Bangladesh electricity bill calculator guide
What does this calculator help you figure out?
A Bangladesh residential electricity bill is not one price per unit. BERC sets a step tariff, so the first 75 kWh of the month cost ৳6.18 each, the next 125 cost ৳8.50, and each later block costs more again, up to ৳17.35 above 600 kWh. This calculator applies those steps to the kWh on your DESCO, DPDC, BPDB, NESCO, or WZPDCL bill, adds the fixed demand charge and meter rent, charges 5% VAT on the subtotal, and deducts the 1% prepaid rebate if you choose a prepaid meter. It is for households in Dhaka, Chattogram, and other cities who want to check a postpaid bill line by line, see what a prepaid recharge really buys, or predict what running an air conditioner through summer will cost. The lifeline rate of ৳5.32 applies only when the whole month stays at or below 50 kWh. Arrears, late fees, and any minimum charge are not included.
How is the result calculated?
Energy charge (৳) = Σ over steps of (kWh in step × step rate), with steps 0–75 @ 6.18, 76–200 @ 8.50, 201–300 @ 9.10, 301–400 @ 9.62, 401–600 @ 15.01, above 600 @ 17.35; whole month ≤ 50 kWh @ 5.32. Bill (৳) = (energy + demand charge + meter rent) × (1 + VAT ÷ 100) − prepaid rebate % × energy.
Worked example
Worked example: a postpaid Dhaka flat uses 250 kWh in a month. The first 75 kWh cost 75 × 6.18 = ৳463.50, the next 125 kWh cost 125 × 8.50 = ৳1,062.50, and the last 50 kWh fall in the 201–300 step at 50 × 9.10 = ৳455. Energy charge = 463.50 + 1,062.50 + 455 = ৳1,981. Add the ৳42 demand charge and ৳40 meter rent for a subtotal of ৳2,063, then 5% VAT of 2,063 × 0.05 = ৳103.15. No rebate applies to postpaid, so the bill is 2,063 + 103.15 = ৳2,166.15, an effective ৳8.66 per kWh. The calculator displays ৳2,166.15 per month.
Units and conversion notes
Enter monthly consumption in kilowatt-hours; your bill calls these “units” and shows them as the difference between this month’s and last month’s meter readings. Demand charge and meter rent are taka per month and are printed as separate lines on a DESCO or DPDC bill. VAT and rebate are percentages. If you only know a daily figure, multiply by the days in the billing period. Watts on an appliance label become kWh as watts × hours ÷ 1,000.
What does the result mean?
This is a modelled estimate, not a meter reading. Real consumption moves with weather, occupancy, appliance age, standing charges, and tariff structure, and equipment rarely runs at its nameplate rating. Use the figure to compare options against each other, then confirm against your own bill and the manufacturer's specification before committing to a purchase. On this page the figure rests entirely on monthly usage, meter type, demand charge, meter rent, vat, prepaid rebate, market / jurisdiction, effective date, data source, update owner and review date, so start there if the bangladesh electricity bill calculator returns something you did not expect.
Common mistakes to avoid
Good to know: the step rates are incremental, not retroactive. A 250 kWh month is not 250 × ৳9.10; only the kWh above 200 are charged at that rate, which is why the effective rate here is ৳8.66. The lifeline rate is the exception: at 51 kWh every unit is billed at ৳6.18, so a 50 kWh month costs about ৳365 and a 51 kWh month about ৳417. Do not apply the prepaid rebate to the whole bill; it is a percentage of the energy charge only. Prepaid customers should also remember that a recharge buys energy after VAT and fixed charges have been deducted from the amount paid.
Energy results depend on tariffs, equipment behavior, region, weather, and installation assumptions. Verify rates and electrical decisions with the utility, manufacturer, or qualified professional.
Common questions
Frequently asked questions
How much is a 300 unit electricity bill in Bangladesh?
Under the current BERC steps, 300 kWh costs 75 × 6.18 + 125 × 8.50 + 100 × 9.10 = ৳2,436 in energy. With a ৳42 demand charge, ৳40 meter rent, and 5% VAT the postpaid bill is about ৳2,643.90. A prepaid customer saves a further 1% of the energy charge, about ৳24.
Why did my bill go up more than my usage did?
Because every extra unit is charged at your highest step. Going from 400 to 440 kWh is a 10% rise in usage, but the extra 40 kWh cost ৳15.01 each plus VAT, about ৳630, on a bill of roughly ৳3,654. That is a 17% increase. The jump from the 301–400 step to the 401–600 step is the largest in the schedule.
What is the lifeline tariff and who gets it?
Households whose whole month is 50 kWh or less pay ৳5.32 for every unit. It is a threshold, not a first step: using 51 kWh moves all 51 units to ৳6.18. A single ceiling fan running 12 hours a day uses about 27 kWh a month, so a lifeline month usually means fans and lights only, without a refrigerator.
What are the demand charge and meter rent on my bill?
The demand charge is a fixed monthly amount for the sanctioned load of your connection, ৳42 for a typical single-phase home, and meter rent covers the meter itself, ৳40 for a single-phase meter. Both are charged whether you use one unit or a thousand, and VAT applies to them as well as to the energy charge.
How many units does an air conditioner add to a Bangladesh bill?
A 1.5 ton inverter AC draws roughly 1 to 1.5 kWh for each hour it runs. Eight hours a night for a month adds about 240 to 360 kWh. If the household already uses 200 kWh, most of that AC energy lands in the ৳9.10, ৳9.62, and ৳15.01 steps, so the summer bill can double or more while usage rises far less in percentage terms.
Is the prepaid meter cheaper than postpaid in Bangladesh?
Slightly. Prepaid customers receive a 1% rebate on the energy charge, worth about ৳20 on a 250 kWh month. The steps, demand charge, meter rent, and VAT are identical. The practical difference is that a recharge is credited after the fixed charges and VAT are deducted, so ৳1,000 does not buy ৳1,000 of energy.
