What Is a Customer ID?

Pakistani electricity bills use a few different identifiers, and it's easy to mix them up. A "customer ID" (sometimes called a consumer number) generally identifies your account with the distribution company long-term, while a reference number is often specific to a single billing cycle.

Customer ID vs. reference number

• Customer ID / consumer number: a longer-term identifier tied to your connection, used across many bills.
• Reference number: the number printed on a specific bill, commonly used for that bill's online lookup.

Depending on the utility company and the bill format, one or both of these may appear. If a bill-lookup form asks specifically for a "reference number," use the value labelled that way on your bill rather than a customer/consumer number, since the two are not interchangeable in the lookup system.

If you're not sure which number you have

Check your most recent paper or PDF bill — most Pakistani electricity bills print both identifiers, usually near the top or in a small identification box. If you can't locate either, our bill unavailable guide covers other options.