NEPA/Discos billing is confusing for many homes and small businesses. If you have been moved to “Band A” or saw a sudden tariff jump, you might be asking: what exactly changed, who qualifies as Band A, and what can a customer realistically do to manage bills?
I keep hearing about service bands, guaranteed hours, and smart meters — yet the experience differs by area. If you are a landlord, a shop owner, or run a small clinic, how are you coping? Are the promised hours of supply real on your feeder? What steps help reduce bills without disrupting your work?
Specific questions
• What qualifies a feeder/home for Band A vs B–E?
• Are customers seeing the guaranteed hours in practice?
• Practical hacks for lowering monthly spend without going dark?
• Prepaid vs postpaid today — which one is fairer?
Short answer: “Band A” is supposed to be a performance promise tied to your feeder, not a punishment. In theory, Band A feeders should enjoy the highest guaranteed hours each day, so tariffs are higher; Band B–E drop in both promise and price. In practice, three things create the pain: (1) feeders are misclassified or unstable, (2) outages break the guarantee without quick rebates, and (3) many premises still lack smart meters so billing feels arbitrary.
What to do: First, check your feeder band with your Disco and neighbors; mislabels happen. Keep a simple outage log (date, start–stop). If supply falls below the promised hours for your band, file a written complaint referencing the service-based tariff framework and request adjustment. Second, load audit your space: switch to LED lighting, timer your freezers, and isolate high-wattage appliances to off-peak use. Third, push for a prepaid smart meter; it enforces transparency and helps you plan spend. Finally, if a whole street's supply is below band, escalate via NERC's forum office — collective evidence gets faster action.