Electricity bills are one of the constant and recurring concerns among families and households, particularly since they have become too high recently.

To address this concern of some families, Meralco, the primary electric power distributor of Metro Manila and nearby provinces (including Bulacan, Rizal, Batangas, Cavite, Laguna, and Quezon), offers prepaid electricity for those who want flexibility in their bills.

In this post, let’s talk about Meralco’s Prepaid Electricity, its benefits and features, how to apply, monitor, load your account, and more.

Table of Contents

What is Meralco KLOAD Prepaid Electricity?

Meralco’s Prepaid Electricity, or Kuryente Load (Kload), is Meralco’s initiative to introduce a prepaid metering system for its consumers. It’s similar to how we buy cellphone loads to call, text, or surf; after it’s consumed, we’ll be disconnected and need to reload.

By using Meralco’s Kload, you can buy credit and use electricity until you consume it all. As Meralco says on its ads, “Pwede nang bilhin nang tingi ang kuryente.” While this may not make sense for some families and households, this is a good step for users wanting more control over their consumption.

The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) approved Meralco’s prepaid electricity in 2015 and has started rolling out its smart metering devices afterward. Today, tens of thousands of users.

Where are the current service areas of the Meralco KLOAD?

While Meralco aims to expand its service areas where prepaid kuryente will be available, that will still take some time. Currently, Meralco Kload is only available in selected Metro Manila cities, nearby provinces, and pocket sites in Cavite, Bulacan, and Metro Manila areas. 

Here is the current availability of Kload:

  1. Manila
  2. Mandaluyong
  3. Pasig
  4. Makati
  5. Parts of Rizal – Angono, Binangonan, Cainta, and Taytay
  6. Pocket sites in:
    1. Cavite – Tagaytay, General Trias, and Naic
    2. Bulacan – San Jose del Monte, Plaridel, and Pandi
    3. Metro Manila – Paranaque, Pasay, San Juan, Taguig, Quezon City, and Caloocan

More cities, provinces, and municipalities will soon be included in the list, so you’ll have to wait for now. We’ll update this list once Meralco adds new locations.

How to apply for Meralco Prepaid Electricity KLOAD

Applying for Meralco Kload is straightforward and quite similar to applying for a regular Meralco account. 

Important: Please ensure that you live in one of the areas where Meralco’s prepaid electricity is already available.

Step 1: Present one (1) valid government ID and an application form.

You’ll only need a valid ID if you’re an existing Meralco user who wants to shift to the prepaid option. However, if you’re a new customer, you’ll need to submit additional requirements.

Step 2: Pay the initial load requirement of Php200. 

Once your account has been activated, you can consume this initial load. You can also choose a different amount to reload, from Php100, Php200, Php300, Php500, and Php1,000. If you have the capacity, you can buy the higher load amounts so your electricity use will not have to worry about temporary disconnections.

Step 3: Wait three (3) days for prepaid meter installation.

Once you completed your application and your account has been activated, you need to wait for three days before Meralco installs a prepaid meter – this is different compared to the typical meter used on regular Meralco accounts.

How to manage Your KLOAD Meralco account

Here are the things you can expect from Kload. 

1. You will get regular free SMS updates and alerts about your Kload account.

Once your Kload account has been activated, you will receive regular SMS updates, including the following:

  • Get daily balance alerts.
  • Receive a load confirmation.
  • Updates on rate adjustments.
  • Notice of Disconnection and Reconnection

2. Inquire about your balance anytime.

You can use your primary or secondary registered mobile number to check your load balance anytime by sending an SMS (text):

  • Send BAL <space> 12-digit Service ID number to 7622.

Note: You can change your registered phone number by visiting a Meralco Business Center near you, along with a valid ID if you are the registered customer or an authorization letter if the account is under a different name.

Where to top-up your Meralco KLOAD Prepaid Electricity account?

Meralco has partnered with various loading channels where you can reload your Meralco Kload account within 15 minutes. 

The main loading channel is through the Meralco Business Center, which has no convenience fee. On the other hand, they add a 10% convenience fee on other channels. Here are Meralco Kload’s loading partners:

  • GCash
  • Maya
  • Manila Express Payment System, Inc. (MEPS)
  • J6W Inc.
  • Billease
  • Banco De Oro (BDO)
  • BCO / FMG
  • Starpay Corporation
  • Robinsons Supermarket Corporation
  • New Online Bills Payment (NOBP)
  • Bayad App
  • New Bayad Mobile App
  • Justpayto
  • Isetann Department Store, Inc.
  • Multipay
  • Petnet, Inc.
  • Robinsons, Inc.
  • Universal Storefront Services Corp.
  • Rustan Supercenter Inc
  • CVM Pawnshop & Money Changer Corporation
  • True Money
  • Go Beyond Expectation Remittance Co.
  • Villarica Pawnshop Inc.
  • The Landmark Corporation
  • Smart

What is the purpose of rate adjustments in KLOAD?

