Bengaluru: The Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (BESCOM) has advised domestic electricity consumers in Bengaluru to pay their July electricity bills within the prescribed due date, even though the bills are generated using average power consumption instead of actual meter readings.
According to BESCOM, the temporary change has been made because meter readers have been assigned to door-to-door data verification work under the Gruha Jyothi scheme. As a result, regular meter reading activities for domestic consumers could not be carried out during July.
Bills based on three-month average
To ensure uninterrupted billing, BESCOM has calculated July electricity bills based on the average consumption recorded over the last three months.
The power utility has assured consumers that this is only a temporary arrangement and that normal meter readings and billing based on actual electricity consumption will resume from August.
No Physical Bills This Month
BESCOM has also introduced a temporary change in bill distribution for July.
Instead of sending printed electricity bills to households, the utility has sent consumers their bill details through SMS and email. Customers can also view and pay their bills on BESCOM’s online payment platforms and other authorised digital payment channels.
The utility has advised consumers not to worry if a meter reader did not visit their home, as the bills have already been generated through the average billing system.
Payment Deadline Remains Unchanged
Although the billing system has changed in July, the payment rules remain the same.
In order for any inconvenience or penalties to be avoided, customers are required to pay their electricity bills within 15 days from the date of bill generation.
Actual Meter Readings Continue for Certain Consumers
BESCOM added that the average billing system applies only to domestic consumers.
The following categories will continue to receive bills based on actual meter readings:
- High tension (HT) consumers.
- Low tension (LT) consumers with a connected load of 40 HP and above.
- Rooftop solar consumers. Temporary electricity connections.
These categories will continue under the existing billing system without any changes.
Temporary Measure Under Gruha Jyothi Verification
The deployment of meter readers for Gruha Jyothi scheme verification will be completed soon, after which normal billing will resume.
BESCOM has assured consumers that the temporary average billing system has been introduced only to ensure timely bill generation while field staff complete verification work under the state government’s electricity subsidy scheme.
Consumers are advised to verify their bill details through official BESCOM communication channels and pay within the stipulated time to avoid late payment charges.
