Prepaid vs postpaid electricity bill: what you really save
Prepaid and postpaid homes pay the same BERC rates. The one built-in saving is a 0.5% rebate on prepaid meters. Enter your usage to see what it is worth, then see where each recharge goes.
Compare your monthly bill
For a home on LT-A. Meter rent is 40 taka for a company-supplied single-phase meter and 250 taka for three-phase. Use 0 if you own the prepaid meter. Change the numbers and the result updates.
Your usage
Late fees and old dues are not included.
Postpaid
৳2,659.65
- Energy charge৳2,367.00
- Demand charge৳126.00
- Meter rent৳40.00
- Prepaid rebate (0.5%)৳0.00
- VAT (5%)৳126.65
Prepaid
৳2,646.56
- Energy charge৳2,367.00
- Demand charge৳126.00
- Meter rent৳40.00
- Prepaid rebate (0.5%)−৳12.47
- VAT (5%)৳126.03
Where does your first recharge of the month go?
On the first recharge of a month, the meter takes VAT, the demand charge and meter rent before anything becomes energy. The 0.5% rebate is then added. This tool follows the examples in DPDC and Palli Bidyut notices.
Your recharge
Energy balance you receive
৳2,705.23
- VAT taken (5%)−৳142.86
- Demand charge taken−৳126.00
- Meter rent taken−৳40.00
- Rebate added (0.5%)+৳14.09
This recharge is smaller than the fixed charges for the month. Ask your company how the rest is handled.
Check: a ৳1,000 recharge on a 1 kW home with ৳40 rent leaves ৳870.38 before the rebate. This matches the example reported by The Business Standard.
What is the same, and what is different
| Item | Postpaid | Prepaid |
|---|---|---|
| Rate per unit | BERC slabs | Same BERC slabs |
| Demand charge | ৳42 per kW, on the bill | ৳42 per kW, taken from the first recharge each month |
| Meter rent | If the company supplied the meter | If the company supplied the meter; none on your own meter |
| VAT | 5% on the bill | 5% taken from every recharge |
| Rebate | None listed in the order | 0.5% on the net bill, not counting VAT |
| When you pay | After the month, when the bill arrives | Before you use the power |
Prepaid meter questions
Is a prepaid meter cheaper than a postpaid meter?
The per-unit rates and the demand charge are the same. A prepaid meter gets a 0.5% rebate on the bill before VAT, as stated in the BERC order. For a home using 300 units with a 3 kW load and 40 taka meter rent, that is about 13 taka a month or 157 taka a year. The main benefit of prepaid is control, not a large saving.
Does a postpaid customer get a 5% early-payment rebate?
BERC's June 2026 retail order lists one rebate: 0.5% for prepaid meter customers. We could not find a 5% early-payment rebate in it, so this calculator does not include one. If your own bill shows a discount, it comes from your company's terms, so check the figure on your bill.
Why does my first recharge of the month give fewer units?
Fixed charges are taken from the first recharge of each month. The meter first removes 5% VAT, the demand charge for the month and any meter rent. What remains becomes energy balance. The 0.5% rebate is then added. Later recharges in the same month only lose VAT.
Do I pay the demand charge if I skip a month of recharging?
Yes. DPDC says missed months are added to your next recharge. For example, a 2 kW home that skips 3 months pays 2 x 42 x 3 = 252 taka at the next recharge. The same rule applies to postpaid customers, who pay it on the bill.
Do I pay meter rent on a prepaid meter?
Only if the company supplied the meter. DPDC and Palli Bidyut notices list 40 taka a month for single-phase and 250 taka for three-phase. If you bought your own prepaid meter, no meter rent applies.
What if my prepaid balance runs out?
Rules depend on your company. NESCO smart meters, for example, allow emergency credit of up to 200 taka on single-phase meters and 500 taka on three-phase meters. You type 99999 and press the blue button. Ask your company about its own rules.
Why was my first recharge after a tariff change very long?
After a tariff change, the first recharge creates a long token of 200 to 220 digits that loads the new rates into the meter. Enter every digit. Later tokens are short again.
Sources
The 0.5% rebate, the demand charge and the rates come from BERC's retail tariff order of 3 June 2026 (Order 2026/22) and the 4 June 2026 change for the first two home slabs. Recharge rules follow reports and notices from DPDC, Palli Bidyut and NESCO.
- The Business Standard: how DESCO and DPDC calculate prepaid bills
- NESCO knowledge bank: smart prepaid meters
Estimates only. Your meter and bill are the final word. Last checked 7 October 2026.