Mobile technologies provider, Powertime, has released 'smart power management' and instant prepaid electricity purchase apps for cellphone users.
First unveiled two years ago, the company says the service allows subscribers to buy electricity online conveniently and safely via a Web or mobile phone browser.
Powertime introduced a phone app early last year, and then a BlackBerry app later on. Now, it says, Android users can join the “smarter power party”. It also has a Nokia app the works.
According to Powertime, the app allows users to securely buy tokens to recharge their pre-paid electricity metres using their credit card.
“This means no more running to the corner caf'e at 11pm to buy a token, or trying to work out how to go online when the power is out.
“It is fast to set up [no faxing of documents and ID copies], meets international best practices in security and data privacy, and includes a set of powerful tools to allow South Africans to manage their power usage better”, the company notes.
Ereeza Ryland, chief marketing officer at Powertime, explains that these include PowerStream, where users can tell at a glance what they have spent in the past weeks or months, and see trends or anomalies.
Many of the large electricity utilities are already enabled, including Eskom, City Power, City of Cape Town, Tshwane, Ekurhuleni, George and others.
More are being added all the time, as Powertime also allows users to top up their mobile phone airtime using the smartphone apps and mobi site, the company adds.
“Our smartphone apps have proved incredibly popular with users, who love not having to leave home late at inconvenient times when their pre-paid power is about to run out,” says Ryland.
“Our users are also concerned about costs and the environmental impact of power consumption as repeated price-hikes hit, which makes our PowerStream functions so important to them.”
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