Last updated: 25 October 2026
The Saudi electricity tariff 2027 rates are now confirmed: Saudi Energy, the company formerly known as the Saudi Electricity Company, announced on 25 October 2026 that household power will cost 21 halalas per kWh for the first 6,000 kWh a month from 1 January 2027, up from 18 halalas. Every account will also pay a new fixed monthly charge of SAR 70 to SAR 100, depending on the size of its circuit breaker. On the same day, King Salman directed a SAR 500 monthly allowance for citizens in government jobs, retirees and social security families to offset the change.
What changed in the Saudi electricity tariff 2027
Both residential tiers go up by 3 halalas, and a fixed charge based on breaker capacity is added to every bill. The tier boundary stays at 6,000 kWh a month.
| Residential item | Now (since 2018) | From 1 January 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 6,000 kWh a month | 18 halalas per kWh | 21 halalas per kWh |
| Above 6,000 kWh a month | 30 halalas per kWh | 33 halalas per kWh |
| Breaker 20 to under 100 amps | SAR 10 meter fee | SAR 70 a month |
| Breaker 100 to under 200 amps | SAR 15 meter fee | SAR 80 a month |
| Breaker 200 to under 300 amps | Meter fee | SAR 90 a month |
| Breaker 300 amps and above | Meter fee | SAR 100 a month |
The fixed charge replaces the old meter reading, maintenance and bill preparation fee, so you will not pay both. All the published prices exclude VAT, which is added on the bill at the standard 15%.
Businesses move up too. Commercial accounts, private clinics and private schools will pay 25 halalas up to 6,000 kWh and 35 halalas above it, industry pays a flat 23 halalas and government buildings a flat 35 halalas. Their fixed charges run from SAR 350 to SAR 900 a month. Farms pay 19 and 23 halalas and charities 17 and 21 halalas, with fixed charges of SAR 140 to SAR 200.
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What a typical bill will look like
Saudi Energy’s own example is a home using 1,000 kWh in 30 days on a breaker under 100 amps: SAR 210 for consumption plus SAR 70 fixed, so SAR 280 before VAT, or about SAR 322 with it.
A larger villa using 2,000 kWh on a 100 to 200 amp breaker would pay SAR 420 for power plus SAR 80, so SAR 500 before VAT, or SAR 575 with it. In practice, summer air conditioning bills will feel the rise most. To see how many kWh you use today, pull up your last few bills with our Saudi electricity bill check guide.
Who is affected
Every electricity account holder in the Kingdom, Saudi or expat. If the meter is in your name, the change lands on your bill directly.
- Tenants paying their own bill: you pay the new rates and the fixed charge from January.
- Tenants with power included in rent: your landlord’s cost goes up. Check your contract in our Ejar tenant guide before renewal talks, because some landlords will try to pass it on.
- Small business owners: the SAR 350 minimum fixed charge is a real monthly cost for a shop or office.
SAR 500 monthly allowance: who qualifies
The Saudi Press Agency reported that King Salman, on a proposal from Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, directed support measures to ease the effect of the new electricity and water tariffs. The package includes:
- Government employees: a SAR 500 monthly increase for civilian and military employees on civil service pay scales and employment programmes.
- Retirees and their families: the same SAR 500 for retirees, and for eligible family members of deceased subscribers or retirees under the social insurance system.
- Social security families: SAR 500 a month in support for families who receive social security.
The measures were announced as support for citizens. Expatriate residents, including private sector workers and their families, are not covered, so expat households will pay the new rates with no offsetting allowance. The same order raises the minimum wage at which a Saudi worker counts in Nitaqat to SAR 5,000, and later SAR 6,000. That rule is about Saudisation counts, not expat pay; our minimum salary guide explains what it means.
What expats should do now
- Find your breaker capacity. It is shown in your account on the Saudi Energy app and on your monthly bill. This decides whether you pay SAR 70 or SAR 100.
- Make sure the account is in the right name. If you moved in and the meter still sits with the old tenant or the landlord, sort it out before January.
- Budget from your 2026 bills. Add 3 halalas per kWh to last year’s usage, then add the fixed charge and 15% VAT.
- Raise it at contract renewal. If electricity is included in your rent, agree in writing whether the rent will change.
How the switchover will be billed
Power used before 1 January 2027 is charged at the old rates, and power used from that date at the new ones. A bill that covers late December and early January may show both.
The fixed charge is worked out by days: the monthly amount multiplied by the number of days in the bill, divided by 30. Full details are on the Saudi Energy website. The National Water Company has also announced new water tariffs from the same date, but its rates had not been published in full when this was written.
Sources: Saudi Energy tariff announcement and subscriber guide, 25 October 2026, as reported by the Saudi Press Agency, Ajel and Sabq; royal support measures via SPA, Saudi Gazette and Sabq (25 October 2026); current meter fees from the Saudi Electricity Regulatory Authority.