Vendr.ng opens cloud vending platform to existing smart meter owners

Vendr.ng, a Nigerian cloud vending platform, is courting smart meter owners with a new campaign that lets them access its service without buying new hardware, which is a move aimed at cutting the cost and disruption of switching providers.

The company said in a statement that customers who already own smart Wi-Fi prepaid meters, dual tariff electric meters, gas meters, and water meters can connect to Vendr.ng’s cloud vending platform and remotely monitor and recharge their utilities using the devices they already have.

The campaign, titled ‘Already bought a smart meter? We’ll still help you run it,’ emphasises that customers are not locked into proprietary devices.

According to the company, project specialists configure customers’ existing Wi-Fi prepaid meters onto the Vendr.ng platform, thereby removing one of the biggest barriers to smart meter adoption, which is the cost of new equipment.

The offering is particularly aimed at two groups, which are residents in shared housing who want to end billing disputes with neighbours, landlords and estate managers losing money to tenant turnover and meter bypassing.

For property managers using estate management software to oversee multiple units, the platform offers a way to bring utility monitoring, which includes dual tariff electric meters, gas meters, and water meters, into a single, remotely managed system.

For both groups, the value proposition is the same: clearer billing, fewer disputes, and lower costs from disconnections, reconnections, and inflated estimates.

Speaking on the company’s implementation process, Abraham Abayomi-Daniels, a project specialist at Vendr.ng, said ensuring a seamless installation experience is a priority.

“My role is to ensure that the entire installation process is smooth, from the initial customer engagement to full deployment. Communication is key to a successful project,” he said.

Abayomi-Daniels said the company maintains regular internal communication to keep customers informed throughout installation.

“This product is good for lawyers, caretakers, homeowners and tenants who want to enjoy a singular meter,” he said.

One Vendr.ng user, Amao Sunday, said the installation process was seamless from the start. “I didn’t pay a dime upfront, and the meter was installed. It looks perfect,” he said.

Sunday, who lives in Agege, close to Pen Cinema, Lagos, said sharing a meter with other residents meant constant disputes over usage, which is the reason he decided to get his own.

“I liked how quickly they delivered once I ordered,” he said. “Sharing a meter meant constant disputes over who was using more electricity and  that is why I switched.”

Another user, Chinedu Obi, a landlord, said his decision to switch was driven by recurring losses from tenant turnover. He said tenants frequently bypassed the main meter, leaving him to absorb inflated bills long after they had vacated the property.

“Each time a tenant left owing, I was the one negotiating with the utility company over a bill I didn’t rack up,” he said. “Disconnections and reconnections came with their own fees, and it kept eating into my revenue. I kept waiting to sort it out, but waiting only cost me more.”

Obi said switching to a smart meter system with sub-metering for each unit ended the disputes, as tenants are now billed for exactly what they consume, a solution he says would benefit any landlord or estate management software user managing multiple properties.

As electricity consumers seek greater transparency over energy usage, Vendr.ng says its software-enabled management of existing smart meters including dual tariff electric meters, gas meters, and water meters, lowers adoption barriers and improves the customer experience for both individual households and estate managers, without requiring investment in new hardware.