Checked 22 Oct 2026
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How do you read your TNEB meter and work out the units?
Read the number on the screen marked kWh, ignore the digit after the point, and subtract the reading on your last bill. That is your units: 12,790 minus 12,340 is 450 units, a bill of ₹1,255 for a home. Readings must be taken every billing cycle.
Check your readings
Add the days and we show where you will land by the end of a normal 60-day bill.
Units used450
Bill for these units₹1,255
Home (domestic) rates from TNERC's 2026 orders, through the same engine as our TNEB bill calculator.
In short
- Your TNEB units are the current kWh reading on the meter minus the reading on your last bill, ignoring the digit after the decimal point.
- TNPDCL must read every meter at least once in each billing cycle, and text you the bill amount and due date within four working days of the reading.
- TNPDCL may send no more than two provisional bills a year; if it keeps billing provisionally past two cycles, you may refuse to pay until it bills on an actual reading.
- A reading taken late adds days, and units, to one bill: a home using 7.5 units a day pays ₹1,255 for 60 days but ₹2,124 if the reading comes 8 days late.
How to read the meter
- Find the kWh screen. Digital meters cycle through several screens. Wait for the one with kWh beside the number. Other screens, such as kVAh or maximum demand, are not your units.
- Write down the whole number. Ignore anything after the decimal point.
- Find your last reading. It is on your last bill, and the reader should write it on your white meter card. You can also look up your recent bills on TNPDCL's bill status page with your service number, registered mobile and a captcha. The SMS usually gives only the amount and due date.
- Subtract. Today's reading minus the last one is the units used so far in this bill period.
An older meter with a row of rolling numbers works the same way: read the numbers left to right. If the last digit sits in a red or separate box, it is a fraction of a unit; leave it out.
TNEB reading calculation chart 2026
Once you know the units, this is the two-month bill for a home, from the rates in force since 10 May 2026. The jump between 500 and 550 is the 500-unit line: past it, only 100 units are free.
| Units in two months | Bill |
|---|---|
| 100 | ₹0 |
| 150 | ₹0 |
| 200 | ₹0 |
| 250 | ₹235 |
| 300 | ₹470 |
| 350 | ₹705 |
| 400 | ₹940 |
| 450 | ₹1,255 |
| 500 | ₹1,570 |
| 550 | ₹2,460 |
| 600 | ₹2,880 |
| 650 | ₹3,352.50 |
| 700 | ₹3,825 |
| 750 | ₹4,297.50 |
| 800 | ₹4,770 |
| 850 | ₹5,295 |
| 900 | ₹5,820 |
| 950 | ₹6,345 |
| 1,000 | ₹6,870 |
Any other number: the TNEB bill calculator shows every line, and has a readings mode too.
TNERC Order No. 4 of 2026, 27 Apr 2026, TNERC Order No. 5 of 2026, 26 May 2026.
The rules on readings
TN Electricity Supply Code amendment, 2 Sep 2023: regulations 7(9), 8(3), 8(5), 8(6) and 10(6).
If the reading looks wrong or was not taken
- Compare the meter with the bill. If today's kWh reading is lower than the reading on your bill, the bill was not based on your meter, unless the meter was changed.
- Take a dated photo of the kWh screen. It is your evidence.
- Write to your section office (the Assistant Engineer, O&M), or use TNPDCL's complaint portal, with the photo, your service number and the bill. A billing complaint made before the due date should be settled before the next bill.
- Ask for a meter test if the units keep looking high. TNPDCL must do it within 30 days.
- Pay by the due date while the complaint is open; any excess is adjusted later. The one exception is provisional billing beyond two cycles, which the rules let you refuse.
- Escalate to the next higher officer, then the Consumer Grievance Redressal Forum, if the section office does not act. Our high bill guide walks through it.
Smart meters: not yet
Homes in Tamil Nadu are still read in person by a meter reader. In October 2026 TNPDCL put out a fresh tender for about 1.74 crore smart meters, covering Chennai and the other 23 corporations, after two earlier tenders were cancelled. If it is awarded, the plan is 5% of meters within 8 months of the contract and all of them within 27 months (DT Next, 8 Oct 2026). Smart meters are read remotely, and the Supply Code says you must be able to see their data on the website, app or SMS (TN Electricity Supply Code amendment, 2 Sep 2023, regulation 8(3)).
What people report
"The reader came late and my bill crossed 500."
