CEB Domestic Electricity Tariff 2026 - Current Unit Rates and Bill Examples
See Sri Lanka's PUCSL domestic electricity tariff effective 11 May 2026, with current CEB and LECO unit rates, fixed charges, and worked bills from 30 to 200 units.
CEB Domestic Electricity Tariff Effective 11 May 2026
PUCSL approved an electricity tariff revision effective 11 May 2026 for both CEB and LECO consumers. Government subsidy kept the domestic tariff unchanged through 180 kWh for a monthly consumer, while the approved structure changed for consumption above 180 kWh and domestic time-of-use accounts.
This guide covers the ordinary domestic volume-differentiated tariff for a 30-day billing cycle. It does not cover domestic time-of-use, business, hotel, industrial, religious, government, street-lighting, or electric-vehicle tariffs.
Current Domestic Unit Rates and Fixed Charges
| Total use in a 30-day bill | Energy-charge structure | Fixed charge |
|---|---|---|
| 0-30 kWh | First 30 at Rs. 5.00/kWh | Rs. 80 |
| 31-60 kWh | First 30 at Rs. 5.00; next 30 at Rs. 9.00 | Rs. 210 |
| 61-90 kWh | First 60 at Rs. 14.00; next 30 at Rs. 20.00 | Rs. 400 |
| 91-120 kWh | Prior blocks plus units 91-120 at Rs. 28.00 | Rs. 1,000 |
| 121-180 kWh | Prior blocks plus units 121-180 at Rs. 44.00 | Rs. 1,500 |
| Above 180 kWh | First 180 at Rs. 32.50; balance at Rs. 100.00 | Rs. 2,500 |
The structure depends on total consumption. Above 180 kWh, the bill uses the separate above-180 structure; it does not simply add a Rs. 100 block to the under-180 calculation.
Worked CEB and LECO Bill Examples
These estimates use a standard 30-day bill and include the applicable fixed charge.
| Monthly units | Energy charge | Fixed charge | Estimated bill |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | Rs. 150 | Rs. 80 | Rs. 230 |
| 60 | Rs. 420 | Rs. 210 | Rs. 630 |
| 61 | Rs. 860 | Rs. 400 | Rs. 1,260 |
| 90 | Rs. 1,440 | Rs. 400 | Rs. 1,840 |
| 120 | Rs. 2,280 | Rs. 1,000 | Rs. 3,280 |
| 180 | Rs. 4,920 | Rs. 1,500 | Rs. 6,420 |
| 200 | Rs. 7,850 | Rs. 2,500 | Rs. 10,350 |
Use the CEB and LECO Electricity Bill Calculator for any whole-unit amount.
Why 61 Units Costs More Than 60
At 60 kWh, the energy charge is:
- 30 x Rs. 5 = Rs. 150
- 30 x Rs. 9 = Rs. 270
- Fixed charge = Rs. 210
- Total = Rs. 630
At 61 kWh, the account moves to the 61-180 structure:
- 60 x Rs. 14 = Rs. 840
- 1 x Rs. 20 = Rs. 20
- Fixed charge = Rs. 400
- Total = Rs. 1,260
This is why a one-unit increase at that boundary has a larger effect than a single unit normally would.
How the 200-Unit Example Works
Consumption above 180 kWh uses a different two-block structure:
- First 180 x Rs. 32.50 = Rs. 5,850
- Remaining 20 x Rs. 100 = Rs. 2,000
- Fixed charge = Rs. 2,500
- Estimated bill = Rs. 10,350
Billing Period Adjustments
PUCSL publishes the table for a 30-day billing cycle and its official calculator adjusts block limits according to the selected billing period. A 28-day, 31-day, or irregular meter-reading period can therefore differ from the simple examples above.
An issued bill may also contain prior balances, payments, adjustments, or other account entries that are outside a consumption-only estimate.
Common Electricity Bill Mistakes
- Entering the current meter reading instead of current reading minus previous reading
- Applying the 0-60 structure to an account that used 61 units or more
- Continuing the 61-180 blocks after total use exceeds 180
- Ignoring the fixed charge
- Comparing a 30-day estimate with a bill for a different number of days
- Using domestic rates for a time-of-use or non-domestic account
Official Sources
- PUCSL official domestic bill calculator
- PUCSL May 2026 tariff decision
- PUCSL approved tariff schedule effective 11 May 2026
- PUCSL end-user tariff decisions
Billing disclaimer: These are consumption-only estimates for the standard domestic volume-differentiated tariff and a 30-day cycle. PUCSL adjusts blocks for the actual billing period. Use the issued CEB or LECO bill and the PUCSL calculator for an authoritative comparison.