Peak and Off-Peak Units: Read a FESCO ToU Bill Correctly

Peak and off-peak units can make a FESCO bill confusing when the meter shows several numbers and the bill has two energy lines. Adding the wrong displays, or applying one price to all units, can make a correct statement look wrong. How should you check it? Identify the relevant registers, compare each with its own earlier reading, and calculate the two energy components separately.

This guide explains the method and includes a dated FESCO timing reference. First obtain your actual statement through the BijliBills electricity checker. Do not assume that every digital meter or every electricity connection uses time-of-use billing.

What peak and off-peak units mean

Time-of-use, or ToU, billing separates energy consumed during specified time windows. The units remain kilowatt-hours. What changes is the register and applicable charging treatment.

A digital meter can display many values besides the energy registers: date, time, voltage or other measurements. A display changing every few seconds does not mean each number should be added to your monthly consumption. Record the label or register identifier beside each relevant reading.

FESCO's tariff schedule, labelled effective 12 February 2026, includes separate peak and off-peak entries for applicable categories. Your bill's tariff and meter record establish whether that arrangement applies to your account.

A dated FESCO peak-hours reference

FESCO tariff terms in SRO 41(I)/2026, notified 13 January 2026, Annex V, list the following seasonal windows. These are a dated source reference, not confirmation of the configuration or any later special instruction for an individual meter. Confirm your current applicable schedule with FESCO before changing an important operating routine. Official tariff terms, PDF page 43.

The source includes a daylight-saving adjustment note. The table must not be presented as a universal schedule for every utility or a guarantee that any meter clock is correct. February's later price schedule also means January's price figures should not be copied alongside these timing terms without checking applicable revisions.

Check whether your account actually uses ToU

Look for a tariff category and separate peak/off-peak units on the issued bill. Then compare the meter number and relevant register descriptions. A three-phase connection, a large house or the presence of solar panels is not enough by itself to explain every billing line.

The January 2026 FESCO residential terms discuss ToU arrangements for sanctioned loads of 5 kW and above. That is a tariff classification issue; do not change a load field in an online calculator merely to obtain a preferred result. Use the approved load and current account classification.

For help distinguishing units, power and display values, read the electricity meter reading guide. If the meter or bill labels remain unclear, ask FESCO to identify the billing registers.

Step-by-step SOP for checking a ToU bill

1. Save the relevant bills. Keep the current statement and the previous statement for the same meter.
2. Match the meter number. A replacement meter needs its own opening and closing record; do not subtract readings from different devices.
3. Record dates. Note when each official reading was taken and when you take any new photograph.
4. Identify the peak register. Copy both its previous and present readings with the register label.
5. Identify the off-peak register. Copy its own previous and present readings separately.
6. Verify the multiplying factor. Use the official factor where applicable, not a number guessed from the bill total.
7. Calculate each difference. Keep peak and off-peak units on separate worksheet rows.
8. Apply the correct dated rates. Match the tariff category and the relevant billing period.
9. Reconcile other charges separately. Fixed charges, adjustments and balances are not additional meter-register units.
10. Document any mismatch. Ask about the particular register, date, factor or rate that remains unexplained.

The NEPRA Consumer Service Manual, revised 26 November 2025, describes reading snapshots and bill fields in sections 6.1.3 and 6.4.1, including relevant import/export and peak/off-peak readings.

Worked example: two registers, two calculations

Imagine a fictional meter with multiplying factor one. Its peak register rises from 2,400 to 2,440, while its off-peak register rises from 8,100 to 8,260.

Using fictional teaching rates of Rs 40 for peak and Rs 25 for off-peak, the energy components would be Rs 1,600 and Rs 4,000. Their combined energy charge would be Rs 5,600, before any other applicable items. These are not current FESCO tariff quotations.

Multiplying all 200 units by either one of those rates would give the wrong result. Adding a separate total-energy register again would also double-count consumption if that register already combined the two periods.

Illustrative readings only. Each register uses its own previous and present reading; multiplying factor is assumed to be one.

Keep solar import and export separate

Import means electricity taken from the grid; export concerns electricity delivered to it. A solar generation display is another measurement and may include electricity consumed directly within your premises.

Do not subtract every export unit from every import unit on an assumed one-for-one basis. The applicable agreement and rules govern settlement. Ask for the correct register and settlement explanation if your statement is unclear, especially when an agreement or billing arrangement has changed.

Similarly, do not compare an inverter's whole-month generation with a meter period covering different dates. First align the periods and identify what each instrument measures.

A timing table is a dated reference. Confirm the schedule that applies to your account before changing an operating routine.

Troubleshoot a surprising peak share

Begin with the record rather than an accusation. A high peak share might reflect actual appliance use, a misidentified register or a period mismatch. A suspected clock issue needs evidence and utility verification.

From a safe viewing position, record the meter's visible time/date if available, the real observation time and the device identity. Do not open covers, break seals or attempt clock changes. Keep photographs private and ask the utility to check the configuration.

If the discrepancy concerns a billed reading, use the bill correction evidence checklist. If the concern is the rate itself, use the per-unit price guide to match the correct category and period.

Frequently asked questions

1. Does a digital meter automatically mean ToU billing?

No. Confirm the tariff arrangement and billed registers. A digital display alone does not establish how your account is charged.

2. Are peak units a different kind of electricity unit?

No. Both represent kilowatt-hours. The distinction concerns the time window and applicable billing treatment.

3. Should I add every meter display together?

No. Some displays represent totals or non-energy measurements. Identify the relevant registers before calculating consumption.

4. Can I use the same earlier reading for both registers?

No. Each register must be compared with its own earlier reading for the same meter and appropriate period.

5. Why is my photograph higher than the bill reading?

The photograph may have been taken later. Compare dates before treating continued consumption as a reading error.

6. Can off-peak use make electricity free?

No. Applicable energy and other charges can still apply. Lower timing-related cost does not mean zero cost.

7. Will moving an appliance change every bill component?

No. Any effect depends on the account and rates. Fixed charges and earlier balances may remain unchanged.

8. Is a meter clock adjustment a consumer task?

No. Report the suspected issue to the utility. Do not interfere with sealed equipment or its configuration.

9. Can I use FESCO's timing table for another company?

Verify that company's applicable tariff terms first. A FESCO reference should not be presented as universal confirmation.

10. What happens when my meter is replaced?

You need the old meter's closing and new meter's opening records. A direct subtraction across different meters is unreliable.

11. Do exported solar units equal total solar generation?

No. Some solar energy may be consumed inside the premises. Use the relevant meter records for the billing question.

12. Can I infer peak consumption from the total bill amount?

No. The total includes other components. Read the separate units and rates on the actual statement.

13. What if there is only one energy row on my bill?

Ask whether the account is billed under a non-ToU category before trying to split its units into two periods.

14. Does a register code mean the same on every meter?

Do not assume so. Check the meter documentation or ask FESCO to identify the relevant displayed registers.

15. What evidence helps a timing-related complaint?

Provide meter identity, dated photographs, observed clock time, billed register readings and a clear explanation of the suspected mismatch.

Build the comparison around the registers

A ToU check becomes manageable when each register has its own dates, readings and rate. Keep those records separate, confirm the applicable schedule, and ask FESCO about the precise item that does not reconcile.