A leading complaint of 2026. TNPDCL's own circular of 24 September admits readings are being taken after the billing cycle ends, with 5,602 of its 7,590 assessor posts vacant. In one reported case a reading due on 20 August was taken on 28 August: 508 units and a bill of ₹2,107 (₹2,107.20 by our maths), instead of about ₹1,570 at 500. We found no rule that adjusts the slabs for a longer period. TNPDCL is now hiring meter readers through private firms on six-month contracts (DT Next, 26 Sep 2026).
"My bill is on hold for a recheck."
After a wave of high-bill complaints, TNPDCL held home bills over 500 units that rose sharply until an official rechecked the reading (DT Next, 6 Sep 2026). From mid-September 2026 that happens only when the bill is more than ₹3,000 above the last one, and the recheck must be done within five days. Of more than 29,300 held bills checked, 100 had an error (DT Next, 16 Sep 2026).
"It said door locked, and charged last time's amount."
A long-running complaint. When the meter is not read, the bill repeats your previous bill's amount. At the next reading the real units are billed, less what you already paid. Check that the units were split across both periods rather than charged as one big block; if not, ask the section office why. If your meter was reachable, write to them with a dated photo, and remember the two-provisional-bills-a-year limit.
"Just WhatsApp a photo of the meter to the AE."
Widely repeated, including by Google's AI answer. That was a lockdown arrangement in 2021. Today the rules let TNPDCL accept a photo only when it cannot read meters itself, so ask your section office before relying on it.
Composites of news reports and consumer complaints from 2011 to 2026, summarised in our words. We have not named anyone. Sources: DT Next, 26 Sep 2026, DT Next, 6 Sep 2026, DT Next, 16 Sep 2026, DT Next, 29 Jul 2026.
Questions people ask
How do I read my TNEB meter?
On a digital meter, wait for the screen marked kWh and note the number before the decimal point. Subtract the reading shown on your previous bill or meter card. The answer is the units used since then: for example 12,790 minus 12,340 is 450 units.
How do I check my TNEB meter reading online?
On TNPDCL's bill status page (tnebltd.gov.in/BillStatus), enter your service connection number, registered mobile number and the captcha to see your recent bills. The reader should also write each reading on your white meter card. The SMS after a reading usually gives only the amount due and the due date.
How are TNEB units calculated from the meter reading?
Units are the current reading minus the previous reading, in kWh. One kWh is one unit. The bill is then worked out on the units for the two-month period, slab by slab: 450 units comes to ₹1,255 for a home.
Is my TNEB meter reading in kWh or kVAh?
Home (domestic) bills are charged per kWh, so use the kWh screen; TNERC's tariff order sets the domestic energy charge per kWh. Some meters also show kVAh and maximum demand; those are not your units.
What if my meter reading was not taken?
TNPDCL must read the meter at least once every billing cycle. If it cannot, it may bill your previous bill's amount provisionally, but not more than two provisional bills in a financial year; if provisional billing runs past two cycles, the rules let you refuse to pay until a bill based on an actual reading is raised. Write to the section office with a dated photo of your meter.
Can I send a photo of my meter to TNEB?
Only when TNPDCL allows it. The 2023 Supply Code amendment lets TNPDCL, when it cannot take readings itself, accept a photo of the meter display, with the date, from your registered mobile or email. It is TNPDCL's option, not a standing right, so ask your section office first. A dated photo is still the best evidence if you dispute a reading.
Why does my reading give more units than usual?
Most often a late reading: more days between readings means more units in one bill, which can push you past 500 units. Our high bill guide works through the other causes, including a faulty meter, which you can get tested within 30 days.
Read next
Sources
- TN Electricity Supply Code amendment, 2 Sep 2023. Meter read once every billing cycle (Reg 8(3)); meter test on request within 30 days (Reg 7(9)); bill revised for a faulty meter (Reg 7(10)); photo of the meter at TNPDCL's option (Reg 10(6)).
- TNERC Order No. 4 of 2026, 27 Apr 2026 and TNERC Order No. 5 of 2026, 26 May 2026. Rates behind the chart and the readings check.
- TNPDCL bill status page, read 22 Oct 2026.
- TNPDCL Citizen Charter. Billing complaints before the due date resolved before the next bill (4.6).
- News: DT Next, 26 Sep 2026, DT Next, 16 Sep 2026, DT Next, 6 Sep 2026, DT Next, 29 Jul 2026, DT Next, 8 Oct 2026.
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