MEPCO New Connection Fee 2026
Last checked 26 September 2026
A new MEPCO connection is paid through two demand notices: a security deposit at NEPRA's fixed rate per kW, Rs 1,220 per kW for an urban home, and a capital cost notice for the material and installation your site needs. A 2 kW urban house therefore pays Rs 2,440 in security, while the capital cost differs from site to site. This guide breaks down both notices, what makes them vary and what you pay outside MEPCO.
What does a new MEPCO connection cost?
The total is the security deposit plus the capital cost. The security deposit is a fixed rate per kW of load; the capital cost is the actual cost of material, including a 12% store handling charge, plus installation charges of 8% of that amount (NEPRA Consumer Service Manual, clauses 2.4 and 2.5).
MEPCO issues both notices at the same time, after your application, documents and site have been checked (clause 2.4.2). If you have not applied yet, start with the MEPCO new connection application. The table lists the costs you may meet and whether each appears on a MEPCO demand notice.
| Cost | What decides the amount | On a MEPCO demand notice? |
|---|---|---|
| Security deposit | NEPRA's rate per kW for your tariff category and area (Annexure IV) | Yes, its own notice |
| Material, with 12% store handling | The material your connection needs, at MEPCO's store issue rate | Yes, capital cost notice |
| Installation charges | 8% of the material cost | Yes, capital cost notice |
| Transformer or sharing charges | Only for larger loads (clause 2.6) | Yes, within the capital cost |
| Application and contract forms | Free at MEPCO offices and on its website (clause 2.2.1) | No charge |
| Stamp papers | Rs 50 non-judicial stamp paper for the owner's affidavit and another for the power supply contract | No, bought separately |
| Wiring test report | Issued by the Electric Inspector or an authorised wiring contractor (clause 2.3.7) | No, it is on neither notice |
Security deposit rates per kW
NEPRA fixes the security deposit per kW of load: Rs 1,220 per kW for an urban home, Rs 610 in a rural area, and Rs 1,810 or Rs 920 per kW for a commercial connection. In the table below, each row is a connection type from Annexure IV of NEPRA's manual, and the right-hand column is its deposit.
| Connection type | Security deposit |
|---|---|
| Residential (A-1), urban | Rs 1,220 per kW |
| Residential (A-1), rural | Rs 610 per kW |
| Commercial (A-2), urban | Rs 1,810 per kW |
| Commercial (A-2), rural | Rs 920 per kW |
| General services (A-3) | To be determined by NEPRA |
| Industrial B-1 | Rs 1,580 per kW |
| Industrial B-2 | Rs 2,010 per kW |
| Industrial B-3 | Rs 2,890 per kW |
| Industrial B-4 | Rs 3,560 per kW |
| Single-point supply C-1 (400 V) | Rs 1,670 per kW |
| Single-point supply C-2 (11 kV) | Rs 2,080 per kW |
| Single-point supply C-3 (above 11 kV) | Rs 2,740 per kW |
| Agricultural tube-wells (D), including SCARP and lift pumps | Rs 15,000 lump sum |
| Public lighting (G) | Rs 3,240 per kW |
| Residential colonies attached to industries (H) | Rs 1,560 per kW |
Urban means the area of an urban local body or development authority, such as a municipal committee, municipal corporation or cantonment board. Rural means the area of a union, tehsil or zila council (CSM definitions 59 and 69). For loads above 1 kW, a fraction of half a kW or more counts as a full kW, and a smaller fraction is ignored (clause 5.2.5).
These examples multiply the load by NEPRA's rate:
| Connection | Load | Working | Security deposit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Urban home | 1 kW | 1 x Rs 1,220 | Rs 1,220 |
| Urban home | 2 kW | 2 x Rs 1,220 | Rs 2,440 |
| Urban home | 2.6 kW, counted as 3 kW | 3 x Rs 1,220 | Rs 3,660 |
| Rural home | 2 kW | 2 x Rs 610 | Rs 1,220 |
| Urban home on a time-of-use meter | 5 kW | 5 x Rs 1,220 | Rs 6,100 |
| Urban shop | 3 kW | 3 x Rs 1,810 | Rs 5,430 |
| Agricultural tube-well | Any load | Lump sum | Rs 15,000 |
Capital cost: material and installation
The capital cost is the actual cost of the material for your connection, including a 12% store handling charge, plus installation charges of 8% of that figure (clause 2.5). Every Rs 1,000 of material at the store issue rate therefore brings Rs 80 of installation charges. A further 1.5% design vetting charge applies only to housing societies, high-rise buildings, commercial plazas and multi-storey buildings.
Four more rules in clause 2.4 matter when the capital cost notice arrives:
- No escalation for small connections. If material prices rise during the installation period, the applicant pays the increase, but homes up to 20 kW and commercial connections up to 15 kW are exempt (clause 2.4.6).
- Itemised estimates. In cost deposit cases, MEPCO must send the complete estimate or bill of quantities with the demand notice, and no notice may be issued without these details (clause 2.4.10).
