Bescom electricity bills set to be dearer from May

Bengaluru: Power bills for all categories of consumers under the Bescom jurisdiction will go up starting May, with the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) on Friday passing an order allowing the electricity supply company to recover the Rs 2,068-crore revenue deficit it had suffered in 2024-25 from the consumers. As a result, for every unit they consumed in 2024-25, the consumers will have to shell out an additional 56 paisa. 

The amount will be recovered through the year 2026-27 in equal installments in every month’s power bill.

“Bescom shall calculate, for each of the active consumers of FY 2024-25, the amount to be recovered based on their actual energy consumption during FY 2024-25. Such amount shall be recovered during FY 2026-27 in equal monthly instalments, to be called as ‘FY25 true-up charges’, commencing from the first meter reading date falling on or after May 1, 2026, and concluding with the reading date ending on April 30, 2027,” the order said.

Bescom officials justified the true-up charges, saying they are required since the actual performance of the company and the projections approved by the KERC would be different.

“Every year, ESCOMs operate on the basis of projected costs and revenues approved by the KERC through the annual tariff order. However, actual performance during the year may differ from these approved projections due to changes in consumer consumption patterns, tariff revisions, input costs and other operational factors,” a senior Bescom official said.

Similarly, the Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation (CESC) has recorded a revenue deficit of Rs 121.71 crore and is eligible to collect additional 15 paisa per unit from consumers.

True-up charges allow ESCOMs to reconcile the difference between approved estimates and actual outcomes, officials said.

What caused the revenue deficit

According to Bescom, various factors have contributed to the revenue deficit.

These include higher thermal energy allocation and power purchase costs, and reduced rainfall resulting in higher power consumption by irrigation pumpsets, among others.

Meanwhile, the Mangalore Electricity Supply Company (Mescom) has shown a revenue surplus of Rs 63.32 crore and will refund 15 paisa for each unit consumed by customers in 2024-25. Similarly, the Hubli Electricity Supply Company (Hescom) will refund 10 paisa as it has recorded a revenue surplus of Rs 153.46 crore. The Gulbarga Electricity Supply Company (Gescom) also recorded a revenue surplus of Rs 90.42 crore and will refund 10 paisa.

Recently, the KERC had revised its power tariff order of March 2025 and increased the tariff for industrial and commercial users.