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kWh ↔ Units · India 2026

1 Unit of Electricity = 1 kWh

Yes — exactly. The "unit" on your electricity bill is identical to a kilowatt-hour. What changes is the price per unit, which ranges from ₹0.00 to ₹6.65 across Indian DISCOMs. Use the calculator below for your exact rate.

Cheapest 1 unit

₹0.00

TNEB / TANGEDCO, Tamil Nadu

Median 1 unit

₹3.25

KSEB, Kerala

Priciest 1 unit

₹6.65

JBVNL, Jharkhand

Calculate my unit cost Compare unit rates by state
The short answer

1 unit = 1 kilowatt-hour. Always.

On every Indian electricity bill — whether issued by MSEDCL in Mumbai, BESCOM in Bangalore, BSES in Delhi, or KSEB in Kerala — 1 unit means 1 kilowatt-hour (kWh). It is the amount of energy used by a 1,000-watt appliance running continuously for one hour. That definition is fixed by the SI system; it does not change between states or DISCOMs.

What does change — dramatically — is the cost of that 1 unit. Each State Electricity Regulatory Commission (SERC) sets its own slab structure. For domestic consumers, the entry-slab rate currently spans roughly ₹0.00 to ₹6.65 per unit across the country. At higher consumption slabs the rate can climb past ₹7.50/unit.

Your effective per-unit cost is also higher than the headline slab rate because the bill adds fixed charges (₹/kW of sanctioned load), FAC / FPPCA (fuel adjustment, varies monthly), and electricity duty (a percentage state levy). For a typical 100-unit domestic bill, the effective rate is usually 15–30% above the slab rate. Pick your DISCOM in the calculator below to see the precise number.

Quick conversions

  • 1 unit

    1,000 watt-hours · 3.6 MJ

    = 1 kWh

  • 1 kWh

    Standard billing unit in India

    = 1 unit

  • 1 BU

    Used for power-station output

    = 1 billion units

  • 1 MWh

    Megawatt-hour · industrial scale

    = 1,000 units

Watts × Hours ÷ 1000 = Units

A 1.5-ton AC (≈1,500 W) for 8 hours uses 12 units. A 5 W LED for 200 hours uses 1 unit.

Calculator

What does 1 unit cost in your state?

Pick your state & DISCOM, enter how many units you used (1 unit = 1 kWh), and see the slab-wise breakdown — including FAC, duty and fixed charges.

Calculate Your Electricity Bill

Pick your state, DISCOM and enter units — we do the math exactly the way your DISCOM does.

Connection Type
Input Mode

Tip: Your bill shows this as "units consumed" or "kWh".

Usually 1–5 kW for homes, 5–20 kW for shops.

Notes for MSEDCL:
  • Rates per MERC Tariff Order FY 2025-26. FAC varies monthly.
  • Telescopic slab structure; state subsidy may apply for first 100 units.

Cost of 1 unit (kWh) — top DISCOMs

Entry-slab domestic rates from the latest SERC tariff orders. Effective rate at 100 units adds fixed charge, FAC and duty.

DISCOM State 1 unit (slab 1) Top slab Effective @ 100u
MSEDCL Maharashtra ₹4.71 ₹16.64 ₹8.43 Calculate
BRPL Delhi ₹3.00 ₹8.00 ₹3.73 Calculate
BYPL Delhi ₹3.00 ₹8.00 ₹3.73 Calculate
TPDDL Delhi ₹3.00 ₹8.00 ₹3.73 Calculate
BESCOM Karnataka ₹4.15 ₹8.20 ₹7.97 Calculate
KSEB Kerala ₹3.25 ₹8.80 ₹5.51 Calculate
UPPCL Uttar Pradesh ₹5.50 ₹7.00 ₹8.09 Calculate
TNEB / TANGEDCO Tamil Nadu ₹0.00 ₹8.40 ₹0.27 Calculate
CESC Kolkata West Bengal ₹5.09 ₹10.74 ₹7.07 Calculate

See the full state-wise unit rate table for India or jump to a DISCOM-specific page for slab-wise rates.

1 kW heater · 1 hr

1 unit

1000 W × 1 hr ÷ 1000

100 W bulb · 10 hrs

1 unit

100 W × 10 hr ÷ 1000

5 W LED · 200 hrs

1 unit

5 W × 200 hr ÷ 1000

1.5T AC · 8 hrs/day

12 units

1500 W × 8 hr ÷ 1000

Fridge · 1 hr (avg)

0.2 units

200 W × 1 hr ÷ 1000

2 kW geyser · 1 hr

2 units

2000 W × 1 hr ÷ 1000

1 unit kWh — common questions

Answers to the most common electricity bill questions in India.

1 unit electricity is equal to how many kWh?
1 unit of electricity = 1 kilowatt-hour (kWh). The "unit" you see on your electricity bill is exactly the same as a kWh — it is the amount of energy a 1,000-watt appliance uses if it runs for one full hour. So 1 unit = 1 kWh = 1,000 watt-hours = 3.6 megajoules.
How much does 1 unit of electricity cost in India?
It depends entirely on your state, DISCOM, and consumption slab. The entry-slab rate ranges from ₹0.00/unit at TNEB / TANGEDCO (Tamil Nadu) to ₹6.65/unit at JBVNL (Jharkhand). At higher slabs the rate climbs to ₹7.50/unit. Use the calculator above to see the exact rate for your DISCOM.
How is 1 unit (1 kWh) measured on my meter?
Your electricity meter records cumulative units. The bill is calculated as: Current reading − Previous reading = Units consumed. Each "unit" represents 1 kWh. A 1.5-ton AC running for 1 hour uses about 1.5 units. A 1,000 W heater for 1 hour uses exactly 1 unit. A 5-watt LED bulb running for 200 hours uses 1 unit.
Why is my per-unit rate higher than the slab rate?
Your bill includes more than just energy charges: a fixed charge (₹/kW of sanctioned load), FAC / FPPCA (fuel cost adjustment, varies monthly), electricity duty (a state levy, typically 5–25%), and sometimes meter rent. Once these are added, the effective per-unit rate is usually 15–30% higher than the headline slab rate.
Is 1 unit = 1 kWh the same in every state of India?
Yes. The unit of electrical energy (kWh) is a standard SI-derived unit — it does not change by geography. What changes is the price per unit, which is set by each State Electricity Regulatory Commission (SERC) and varies by DISCOM, slab, and consumer category.
How do I convert watts × hours to units?
Formula: Units (kWh) = (Watts × Hours) ÷ 1000. Example: a 200 W TV running 5 hours/day for 30 days = 200 × 5 × 30 ÷ 1000 = 30 units per month. At ₹8/unit, that's ₹240/month. The calculator on this page does this for you across every DISCOM in India.
1 unit equals how many joules?
1 unit (1 kWh) = 3,600,000 joules = 3.6 megajoules. In Indian household billing, kilowatt-hours are universally used — joules are only relevant in physics or energy-engineering contexts.