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ERE: Electricity bills based on estimated consumption for no more than three months
The regulator's draft methodology sets out how bills are calculated when the meter is not working and how the difference is settled once actual readings arrive.
By ANN Newsroom · Newsroom
October 21, 2026, 11:00 · Updated 12:23 · 1 min read
In brief
- The Energy Regulatory Authority has published a draft methodology for billing without actual meter readings for consultation.
- Estimated billing may not last more than three months.
- Once actual data are obtained, the difference is added to or deducted from the next bill.
The Energy Regulatory Authority (ERE) has put up for discussion new rules for electricity billing in cases where there is no actual meter reading. According to the draft methodology, reported by ATSH, billing based on estimated consumption will be allowed only for a limited period, no more than three months.
The document aims to address one of consumers' most frequent complaints: bills calculated “by guesswork” when the meter is broken or when a reading cannot be taken.
How the bill will be calculated
When metering data are missing for more than a month, the bill will be calculated based on the customer's consumption in the same month of the previous year. If those data are also missing, the monthly average consumption of the last 12 months will be used.
For new customers, who do not yet have a consumption history, the draft provides that they be billed for zero kilowatt-hours for up to three months.
Adjustment after the actual reading
As soon as accurate meter data are obtained, the bill will be corrected. If the customer consumed more than estimated, the difference will be added to the next bill; if they consumed less, the excess amount will be deducted from what they owe.
The rules are still at the draft stage and will take final shape after the consultation process and approval by the ERE board.
Estimated billing has long been a source of disputes between consumers and the distribution company, especially when bills with large differences arrive after several months. The draft aims precisely to limit such cases.
