Skip to content
The electricity per-unit price in Pakistan is difficult to compare when one website quotes an energy rate and another divides the entire bill by the units. If you are checking a FESCO bill, those two numbers may both be mathematically correct while describing different things. The useful question is: which tariff applies to your connection, and which extra charges are included?
Start with the category and load printed on your bill, then match them to the dated official schedule. This guide explains the process using FESCO examples while keeping the same method useful for other electricity companies. Open your current statement through the BijliBills electricity checker before beginning.
Electricity per-unit price: three numbers people confuse
An energy rate is a charge for each kilowatt-hour under the applicable tariff rules. A fixed charge is a separate component calculated on its stated basis. An effective average cost is a figure you calculate by dividing a selected bill total by units.
Suppose a fictional account used 200 units and its current-period charges totalled Rs 8,000. Dividing gives Rs 40 per unit. That does not prove that the notified energy tariff was Rs 40. The total may include components beyond energy.
If the same statement also included Rs 2,000 of old arrears, dividing the full Rs 10,000 balance by 200 would produce Rs 50. Neither extra arithmetic nor a better calculator can turn an old balance into this month's electricity price.
These figures answer different questions. Keep arrears out of a current energy-rate comparison.
Identify the official schedule and its effective date
FESCO's electricity tariff page reviewed on 12 October 2026 labels its schedule effective 12 February 2026. It presents residential, commercial, industrial and other categories, with separate columns for fixed and variable charges.
The government notification dated 12 February 2026 modifies earlier tariff notifications. This matters when an online calculator still uses an older table. A page's recent copyright year does not establish when its figures became effective.
Use the actual notification and category for the month being checked. Do not apply today's schedule to a historical bill automatically, and do not use a proposed tariff or petition as though it were an approved payable rate.
How to find your applicable FESCO per-unit price
- Read the company name. Confirm the bill belongs to FESCO before using its schedule.
- Copy the tariff category. Residential, commercial and agricultural connections have different rows and conditions.
- Read the sanctioned load. Do not substitute the sum of appliance labels or this month's units for this account field.
- Identify the billing arrangement. Check whether the bill separates peak and off-peak consumption.
- Check residential status where relevant. Protected, unprotected and lifeline treatment are not interchangeable labels.
- Match the date. Find the schedule that applies to the billed period, noting any notification that changes it.
- Use the correct column. FESCO's page distinguishes determined rates from government-applicable variable charges.
- Read the notes below the table. Slab benefits, minimum charges and fixed-charge bases can change the calculation.
- List separate adjustments. Keep fuel and quarterly adjustments outside the base energy-rate comparison.
- Ask about an unresolved mismatch. Supply the category, month and disputed line rather than only saying that another website shows a lower price.
The bill terms explainer can help you locate unfamiliar fields before you choose a tariff row.
Match all four details before copying a rate into an estimate.
Read fixed-charge units as carefully as the amount
Two columns can contain the same number but produce very different results. A charge expressed as rupees per consumer per month is not the same as rupees per kilowatt per month.
For illustration only, imagine a rate of Rs 300 per kW and a verified billable basis of two kW. The result is Rs 600, not Rs 300. If the applicable rule instead used a different demand basis, that basis would need to be established before multiplying.
Do not calculate fixed charges using a general rule copied from another consumer category. The official FESCO schedule contains category-specific notes. A household's amount can differ from another household's even when both consume the same units.
| Label | What to establish before calculating |
|---|---|
| Rs/kWh | Applicable energy category, units and slab treatment |
| Rs/consumer/month | Whether the row actually uses a per-connection basis |
| Rs/kW/month | Applicable load or demand basis under the row's rules |
| Minimum monthly charge | Whether it applies to that category and circumstances |
| Total payable | Current charges plus supported account-specific balances |
Why a tariff table does not equal the final bill
A bill can contain fuel adjustment, quarterly adjustment, taxes and previous balances. Each has its own basis. Adding a guessed percentage to the energy subtotal is not a reliable substitute for reading those lines.
