Load shedding cost calculator
Compare what an hour of load shedding actually costs when you switch to a diesel or petrol generator, versus what the same units would have cost on the grid.
Generator vs grid — load-shedding inputs
A small house with fans & lights ~ 0.5 kW. A shop with one AC ~ 2 kW.
Generator monthly cost
৳ 2400
22.9 L of diesel
Grid would have cost
৳ 728
80 units of grid power
Generator cost / hour
৳ 60.00
Grid cost / hour
৳ 18.20
Extra you pay because of load shedding
৳ 1672 / month
What load shedding actually costs you
A diesel generator unit costs roughly 3–4× a grid unit. Here's why, and how much load shedding silently adds to your monthly expenses.
The headline
- Grid power at ৳9.10/unit vs diesel generator at ~৳30/unit — that's the gap
- For a 2 kW home with 2 hours daily load shedding, generator costs ৳4,800/month vs ৳1,456 grid
- Battery IPS systems run at ৳1–৳3 per useful unit — much better for light loads
Why so much more
The cost gap explained
Grid electricity in Bangladesh is heavily subsidised. Even at the highest residential slab (৳17.35), the wholesale cost of producing and transmitting that unit is much higher — the gap is filled by government subsidy. When you switch to a diesel or petrol generator during load shedding you pay the unsubsidised cost yourself, in fuel.
A small diesel generator converts roughly 3.5 kWh of useful electricity per litre of fuel. At ৳105/litre, that’s ৳30 per unit before maintenance — more than three times the residential grid rate.
Monthly impact
What load shedding really costs
If your home runs 2 kW (one AC + fans + lights) and your area sees 2 hours of load shedding on 20 days a month, your generator runs for 80 hours and delivers 160 units.
Diesel cost
৳4,800
Grid would cost
৳1,456
Hidden tax
৳3,344/mo
For a small shop or restaurant with 5 kW load and 3 hours of daily outage, the gap widens to ৳10,000–15,000 a month — often a meaningful share of profit.
When generators win
Where they're still the right answer
- Critical equipment. Medical clinics, telecom huts, server rooms, walk-in coolers.
- Customer-facing businesses. Even at 3–4× grid cost, an hour of lit shop interior usually pays for itself.
- Outages exceeding 4 hours/day. Beyond this point, solar + battery hybrids start to beat diesel.
Alternatives
What's cheaper than a generator
Frequently asked questions
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