The state has completely stopped the smart prepaid billing system and switched everyone to postpaid immediately. This is a result of months of angry protests in the streets about high charges and electricity being cut off suddenly. Energy Minister A.K. Sharma said that the bill for May 2026’s electricity will arrive in June, and it will be a postpaid bill.
What changes for consumers now
You won’t have to put money on your account before using power anymore. Instead, you’ll get a bill at the end of the month, and Sharma says the postpaid bills will be available by the 10th of each month, with payment details sent by SMS and WhatsApp.
If the electricity meter can’t automatically send the reading because of problems with the network, companies working under the Advanced Metering Infrastructure Service Provider system will read the meter by hand. This will ensure bills are sent on time.
Why the government reversed course
This decision comes after many protests in different areas of the state. People said they were being billed too much and that there were problems with the prepaid smart meters installed as part of the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme. The protests got worse, and there were even reports of people taking their meters and leaving them in public places to show how frustrated they were.
Official instructions have gone to all the electricity distribution companies – Purvanchal, Madhyanchal, Dakshinanchal, Pashchimanchal and KESCO in Kanpur – to put this into action. The minister says this is being done to put the consumer first and that changing the already installed meters to postpaid is happening across the entire state right now.
Regulatory pressure and reactions
Avadhesh Kumar Verma, a member of the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission Advisory Committee and the head of the Uttar Pradesh Rajya Vidyut Upbhokta Parishad, said he’s pleased the change is happening and that it should have been done sooner. He said the national government had already made rules and announced the move to postpaid on April 1, relying on the fact that the state would follow suit.
Verma says the state only acted after the central regulatory authority asked why they shouldn’t be fined for continuing with prepaid meters. He says Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Ltd’s figures show approximately 85 lakh (8.5 million) smart meters have been put in, with almost 83 lakh (8.3 million) being prepaid, which affects about 83 lakh (8.3 million) families.
Verma claims that, according to current electricity laws, people have the right to choose between prepaid and postpaid. He is the source of these statements.
Relief measures, timelines and billing safeguards
If you’re a householder and still owe money on your electricity bill from before April 30, 2026, you can pay it in ten monthly instalments. All other types of customers can pay in three instalments of 40%, 30%, and 30%.
The existing ways to protect customers will remain. Postpaid customers will still have 15 days to pay their bill from the date it’s issued, then a further seven days’ notice before their electricity is cut off. This is to avoid sudden disconnections which people criticised with the prepaid system.
To deal with a lot of complaints, special complaint centers and help points will be open at executive engineer and sub-divisional offices from May 5th to June 30th. You can also get help from the 1912 helpline, the minister said.
What should consumers do next
Since the change to postpaid is already happening, you need to watch for messages and be ready for the new billing times. The state has also said that all new electricity connections will only be postpaid and ‘smart’ – so future installations will follow this new system.
For quick reference, here is what to expect and act on now:
– Expect your May 2026 bill to arrive in June.
– Look for bill alerts on SMS and WhatsApp.
– Pay within the 15-day window to avoid penalties.
– Visit grievance camps between May 15 and June 30.
– Use the 1912 helpline for unresolved issues.
– Ask about instalments if dues exist till April 30, 2026.
Impact on discoms and implementation
All the electricity companies in Purvanchal, Madhyanchal, Dakshinanchal and Pashchimanchal and KESCO Kanpur have been told to change all the smart prepaid meters to postpaid right away. And if the communication with the meter isn’t working, the AMISP companies will read it by hand so the bills aren’t late.
The government says this change is about getting things back to being predictable and people trusting the electricity company again after all the issues of the last few months. Previously, the authorities had said they would deal with complaints, and this is the biggest step they’ve taken so far in response to the widespread dissatisfaction of customers.
