The Dhaka Power Distribution Company Limited (DPDC) has clarified deductions from prepaid meter recharges, abnormal or high electricity bills, so-called ‘ghost bills’, electricity disconnections at midnight or on holidays, and long tokens generated after tariff changes following complaints from customers.
DPDC said in a press release on Tuesday that a demand charge is deducted once a month against the approved load, while 5 per cent VAT is deducted from the recharged amount each time a customer recharges or vends. It also clarified meter rent, long tokens and disconnections during weekly holidays and ‘friendly hours’.
If a customer does not vend in any month, the demand charges for those months and the month of subsequent vending are deducted together. For an ‘LT-A: Residential’ customer with a 2-kilowatt load who does not recharge or vend for three months, the charge is Tk252 (2 × Tk42 × 3 months), based on the June 2026 notification. The demand charge also applies to all post-paid customers.
No meter rent applies to a prepaid meter purchased by the customer. If DPDC supplies the meter, the monthly rent is Tk40 for a single-phase meter and Tk250 for a three-phase meter. No rent applies if customers buy and install their own replacement meter or a meter for a new connection.
Regarding long tokens, DPDC said a 200–220-digit token is required only for the first recharge after a tariff change to make the new tariff effective on the meter. The usual 20-digit token is sufficient for subsequent recharges. DPDC said it is bringing meters online because entering the longer token into keypad meters is difficult for customers.
DPDC is currently installing AMI prepaid meters, which require no tokens and can be recharged through bKash, Rocket and other online channels.
On ‘ghost bills’, DPDC said there is no scope for deductions exceeding actual electricity consumption. Electricity charges are deducted according to the retail tariff determined by the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC). It said abnormal billing is not possible unless a technical fault, including a common-neutral-related fault, occurs.
During weekly holidays and ‘friendly hours’ – 4pm to 10am the following day – electricity is not disconnected when the prepaid balance runs out. The connection remains active on a negative balance, with the amount adjusted during the next recharge. Customers can also activate an emergency balance when the energy balance runs out, with the amount likewise adjusted during the next recharge.
Customers with complaints about abnormal deductions, billing discrepancies or disconnection due to technical faults have been asked to contact the relevant customer service or complaint centre or call 16116, providing their meter and customer numbers.
DPDC said complaints will be verified and, where applicable, necessary corrections and remedial measures will be taken promptly.
