How to Check Monthly Usage on a ZESA meter
Blogging about ZESA now appears to be simply going through the motions, because there is hardly any electricity to talk about in households these days. That is why so many people have decided to go solar. I am seriously planning to do so myself and have been writing a series on some of the things that I have learnt while doing research on how to set up home solar systems. Anyway, this article aims to show you how to check monthly usage on a ZESA meter. So, how do you check the present month’s consumption on a prepaid ZESA electricity meter?
Check how much electricity you have used so far this month
To check the present month’s consumption on a prepaid ZESA electricity meter, you need to do the following;
- Go to where the meter is and flip open the clear white cover
- Press 814 on the screen
- Press on the enter button
- The amount of electricity that you have consumed so far that month will now be displayed.
Different configurations on ZESA meters
Note that you may have a meter that’s different from mine. In most case, instructions on how to check monthly usage on a ZESA meter can be found written somewhere on the meter. All that you need to do in that case is follow the instructions.
Why would I need this information?
This is useful information to have. You want to know, every now and again, how much electricity your household has been using. Having this information allows you to plan your future expenses. It allows you, as an example, to know exactly how much electricity you need on a month by month basis.
This information has also turned out to be useful for me personally as I plan my off-grid home solar system. I know exactly how much electricity my household has been using, which allows me to set up a system that will be able to meet my requirements.
There is hardly any ZESA these days
As mentioned at the top, there is hardly any ZESA to talk about these days. Electricity where I live is only available in the dead of the night. Fortunately, that’s enough to keep the deep freezer in my home going. Otherwise, television and other things that use electricity have long since been forgotten.
Other than the issue of refrigerators, the only other reason why people still bother topping up their prepaid ZESA meters is because of pride. If, by some miracle, there is no load shedding throughout the day, it would be embarrassing for the whole neighborhood to know that you have been failing to buy ZESA. If you do need to top up your meter, here is how to buy ZESA using ECOCASH.