Start with your bill and daily habits before buying a replacement appliance. This guide, checked on 21 October 2026, explains the Uttar Pradesh domestic tariff, useful appliance comparisons and the questions to ask before installing solar. Our suggested order is simple: check the bill, reduce avoidable use, compare replacement costs, then assess rooftop solar against your actual consumption.
Read the bill before changing appliances
Put your latest bill beside the previous one. Check the account number, meter number, LMV-1 category, supply classification, sanctioned load, billable load, reading dates and units. Photograph the meter display and keep payment receipts together. If the reading or category looks wrong, ask your distribution company for a written explanation before assuming an appliance caused the increase.
Read the energy charge separately from fixed charges, arrears, adjustments and the final amount due. UPERC's tariff order also provides for applicable duty and surcharges, and requires the applied fuel and power purchase adjustment surcharge, FPPAS, to be displayed in monthly bills. Compare each line with the previous bill rather than judging consumption from the payment amount alone.
For your own record, divide billed units by the number of days covered. For example, 240 units over 30 days and 280 units over 35 days both average eight units daily. This is our arithmetic, not a consumption benchmark. Note changes such as guests, working from home or longer AC use alongside the readings.
How the current UP domestic slabs work
Want the numbers for your own bill? Use our free UP electricity bill calculator, which works out each slab and the fixed charge for you.
The current reference checked is UPERC's order dated 2 July 2026 for FY 2026-27, covering DVVNL, MVVNL, PVVNL, PuVVNL and KESCO. These are LMV-1 domestic rates; do not assume they apply to every supplier or society billing arrangement in Uttar Pradesh. Rates change, so recheck the order and your category when budgeting.
The official FY 2026-27 rate notice gives these monthly consumer-payable rates for ordinary metered, non-lifeline connections:
- Other metered domestic consumers: first 150 units at ₹5.50 each, units 151-300 at ₹6, and units above 300 at ₹6.50. Fixed charge: ₹110 per kW per month.
- Rural-schedule consumers: first 100 units at ₹3.35 each, units 101-150 at ₹3.85, units 151-300 at ₹5, and units above 300 at ₹5.50. Fixed charge: ₹90 per kW per month.
Separate lifeline and single-point bulk-supply provisions exist. Ask which category applies; a village address alone is not the tariff classification. Use the consumer-payable column when checking the schedule.
Slabs are applied in blocks. In our illustrative full-month calculation, 250 units under the first category cost 150 × ₹5.50 + 100 × ₹6 = ₹1,425 in energy charges. With an assumed billable load of 2 kW, fixed charges add ₹220: subtotal ₹1,645 before other applicable items. The ₹6 rate does not apply to all 250 units.
Fixed charges need a separate check. Under the order's general provisions, page 410, for demand-recording meters, billable demand is the higher of recorded maximum demand and 75% of contracted demand; reading-related exceptions apply. Fewer units therefore do not automatically remove fixed charges. Ask the supplier to explain your billable load, and seek a load review before requesting any reduction.
Make BEE labels useful
BEE's Standards and Labelling programme covers room ACs, refrigerators and ceiling fans. Compare the actual model label, not just a star badge in an advertisement. Start with appliances of similar type and capacity, and check the label period. The government's cooling-equipment guide explains the one-to-five-star scale and periodic updates: higher stars indicate greater efficiency under the applicable testing framework.
- For an AC: compare ISEER, the seasonal cooling-efficiency measure, alongside cooling capacity. Do not compare a small room's requirement with a much larger unit simply because both have five stars.
- For a fridge: compare annual electricity consumption in kWh/year and usable capacity. BEE's refrigerator standards rate performance using annual energy consumption.
- For a ceiling fan: compare power input, air delivery and service value. BEE defines service value as air delivered per watt; choosing by wattage alone misses the airflow.
Treat label figures as comparison evidence under test conditions, not a promise of your next bill. Ask for a clear label photograph and save it with the quotation. If replacing something that still works, write down the extra purchase cost, expected annual units saved and how long you expect to use it. Do not accept a repayment-period claim without seeing its assumptions.
Inverter AC versus non-inverter
A non-inverter AC uses a fixed-speed compressor that cycles on and off. An inverter AC varies compressor speed to match cooling demand. The Environment Ministry's Ozone Cell guide explains this distinction and identifies inverter technology as an energy-efficient option. It also highlights room size, roof exposure and wall or window direction when selecting capacity.
