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UNDERSTANDING YOUR LIGHT BILL
Electricity is commonly used in everyday life, so it makes sense to understand how it is billed.
An electricity bill can be simplified as having two parts.
1. A monthly fee.
Residential accounts are charged a monthly fee of GHS10.730886.
Residential accounts eligible for a discount pay a monthly fee of GHS2.13 instead. An account is eligible if billed for less than or equal to 30 units of electricity per month.
2. Paying for the units of electricity used.
SHOWN ARE THE JUNE 2023 TARIFFS.
This image describes how a Residential account can work.
Each account has its own shop that sells electricity to itself.
Units (of electricity) can be bought. The account's own shop restocks at the beginning of each month.
There is a limited amount of each type of unit that can be bought by each account in each month.
Types of unit that are more expensive cost more, there is no other difference. Units are the same once on the meter.
What's paid for in the previous month carries over to the current month in the meter. If nothing is bought in the current month, the units bought this month are 0, but the meter will still let you use what's paid for in previous months.
Buying 30 units looks like this. Each unit costs 0.676851 including taxes, 30 units are bought so 0.676851 * 30 = 20.30553. Then, simply add 2.13. So, buying 30 units costs GHS22.43553.
Buying 1 more unit (30 + 1) looks like this. Those who consume 0-30 units are eligible for a discount (Lifeline), by buying any more, the discount is void. Without the discount,
- Instead of the first 30 units being GHS0.676851 each, the first 30 units are sold for GHS1.4381598 each.
- Instead of the monthly fee being GHS2.13, the monthly fee is GHS10.730886.
Add both and it costs GHS31.44015 to exit Lifeline. To simplify it, the image has GHS31.44015 + GHS2.13 as two separate parts, though it should instead update GHS2.13.
Buying 400 more units after previously buying 31 units looks like this.
Though the image might make it look like only 600 units can be bought, more units after the 600th unit can be bought at a price of GHS2.0738361 each.
It is also possible that a fraction of a unit may be sold.
For users a specific type of prepaid, buying multiple times in the same month results in the same number of units and money spent as making one big purchase in a month. Postpaid accounts and other types of prepaid automatically buy a unit or fraction of a unit when needed.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
Non-Residential accounts are billed similarly to Residential accounts (each account has its own shop, a certain type of unit may be out of stock, restocks monthly), but there is no Lifeline discount, units have different prices, and it is subject to more taxes.
Before September 1, 2019, there were 50 Lifeline units instead of 30, and discounts on the first 50 units weren't void after exceeding 50. The monthly fee changed each month from 2.13 to 7.456947 for those who exceeded 50, but the discount on the first 50 units remained unchanged.
Energy First Threshold and others can appear on bills and are types of units that can be bought (up to a fixed amount) and can run out of stock. If it's more than the fixed amount, then the bill was not over exactly 1 month. Even then, it's still a monthly cycle.
Account Pay and Account Save in receipts are for billers that don't take pesewas during payment. For example, units worth GHS97.5 might be sold for GHS98 the first time (Account Save: 0.50) and GHS97 the second time (Account Pay: 0.50).
Tariffs are sometimes explained without taxes. Images showing the cost of each unit on this page are tax inclusive.
It is not possible to actually buy or sell electricity using this website.
To ensure taxes that apply to you are correct, speak to a certified and competent tax professional, elsewhere.
PURC chooses the price of electricity itself and a monthly fee, but does not choose the taxes applied to the price of electricity itself or the monthly fee. Regardless of where power is bought from (appearing on receipts): ECG, PDS, VRA/NEDCo, etc, the price of electricity is the same (or close approximates to it) everywhere in Ghana, until PURC announces new tariffs or taxes change. Compare the calculator in this page with the official calculator located at http://www.purcghapp.com.
USER MANUAL
The calculator in this page is intended to work on most browsers that support https.
Update
Cause an update, useful if it the calculator does not make changes automatically because of the browser or its extensions.
End-User Tariff (EUT)
• Residential
Simulate billing of a Residential account.
• Non-Residential
Simulate billing of a Non-Residential but non-SLT account.
Tax (Non-Residential)
Taxes for Non-Residential have been unconventional. Should taxes for it be conventional, the option to calculate taxes in a conventional way is provided. Select taxes that appear in bills/receipts. Pay all applicable taxes.
