Tariff bands A to E: what you actually pay per unit

Two people can pay exactly the same amount for electricity on the same day and receive very different numbers of units. That is not an error, and it is not the vendor. It is your tariff band.

What a band actually is

NERC classifies every feeder by how many hours of supply it delivers per day on average. Your band follows the feeder your building sits on, not your meter, your consumption, or your choice.

• Band A — a minimum of 20 hours a day
• Band B — a minimum of 16 hours
• Band C — a minimum of 12 hours
• Band D — a minimum of 8 hours
• Band E — a minimum of 4 hours

The principle is that more supply costs more per unit. A Band A customer pays substantially more per kWh than a Band E customer, because they receive far more electricity.

Working out your units

The arithmetic is simple: take the amount you paid, subtract the service fee and the VAT embedded in it, then divide by your band's rate per kWh. Current published rates for every band are on our Tariff Bands page.

"I got fewer units than last month"

Three things cause this, in order of likelihood:

1. Your band was reclassified. DISCOs move feeders between bands as supply changes. You should be notified, but in practice many customers find out from their units.
2. The rate was revised. Tariffs change when regulators approve new ones.
3. Outstanding debt was recovered. Many meters deduct arrears from each recharge, so part of your payment clears a balance before any units are loaded.

None of these is a vending problem. If your units look wrong, your DISCO is the one who can explain the band and any debt recovery on your meter.

Can you change band?

Not directly, and be sceptical of anyone who offers to do it for a fee. Bands follow feeders. The legitimate route is a formal complaint to your DISCO if you believe your feeder is not delivering the hours its band requires — under NERC rules a feeder that consistently underdelivers should be reclassified downward.