Your connection is billed in the wrong tariff category

The symptom: “My bill says A-2 but this is a house, or the rates look commercial.”

Short answer. Check the tariff code printed in the account header against how the premises is actually used. A category change is applied on written application with proof of use and normally takes effect from the date of sanction, so the sooner it is raised the less it costs — retrospective correction is possible but has to show the original survey was wrong, not merely out of date.

Urgency: Fix before the next bill. Expect: Two to six weeks including inspection, effective from the cycle after sanction.

Why this happens

A survey that recorded commercial use: A room that was once a shop, a signboard that was up on the day of the survey, or a plot registered as commercial in the development plan.
Use genuinely changed and the record did not: A shop converted back into living space keeps its commercial category until somebody applies to change it.
Load-based reclassification: Some categories are tied to sanctioned load, so a load extension can move the connection to a different schedule as a side effect.
It is correct and the rates are simply high: Worth ruling out honestly before applying. A residential connection on the unprotected schedule in a high-consumption month produces rates that look commercial without being commercial.

What to do, in order

Read the tariff code on the bill. A-1 residential, A-2 commercial, B industrial, D agricultural. If the code matches the use, the category is right and the amount has a different explanation.
Compare with a neighbour on similar premises. Two similar houses on the same street with different tariff codes is strong evidence, and it is the comparison an officer will find most persuasive.
Assemble proof of actual use. Photographs of the premises, ownership or tenancy documents describing it as residential, and the absence of any trade licence. For the reverse case, the trade licence itself.
Apply in writing and expect an inspection. Category changes are almost always inspected. Have the premises in the state you are claiming it is in.
Ask about retrospective effect explicitly. Sanction is normally prospective. If you believe the original classification was wrong from the start rather than merely outdated, say so in the application and support it — that is the only basis on which past cycles get revisited.

What to take with you

The bill showing the tariff code
Ownership or tenancy documents describing the use of the premises
Photographs of the premises
A neighbour's bill for comparable premises, if you can obtain one

If it stalls, escalate in this order

Sub-divisional officer
Executive engineer where an inspection has been carried out but no decision issued
NEPRA where the company declines to process the application at all

Attach the earlier stamped applications at each rung. Starting the story again from the beginning at every level is the slowest possible way to escalate.

Frequently asked questions

I run a small business from home. Which category should I be in?

It turns on the load and the visibility of the commercial use rather than on the fact of working from home. Office equipment does not usually change the classification; a display refrigerator, a commercial freezer or a signboard can. Getting a written view before an inspection makes the decision for you is the safer order.

Will changing to residential reduce my bill immediately?

From the cycle after sanction, yes — the rate schedule and the fixed charges both change. It does not adjust the cycles already billed unless retrospective effect is separately granted.

Background reading

All 17 procedures are listed in the help centre index. For company contact details and helplines, see complaints.