If your electricity bill looks wrong, start with your power company (DISCO). If it does not fix the problem, you can complain to the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA). NEPRA takes complaints through its website and regional offices. Some bill disputes follow a different route through a Provincial Office of Inspection. Here are the steps, the contact details and what the sources do not make clear.
Step 1: Complain to Your DISCO First
A guide on Daily Capital (23 August 2026) says to visit your DISCO sub-division office with the disputed bill, your evidence and a written note of the error. The office should open a case and give you a reference number. It says an investigation typically takes 2 to 4 weeks, and you may be visited or called. It says if this fails, you can go to your DISCO’s Customer Services Division at head office, and then to NEPRA. It also says filing with NEPRA without first trying the DISCO usually gets referred back. These timings come from one third-party guide.
What to Collect
- The disputed bill, your reference number and account details.
- Proof of the error, such as meter photos, payment receipts and bank or wallet records.
- A short written note with dates, saying what is wrong and what the correct amount should be, if you know it.
- Your earlier complaints and any written reply.
Step 2: File a Complaint With NEPRA
NEPRA’s contact page says complaints can be filed through the “Register Complaint” page on its website, and tracked through the “Track a Complaint” page. Type nepra.org.pk yourself.
- Head Office: NEPRA Tower, Attaturk Avenue (East), Sector G-5/1, Islamabad. Phone +92 51 2013200 or +92 51 9210215. Open 9 am to 5 pm.
- DG Consumer Affairs: +92 51 2013200 or +92 51 2600021.
- Regional offices: Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkur, Lahore, Multan, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Peshawar and Quetta. The page links to each office but shows no addresses.
The page lists no dedicated helpline, and the email addresses were hidden in the text I could read. APP (10 October 2022) also says complaints could be sent through the Pakistan Citizens Portal and regional offices.
What Happens After You Complain?
NEPRA’s own decisions show it can hold a hearing. In one case from 2023, a consumer complained against LESCO under Section 39 of the Regulation of Generation, Transmission and Distribution of Electric Power Act, 1997. NEPRA held a hearing at its Lahore provincial office on 7 July 2023, with the consumer’s representative and LESCO officers present. The decision letter is dated 27 November 2023.
In that case NEPRA ruled that the dispute was about property ownership, which is outside its power, and told the consumer to go to an appropriate forum. So NEPRA may decline matters that are not about how a DISCO behaves. That case was not about a bill.
APP says NEPRA’s Consumer Affairs Department got 12,436 complaints in 2021-22 and disposed of 11,807. Those numbers are old and cover all kinds of complaints.
Bill Disputes and the Provincial Office of Inspection
Some billing disputes go to a Provincial Office of Inspection (POI). A NEPRA Appellate Board decision shows the pattern. A consumer disputed a detection bill of Rs62,325 for 3,112 units. The POI in Multan decided the complaint. The distribution company then appealed to NEPRA’s Appellate Board under Section 38(3) of the same Act. The Board is part of NEPRA and holds hearings at NEPRA’s regional offices.
This tells us that NEPRA’s Appellate Board hears appeals against POI decisions. It does not say how a consumer files a complaint at the POI, what the time limit is, or whether the POI is the right first step for your bill. I did not find that in the sources, so ask your DISCO or NEPRA’s regional office which route fits your dispute.
Timelines
Daily Capital says overall resolution takes about 4 to 12 weeks, and NEPRA cases alone can take 8 to 16 weeks. These are third-party estimates. NEPRA’s own pages I opened do not give a time limit.
Tips
- Keep your DISCO complaint number and write down dates.
- Pay the undisputed part of your bill by the due date. I did not find a source on whether you must pay a disputed bill first, so ask your DISCO.
- Send copies, and keep the originals.
- Check “Track a Complaint” for updates.
These tips are general advice, not from the sources above.
Beware of Fixers
- Do not pay anyone who promises to “reduce” your bill, and do not give your bill or OTP to a stranger.
- Use only NEPRA’s official website and offices.
What I Could Not Confirm
- The exact steps on NEPRA’s complaint page, since I could not open it.
- How to file at a Provincial Office of Inspection, and the time limit for appeals.
- Whether you must pay a disputed bill first.
- NEPRA’s complaint email address and a helpline number.
- Whether you must try your DISCO first. One third-party guide says so, but I did not find it on NEPRA’s own pages.
This is general information, not legal advice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I complain directly to NEPRA?
Yes, through its website’s “Register Complaint” page, but one guide says it may be referred back if you skipped your DISCO.
What is NEPRA’s phone number?
+92 51 2013200 for the head office and DG Consumer Affairs, according to NEPRA’s contact page.
Can I track my complaint?
Yes, on the “Track a Complaint” page, according to NEPRA.
What is a POI?
A Provincial Office of Inspection. Its decisions can be appealed to NEPRA’s Appellate Board.
How long does it take?
One guide says 4 to 12 weeks overall. NEPRA gives no time limit on the pages I read.
Does NEPRA handle every dispute?
No. In one 2023 case it declined a property ownership dispute.
Start with your DISCO, keep your complaint number and then file with NEPRA if it is not fixed.