You’ll receive a monthly text notification regarding your rate adjustment, similar to how regular Meralco customers receive a different per-kilowatt-hour (kWh) rate. This is because generation companies increase or decrease their monthly rates, which reflects on their customers.

According to Meralco, your load is equivalent to the 201 to 300 kWh bracket, as approved by the ERC. So, whenever you consume lower or higher than this bracket, your charged rate will also be adjusted in terms of a rebate (lower consumption than 201 kWh) or a clawback (higher consumption than 300 kWh.

Meralco-KLOAD-Prepaid-Electricity

Benefits of Using Meralco KLOAD

Meralco Kload has been around for close to a decade, but its implementation has been limited. So, for those within the service areas, here are some benefits of using Kload.

1. Easy monitoring of your consumption.

Once you start using Meralco’s prepaid electricity, they will regularly send text messages with updates, including your daily spending, balance notifications, low load reminders, reload confirmations, rate adjustments, and connection/reconnection alerts.

Meralco Kload will ensure that you’re up to date with your account, so you’ll not be surprised if you’re about to run out of load and risk disconnection. It’s a good thing that reconnections are also faster with the prepaid load.

Note: As a Meralco prepaid electricity user, you won’t receive monthly electricity bills. If you need your account details and transactions, you will have to visit the nearest Meralco Business Center.

2. You have the control over your consumption. 

If you’re using prepaid electricity, you can easily control your consumption. You can decide how much or how little electricity you’ll use so you can adjust your appliance usage accordingly. For instance, you can easily change your use time for your television or fans to decrease your daily consumption. 

It’s also advantageous whenever you need to go on an extended vacation, and you don’t need to worry about your electricity since you can simply disconnect it.

Note: Your prepaid electricity load doesn’t expire, so you don’t have to worry about forcing to expend it all.

3. More predictable electricity bill that fits your budget.

One of my pet peeves with electricity bills is that you can sometimes be surprised when your monthly bill suddenly spikes. Sometimes, it’s your fault, like an overused appliance. Other times, a sudden rate adjustment can push your consumption to the roof.

Using Meralco’s Kload, you can set your monthly electricity budget and check whether you’re consuming the right amount for the day, week, or month.

4. You can start with as little as Php200.

Meralco’s prepaid electricity aims to help those who struggle to pay their monthly electricity bills once they arrive at the end of each month. By using prepaid electricity, you can allocate a weekly budget instead of a monthly budget for your electricity. It’s also easier to budget your salary when you know you need to keep the lights on in your house.

5. Minimize potential overloading that can cause a fire.

If you’re using prepaid electricity, you know too well not to waste electricity. Doing so will also help discourage illegal connections that may cause overloading, leading to a fire.

Disadvantages of Meralco KLOAD

While there are advantages to using Meralco Kload, there are also disadvantages. 

1. Meralco Kload is not available for all Meralco consumers.

Meralco Kload’s implementation is currently limited to selected Metro Manila cities and nearby provinces. So, even if you want to avail yourself of their service, you may not be able to if you live in the excluded zones. 

2. You can suddenly have an unscheduled power interruption.

You’ll automatically be disconnected once your load runs out. What if you forgot to buy a prepaid load during the day because you got busy? Suddenly, you run out of load in the middle of the night and don’t have time to find an open store. Once it runs out, your appliance will shut down immediately and risk shortening its life expectancy, like a refrigerator or air conditioner. 

Note: Once you run out of prepaid electricity load, you have 90 days to reconnect, or else your account will be terminated, and Meralco will pull out your meter. 

3. You can’t maximize the use of your appliances.

One of the biggest drawbacks of using Meralco Kload is that you can’t maximize your appliances. Since your electricity is always running low, you can’t simply buy a new appliance without considering how much electricity it will consume. 

Meralco’s Prepaid Electricity (Kload) is a great innovation in the energy sector, affecting thousands of consumers, especially since this prepaid scheme is awfully familiar among Filipinos due to our dependence on prepaid loads.

This prepaid electricity allows consumers to take control over their electricity consumption and monitor their usage, and it costs as little as Php200 to start. However, Kload is yet to be rolled out to the rest of Meralco’s service area. 

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