How to read your TGSPDCL net-metered bill

Once you have solar, your meter counts two things

A net meter is a two-way (bidirectional) meter. It records the units you draw from the grid (import) and the units your panels send back to the grid (export). Your bill is based on the difference.

The units your home uses directly from the panels during the day never pass through the meter, so they don't appear on the bill at all. That's why export is lower than what your inverter says it produced.

The lines that matter

• Service number (USC / SC No): your connection. Check it's yours before anything else.
• Category: homes are normally domestic (LT-I). A non-domestic category costs more per unit.
• Reading status: should show a normal reading. Anything like DOOR LOCK, AVG or METER STUCK means the meter wasn't actually read.
• Import (kWh): previous reading, present reading and units drawn from the grid.
• Export (kWh): previous reading, present reading and units sent to the grid.
• Net units / units billed: what you're actually charged for.
• Banked or carried-forward units: surplus export credit you haven't used yet.

Labels differ slightly between bill versions and the paper and online formats. If you can't find a line, our free Bill X-ray reads it for you.

How the units billed are worked out

In a normal month: units billed = import − export − any credit used. If you exported more than you imported, you're billed for zero units (plus fixed charges) and the surplus is added to your carried-forward credit.

Three checks you can do in two minutes

1. Reading status is normalIf it isn't, the export may not have been counted. See our guide on door-lock and estimated readings.
2. Export units match the readingsPresent export reading − previous export reading should equal the export units on the bill (times the meter's multiplying factor, if one is printed).
3. Credit carries overThe carried-forward units at the end of last month's bill should be the opening credit on this one, unless a settlement was paid out.