You apply to your distribution company (DISCO) in the form set out in NEPRA's Consumer Service Manual. The company then issues a demand notice for the connection charges and a security deposit. Once you have paid that notice in full, the DISCO must connect you within the time frame NEPRA sets for your category of application. The clock starts at full payment, not on the day you hand in the form.
The rules are in NEPRA's revised Consumer Service Manual, dated 26 November 2025. This guide covers DISCOs such as LESCO, IESCO, MEPCO and the others. It does not cover K-Electric, which has its own version of the manual.
The rulebook: NEPRA's revised Consumer Service Manual
NEPRA has published a "Consumer Service Manual (CSM) Revised 2025" on its own website. It says the revised manual was circulated to the distribution companies, and the document is dated "As on November 26, 2025". This is the official document to rely on when applying, and the one to point to if the connection is delayed.
If you are not sure which company serves your area, see what a DISCO is and which one covers you.
The parts of the manual that matter for a new connection are:
| Part of the 2025 CSM | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Section 1.2.1 | The form and manner of your application |
| Section 1.2.4 | The time frame for providing a service connection |
| Section 2.4 | Capital cost or connection charges, and the security deposit |
| Section 2.8 | Multiple connections |
| Section 2.10.1 | The five categories of new-connection application, with step-by-step processing times for each |
| Annexure III | Time frame for new connections, and for extending or reducing load |
| Annexure IV | Security deposit rates |
| Annexure V | Load-factor percentages for different connection types |
This guide does not quote the day counts in Annexure III, the rupee rates in Annexure IV or the names of the five categories. Read those directly in the NEPRA PDF, which is listed in the sources. Figures you may see on lookalike websites have not been checked against it.
Step 1: Make the application
Section 1.2.1 of the CSM sets out the "form and manner of application by the consumer for obtaining electric service". The documents you need, and the form itself, are those listed in that section.
- Open the 2025 CSM and read section 1.2.1 before you go, so you know what the company is entitled to ask for.
- Get the application form from your DISCO's own office or its official website, not from a third-party site.
- Decide what kind of connection you need. A house and a shop are billed differently. A shop or office normally falls under the commercial tariff, explained in how the A-2 tariff works. The tariff code printed on your first bill will show what you were connected under.
- Keep a copy of everything you submit, and note the date and any application number you are given.
If you need more than one meter on the same premises, for example separate floors or a shop below a house, section 2.8 of the CSM covers multiple connections. Read it before you apply.
Some websites say you need a neighbour's reference number, a stamp-paper affidavit of a particular value, or that applying costs nothing. None of these claims could be traced to the NEPRA manual. Go by section 1.2.1 and what your DISCO asks for in writing.
Step 2: The demand notice
After receiving your application, the DISCO prepares a design and cost estimate and issues one or more demand notices. Under section 2.4 of the CSM, a demand notice covers two different things:
- Capital cost or connection charges. This is what it costs to supply your premises, based on the company's estimate.
- Security deposit. This is a deposit held against your account, at the rates in Annexure IV.
You may receive more than one demand notice. The manual refers to "Demand Notice(s)", so check that you have paid every notice issued for your application. As the next sections explain, the time limit does not start until the payment is complete.
The amount depends on your load and connection type. Annexure V's load-factor percentages and Annexure IV's deposit rates are both part of the calculation. If you are applying for a larger load, especially on a Time-of-Use meter, it also helps to understand MDI and fixed charges, because the sanctioned load you ask for now affects later bills.
Step 3: Paying the demand notice
The 2025 CSM says: "The applicant may pay the Demand Notice(s) online/in designated banks."
- Pay only through the online method or bank named on the demand notice itself.
- Keep the paid receipt or online confirmation. It is your evidence of the date the company received full payment.
- Check that the amount paid matches the notice exactly. A part-payment does not start the clock.
