How to read an electricity bill in Bangladesh
Open a DESCO, DPDC, NESCO, or BREB bill and walk through every line with us — units, slabs, demand charge, VAT, and the rebates most people miss.
Every line on a Bangladesh electricity bill, decoded
A two-minute tour of what each row, code, and number actually means — so you can verify the total yourself before paying.
What you'll learn
- How to verify the slab math on your bill in under 2 minutes
- What the tariff-category code (LT-A, LT-E, MT-2) means and why it matters
- Why the prompt-payment rebate is automatic — and how to never miss it
Section 1
The header block: who you are to the company
Top-left of every bill carries your consumer/account number, the meter number (the serial on the physical meter), your name, service address, and the tariff category (LT-A, LT-E, MT-2, etc.). The tariff category is the single most important field on the bill — it determines every rate that follows.
Section 2
Sanctioned load and demand charge
Right below your address the bill shows sanctioned load in kW. This is the maximum draw the connection is approved for. The bill multiplies sanctioned load by the demand-charge rate for your category (residential = ৳42/kW/month) to produce the demand charge.
A 2 kW home pays ৳84 in demand charge every month — even if it used zero units.
Section 3
Meter reading and units consumed
The body of the bill lists previous reading and current reading, with the difference labelled units consumed. This is the kWh figure that drives every energy calculation. Check both readings against the meter face — meter-reader errors are not uncommon.
Section 4
The slab table: where most people lose track
Residential bills (LT-A) use a progressive slab tariff. The chart below shows what each unit costs depending on which slab it falls into.
A household using 250 units pays 75 × 5.26 + 125 × 8.50 + 50 × 9.10 = ৳1,912.00in energy charge — not 250 × 9.10. Misreading a slab table as “all units at the top slab rate” is the single most common bill confusion in Bangladesh.
Section 5
VAT, rebates, and meter rent
VAT is 5% on the energy + demand charge total. Two rebates appear on most bills:
Prepaid rebate
0.5%
Prompt payment
5%
Meter rent
৳15/mo
Verify in 6 steps
Quick verification checklist
Tariff category
Sanctioned load
Meter readings
Slab math
VAT
Rebate
Use the monthly bill calculator to recompute the bill from scratch and compare against the printed figures. If they diverge by more than a rupee or two, file a complaint quoting the bill number — your distribution company will recompute and refund the excess.
Frequently asked questions
Read next
Consumer categories
The category on your meter (LT-A, LT-B, LT-C, LT-D, LT-E, MT, HT, EHT) decides what you pay. Here's exactly what each one means and who qualifies.
Bill → units (reverse)
Know the amount but not the units? Enter what you were charged — a single figure, or the peak and off-peak split — pick your meter category, and see how many units that buys and the real price per unit.
Low Tension (LT) rates
LT-A, LT-B, LT-C, LT-D and LT-E rates — the categories most homes and shops fall under.
How DESCO & DPDC meter readings actually work
A practical guide to reading prepaid and postpaid electricity meters in Dhaka — what each digit on the display means, and how to catch reading errors before the bill arrives.