Prepaid vs postpaid meter savings
Enter your monthly energy charge to see what the prepaid rebate actually saves you over a year and a decade, and weigh the indirect pros and cons against a postpaid meter.
Prepaid rebate & lifetime savings
Roughly your total bill ÷ 1.05 (strip the 5% VAT).
0.5% per SRO-43/2024 · some leaflets still say 1%
Saved / month
৳ 10.00
Saved / year
৳ 120
Saved / 10 years
৳ 1200
The rebate is the only direct cash difference. The bigger wins are indirect — see below.
Prepaid meter
- 0.5% rebate on every recharge
- No estimated/average reading shocks
- No late-payment surcharge — you pay first
- Recharge is free; emergency balance built in
Postpaid meter
- Use now, pay after the bill is issued
- ~15-day grace window before surcharge
- No rebate; risk of estimated readings
- 5% late-payment surcharge if you miss the date
Rebate: Monthly saving = energy charge × rebate %
The rebate applies to the net energy charge — not to demand charge, meter rent, or VAT.
Does a prepaid meter actually save you money?
The honest answer: the 0.5% rebate is small. The real savings are indirect — no estimated-reading shocks, no late surcharge, and you only ever pay for what you use.
The essentials
- Prepaid gives a 0.5% rebate on the net energy charge (SRO-43/2024) — about ৳120 a year on a ৳2,000/month bill
- The bigger win is no estimated/average meter readings — you pay for actual units, not a guess
- Prepaid has no late-payment surcharge; postpaid charges 5% if you miss the date
The direct saving
What the 0.5% rebate is worth
Every prepaid recharge in Bangladesh earns a rebate on the net energy charge — the per-unit electricity cost, before VAT, demand charge, and meter rent. SRO-43/2024 sets it at 0.5%. (Some older company leaflets still quote the previous 1% — the calculator lets you set the rate.)
A household with a ৳2,000/month energy charge earns about ৳10 a month, ৳120 a year, ৳1,200 over a decade. Real money, but it won’t change your life. The reasons to switch are the indirect ones below.
The real reason
Why prepaid users save more than the rebate suggests
The trade-offs
Where postpaid is more comfortable
Cash-flow timing
Running out at midnight
Recharge discipline
Bottom line
Who should switch
If your postpaid bills swing unpredictably or you’ve been burned by an estimated reading, prepaid is worth it for the accuracy alone — the rebate is a bonus. If you value paying after the fact and never miss a due date, postpaid costs you very little extra. For the exact taka on your own usage, plug your numbers into the calculator above, and use the slab-aware main bill calculator to see your energy charge before VAT.
Frequently asked questions
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Pick your category, phase and sanctioned load to get an itemised estimate of what a new connection costs upfront — deposit, application fee and meter charge — plus the recurring meter rent.
Prepaid recharge calculator
Enter what you recharge and your load to see how much reaches the meter as energy, and why the first recharge of the month always buys less.
Related guides & services
Prepaid meter guide
A practical guide to prepaid meters in Bangladesh — how recharge codes work, the 0.5% prepaid rebate, switching from postpaid, and what to do when the meter behaves strangely.
Prepaid vs postpaid meters — which one actually saves money?
A side-by-side breakdown of prepaid and postpaid electricity meters in Bangladesh — sample bills, the vending process, and the small rebates that change the math.
Pay bill & recharge
Pay your bill or top up a prepaid meter the easy way — which apps work for your company, the fees and minimum recharge, and how to punch in your token.
Transfer to your name
Moved into a place where the meter is still in someone else's name? Here's how a name correction and a full ownership transfer work, and what each one needs.