Understanding your bill

Check out our video for help understanding your bill, or view our bill guide below.

Bill guide

Below is a guide to help you understand the different parts of your residential electricity bill.
Each numbered section is highlighted in the bill example*.
 

Your plan, meter details and current balance

1. Account details
   Here you’ll find your account number, your plan name, and (if applicable) your contract end date.
   If you’re not currently in contract, a contract end date will not be shown.

2. Meter information
   This is where your meter number and MPRN (Meter Point Reference Number) are displayed.
   You'll need your MPRN when submitting a reading.

3. Bill payment information
   This section shows your current balance and the date your bill is due.
   If your account is in credit, the amount will display CR next to it.

Your bill breakdown

4. Your electricity usage and charges
   This section shows:
   How much energy you used (kWh)
   The price per unit (day, night or peak rate)
   The subtotal before standing charges, VAT and other adjustments

5. Discounts, standing charges and levies
   Any discounts you are receiving are shown here, along with:
   Standing charges
   VAT
   PSO levy
   These are applied before the final bill total is calculated. 

   If you receive a unit rate discount, it's applied separately to the standard unit rate used to calculate your energy charges. Where applicable, the value of the discount will be listed in this section.

6. Adjustments
   Here you’ll see any additional credits or adjustments applied to your bill, such as:
   Government credits
   Refunds or corrections
   VAT adjustments

7. Previous bill, payments and total
   This section shows any balance brought forward from your previous bill and any payments we've received since then. We apply those payments to your account before calculating your new total amount due. If a bill was delayed, a previous balance may appear on your latest bill and could be shown as overdue until it's updated with recent payments.

Meter reads and consumption

8. Your smart meter reads
   This section shows the meter readings used to calculate your bill.
   Readings may be:
   A – actual reading taken by ESB Networks
   C – customer reading you’ve provided
   E – estimated reading from ESB Networks
   Submitting your own meter read helps make your bill more accurate.

Microgeneration

If you're a microgeneration customer, payments will appear as a credit on your electricity bill with the description Microgen Export Total. Details of how your microgen payment was calculated can be found in your Exported Electricity Self-Billing Invoice, which will accompany your bill.  For more information, see our microgeneration FAQs.

Please note:

• If you want to view and download your bill see How to view and download my bill online?
• If you're on Level Pay, upcoming payments and review details may also appear on your bill.
• If you submit your own reads, they must be accepted by ESB Networks to appear on your next bill.
• Your electricity bill reflects usage from your billing period, which may differ slightly from what you see on your online usage graphs.

*The figures used in the images are for illustrative purposes only.