23. Charges for energy to be made without undue preference .-(1) A licensee shall not, in making any agreement for the supply of energy, show undue preference to any person, [* * *].
(2)No consumer shall, except with the consent in writing of the licensee, use energy supplied to him under one method of charging in a manner for which a higher method of charging is in force.(3)[ In the absence of an agreement to the contrary, a licensee may charge for energy supplied by him to any consumer-(a)by the actual amount of energy so supplied, or(b)by the electrical quantity contained in the supply, or(c)by such other method as may be approved by the State Government.(4)Any charges made by a licensee under clause (c) of sub-section (3) may be based upon, and vary in accordance with, any one or more of the following considerations, namely:-(a)the consumer's load factor, or(b)the power factor of his load, or(c)his total consumption of energy during any stated period, or(d)the hours at which the supply of energy is required.]
