however, I have little confidence it can succeed here. The company’s billing can’t even get it together with the current process. Adding another step will make it more complicated. Could send them to the madhouse. I can just imagine customer service issues and the long wait on line. LUCELEC and FLOW billing are two peas in the same pod. The less interaction one has with them, the more free time is available. Time wasters.
Nothing good for Lucian’s……smh. Time for me to invest in a solar system
I imagine it would be more expensive per kilowatt-hour?? We need some more information on the jab-en-sac please.
I am just wondering how this os beneficial to us the consumers. Is it going to be cheaper? Won’t we use the same electricity we use all the time. So if I buy $200 top up and it finishes say at midnight won’t it shut off before I have time to replenish? What if I have no access to top up online? I see lucelec as the winner here because this wY people will have no arrears.
I think the only ones who will actually benefit from these initiatives are the telephone service providers and LUCELEC. One is an increase in pre or post paid payments and LUCELEC is less or no arrears and also an increase in revenue for disconnections. I hope the post paid option will still exist because I prefer post paid. Dont trust these service providers who are already manipulating the system to their advantage. When the system goes digital whole cor noo par bon.
ok Heo…im glad you seeing from now that wen the system goes digital alot of us will finish…nothing for our good…people let us read between the lines with a lot of things that are happening…all that glitters is not gold…..let us prepare to meet our Maker
I travelled to Dominica in 2018 and experienced this top up electricity method. I went to bed with light and woke hours later in darkness .
The way that government don’t pay the bills on time, can you imagine vaccines spoiling at the various health center especially those without generators
This is not a good idea. There’s no need to copy what other countries are doing, we don’t have their mentality so it will not work for us.
Hello
Dominicans were saying the same thing that it will not work but it is working. And the way the system is. There are outlet selling power . You can put any amount on your account. In Dominica you get a notification on your mobile phone that you need to top up your current iis low.. if you don’t top up before 1.30 after your current will cut. The company doesn’t cut current at midnight it’s only due to ING the day. They don’t cut light on weekends.
I used it in Dominica. It worked out well. $20 would last me a week. We were renting an apartment and did not have to worry about waiting for the final bill. I think landlords can benefit from this.