Mode
• Monthly (1 to 31)
For the total number of units bought / to be paid for this month.
• Shared Meter
Enter the monthly kWh used by you or an appliance into Your kWh and the total number of units bought / to be paid for this month for the meter in Total kWh.
• More Than Once A Month
For example, paying at January 1 then it wasn't enough, one more payment at January 25 (enter it in Next GHS or Next kWh). The calculator shows how much it would take to buy, for example, 100 more units.
Customer/Consumer
• Automatic
Apply a discount (Lifeline) if below a threshold, stop applying a discount if below the threshold. Inputting an invalid Total GHS causes Total GHS to snap back to the maximum Lifeline Total GHS. Only relevant for Residential accounts.
• Other
Not eligible for Lifeline. Only relevant for Residential accounts.
• Lifeline
Only allow values that result in a discount. If exceeded, values snap back to the maximum that's eligible for a discount. Only relevant for Residential accounts.
Lock (for comparing tariffs)
• Lock kWh
For example, if changing to from a previous tariff to the newest tariff, the Total kWh does not change. How much does it cost to buy 50kWh in the new tariff vs the old tariff?
• Lock GHS
For example, if changing to the previous tariff, the Total GHS does not change. How much does GHS200 buy in the new tariff vs the old tariff?
Kilowatt Hours (kWh)
Also known as units, credit, or points.
Ghana Cedis (GHS)
Currency used in Ghana. There are 6 digits after the decimal point because that's determined by the tariffs. Total tax inclusive value.
Energy Charge
GHS spent on electricity itself (excluding taxes).
Service Charge
GHS spent on a monthly fee.
Public Lighting Levy
GHS spent on the Public Lighting Levy. It may appear on bills or receipts as Street Light.
National Electrification Scheme Levy
GHS spent on the National Electrification Scheme Levy.
GETFund Levy
GHS spent on the Ghana Education Trust Fund Levy.
National Health Insurance Levy
GHS spent on the National Health Insurance Levy (NHIL).
COVID-19 Health Recovery Levy
GHS spent on the COVID-19 Health Recovery Levy, if applicable.
Value Added Tax
GHS spent on the VAT.
Days
Select the length of the month.
Mode(2)
• Don't calculate GHS
Don't calculate the GHS, only the kWh.
• How much does it use?
How much does an electrical device use? Enter the amount currently paid every month in Total GHS, fill the form, then click Update to estimate how much it will use.
• How much will it use?
How much will an electrical device use after being connected to the meter? Enter the amount currently paid every month in Total GHS, fill the form, then click Update to estimate how much it will use.
How to estimate
• According to watts and hours
To give an example, this is a 55W CFL light bulb, and it is switched on for 5 hours each day. Enter 55 in the first field and 5 in the second.
To give another example, this is a 9W LED light bulb. It is switched on for 5 hours each day. Enter 9 in the first field and 5 in the second. Compared to CFLs, LEDs are more efficient.
• According to ENERGY GUIDE
Look for an ENERGY GUIDE label on the box of the freezer / fridge / air conditioner / light bulb or an ENERGY GUIDE label on the freezer / fridge / air conditioner itself, or look for "Annual Consumption" in the GH Certified Appliance app. GH Certified Appliance can be obtained in https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=gh.gov.energycom.energyEfficiency, but note that its "Monthly Bill (GHC)" calculator, at the time this page was created, was not ready yet. To clarify, do not use the monthly consumption, use the annual consumption.
Kilowatt Hours(kWh)
Result of how much the electrical device may use every month. It's the units displayed on meters that's not Ghana Cedis.
Ghana Cedis(GHS)
If the watts and hours or ENERGY GUIDE is accurate, it's the calculated result of how much the electrical device may use every month. The "Ghana Cedis already paid monthly" must also be accurate.
Ghana Cedis already paid monthly (Total GHS):
Verify that it is correct.
Minimum Ghana Cedis to add after installation
If the watts and hours or ENERGY GUIDE is accurate, anyone with the selected type of account (Residential/Non-Residential) will pay after connecting the electrical device to the meter.
Maximum Ghana Cedis to add after installation
If the watts and hours or ENERGY GUIDE is accurate, this is the maximum anyone with the selected type of account (Residential/Non-Residential) will pay after connecting the electrical device to the meter.