Entry · Quality and losses

Compensation for violation of a continuity limit

When must the distribution utility give a credit on the bill?

● checked against the primary source on Sep 30, 2026Source: ANEEL

Acronyms: DIC, Individual interruption duration per consumer unit; FIC, Individual interruption frequency per consumer unit; DEC and FEC, Equivalent interruption duration and frequency per consumer unit; ANEEL, Brazilian Electricity Regulatory Agency.

In one sentence

Credit on the bill that the distribution utility must give automatically to the consumer unit when it exceeds the individual continuity limits (DIC, FIC, DMIC, DICRI or DISE).

Real example

Compensations paid to consumer units for violation of the individual continuity limits

R$ 1,007,210,667Nature of the data: Calculated

Jan 2025 to Dec 2025 · Brazil

Source: ANEEL, Indicadores Coletivos de Continuidade (DEC e FEC): compensações. Reference up to Dec 2025. Captured on Sep 30, 2026.

Value of the compensations paid in the year for violation of the individual continuity limits, by accrual period.

See in the panel: Quality of supply: compensations

Calculated: Deterministic transformation made by Scrutiniums, with a published formula.

Why it matters

It is the effect of continuity that reaches the consumer directly. The collective indicators (DEC and FEC) are averages; the individual ones measure what each unit experienced, and it is their violation that generates compensation.

How it is measured

ANEEL publishes, by group and month of determination, the number and value of compensations paid, separated by type of limit violated. The individual value depends on the indicators of the unit itself, which are not published: it is not calculated from the DEC.

Unit: R$ and number of compensations

Not to be confused with

DEC (Equivalent interruption duration per consumer unit)
Compensation depends on the individual indicators of each unit (DIC, FIC and others), which are not published; it is not calculated from the DEC of the group.

What cannot be concluded

The database reports the accrual period (month of determination), not the date on which the credit appeared on the bill; the quantity is of compensations, not of consumers.

Related entries

See in the panel

Compensations paid

Official source

ANEELANEEL page “Qualidade do fornecimento de energia elétrica” (Topics, Distribution), published on Jul 1, 2024 and updated on Apr 29, 2026
Literal excerpt from the document
Portuguese only“Os indicadores DIC (Duração de Interrupção Individual por Unidade Consumidora) e FIC (Frequência de Interrupção Individual por Unidade Consumidora) indicam, respectivamente, o tempo total e o número de vezes em que uma unidade consumidora ficou sem energia elétrica durante um período considerado.”
In other words: once the individual limit is exceeded, the distribution utility credits the amount on the bill within two months, without the consumer having to ask.
Literal excerpt from the document
Portuguese only“A violação dos limites definidos pela ANEEL para os indicadores individuais gera compensação financeira automática às unidades consumidoras. A distribuidora deve realizar a compensação quando da ultrapassagem dos correspondentes limites, por meio de crédito na fatura de energia elétrica, no prazo de até dois meses após o período de apuração.”
ANEELOpen data portal, dataset “Indicadores Coletivos de Continuidade (DEC e FEC)” (official description)
Literal excerpt from the document
Portuguese only“O conjunto de dados também apresenta a quantidade e o valor das compensações pagas pelas distribuidoras pelas transgressões dos limites de continuidade.”

Documents accessed and text checked on Sep 30, 2026.