DisCos billed 10% less electricity in Q2 as more homes and shops turn to solar

Nigeria's electricity distributors sold less power between April and June this year than in the same months of 2025. The 11 DisCos billed customers for 5,812.31 GWh in the second quarter, down 9.9% from 6,449.82 GWh a year earlier. The figures come from the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and were reported by The Guardian on Tuesday.

Over the same period, more households, shops and small firms have been buying solar panels and batteries. The question for the power sector is how much of the drop is down to that shift.

What the regulator's numbers show

In money terms, DisCos received electricity worth ₦946.57bn in the quarter and billed ₦744.67bn of it. That is a billing efficiency of 78.67%, slightly down from 79.24% in the first quarter, Nairametrics reported.

They collected ₦603.64bn, or 81.06% of what they billed. Collections were better than in the first quarter, when they stood at 78.95%, according to both Nairametrics and ThisDay.

Put together, the DisCos lost 36.23% of the value of their power to faults, theft, unbilled use and unpaid bills, ThisDay reported. The target in NERC's 2026 tariff order is 16.92%.

The federal government covered ₦321.26bn of the gap between what power costs and what customers pay. That was ₦37.06bn less than in the first quarter. ThisDay said the fall came mainly from DisCos taking 3.40% less energy from the grid.

The solar side

Solar still makes up a small slice of Nigeria's energy use, put at 1.6% in figures cited by The Guardian. But it is growing from that small base.

The Guardian cited data from GOGLA, the global off-grid solar industry body, showing solar kit sales in the first half of 2025 were 33% higher than a year before. The Rural Electrification Agency (REA) says about 1.45 million solar home systems have been deployed under the Nigeria Electrification Project, and more than 150 solar hybrid mini-grids commissioned.

The REA has also commissioned two solar mini-grids in Kano State, at Ballagaza in Gabasawa and Marayar Rogo in Warawa, with 2,214 connections between them. They were part-funded through the World Bank-backed DARES programme.

Even so, the report is clear on one point. There is no national data yet that directly links solar uptake to the fall in grid sales. Poor supply, grid trips and tariff changes all play a part.

Why DisCos should pay attention

Customers who leave, or who only use the grid as backup, are often the ones who pay their bills. If they buy fewer units, a DisCo's fixed costs are spread over less revenue. That can push it to lean harder on the customers who remain.

What it means for you

If you are thinking of solar, you are not alone. More Nigerians are buying panels and batteries, often on instalments, to cut generator spending.

If you keep your DisCo connection as backup, keep your meter in good order and your account up to date. A meter that records little use is not proof of wrongdoing, and you can complain to your DisCo and then to NERC's forum offices if you are wrongly billed.

For everyone else, the fall in grid sales is a warning sign. A distribution company that sells less power has less money to fix transformers and feeders, unless it improves supply enough to win customers back.