MEPCO Load Extension and Reduction
Last checked 26 September 2026
To change the sanctioned load on a MEPCO connection, apply for extension or reduction of load with a wiring test report, your last paid bill, an attested CNIC copy and a power supply contract, then pay the security deposit difference and any material cost. MEPCO consumers apply at a customer facilitation centre, through the PowerSmart app or with the MEPCO SMART app's change request. The new load affects your fixed charges, your meter at 5 kW and the size of solar system you can connect.
What sanctioned load decides on your bill
Sanctioned load is the load in kW that you applied for and MEPCO allowed you to use. NEPRA's rules tie five things to it:
- Fixed charges. A home on a normal meter pays Rs 200 to Rs 675 per kW of sanctioned load each month; a time-of-use (ToU) home pays Rs 675 per kW on half the sanctioned load or the maximum demand (MDI), whichever is higher. The slabs are explained under MEPCO fixed charges per kW.
- Meter and phase. At 5 kW and above, supply is three-phase and the home is billed on the ToU tariff A-1(b).
- Consumer category. Lifeline rates need a single-phase connection of up to 1 kW, and protected status exists only on normal, non-ToU meters.
- Security deposit. The deposit is charged per kW, for example Rs 1,220 per kW for an urban home.
- Solar limit. Under the 2026 net billing rules, a rooftop solar system cannot be larger than the sanctioned load.
NEPRA's manual lists the sanctioned load among the details a bill should generally show (clause 6.4.1), and PITC's complaint portal shows it next to your tariff when you search by reference number.
How to apply for a load extension or reduction
Apply on the standard application form with extension or reduction of load ticked, at a customer facilitation centre, through the PowerSmart app, or with Request for Change of Attributes in the MEPCO SMART app. PITC's Net Billing Portal and its guidelines for installers name the first two routes for MEPCO load extensions.
- List what you will run. The form's appliance table asks for the number and wattage of lights, fans, air conditioners, heaters, washing machines, refrigerators, plugs and motors, and totals them in kW.
- Get a wiring test report. It comes from the Electric Inspector or an authorised wiring contractor. A reduction can be to any lower load the test report supports (clause 2.14).
- Submit the request with the documents listed below. A load change is one of several other MEPCO consumer services that use the same form.
- Pay the demand notice for the security deposit difference and any capital cost, within 30 days (clause 2.4.3).
- Sign the power supply contract on Rs 50 non-judicial stamp paper, after which MEPCO carries out the work.
NEPRA's Consumer Service Manual (CSM) lists these documents for a load change (clause 2.14):
- the wiring test report;
- a copy of the last paid bill, with no arrears, deferred amount or instalments pending;
- an attested copy of your CNIC;
- the power supply contract;
- payment of the capital cost, where the change needs material;
- the updated security deposit, at current rates less the deposit already paid.
No approved map, site plan or NOC from a civic agency is needed for a load change, unless a court has restricted connections in the area (clause 2.3.6).
What a load extension costs
You pay the security deposit for the whole new load at today's rate, minus the deposit already paid, plus material if the change needs it (clause 5.2.3). MEPCO's FAQ describes the same thing as paying the security difference between the sanctioned load and the load you apply for.
The table works through three extensions, assuming the deposit on record was paid at today's rate. An older, lower deposit leaves a larger difference to pay.
| Change | Deposit for the new load | Already paid | You pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Urban home, 2 kW to 4 kW | 4 x Rs 1,220 = Rs 4,880 | Rs 2,440 | Rs 2,440 |
| Urban home, 3 kW to 6 kW | 6 x Rs 1,220 = Rs 7,320 | Rs 3,660 | Rs 3,660 |
| Rural home, 1 kW to 3 kW | 3 x Rs 610 = Rs 1,830 | Rs 610 | Rs 1,220 |
For loads above 1 kW, a fraction of half a kW or more counts as a full kW (clause 5.2.5). MEPCO's FAQ adds two possible costs: the material needed to make the extension work, and any benefit or subsidy you received in cost or service when the existing load was connected. A home going above 20 kW also needs a dedicated transformer or pays sharing charges for an existing one (clause 2.6), while homes up to 20 kW and commercial connections up to 15 kW are protected from later material price rises (clause 2.4.6). The rates for every category are under MEPCO security deposit and capital cost.
How long does a load extension take?
A load extension up to 15 kW follows NEPRA's new-connection time frames: the demand notice within 10 days of registration and 30 days in all for MEPCO's steps, not counting your time to pay. Annexure III of the manual covers extension and reduction of load alongside new connections. Each row below is a connection category by load and voltage, with the demand notice deadline and the total for MEPCO's steps.
| Category | Load | Demand notice due within | Connection due within |
|---|---|---|---|
| Category 1 | Up to 15 kW at 400 V | 10 days | 30 days |
| Category 2 | Above 15 kW up to 70 kW at 400 V | 10 days | 44 days |
| Category 3 | Above 70 kW up to 500 kW at 400 V | 12 days | 58 days |
| Category 4 | Above 500 kW up to 5,000 kW at 11 or 33 kV | 30 days | 106 days |
| Category 5 | All loads at 66 kV and above | 45 days | 496 days |
The days you take to pay the demand notice are outside MEPCO's count, because the manual ties the work to receipt of full payment (clause 2.4.7). If MEPCO misses a step, Annexure III requires written reasons for each day of delay, with a copy to NEPRA, and the delay does not remove MEPCO's duty to finish the work.
