Power bill set to burn a bigger hole in your pocket; tariff up 6.23% from July 1

Raipur: The Chhattisgarh State Electricity Regulatory Commission (CSERC) has announced power tariff rates for 2026-27, approving an average hike of 6.23% across consumer categories.

The new tariffs will come into effect from July 1, 2026.CSERC officials said the revision has been carried out in view of inflation of nearly 5% and to recover past losses incurred before 2024. Despite the increase, tariffs in state remain lower than in neighbouring states such as MP, Jharkhand and Maharashtra.The Commission said the impact on domestic consumers will remain limited due to existing subsidies. Around 14.5 lakh Below Poverty Line (BPL) consumers continue to receive up to 30 units of electricity free, with the state government bearing the cost.

In addition, nearly 26.5 lakh consumers using up to 400 units per month will get 50% subsidy on consumption up to 200 units under the M-Urja (Mukhyamantri Urja Rahat Jan Abhiyan) scheme.

As a result, the effective increase in bills for nearly 41 lakh of the state’s 51 lakh domestic consumers will range between zero and 3.65%.Officials said farmers will remain unaffected as the state government will absorb the increased burden under existing subsidy support.

Domestic consumers will also be able to reduce bills by installing rooftop solar systems under the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana. Agricultural pump tariffs have been increased by 40 paise per unit, but the additional cost will be borne by the government. Non-domestic consumers will see a hike of 20 to 40 paise per unit.For industrial consumers, high-tension categories have been revised: 220 kV and 132 kV users will see a 30 paise per unit rise along with Rs 25 per kVA increase in demand charges, 33 kV consumers will face a 40 paise hike, and 11 kV users a 30 paise rise.The Commission has also introduced relief measures, including reclassification of student hostels in Bastar and Surguja tribal areas from commercial to domestic category, reducing their tariffs. The late payment surcharge has been changed from a flat 1.5% monthly rate to 0.04% per day, ensuring charges apply only for actual delay. Consumers with sanctioned load above 10 kW will get a 20 paise per unit rebate for off-peak usage between 9 am and 5 pm.

Domestic tariffs will rise on average by 30 paise per unit, with slab-wise increases ranging from 30 paise to 50 paise depending on consumption.