Light Bill, Bands & Meters: What to Ask Before You Rent

Two flats on the same street, same size, same rent. One costs you ₦18,000 a month to keep the lights on. The other costs ₦95,000, once you add the band, the diesel levy and a share of an estate bill you cannot audit.

Nobody puts this on a listing. In Nigeria, the power arrangement is often a larger swing in your annual housing cost than the rent negotiation you spent three weeks on — and unlike rent, you find out afterwards. This guide covers what the bands mean, how billing actually works, the traps specific to estates and shared compounds, and the exact questions to ask before you pay.

What Bands A to E Actually Mean

Since 2024 Nigerian electricity customers have been classified into service bands by the feeder that serves their address. The band reflects the number of hours of supply the distribution company commits to deliver each day, and the tariff rises with the commitment.

Four things tenants routinely get wrong about bands:

• The band belongs to the feeder, not the flat. You cannot request a different band for your unit. Two buildings on opposite sides of the same road can sit on different feeders and different bands.
• Band A is not automatically desirable. You are paying a premium rate for hours you may not use. A working household that is out from 7am to 8pm often spends less, and lives about as comfortably, on Band B with an inverter.
• The committed hours are a commitment, not a guarantee. Where Band A feeders fall below the threshold, NERC's framework requires DisCos to compensate affected customers — in 2026 that has been applied to prepaid customers as token credits. Ask neighbours what they actually receive.
• Bands can be reclassified. A feeder upgraded to Band A raises your rate without you doing anything. Ask whether any reclassification is expected for the address.

Prepaid vs Estimated Billing

This matters more than the band for most tenants, because it decides whether your bill reflects your usage or someone's assumption about it.

Prepaid metering

You buy tokens in advance and load them onto the meter. You pay for exactly what you consume, you can see your balance, and there is no monthly negotiation. Nigerian tenants overwhelmingly prefer this, and rightly — it is the arrangement most resistant to disputes. Confirm the meter is dedicated to your unit, note the meter number, and photograph the reading on the day you move in.

Estimated billing

Where there is no functioning meter, the DisCo issues an estimated monthly bill. This is the origin of the "crazy bill" — a figure disconnected from your consumption, issued to a flat that may have been empty for half the month. Disputing it means a customer care process that can run for months, and unpaid balances follow the property, so a new tenant can inherit an ex-tenant's disputed arrears.

Getting a meter

Metering is provided through DisCo and national metering schemes, and the cost normally sits with the property owner or is recovered by the DisCo, not the tenant. If your landlord asks you to fund a meter, get written agreement that it will be offset against rent or refunded — the meter is fixed to the property and stays behind when you leave.

Bulk Metering: The Estate Trap

In many Nigerian estates and multi-flat compounds, one meter serves the entire building. The landlord or estate manager pays the DisCo, then divides the bill among occupants. This single arrangement generates more tenant billing disputes than everything else combined.

Why it goes wrong:

• You cannot verify your own consumption. There is no meter reading that belongs to you.
• The split is often flat — every flat pays an equal share regardless of whether you are a single person who travels constantly or a family of six running two air conditioners.
• Empty flats get absorbed. When three of ten units are vacant, the remaining seven frequently cover the shortfall.
• Common areas are folded in — the borehole pump, security lights, the gate motor, the lift — sometimes reasonably, sometimes not.
• There is no audit. Very few tenants ever see the underlying DisCo bill.

Bulk metering is not automatically unfair, and in a small compound it can be simpler for everyone. But you are entitled to understand it before you commit. Ask for the last three DisCo bills for the building, ask exactly how your share is calculated, ask what happens when units are vacant, and ask whether sub-meters exist or could be installed. A landlord who will not show you the bills is telling you something.

The same logic applies to the wider service charge, which in many estates is where the power cost actually hides.

Generators, Diesel Levies and Inverters

Grid supply is only half your power cost. The other half is what fills the gap.

Shared estate generator

Common in estates and serviced blocks, usually funded by a diesel levy inside the service charge. It can be excellent value or a serious drain, so ask precisely:

• What hours does it run? Many estates run 6pm–midnight only, which may not suit you at all if you work from home.
• What does the levy cost per month, and is it fixed or does it float with diesel prices? Floating levies have moved sharply in recent years.
• Is it charged even when the generator is not running — during a long grid-supply period, or when it is broken?
• Who pays for servicing and repairs, and is that inside the levy or billed separately?
• Ask a resident what they paid last month. Not the agent, not the landlord. A resident.

Your own generator

Buying and fuelling a small generator gives you control but has real running costs, plus noise and fumes — and many estates restrict where and when you may run one. Check the estate rules before you buy, not after.

Inverter and solar

Increasingly the default for anyone working from home. A battery inverter charges when grid supply is on and carries lights, fans, laptops, internet and a fridge through outages, silently. If a flat already has an inverter installed, establish in writing whether it stays with the property, who maintains it, and who replaces the batteries when they fail — battery replacement is the expensive part, and it is a classic end-of-tenancy argument.

