Has your October electricity bill come in lower than usual? Check the bill for a small negative percentage marked FPPAS. For October, UPPCL has applied FPPAS at −5.24%. It is a credit, and it is worth about ₹424.45 crore to consumers across Uttar Pradesh in this one billing cycle. This is not a one-off either. October is the fourth month in a row that FPPAS has reduced bills (July −4.43%, August −2.92%, September −7.93%). In June, the same line was adding 10%. Here is what FPPAS means and how to check it on your own bill.
What is FPPAS?
FPPAS means Fuel and Power Purchase Adjustment Surcharge. It is a pass-through charge. It recovers, or refunds, the difference between the power purchase cost fixed in the tariff order and what the utility actually paid for electricity in a month.
UPPCL buys almost all the electricity it sells, from its own plants, central stations and the short-term market. The tariff order fixes an approved average cost for this purchase. Actual costs rarely match the estimate. Coal and gas prices change, hydel generation goes up and down with the monsoon, and transmission charges vary too. FPPAS passes this difference on to consumers month by month, so nobody has to wait years for the next tariff revision.
It works under the UPERC (Multi Year Tariff for Distribution) Regulations, 2025, notified on 26 March 2025. These regulations also decide when FPPAS is billed and how large it can get.
Why the surcharge comes three months late
FPPAS is not billed for the current month. Under the regulations, the cost variation of a given month is billed in the third month after it. So the relief on your October bill is really the story of July, when the monsoon was at its peak, hydel generation was strong and short-term power was cheap.
| Bills of | FPPAS applied | Based on costs of |
| June 2026 | +10.00% (the monthly cap) | March 2026 |
| July 2026 | −4.43% | April 2026 |
| August 2026 | −2.92% | May 2026 |
| September 2026 | −7.93% | June 2026 |
| October 2026 | −5.24% | July 2026 |
So October's credit is not a new concession. It is the bill catching up with the cheap power bought in July. UPPCL's Regulatory Affairs Unit fixed this rate in its order dated 29 September 2026.
How the −5.24% was worked out
The calculation sheet for July 2026 shows that UPPCL bought 16,407.07 million units (about 1,641 crore units) at ₹4.69 per unit, against an approved cost of ₹4.94 per unit. That is about 25 paise less per unit. On July's volume, this gap alone works out to roughly ₹410 crore. Add the transmission cost variation and the total comes to ₹424.45 crore. October's projected billing was ₹8,097.76 crore, so the credit works out to exactly 5.24%. The same rate applies to every consumer category and every UPPCL distribution company (DISCOM).
The June bill shows the same story in reverse. When actual costs go above the approved level, the surcharge turns positive. June 2026 bills carried the full +10%, the maximum the regulations allow in a month. Anything above that is not written off; it is carried forward to later months.
What it means on your bill, in rupees
FPPAS is charged as a percentage of your fixed charges plus energy charges. It is not charged on the full bill, and not on electricity duty or other levies. At October's −5.24%:
| Fixed + energy charges on your bill | After −5.24% (Oct 2026) | You save |
| ₹1,000 | ₹947.60 | ₹52.40 |
| ₹2,500 | ₹2,369.00 | ₹131.00 |
| ₹5,000 | ₹4,738.00 | ₹262.00 |
Electricity duty is calculated on the amount left after FPPAS, so the credit reduces the duty a little as well. Your total saving is slightly more than the table shows. Two things to keep in mind:
1. The rate is the same for everyone. Domestic, commercial, industrial, every category gets the same percentage, because it reflects a pool-level cost variation, not your personal usage.
2. Some months have no FPPAS at all. If actual costs match the approved cost, the line simply does not appear.
What you should do
- Check the FPPAS line on your October bill. It should show −5.24% against July 2026 costs, and the amount should be close to your fixed plus energy charges × 5.24%. Small rounding differences are normal.
- Recalculate your full bill, FPPAS included, on the Bijlibabu Bill Calculator and match the final figure in a minute.
- If the percentage on your bill does not match the published figure for that month, you can complain. Start at the divisional consumer grievance forum, or call 1912. Keep a copy of the bill and that month's order with you.
- Do not count this credit in your monthly budget. November's rate, based on August costs, will be out at month-end and may be smaller. Over a full year, these ups and downs mostly cancel out.
The bigger picture
FPPAS works both ways. In June 2026, power purchase costs went above the approved level and consumers paid up to 10% extra. Since July, costs have stayed below the estimate, and bills have carried credits for four months in a row. Regulators allow this monthly adjustment so that fuel costs are settled every month instead of piling up for years. The trade-off is that this line on your bill will keep moving with the power market. If you plan your budget closely, follow UPPCL's monthly notification on its tariff page instead of assuming the relief will continue.
Sources: UPPCL tariff page, monthly FPPAS orders (RAU letter No. 501/RAU/IC, dt. 29.09.2026); Times of India, Oct 2026; CNBC-TV18, Oct 2026; UP FPPAS tracker, Oct 2026.
