ebbillcalc

Electricity bill glossary

The words on an Indian electricity bill, in plain English: what each one means, how it shows on your bill, and the official rule behind it.

  • 46 terms
  • Official sources
  • Plain English
  • ARR and true-upARR is the cost a commission allows a discom to recover in a year; the true-up later compares it with actual audited costs.
  • Arrears and disputed billsIf you dispute a bill, you can keep supply by paying under protest; old dues are recoverable only within two years unless shown as arrears.
  • Average, provisional and assessed billingWhen the meter is not read or is faulty, the discom bills an estimate based on your past use, and corrects it later.
  • Billing cycleThe billing cycle is the period that one regular bill covers, such as one month, two months or a quarter.
  • CGRFThe CGRF is the forum each discom must set up to decide consumer complaints that the discom did not resolve.
  • Connected loadConnected load is the total rated wattage of all the equipment wired to your connection.
  • Consumer number / service connection numberThe consumer number identifies your connection; you need it to pay, check bills and complain.
  • Contract demandContract demand is the maximum demand in kVA or kW written in your supply agreement with the discom.
  • DiscomA discom is the licensed company that owns the local wires, supplies your electricity and sends your bill.
  • Disconnection and reconnectionThe discom can cut supply for unpaid dues after 15 clear days' written notice, and must reconnect within six working hours of payment.
  • Electricity dutyElectricity duty is a state tax on electricity use; the discom collects it on the bill and pays it to the state.
  • Electricity OmbudsmanThe Electricity Ombudsman hears your grievance when the CGRF does not resolve it in time or you disagree with its order.
  • Energy chargeThe energy charge is the price per unit multiplied by the units you used, slab by slab.
  • FACFAC is Maharashtra's monthly fuel adjustment, charged per unit and by slab for homes.
  • Fixed chargeA fixed charge is a monthly amount you pay for the connection, even if you use no electricity.
  • FPPASFPPAS is the monthly fuel and power purchase surcharge set by a formula under the Electricity (Amendment) Rules, 2022.
  • FPPCAFPPCA is the monthly fuel and power purchase cost adjustment used in Goa, AP, Karnataka, UK and other states.
  • Fuel surchargeA fuel surcharge passes changes in the discom's fuel and power purchase cost to your bill between tariff orders.
  • Government subsidyA state government can pay part of your bill as a subsidy; the commission requires it to pay the discom in advance.
  • Gross meteringUnder gross metering, all your solar output goes to the discom at a fixed rate, and you pay for all units you use.
  • kVAh billingkVAh billing charges for apparent energy, so a low power factor makes the billed quantity larger than the kWh.
  • Late payment surchargeA late payment surcharge is an extra charge the discom adds when you pay after the due date.
  • Lifeline / BPL categoryA lifeline or BPL category gives very small, low-income users a cheaper rate for a small number of units.
  • LT and HT supplyLT (low tension) supply is at low voltage for homes and small users; HT (high tension) is above 650 volts.
  • Maximum demand (MD) and MD penaltyMaximum demand is the highest average load the meter records in a short interval during the billing period.
  • Meter rentMeter rent is a monthly charge for a meter that the discom owns and installed.
  • Meter testing and faulty meterIf you think your meter is wrong, the discom must test it, give you the report and correct your bills.
  • MVCAMVCA is West Bengal's monthly adjustment for changes in fuel, power purchase or variable cost.
  • Net billingUnder net billing, you use your solar first, and only the surplus exported is credited at a set rate.
  • Net meteringUnder net metering, the units your rooftop solar exports are set off against the units you import.
  • Non-telescopic (threshold) billingIn non-telescopic billing, crossing a threshold moves all your units to the higher rate, not only the extra units.
  • Power factorPower factor is the ratio of real energy (kWh) to apparent energy (kVAh); 1.0 is best.
  • Prepaid meterA prepaid meter lets you use electricity only after you pay in advance, like a mobile recharge.
  • Prompt payment rebateA prompt payment rebate is a discount for paying early, paying online or paying in advance.
  • Regulatory asset and regulatory surchargeA regulatory asset is a discom cost the commission allowed but deferred; a regulatory surcharge collects it from bills later.
  • Sanctioned loadSanctioned load is the load in kW, kVA or HP that the discom agreed to supply to your connection.
  • Security depositA security deposit is money the discom holds against your future bills; it pays you interest on it.
  • Single phase and three phaseSingle-phase supply uses one live wire at about 240 V; three-phase uses three live wires for larger loads.
  • Slab and telescopic billingWith telescopic billing, each slab's rate applies only to the units inside that slab.
  • Smart meterA smart meter records your use at short intervals and sends readings to the discom over a network.
  • State regulatory commissionA State Electricity Regulatory Commission sets tariffs and consumer rules for discoms; a Joint Commission does this for some states and UTs.
  • Tariff orderA tariff order is the commission's decision that sets the rates and conditions your discom can charge.
  • Tax on sale of electricityTax on sale of electricity is a state levy on the units a licensee sells, separate from electricity duty in some states.
  • Time-of-day (ToD) tariffA ToD tariff charges a different rate per unit at different hours: more at peak, less in solar hours.
  • UnitOne unit on your bill is one kilowatt-hour (kWh), the energy that a 1,000-watt load uses in one hour.
  • Wheeling chargeA wheeling charge pays for carrying electricity through the discom's wires to your premises.