Working Out Your Real Monthly Cost

Before you compare two flats on rent, compare them on total monthly outlay:

These are illustrative figures, but the shape is real and routine. A flat that is ₦400,000 a year cheaper on rent can be ₦900,000 a year more expensive to live in. Always ask for the power numbers before you decide, and factor them in alongside the other costs of renting.

Questions to Ask Before You Pay Rent

Send these to the lister in the chat, before any money moves. In writing, so you have the answers on record:

1. Which DisCo serves the property, and which band is it on?
2. Is there a prepaid meter, and is it dedicated to this unit or shared? What is the meter number?
3. If shared or bulk-metered, how is my share calculated, and can I see the last three bills?
4. Are there any outstanding arrears on the account, and can you confirm that in writing?
5. Is there a generator? What hours does it run, what is the levy, and is it fixed or variable?
6. Is there an inverter or solar installed? Does it stay? Who replaces the batteries?
7. What did the last tenant spend on power in a typical month?
8. How many hours of supply does the address actually get — and may I confirm that with a neighbour?
9. What is included in the service charge, and how much of it is power?
10. Who do I call when there is a fault — the landlord, the estate manager, or the DisCo directly?

Photograph the meter and record its number and reading on the day you move in, alongside the rest of your move-in inspection record. It protects your caution deposit at the other end of the tenancy.

Your Rights on Power and Billing

• A landlord may not disconnect your power to force you out. This is unlawful self-help — in Lagos an offence under the Tenancy Law — regardless of any rent dispute. See the quit notice and eviction guide.
• You can complain to the DisCo, and escalate to NERC. DisCos operate customer complaint units, and NERC's forum offices handle unresolved billing and metering complaints. Complaints work better with dates, meter numbers and photographs.
• Estimated bills can be disputed, particularly where the property was vacant or the estimate is wildly out of line with previous consumption. Put it in writing and keep the reference number.
• Band A customers are entitled to compensation where supply falls materially below the committed hours, under NERC's 2026 directives — applied to prepaid customers as token credits.
• Only authorised DisCo personnel should disconnect, reconnect or interfere with a meter. Tampering is an offence, so never let anyone "adjust" a meter for you.

For Landlords: Power Sells a Property

Tenants now filter on power the way they once filtered on location. Being specific about it is one of the cheapest ways to let a property faster:

• State the band and the meter type in the listing. "Band B, dedicated prepaid meter, 1.5kVA inverter installed" outperforms "constant light" every time, because tenants have learned what the latter means.
• Get units individually metered. It removes the largest recurring source of tenant conflict and makes your property materially easier to let.
• Publish the generator levy honestly, including how it varies.
• Clear arrears between tenancies. An inherited disputed bill sours a tenancy in week one.
• Consider an inverter. Modest capital cost, and it justifies a higher rent while making the flat far more attractive to remote workers.

If you are letting directly, put all of this in the listing text — see how to list your property online for free.

Frequently Asked Questions

What do electricity bands A to E mean in Nigeria?

Bands classify a feeder by the hours of supply it is committed to deliver each day, and the tariff follows the commitment. Band A feeders are committed to a minimum of 20 hours a day and pay the highest rate — around ₦225 per kWh as of April 2026. Bands B through E receive progressively fewer committed hours and pay progressively lower rates. Your band is a property of the feeder serving the address, not of the individual flat.

How do I check which band an address is on?

Ask the DisCo for the area with the meter number or address — most publish band information on their websites and apps and will confirm by customer care. Do not rely on the landlord's or agent's description; a large share of 'Band A' claims are aspirational. Ask a neighbour what they actually pay and how many hours they actually get.

Is a prepaid meter better than estimated billing?

Almost always, yes. With a prepaid meter you buy tokens and pay for what you use, so the bill cannot be invented. Estimated or 'crazy' billing means the DisCo issues a monthly figure based on assumptions, and disputing it is slow and often fruitless. Prefer a metered property, and prefer one where the meter is yours alone.

Who pays for a prepaid meter, the landlord or the tenant?

Meters are supplied through DisCo and metering schemes, and the cost is usually borne by the property owner or recovered by the DisCo. A tenant who pays for a meter should get it in writing that the cost will be offset against rent or refunded, because the meter stays with the property when you leave.

Is it legal for a landlord to disconnect my electricity?

No. Cutting power to force a tenant out is unlawful self-help, not a debt-collection method, and in Lagos it is an offence under the Tenancy Law that can attract a fine or imprisonment as well as a claim for damages. Possession can only be recovered through the courts.

What is bulk or shared metering in an estate?

One meter serves the whole building or estate, and the landlord or estate manager divides the bill among occupants. It is common and it is the single biggest source of billing disputes for Nigerian tenants, because you cannot verify your own consumption. If a property is bulk-metered, ask exactly how the split is calculated, ask to see the last three bills, and ask what happens to your share when a flat is empty.

Tariffs and band classifications are set by NERC and the distribution companies and change periodically; the figures here reflect the position in 2026. Always confirm the current rate and band for a specific address with the DisCo serving that area.