Moving to three phase at 5 kW
NEPRA's tariff terms require a three-phase supply when the connected or sanctioned load is 5 kW or more, and every home at 5 kW or above gets a time-of-use meter on tariff A-1(b). The CSM adds that when the load on a single-phase meter approaches 5 kW, MEPCO issues a notice to extend the load and installs a ToU meter (clause 2.14).
The bill then works differently. At the 2026 rates, units cost Rs 46.85 during peak hours and Rs 34.53 off-peak, instead of slab rates; the timings are listed under MEPCO peak and off-peak timings. The fixed charge is Rs 675 per kW on half the sanctioned load or the MDI, whichever is higher, so a 6 kW home with an MDI of 2.5 kW pays on 3 kW: 3 x Rs 675 = Rs 2,025 a month. Protected status no longer applies, because it exists only on non-ToU meters. A shop follows a similar rule: commercial connections of 5 kW and above are also put on ToU metering, which matters if you plan a change of tariff from domestic to commercial at the same time.
Using more load than sanctioned
Running more load than sanctioned is a ground for disconnection, but MEPCO must first give notice, and you then have 15 days to apply for an extension (clauses 8.1 and 8.2.10).
For premises with static or digital meters and loads up to 8 kW, the CSM sets a route through the bill instead. Meter readers record the month's MDI, and a notice about unauthorised extension is printed on the bill. If you do not respond, the extra security deposit is recovered through your bills in three to six instalments and the load is extended automatically (clause 2.14).
Back-charges are limited. Where a consumer below 5 kW has used a higher load, fixed charges for the past can be charged for no more than six months, and only within one year; after a year no claim is legal (clause 7.5.3). If a load notice appears on your bill, apply within the 15 days rather than wait for disconnection.
Reducing sanctioned load
You can reduce sanctioned load to any lower limit your wiring test report supports; NEPRA's manual then recalculates the security deposit at current rates and refunds or charges the difference (clauses 2.14 and 5.2.4). MEPCO's Urdu FAQ answers differently: it says the revised or current deposit rate is not charged on a load reduction. Because the two sources differ, ask the office to show how it worked out your deposit.
For a home on a normal meter, NEPRA's note of 11 February 2026 bases the fixed charge on the sanctioned load, so under that note a lower load means a lower fixed charge. In the 201-300 unit slab, where the charge is Rs 350 per kW, going from 4 kW to 2 kW lowers it from Rs 1,400 to Rs 700 a month. For a time-of-use home, the same note uses half the sanctioned load or the MDI, whichever is higher, so a high MDI can keep the charge where it was.
NEPRA's tariff terms for MEPCO of 7 January 2026 add two provisos to the billing demand on which per-kW fixed charges are recovered, such as those of commercial connections of 5 kW and above and of industrial and bulk supply connections. For fixed charges, sanctioned load means the maximum demand recorded in the preceding 60 months. After a sanctioned load is revised, the charge runs on 25% of that load or the month's MDI, whichever is higher, and is adjusted once the MDI is established over the next six months. The February note for homes does not say whether these provisos also apply to homes, so ask MEPCO to confirm the new fixed charge before counting on the saving.
Three limits apply to any reduction:
- A home whose load falls below 5 kW moves from the ToU tariff to the single-part tariff A-1(a).
- A separate ToU connection of 5 kW or more, granted for a portion of the premises, cannot be reduced later (clause 2.8.2).
- A solar system connected under the 2026 net billing rules cannot be larger than the sanctioned load, so a reduction below its size would break that limit.
Load extension for rooftop solar
Under NEPRA's Prosumer Regulations 2026, a solar system cannot be larger than the connection's sanctioned load, so a system bigger than your present load needs a load extension first. The 2015 net metering rules allowed 1.5 times the sanctioned load.
Systems range from 1 kW to 1 MW, and eligible connections are three-phase at 400 volts or 11 kV. PITC's guidelines for installers add that the Net Billing Portal cannot change a sanctioned load: an application that fails on phase, or on a sanctioned load below 5 kW, continues only once the load is 5 kW or more, the tariff allows net billing and the load-change demand notice is paid. MEPCO consumers make that change through the PowerSmart app or a customer facilitation centre, as above, while a bigger system on an existing solar connection has its own DG capacity enhancement application on the portal. Net-metering connections follow the same extension and reduction procedure as any other connection (clause 2.14). The application steps are in MEPCO net metering and net billing rules. After any change, check the new sanctioned load and fixed charge when you open your latest MEPCO bill online.
Sources: NEPRA Consumer Service Manual with amendments and clarifications as on 26 November 2025, circulated by MEPCO on 28 November 2025 (clauses 2.3, 2.4, 2.6, 2.8, 2.14, 5.2, 6.4, 7.5 and 8.1-8.2; Annexures I-IV); NEPRA determination of MEPCO's supply tariff, 7 January 2026 (terms and conditions, including the billing demand definition); NEPRA decision of 11 February 2026 on the rationalization of tariff; NEPRA Prosumer Regulations 2026 as summarised on PITC's Net Billing Portal, and the portal's guidelines for installers; PITC complaint portal (ccms.pitc.com.pk); MEPCO FAQ and mobile app pages (mepco.com.pk); ENC portal notice. Checked 26 September 2026.