Electricity Billing Complaint

Electricity Billing Complaint: what it is

An electricity billing complaint is a written complaint to your power distribution company (discom) disputing an inflated, estimated or wrongly calculated bill. It records your consumer number, the bill and amount disputed and your own meter reading, asks for inspection, meter testing and a revised bill, and requests that no disconnection take place while the complaint is pending.

When you need this document

• A bill arrives at several times your normal consumption with no change in usage at the premises.
• The bill is marked as estimated or average billing because the meter was not actually read.
• The reading on the bill does not match the reading shown on your meter.
• The discom raises a large lump sum for a period several years ago, or threatens disconnection over a disputed amount.

What it covers

• Consumer name, consumer number, premises address, bill number, billing period and the amount disputed.
• Your description of what is wrong with the bill.
• The meter reading you noted at the premises, stated as not matching the billed reading.
• Requests for a physical reading, inspection and meter test, a revised bill based on actual consumption, no coercive action including disconnection while the complaint is pending, and a written outcome.
• An offer to pay the undisputed portion without prejudice, and a request to be told that amount.
• An acknowledgment section for the office to note the date and complaint number.

How to fill, sign and use it

1. 1Photograph the meter showing the current reading with the date, and keep earlier bills to show your normal consumption.
2. 2Fill in the complaint with the consumer number, bill details, disputed amount and the reading you noted, and explain exactly what is wrong.
3. 3Submit it at the sub-division or office named on your bill, or through the discom's grievance portal, and get the acknowledgment or complaint number.
4. 4Pay the undisputed part of the bill by the due date and keep the receipt, so the discom has less ground to disconnect.
5. 5If there is no satisfactory reply within the discom's stated time, take the complaint to the Consumer Grievance Redressal Forum of your discom.
6. 6If the Forum's decision does not satisfy you, approach the Electricity Ombudsman appointed by your State Electricity Regulatory Commission, and keep copies of every step.

Documents to attach or keep with it

• Copy of the disputed bill
• Copies of previous bills showing normal consumption
• Dated photograph of the meter reading
• Receipts for payments already made
• Consumer number proof or connection document

The law behind it

The Electricity Act, 2003 requires every distribution licensee to set up a Consumer Grievance Redressal Forum under Section 42(5), with an appeal to the Electricity Ombudsman under Section 42(6). Section 56 allows disconnection for non-payment only after written notice, and Section 56(2) bars recovery of dues after two years from when they first became due unless shown continuously as arrears. Supply standards and billing procedures come from regulations of each State Electricity Regulatory Commission and the Electricity (Rights of Consumers) Rules, 2020. Cases of alleged theft or unauthorised use follow a separate procedure under the Act.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Complaining only by phone or at the counter, with no written complaint or complaint number to show later.
• Refusing to pay anything at all, which gives the discom a reason to disconnect.
• Not recording the meter reading before the meter is tested or replaced.
• Running the same dispute before the discom Forum and a Consumer Commission at once, instead of choosing one route.

Electricity Billing Complaint: frequently asked questions