Our buying advice: give efficiency greater weight for a bedroom AC used regularly, but compare the complete installed quotation and service terms. For occasional use, calculate whether the expected electricity saving justifies replacement. The word inverter alone should not settle the purchase; compare the chosen model's efficiency and suitability.
For an existing AC, try a comfortable setting around 24-26°C instead of automatically choosing the lowest temperature. The Ministry of Power's BEE temperature FAQ explains the energy-saving rationale for warmer settings. Keep doors closed while cooling, shade sun-facing windows and clean filters according to the manual; BEE's household tips recommend these measures. Review comfort and meter readings over comparable days.
Help the fridge work efficiently
BEE recommends keeping refrigerators away from heat, allowing ventilation, maintaining tight door seals and avoiding blocked internal airflow. Check the manufacturer's clearance instructions before moving yours. For a manual-defrost model, follow its defrosting instructions. Start with these maintenance checks before deciding that a new fridge is the answer. Ask a technician about a damaged seal or persistent cooling problem.
Standby power and lighting
Some equipment continues drawing power while plugged in but unused; BEE specifically flags chargers and idle office equipment. Switch off non-essential equipment at the socket when finished, following its shutdown instructions. Decide which devices need continuous power before making this a household routine.
Prioritise lights used for long periods. The Ministry of Power's UJALA explainer describes LED lighting as more energy-efficient than incandescent lighting for comparable light output. Check brightness, fitting and room suitability before replacing a bulb, and switch off unnecessary lights.
Here is an illustrative calculation, not a product claim: reducing a light's draw by 40 watts for five hours daily over 30 days saves 40 × 5 × 30 ÷ 1,000 = six kWh. This uses the electricity-unit calculation explained by Puducherry's Electricity Department. Use the actual wattage difference and your hours. Do not multiply that saving by the bill's average cost, which includes fixed and other charges; calculate the change in energy charges using your slabs.
When rooftop solar makes sense
Consider a solar assessment when you have permission to use the roof, expect to stay long enough to benefit and can afford the project without stretching essential spending. Request a site visit and shade assessment. The rooftop installation handbook hosted by the Assam Energy Development Agency explains that shadows reduce generation and that maintenance access matters.
Give installers twelve months of bills. Ask for a monthly generation estimate, the assumptions behind bill savings, the applicable UP export-credit treatment, maintenance costs, financing costs and the amount payable before any subsidy arrives. Request separate figures for installation cost and expected subsidy.
Our decision test is whether conservative annual savings justify your net spending over your expected ownership period. Ask how the result changes with lower generation or higher repair costs. Do not assume solar removes fixed charges. Ordinary grid-tied solar also stops supplying power when the mains fails; the installation handbook describes this anti-islanding behaviour. Discuss backup separately.
For the application and subsidy questions, use our PM Surya Ghar rooftop solar guide for Uttar Pradesh. Resolve the roof, billing and installation questions before paying a deposit.
Quick checklist
- I checked reading dates, units, category and billable load.
- I matched the applicable FY 2026-27 slabs and will recheck when rates change.
- I separated energy charges from fixed charges and outstanding amounts.
- I compared BEE labels for suitable capacities and label periods.
- I checked AC filters, fridge seals, standby equipment and frequently used lights.
- I requested a roof assessment and a written solar savings calculation.
- I will record readings again before buying further equipment.
Sources
- UPERC: FY 2026-27 tariff order, 2 July 2026 — checked on 21 October 2026.
- UPPCL: FY 2026-27 approved rate notice — checked on 21 October 2026.
- BEE: Standards and Labelling programme — checked on 21 October 2026.
- BEE: refrigerator notifications — checked on 21 October 2026.
- BEE: ceiling-fan notifications — checked on 21 October 2026.
- Ozone Cell: cooling-equipment selection guide — checked on 21 October 2026.
- Ministry of Power: BEE temperature FAQ — checked on 21 October 2026.
- BEE: household energy-conservation tips — checked on 21 October 2026.
- PIB: UJALA lighting explainer — checked on 21 October 2026.
- Puducherry Electricity Department: electricity consumption calculations — checked on 21 October 2026.
- AEDA-hosted rooftop solar installation handbook — checked on 21 October 2026.