The NEPRA Consumer Service Manual, revised 26 November 2025, describes the bill's components in section 6.4.1. It lists FPA and QTA separately from energy and explains amounts payable, arrears and late-payment surcharge.
For a detailed estimate, use the electricity bill calculation guide and record each input. It is better to leave a tax component marked for verification than to publish an apparently exact but unsupported total.
Make a meaningful month-to-month comparison
Create four columns: units, current energy charge, other current charges and carried-forward balance. This makes it easier to see whether the movement came from consumption, price or account history.
Also compare the number of days between readings. If one period covers more days, the higher unit count may not mean the same daily increase. The billing-days and pro-rata guide explains what to record when dates need checking.
For a household budget, you may calculate a current-period average after identifying which charges belong to that period. Label it an average cost. For a tariff complaint, use the notified rate and applicable rule instead. Mixing the two creates an argument that cannot be checked clearly.
Common errors that produce the wrong rate
One error is treating every residential connection as protected because its present bill is small. Another is assuming that all slabs always work like a progressive income-tax table. Both shortcuts ignore category conditions.
Other problems include confusing peak and off-peak prices, reading the wrong tariff column, treating arrears as new energy, or using a tariff proposal before notification. A screenshot without the document title, date and category is weak evidence.
Save the official source with the bill month you checked. If the amount remains unexplained, request the exact tariff code, billed units, fixed-charge basis and adjustment calculation from FESCO. Keep the reply with your original bill.
Frequently asked questions
1. Is there one electricity rate for all Pakistan?
No single figure describes every category and bill. Company, tariff classification, consumption treatment, adjustments and account circumstances must be identified.
2. Does a lower unit count always mean a lower total?
Not necessarily. Fixed charges, adjustments and previous balances can change independently of this month's recorded units.
3. Is the determined tariff always what I pay?
Do not assume that. FESCO displays a separate government-applicable column, which must be read with its notes and category.
4. Can I use a commercial rate for a home business?
Use the connection's approved tariff and seek FESCO's guidance if its use has changed. Do not reclassify it yourself.
5. Where can I find the sanctioned load?
Look in the account details of the bill. Ask the utility for confirmation if the printed value or category is unclear.
6. Are taxes included in a quoted base rate?
Not necessarily. Check how the source defines its figure and whether it separately accounts for taxes and other charges.
7. Why do two online tables disagree?
They may cover different dates, categories or columns. Compare each with the relevant official notification rather than choosing the cheaper one.
8. Can the effective average exceed the tariff rate?
Yes. An average based on a wider total can include fixed charges and adjustments in addition to the energy charge.
9. Should old arrears affect my energy-price comparison?
No. Keep them separate when comparing current consumption costs, while still recognising genuine arrears in the payable balance.
10. Is a tariff change automatically a billing error?
No. Establish its notification, effective date and category first. A mismatch requires evidence, not simply a larger bill.
11. Can I compare my rate with my neighbour's?
Only meaningfully after checking both categories, loads, statuses, reading periods and the exact components included in the comparison.
12. Does a calculator certify the correct tariff?
No. Its answer depends on its assumptions and updates. The official schedule and account record are the verification sources.
13. Is a posted tariff petition an approved rate?
A petition is a request. Look for the decision and applicable notification before treating a proposed figure as payable.
14. Should I change an older bill using a newer rate?
No. Check the effective period and any express retrospective instruction. A newer table is not automatically applicable to old consumption.
15. What should I ask when a rate looks wrong?
Ask for the tariff code, applicable notification, category, slab treatment and calculation for that specific billing month.
Compare the same component before drawing a conclusion
A useful per-unit comparison begins with the correct category and date. Keep energy prices, fixed charges, adjustments and old balances visible, and you can identify the part that needs clarification without guessing at the whole bill.