- Sales tax receipts. General sales tax is usually included in the material cost. If it is charged separately, MEPCO must issue tax receipts or let you pay FBR directly and hand in the receipt (clause 2.4.8).
- Bi-directional meter option. A new three-phase consumer can ask for a bi-directional meter from the start, even without a solar system (clause 2.4.11).
Who pays for the meter?
You do: NEPRA's manual says MEPCO provides the metering installation at the consumer's cost (clause 4.1). The manual publishes no separate meter price, so as a practical step, ask the sub-division whether the meter is priced within the material on your capital cost notice. If MEPCO has no suitable meter in stock, it may ask you to buy one to its specification from its approved vendors, and no meter rent is then charged. For other material bought from approved vendors during a shortage, MEPCO charges a 2.5% inspection fee and 8% installation (clause 2.7).
When a transformer adds to the cost
Homes up to 20 kW and shops or offices up to 15 kW are supplied from the common distribution transformer. Above those loads, the applicant pays for a dedicated transformer or a share of an existing transformer's capacity (clause 2.6).
The table shows NEPRA's connection arrangement by type of premises and load:
| Premises | Load | Connection arrangement |
|---|---|---|
| Home (A-1) | Up to 20 kW | Common distribution transformer |
| Home (A-1) | Above 20 kW to 100 kW | Dedicated transformer, or transformer sharing charges in proportion to load where the existing transformer has capacity |
| Home (A-1) | Above 100 kW | Dedicated transformer |
| Shop or office (A-2, A-3) | Up to 15 kW | Common distribution transformer |
| Shop or office (A-2, A-3) | Above 15 kW to 100 kW | Dedicated transformer, or transformer sharing charges |
| Agricultural tube-well | Up to 8 kW; above 8 kW | Common distribution transformer; dedicated transformer |
The home rows do not apply in housing schemes where the ultimate load is set for the whole scheme. Where no common distribution system exists, the connection is given on a cost deposit basis, and the cost of the transformer and low-tension line is reimbursed if MEPCO later turns that system into a common one (clause 2.6, note ii).
How MEPCO assesses the load you apply for
For an individual connection, the load you declare on the application form is treated as your connected load, subject to the wiring test report and MEPCO's verification (clause 2.11.1). The standard form lists lights, fans, air conditioners, heaters, washing machines, refrigerators, light plugs, power plugs and motors, with the number and wattage of each, and totals them in kW.
For a rough benchmark, NEPRA's manual assesses houses in housing schemes by plot size. Each row is a plot size and the right-hand column is the load assessed for a double-storey house:
| Plot size (house in a housing scheme) | Assessed load |
|---|---|
| Up to 75 sq yd | 3.15 kW |
| Above 75 up to 125 sq yd | 5.0 kW |
| Above 125 up to 200 sq yd | 5.70 kW |
| Above 200 up to 250 sq yd | 6.60 kW |
| Above 250 up to 300 sq yd | 7.45 kW |
| Above 300 up to 350 sq yd | 8.75 kW |
| Above 350 up to 400 sq yd | 9.5 kW |
| Above 400 up to 500 sq yd | 10.61 kW |
| Above 500 up to 600 sq yd | 13 kW |
| Above 600 up to 1,000 sq yd | 17.74 kW |
The load you choose drives more than the deposit. On a normal meter, a home's monthly fixed charge is billed per kW of sanctioned load, and at 5 kW and above a home gets a three-phase supply and a time-of-use meter with a fixed charge of Rs 675 per kW on half the sanctioned load or the maximum demand, whichever is higher. See MEPCO fixed charges per kW of sanctioned load before you decide. Running more than you declared can later bring a notice to extend the load, as the guide to increasing sanctioned load on a MEPCO connection explains.
Paying the demand notices
You have 30 days to pay the demand notices, and MEPCO may allow another 30 days if you ask at least three days before the due date (clause 2.4.3). Each notice names the bank branches that accept it, and where MEPCO offers online payment you can pay online instead (clause 2.4.4).
Your final priority number for installation is fixed once the notices are paid (clause 2.4.5). MEPCO then has to provide the connection within the Annexure III time frame once it receives full payment (clause 2.4.7). That time frame counts MEPCO's own steps from registration, so the days you take to pay are not part of it; the NEPRA time limits for MEPCO consumer services are listed on the services page. The power supply contract you sign on Rs 50 stamp paper records both notices by number, date and amount paid (Annexure II). For tracking, printing and safe payment, see how to track and pay your MEPCO demand notice.
Sources: NEPRA Consumer Service Manual with amendments and clarifications as on 26 November 2025, circulated by MEPCO on 28 November 2025 (clauses 2.2-2.11, 4.1 and 5.1-5.2; Annexures I, II, IV and VI); NEPRA decision of 11 February 2026 on the rationalization of tariff (fixed charges); NEPRA determination of MEPCO's supply tariff, 7 January 2026 (three-phase supply and time-of-use meters at 5 kW); PITC complaint portal warning. Checked 26 September 2026.