Check Your Electricity Meter Reading in Pakistan: Snapshot, SMS and the 7 Day Complaint

Your electricity meter reading in Pakistan must be backed by a time-stamped, geo-tagged snapshot of your meter, printed on your bill. The company should also text you the units and the reading date. If the reading is wrong, the company must reply to your complaint within 7 days.

A bill that jumps for no reason is usually a reading problem, not a usage problem. Most people never look at the small photo on the bill. That photo is the strongest proof you have, and NEPRA's rulebook says every company must print it.

We read NEPRA's revised Consumer Service Manual, chapter 6 on meter reading and chapter 10 on billing complaints, on 7 October 2026. This is what it says you can check, and what you can do when it does not add up.

Every meter reading must come with a snapshot

The manual makes a snapshot of the meter mandatory for every type of connection. Readings are taken by mobile phone photo or a hand held unit, and the photo is printed on your electricity bill.

Each snapshot must carry a time stamp and a geo tag, which is the location of the photo. The company must keep the snapshots for twelve months, so it can show them to NEPRA, the Provincial Office of Inspection or a court if you dispute a bill.

The company should text you the reading

NEPRA's manual says companies should send an SMS after capturing the reading. The text should show the total units recorded, the scheduled reading date and the actual reading date.

The word is "should", not "must", so not every company does it. If you get the text, keep it. A text that says 412 units while your bill says 640 settles the argument quickly. The online bill portals of each company show your bill history, which helps when you compare months.

Check your reading against the bill in four steps

1. Find the snapshot on your bill. Look at the meter photo and the "present reading" and "previous reading" boxes. The difference is your units for the month.
2. Photograph your own meter. Do it in good light, on the same day the bill says the reading was taken if you can. Keep the photo, since it shows the date on your phone.
3. Compare the numbers. Check that the digits in the bill photo match your meter and that the reading date is close to the date of your own photo. A bill reading that is higher than your meter ever showed is a red flag.
4. Look at the units. Subtract the previous reading from the present one. If the answer does not match "units consumed" on the bill, that is an arithmetic error, and the company can correct it on the spot.

A wrong reading gets a reply in 7 days

Clause 10.3.1 of the manual lists billing complaints and how fast the company must deal with each. For errors caused by a wrong meter reading or a wrong calculation, the reply is due within 7 days of receiving your complaint.

Complaints are registered at the sub division. Take your bill, your meter photo and your CNIC copy, and ask for a dated receipt, because the 7 days run from that date. The full route, including NEPRA, is in the guide to complaining about a wrong electricity bill.

If the reading is right but the meter itself looks faulty, that is a different process. The steps for getting a faulty meter checked and replaced start with a challenge fee, which the manual sets at Rs 500 for a single phase meter and Rs 1,000 for a three phase one.

If nobody reads your meter, you can send your own photo

Clause 6.1.5 covers a case where the company cannot take a real reading because of a force majeure, meaning something outside its control such as floods or a strike. Then the consumer may give the company a photo of the meter reading, and the company can bill on it.

Otherwise the company may send a provisional bill on average. That is the lower of the same month last year or the average of the previous eleven months. When readings return to normal, the next bill is corrected to the actual reading, with the slab benefit.

The Power Smart app is where many consumers try this. The listing on Google Play shows it is run by the power sector's IT company, and IESCO's own website tells its consumers to use the app. In a reply to one user, the developer said self readings are considered if sent within the due date window. We could not test the upload ourselves, so treat it as reported and keep your own dated photo as a back up.

A long billing month cannot push you into a higher slab

If a billing cycle runs past its normal length because of an unforeseen event, the manual says the units must be spread pro rata. That means the extra units are carried to the next bill instead of lifting you into a higher rate this month.

The sum is units read, divided by days, times 30. Carried units must show on the bill as outstanding units. If a long gap between reading dates pushed you up a slab, ask the sub division to apply this rule. The six month rule for protected homes is explained in the report on crossing 200 electricity units.

Bill timing rules protect you from late bills

Bill timing matters too. The due date is within 15 days of the issue date, and you must get at least 7 clear days from the day the bill is actually delivered. If the bill arrives late, the company can extend the due date without a surcharge. The first bill on a new connection must be issued within two months of the connection date. The surcharge rules are in the guide to the late payment surcharge.

Common questions

Does my electricity bill have to show a photo of my meter?

Yes. NEPRA's manual makes meter snapshots mandatory and says they are printed on the bill, with a time stamp and geo tag.

How long does the company keep meter reading photos?

Twelve months. It must be able to produce them for NEPRA, a court or another forum if a billing dispute is raised.

Will I get an SMS with my meter reading?

The manual says companies should send one, with the units and the scheduled and actual reading dates. It is not guaranteed, so check that your number is registered.

How long does the company have to fix a wrong reading?

7 days from receiving your complaint, under clause 10.3.1 of the Consumer Service Manual.

Can I send my own meter reading?

The manual allows it when the company cannot take a real reading because of force majeure. The Power Smart app also offers self reading, but we could not test it, and the company's own reading may still be used.

What if the company bills me on average?

It can bill on the lower of last year's same month or the previous eleven month average, and must correct the next bill to the actual reading.

How we verified this

What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.

Last checked on 7 October 2026. We read NEPRA's revised Consumer Service Manual, issued to all distribution companies on 26 November 2025, as published on GEPCO's website: clauses 6.1 to 6.4 on meter reading and the bill, and 10.3 on billing complaints. We also read the notice on IESCO's website naming the Power Smart app, and the app's Google Play listing. The listing's own description is short, so what the app can do is not confirmed by an official guide. We did not submit a reading through it. Companies differ in how closely they follow the manual, and K-Electric may have its own app and steps.