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Electricity guide · updated 29 Sep 2026

Electricity bands A to E: what yours means and costs.

Your band decides how many hours of power you are owed and what every unit costs. Here are the rules, the 2026 prices, and how to check your band at each DisCo.

In short · facts checked 29 Sep 2026

Every feeder in Nigeria sits in one of five service bands, A to E, set by the hours of supply it delivers a day: at least 20 for Band A, 16 for B, 12 for C, 8 for D and 4 for E. Band A pays ₦209.50 per kWh in the states NERC still regulates, frozen there since July 2024; Bands B to E pay far less. Your band belongs to your feeder, and you can check it with your meter or account number - free tools below for IBEDC and Ikeja Electric.

By the AidaPay team · Updated 29 Sep 2026

The five bands

NERC brought in the Service Based Tariff on 1 November 2020. The rule is that you pay for the supply you actually get. Every feeder, the line from a substation to the transformers in your area, is placed in a band by its average daily hours of supply.

BandMinimum supply a day
A20 hours
B16 hours
C12 hours
D8 hours
E4 hours

Each band is split again by customer class: ordinary single-phase and three-phase customers (non-MD), and maximum-demand customers on low voltage (MD1) or on 11 kV and 33 kV lines (MD2). Lifeline customers, class R1, use no more than 50 kWh a month and are priced on their own.

What each band pays

Band A is the expensive one by design. NERC moved Band A to ₦225 per kWh in April 2024, cut it to ₦206.80 in May, and it has been ₦209.50 since July 2024. NERC's September 2026 supplementary orders, effective 1 September 2026, keep it frozen at that rate. Bands B to E stay frozen at their December 2022 rates, a fraction of the Band A price.

To see what that means at the meter: ₦10,000 of Band A energy is about 47.7 kWh at ₦209.50, before VAT and any vendor charge. The same money buys several times more units on a Band B to E feeder.

Not every state follows NERC's price. Under the Electricity Act 2023, states can regulate their own electricity markets. NERC's September 2026 orders set tariffs only for the "yet-to-transition" states, for example Kwara, Ogun, Osun and Oyo for IBEDC, and FCT and Nasarawa for AEDC. Lagos customers of Ikeja Electric and Eko are priced by the Lagos regulator.

How to check your band

You need one number: your prepaid meter number, on the front of the meter and on every token receipt, or your postpaid account number from the bill. Then use your DisCo's lookup:

DisCoWhere to check
IBEDCAidaPay's free IBEDC band checker shows band, hours, tariff per kWh and feeder in one step. It asks IBEDC's own feeder info service.
Ikeja ElectricOur Ikeja Electric band page opens their customer feeder verification report. Search your account or meter number to see your feeder and band.
Eko (EKEDC)Eko points customers to feederinfo.ekedp.com. It was not loading when we checked in September 2026; call Eko if it is still down.
PHED, KEDCONERC's April 2024 Band A lists name each DisCo's Band A feeders and the streets they serve: PHED, 43 feeders mostly in Port Harcourt, Calabar and Uyo; KEDCO, 43 feeders. The lists date from April 2024, so confirm your current band with the DisCo.
Any DisCoYour bill or the DisCo's customer care. Quote your account number and ask for the feeder name and band.

Write the feeder name down. It is the first thing customer care asks for in any complaint about supply hours.

When a band changes

Bands are reviewed against how feeders actually perform. In the review of April 2025, NERC ordered compensation for Band A customers on 557 streets whose feeders gave 18 to 20 hours. Feeders below 18 hours were downgraded: 58 streets moved down. Another 33 streets were moved up into Band A.

When the grid itself failed in February and March 2026, NERC went further and ordered a special compensation for affected Band A customers. Our Band A compensation guide explains who qualifies and how to claim.

If your band is wrong

A band is wrong in one of two ways. You may be billed Band A on a feeder that plainly does not deliver it, or you may be on the wrong feeder in the DisCo's records. Either way, the fix is evidence:

  1. Log your supply for two weeks. Note when power comes and goes. A notebook is enough.
  2. Get your feeder name from the lookup above, your bill or customer care.
  3. Complain to your DisCo in writing, with the log, and keep the reference number.
  4. Escalate to NERC's forum office for your state if the DisCo does not resolve it.

Frequently asked questions

Is Band A worth paying for?
Only if your feeder really delivers 20 hours or more a day. You pay several times the Band B to E price for each unit, so a Band A feeder that gives 12 hours is the worst deal on the grid. Log your hours before you accept the band.
Can I ask to be moved from Band A to Band B?
Not by choice: the band follows the feeder, not the customer. You can report that the feeder is missing its hours. NERC reviews feeder performance and has moved underperforming Band A feeders to lower bands.
Why does my token give fewer units than my neighbour's?
The most common reason is a different feeder, and so a different band and price per unit. Tariff class matters too: maximum-demand customers are priced separately from ordinary homes.
Does the band affect postpaid customers?
Yes. The band sets the price per unit on your bill in exactly the same way.
Is Lagos on the same prices?
Lagos now regulates its own electricity market, so its end-user tariffs are set by the state regulator. NERC's September 2026 orders cover Ogun only for Ikeja Electric and Eko.
Buy electricity in secondsEvery DisCo, with the meter name checked before you pay.
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How we check this guide

The AidaPay team checked the facts on this page on 29 Sep 2026 against the sources below - network, regulator and company pages first, and at least two independent sources where no official page exists. Prices come live from AidaPay. Spotted something out of date? Email help@aidapay.ng and we will correct it.

Sources: NERC: What is Service Based Tariff (SBT)? · NERC Supplementary Order, Ikeja Electric, September 2026 (bands, classes, Band A rate) · NERC Supplementary Order, IBEDC, September 2026 · NERC: PHED Band A customers (April 2024) · NERC: KEDCO Band A customers (April 2024) · Daily Trust: NERC orders DisCos to compensate Band A customers in 557 streets (2025) · IBEDC: Customer feeder info

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