Generator Bill in Lebanon: How to Calculate It

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For most households in Lebanon, the private generator subscription (ishtirak, «اشتراك المولّد») is the main electricity bill of the month. Since operators were made to install meters, that bill is no longer a flat amount the operator chooses. It follows a formula set by the state every month. Today's official tariff is 52,622 LBP per kWh, plus a fixed monthly fee of 385,000 LBP for a 5-amp subscription or 685,000 LBP for 10 amps. This guide shows how to turn those numbers into your bill, and how to check it.

Where the tariff comes from

Every month (in practice, most months) the Ministry of Energy and Water publishes a "fair price" tariff for private generators. It is calculated from the average price of a 20-litre tank of diesel during that month, plus the operator's costs, interest and a profit margin. When diesel gets more expensive, the kWh price goes up, and the reverse.

The tariff has two parts:

  1. A price per kilowatt-hour (kWh) for the energy you actually use.
  2. A fixed monthly fee that depends on the size of your subscription in amps (5 A, 10 A, and so on). In the 2025–2026 tables, each extra 5 amps above 10 A added 300,000 LBP to the fixed fee.

The ministry also sets two kWh prices: one for cities, densely populated areas and places below 700 metres altitude, and a higher one for villages, remote areas and places above 700 metres, where running a generator costs more. In the August 2026 table, for example, they were 48,241 and 53,065 LBP per kWh, with the fixed fee at 385,000 LBP for 5 A and 685,000 LBP for 10 A. Check which zone you're in. Our generator page shows the current table and its date.

New tables don't always come every month, and sometimes a month passes without one. When that happens, our page keeps showing the latest published table and its date.

The formula

Bill = fixed fee for your amps + (kWh used × price per kWh)

kWh used = this month's meter reading − last month's meter reading.

The meter (al-'addad, «العدّاد») counts kilowatt-hours, just like an EDL meter. The difference between two readings is what you consumed.

Worked example: a 5-amp subscription

All numbers below are examples; replace them with the current tariff.

  • Subscription: 5 A, fixed fee 385,000 LBP
  • Price per kWh: 50,000 LBP
  • Meter last month: 12,480 · this month: 12,630

Steps:

  1. kWh used: 12,630 − 12,480 = 150 kWh
  2. Energy charge: 150 × 50,000 = 7,500,000 LBP
  3. Add the fixed fee: 7,500,000 + 385,000 = 7,885,000 LBP
  4. In dollars at an example rate of 89,500: 7,885,000 ÷ 89,500 ≈ $88.10

Worked example: a 10-amp subscription in a mountain village

  • Subscription: 10 A, fixed fee 685,000 LBP
  • Price per kWh (above 700 m): 55,000 LBP
  • Consumption: 260 kWh

Bill: 685,000 + (260 × 55,000) = 685,000 + 14,300,000 = 14,985,000 LBP, about $167.43 at 89,500.

What uses the kWh

Knowing your heavy appliances helps you predict the bill. Rough consumption figures for common items (they vary by model):

Appliance Typical power 1 hour uses about
Water heater (chauffe-eau) 1,500–2,000 W 1.5–2 kWh
Split AC, 12,000 BTU 1,000–1,300 W 1–1.3 kWh
Electric oven 2,000 W 2 kWh
Washing machine (one cycle) – 0.5–1.5 kWh per cycle
Fridge – 1–2 kWh per day
LED bulb 10 W 0.01 kWh

Example: running a water heater for one hour a day uses about 1.5 × 30 = 45 kWh a month. At 50,000 LBP per kWh (example), that's 2,250,000 LBP, around $25, just for hot water. A timer or a solar water heater pays for itself quickly.

Amps limit how much you can run at the same time, not how much you use in a month. A 5-amp subscription (about 1,100 W at 220 V) can't run a water heater and an AC together; the breaker trips. Choose the smallest subscription that covers what you run at once, because the fixed fee goes up with every 5 amps.

Use our calculator

Our generator page has a calculator: enter your amps and your two meter readings (or your kWh), and it applies the current official tariff. It is the quickest way to check the bill your operator hands you.

Checking your bill

When the bill arrives, check:

  1. The tariff month. The bill should use the tariff for the month of consumption.
  2. The kWh price and zone. Is it the city price or the above-700 m price, and does that match where you live?
  3. The readings. Note your meter reading yourself on the same day each month and take a photo. It's your evidence if the numbers don't match.
  4. The fixed fee. It should match your subscription size in amps.
  5. Extra charges. Fees outside the official tariff are among the violations inspectors have cited.

If you're overcharged

Start by talking to the operator with your readings and the official tariff in hand. Many disputes are reading errors.

If that doesn't work, the Ministry of Economy and Trade's consumer protection directorate takes complaints about generators that don't follow the ministry tariff, don't have meters, or add illegal fees:

  • Hotline: 1739
  • the Consumer Protection Lebanon app (ministry digital services)
  • email: [email protected]

The ministry runs inspection campaigns. Between 28 April and 15 May 2025 the ministry issued 83 citations, 60 of them against generator owners, for ignoring the tariff, not installing meters or charging illegal fees. In 2026 campaigns, generators were seized and handed to the municipalities concerned. In August 2025 the government gave operators 45 days to install meters and bill by consumption or face legal action.

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