Prepaid Meter Calculator

Plan a prepaid electricity top-up before you buy a token. Enter your own tariff, fees, debt recovery, appliance load, outage pattern, backup option, and solar estimate to see units, days of supply, risk, payback, and an exportable household or shop summary.

Token units Appliance loads Backup scenario Solar offset Copy summary

Token and tariff inputs

Use the tariff on your utility notice, vending app, regulator schedule, or recent receipt. The example numbers are editable and are not live statutory tariffs.

Enter remaining kWh on the meter, not money.
Some meters deduct arrears before issuing units.
Leave as your meter average, or use the appliance estimate below.

Appliance and load estimate

Use this when the meter history is not clear. It estimates daily kWh from watts, quantity, and hours.

Appliance estimate: 5.7 kWh/day. Click "Use load estimate" to copy it into daily use.

Backup and solar scenario

Compare token dependence with generator, battery, inverter, or solar offset. Use local quotes and fuel prices.

Ready.

Methodology and assumptions

Prepaid systems differ by utility, meter class, country, and customer band. This calculator separates the moving parts instead of pretending there is one universal token formula.

Token units
  • Net energy money equals top-up minus token fees, fixed charges, debt deductions, and taxes.
  • Estimated kWh equals net energy money divided by the entered tariff per kWh.
  • Days of supply equals total kWh available divided by daily kWh use.
Risk and affordability
  • Risk rises when projected days fall below the target period or outages shift demand to backup power.
  • Affordability compares total monthly energy cost with the budget share you set.
  • Shared meters need extra care because one tenant's load can drain the token for everyone.
Solar and backup
  • Solar savings use the smaller of daily kWh demand and solar kWh entered.
  • Payback is setup cost divided by monthly avoided grid or backup spend.
  • Use supplier quotes for battery size, inverter surge load, installation, and maintenance.

Source and freshness notes

Last reviewed: 18 May 2026. Tariffs are not live in this page. Replace all example figures with the latest official tariff, vending receipt, or utility notice for your location.

NERC NigeriaOfficial Nigerian electricity regulator. Check current tariff orders and customer notices. EPRA KenyaElectricity tariff registers and sector tariff documents for Kenya. NERSA South AfricaPricing and tariff approval information for regulated electricity markets. ECG GhanaCurrent tariff guidance based on PURC-approved rates for ECG customers.

Utility disclaimer: this is an estimator for planning. Actual token units can vary because of tariff bands, taxes, lifeline blocks, arrears deductions, meter configuration, vending platform fees, exchange rates, and regulator updates. Confirm with your utility, licensed electrician, solar installer, or local regulator before making payment or equipment decisions.

Continue from a token estimate into bill checking, backup sizing, and household budgeting.

Electricity Tariff CalculatorModel fixed charges, taxes, peak rates, backup cost, and solar payback. Electricity Bill CheckerCheck bill line items and spot possible billing issues. Generator Fuel CalculatorEstimate generator fuel cost for outages and backup planning. Solar Sizing CalculatorEstimate inverter, battery, and panel needs from your load. Outage Cost CalculatorEstimate business losses from power cuts and downtime. Budget PlannerCompare energy spend with rent, transport, food, savings, and debt.