Why is my electricity bill so high?
Bills above ৳5,000 a month are usually one of nine things, not bad luck. We walk through each cause and how to confirm it on your own bill.
Why is my electricity bill so high? 9 real causes
A sudden bill jump almost always traces to one of nine specific things. Walk through them in order — the first three explain most cases.
Most common causes, ranked
- Crossing a tariff slab boundary (the single biggest cause)
- AC use compounded across the month — even a 2-hour daily increase matters
- Old or oversized refrigerator silently doubling background load
- Water heater left switched on at the wall
Cause 1
You crossed a slab boundary
The Bangladesh residential tariff has hard slab boundaries: 75, 200, 300, 400, 600. Cross 600 by one unit and every unit after that prices at ৳14.61 instead of ৳12.67.
A household running an AC for an extra two hours a day during a heatwave can easily move from the 401–600 slab into the >600 slab — and the marginal cost of those extra 60 units is dramatic.
Cause 2
AC use compounded
A 1.5-ton inverter AC averaging 1,200 W run for 8 hours a day uses ~288 units a month. Run it 12 hours a day during a hot spell and that becomes 432 units — an extra 144 units, which at ৳12.67 = ৳1,824. Over a summer that’s typically the entire bill increase right there.
Cause 3
Old or oversized refrigerator
Refrigerators are the largest always-on appliance in most homes. A 10-year-old non-inverter fridge can pull 250–350 W average vs 100–150 W for a modern inverter unit. The difference: 100–200 W × 24 hours × 30 days = 72–144 units a month.
Causes 4–9
The rest of the suspect list
Water heater left on at the wall
Wrong or estimated meter reading
Tariff revision
Hidden phantom load
New appliance you forgot
Neighbour tapping your line
Self-diagnose
How to figure out which cause is yours
Compare units
Add up appliances
If the totals match
If the totals don't match
Frequently asked questions
Read next
How to read your bill
Open a DESCO, DPDC, NESCO, or BREB bill and walk through every line with us — units, slabs, demand charge, VAT, and the rebates most people miss.
DESCO vs DPDC
If you're not sure which company supplies your meter, this guide compares DESCO, DPDC, NESCO, BPDB and BREB — coverage areas, rates, and which one is generally cheaper.
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.
Consumer categories
The category on your meter (LT-A, LT-B, LT-C, LT-D, LT-E, MT, HT, EHT) decides what you pay. Here's exactly what each one means and who qualifies.