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If your electricity meter was read later than usual, compare the actual reading dates before deciding why the units increased. A longer interval can include more consumption even when daily use stays steady. Ask the electricity company to explain the billing days, any pro-rata calculation and any units carried into another bill.
A daily average can help you frame that request. It cannot establish your payable amount or automatically change your consumer category. Keep the bills on both sides of the disputed interval so the company can review a complete sequence.
Count the actual reading interval
Find the earlier and later reading dates. Keep the bill issue date and payment due date in separate columns: neither tells you when the meter was read. If the dates are missing or inconsistent, ask for the recorded reading dates rather than substituting the dates you downloaded the bills.
Check the meter number and register before subtracting readings. A meter replacement, rollover or different register needs separate treatment. Time-of-use meters also need peak and off-peak readings kept apart. Our electricity meter-reading guide helps identify these fields.
Compare any meter image printed on the bill with the reading entered beside it. If you have your own photograph, retain its actual date. A photograph taken today should not be described as evidence of the exact display on an earlier reading day.
Only observe a meter from a safe position. Do not open its enclosure, break seals, climb to reach it or approach exposed wiring to obtain a better photograph.
Compare daily use without rewriting the bill
For a simple illustration, suppose the same cumulative meter register moved from 8,100 to 8,310 over 35 elapsed days, with multiplier 1. The register difference is 210 units. Dividing by 35 gives an average of 6 units per day.
| Item | Example | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| Earlier reading | 8,100 | Starting register value |
| Later reading | 8,310 | Ending value on the same register |
| Elapsed interval | 35 days | Time covered by the two observations |
| Register difference | 210 units | Consumption across that interval at multiplier 1 |
| Average daily use | 210 ÷ 35 = 6 units | A comparison measure |
| Illustrative 30-day comparator | 6 × 30 = 180 units | A shorter-period comparison, not your payable units |
The 30 days in that last row are an illustration. Calendar months have different lengths, and the applicable billing treatment must be checked. Do not simply delete the remaining 30 units from the bill or multiply 180 by a rate found online.
Daily averages also hide changes within the period. Visitors, weather or an appliance used more often can change consumption. Comparing averages helps you ask a better question; it does not prove that every extra unit resulted from a delayed reading.
Check what the pro-rata provision covers
The Consumer Service Manual hosted by IESCO, updated 26 November 2025, addresses extended billing cycles in clauses 6.1.1.1 and 6.1.1.2. It covers a cycle exceeding its defined period because of force majeure or an unforeseen situation, with examples for lifeline consumers, protected consumers and movement to a higher slab.
The examples use the relevant calendar month’s length. The manual also requires units carried forward to appear separately in the current and following bills. This is why a review should address the interval, consumer category and both bills together.
Ask which provision applies to your account and whether any later effective instruction changes the calculation. NEPRA’s manual index is the place to check the published version. The September 2026 consultation on proposed CSM amendments should not be treated as an enacted rule merely because it appears in recent news.
Request a calculation you can follow
Send a short, specific review request through the supplier’s official complaint channel. Attach the relevant bills and dated evidence privately. Ask the company to explain:
- The previous and current actual reading dates, and the number of days used.
- The readings, register and multiplier used to calculate consumption.
- Whether pro-rata treatment applies, and the rule and arithmetic used.
- The units charged now, any units moved to another bill and the category applied.
- What remains payable and which due-date instructions apply during the review.
A useful opening is: “The recorded reading interval appears longer than usual. Please review the dates and explain how the consumption was allocated between the affected bills, including any pro-rata or carried-forward units.” Add the month and account identifier when sending it through a verified private channel.
Keep the complaint acknowledgment and each response. Our PITC CCMS tracking guide explains how to organize follow-up records. If an online service is unavailable, use the current contact details on your bill. Filing a complaint does not itself authorize you to withhold payment.
Review the following bill too
If the company says some units were allocated to a later bill, keep that explanation beside the next statement. Check whether the stated amount of carried consumption appears once and whether the new reading period is clear.
For your own comparison, list each register difference separately from billing adjustments. This makes it easier to spot an unexplained repeated entry. Do not label every repeated number a duplicate charge: ask what period and calculation each entry represents.
Never publish a full CNIC, electricity reference, bank account details or an unredacted bill in public comments. Share only the evidence needed for the review through the company’s verified private process.
Frequently asked questions
Must every electricity bill cover exactly 30 days?
Do not use that blanket assumption. Check the actual dates, the calendar month and the applicable billing provision with the supplier.
Does a lower daily average automatically restore protected status?
No. Your own average is an explanatory check. Ask the company to review the applicable category and billing treatment on the account record.
Are carried-forward units cancelled?
Carrying units into another billing period does not mean they have disappeared. Ask where they are recorded and how the following bill handles them.
What if the reading digit itself is wrong?
Identify that separately from the interval. Compare the bill entry with dated meter evidence and use the wrong-reading correction checklist.
What if there was no actual reading?
Ask why the bill was estimated or provisional and how it will be reconciled. An absent reading is a different starting point from two actual readings taken farther apart.
Editorial note and sources
Prepared and reviewed 1 October 2026. Independent, AI-assisted guidance from BijliBills. The IESCO-hosted CSM and NEPRA index linked above were checked during preparation. The 210-unit example is illustrative arithmetic, not an account-specific tariff decision. The PITC complaint page could not be loaded during our check; no complaint was submitted.