Beyond how much households spend on electricity lies another important layer of experience, how people manage and monitor their usage. For many, the type of electricity meter installed in their home significantly shapes that experience.
According to PURC survey, prepaid meters are the clear preference, with 68% of respondents indicating they use them. This finding reveals a strong national shift toward pay-as-you-go electricity, where consumers load credit in advance and track their consumption in real-time. In practice, it means many Ghanaians are choosing, or adapting to, a system that gives them greater visibility and control over their energy use.
This preference may be rooted in something deeper, a desire to avoid surprises. Prepaid meters empower households to monitor usage daily, make informed decisions about turning off appliances, and stretch their credit when budgets are tight. It is a system that rewards mindfulness and has become a part of daily financial planning for most families.
On the other hand, 28.04% of respondents reported using postpaid meters. With these, electricity is consumed first and billed later, typically monthly. Postpaid systems, while common in some older installations and multi-unit dwellings, often leave households less aware of how much energy they are using until the bill arrives. For some, this model may offer convenience; for others, it can introduce anxiety around fluctuating costs.
A small but notable group, 3.72%, admitted that they do not know the type of meter installed in their homes. This may reflect households where the meter is managed by a landlord, or situations where utility responsibilities are handled by another family member. It’s a subtle reminder that not all residents are directly engaged in the management of electricity, even if they rely on it daily.
Then, quietly tucked within the responses, lies a sobering statistic: 0.24% of participants said they have no access to electricity at all. Though small in number, these voices represent pockets of exclusion that persist in the national energy story.
The findings are based on a national survey conducted by the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) between May and June 2025, involving 3,759 respondents across all 16 regions of Ghana.
