Customers can now buy cooking gas they can afford

Safari Supa Gas and PayGo Energy have unveiled a gas refill service that will see customers only pay gas that they need.

The new technology, which is powered by PayGo Energy’s patented Cylinder Smart Meter, let consumers purchase cooking gas through prepaid system.

The smart meter operates on a sim device that relays customer's information using a cellular network.

Safari Supa Gas Head of Business Development Flora Njagi said the system removes the upfront cost needed for buying a gas cylinder besides a need to buy a complete refill at once.

“When we entered the market in December last year, we realised that many consumers could not afford the upfront cost of purchasing or refilling a whole cylinder of cooking gas,” Ms Njagi said.

It is currently being used in Nairobi's informal settlements such as Kawangware and Mukuru kwa Njenga. However, there are plans to roll it out to the rest of the country.

"Currently, more than 400 residents of Mukuru kwa Reuben are enjoying the system since it was first piloted in 2016," she said.

Ms Njagi added that the solution is cost-effective as customers only ever have to pay for as much gas as they use.

“When customers sign up for the product we dispatch a technician to install the system into homes,” she added.

Ms Njagi added that the complete kit consists of a two-burner cook stove, a gas cylinder, safety equipment and a Cylinder Smart Meter.

“Worrying about running out of gas will become a thing of the past. With this new system we know when the cylinder is running low. The system will alert us and we will dispatch an agent to swap the cylinder at no delivery cost,” she added.

PayGo co-founder and CEONick Quintong said the new system will unlock new markets for the gas industry. He said the technology, enabled by the Internet of Things, has the power to make clean cooking gas affordable and accessible for over three billion people across the world.