Tariff code
Definition. The tariff code is the short label such as A-1, A-2, B-1 or D-1 printed on your bill that states which NEPRA-approved rate schedule your connection is billed under, and it determines every rate applied below it.
Also called: Tariff category · Consumer category · A-1, A-2, B-1
Where you see it: In the account header block alongside the connected load and the meter number, usually abbreviated to two or three characters.
The main families
A-1 is residential. A-2 is commercial. B is industrial, split by supply voltage — B-1 for small industry on low tension, B-2 and above for larger connections at 11 kV and up. C covers bulk supply, D covers agricultural tube wells, and there are separate schedules for public lighting and railway traction.
Within A-1, the suffix carries the protected or unprotected distinction and, on some notifications, the single-phase versus three-phase split.
Why the wrong code is expensive
Commercial rates run materially above residential ones and carry different fixed charges. A shop-front room in a house that was surveyed as commercial can put the entire premises on A-2, and the difference compounds every month until it is corrected.
The reverse also happens: a genuinely commercial premises billed as residential is a detection-bill risk when an inspection eventually catches it.
Changing category
Category changes are applied on written application with proof of use — a rent agreement, a trade licence, or an inspection by the sub-divisional officer. They take effect prospectively from the date of sanction.
Retrospective correction is possible but is decided case by case, and it needs the original survey record to be shown as wrong rather than merely out of date.
Frequently asked questions
My bill says A-1 but I run a small business from home. Is that a problem?
It depends on the load and the visibility of the commercial use. A laptop and a printer are not what inspections look for; a chest freezer, a display fridge or a signboard are. If in doubt, ask the sub-divisional office for a written view before an inspection makes the decision for you.
Do protected and unprotected consumers have different tariff codes?
They sit under the same A-1 family but are distinguished by suffix and by the slab table applied. The printed code on your bill is the fastest way to confirm which one you are on this month.
Related terms
- Protected consumer — How to confirm from your own bill whether you are currently protected, what breaks the status, and the six-month clock that has to run before it comes back.
- Connected load — How a DISCO arrives at the connected load written on your bill, why it is always larger than what you actually draw, and when an out-of-date figure costs you money.
- Slab rate — How to read the slab table printed on the back of your bill, which slab your units land in, and the difference between marginal and re-priced slab billing.
Go further
Back to the full 44-term glossary, or open your own bill with the reference number lookup.