How long you have to pay
Older versions of NEPRA's manual, from 2020 and 2021, gave the applicant 30 days to pay the demand notice. Under those versions, once notices were paid, the DISCO set a final priority number for each application.
It has not been confirmed that the 30-day window or the priority-number rule carries over into the 2025 revision. Check the deadline printed on your own demand notice, and the relevant section of the 2025 CSM, rather than assuming 30 days. If you think you may miss the deadline, ask the DISCO in writing what happens to your application.
The security deposit: a deposit, not a fee
The security deposit is held by the company. It is not a charge for the connection itself. The rates are in Annexure IV of the 2025 CSM.
The revised manual sets out two situations clearly:
- Shifting a connection. If your connection is moved, the deposit is updated "at prevailing rates subject to adjustment of already paid Security Deposit". In other words, what you already paid is counted, and you top up to the current rate.
- Temporary connections. The deposit is refunded when the temporary connection is discontinued.
For a permanent connection, read section 2.4 and the related security deposit provisions in the PDF to see when and how a refund applies. Do not rely on a website's summary.
The rates may be under review
NEPRA's website holds a TESCO petition on the security deposit rate, filed in a January 2025 folder of admission notices titled "Petitions regarding Security Deposit Rate". This shows that distribution companies have asked NEPRA to revise deposit rates. The outcome has not been confirmed here. Treat the amount on your demand notice as the figure to check, and compare it with Annexure IV of the 2025 manual.
How long the DISCO has to connect you
Section 2.4 of the 2025 CSM says the connection is to be provided within the period in Annexure III after the company receives full payment. Section 1.2.4 also deals with the time frame for providing service connections.
Three points follow from this:
- The clock starts at full payment of the demand notice. Many applicants count from the day they applied. Under the manual, the days between application and payment do not count towards the connection deadline.
- Your category decides the deadline. Section 2.10.1 divides new-connection applications into five categories, with step-by-step processing times for each. Find which category your application falls into, then read the matching period in Annexure III.
- Your payment receipt is your start date. Without it, you cannot show when the deadline began.
Work out your own deadline like this:
- Note the date on your paid receipt for the final demand notice.
- Identify your application category under section 2.10.1.
- Read the time frame for that category in Annexure III.
- Count forward from the payment date and write the deadline down.
Online applications and lookalike websites
Several websites describe an online portal called "ENC" for new connections, name changes, load changes and tariff changes. All the descriptions found came from unofficial sites. It has not been verified who runs it, which companies use it, or how tracking works. Before using any online portal, open your DISCO's official website and follow the link from there.
Many lookalike sites rank for this subject. They use addresses that resemble the company's name, publish "official" guides with fees, and quote per-kW deposit rates and other figures that could not be confirmed. Some readers mistake them for the DISCO itself.
- Apply only through your DISCO's own office or official website.
- Pay only through the bank or online method named on the demand notice.
- Ignore fee figures from any site that is not NEPRA or your DISCO.
- Never pay an individual to speed up a connection.
The same caution applies to the company's bill-check pages. The site's guides comparing official and lookalike pages, such as the one for LESCO, show what to look for.
If your connection is late
If the Annexure III period has passed since you paid in full and you still have no meter, write to the DISCO. In the letter:
- Quote NEPRA's Consumer Service Manual Revised 2025, dated 26 November 2025, section 2.4 and Annexure III.
- Give your application number, connection category and the date of full payment, with a copy of the receipt.
- State the deadline you calculated and ask for a date by which you will be connected.
- Keep a copy and a record of delivery.
The site's complaint letter is written for wrong bills, but its structure of reference, facts, the rule relied on and the remedy asked for works as a starting point for a delay letter.
After you are connected
Check your first bill carefully. The connection type, tariff code and sanctioned load should match what you applied for. If the meter is for a property you have bought rather than built, you may also need to put the account in your name. See how to change the name on an electricity bill.
What to do next
- Download the 2025 Consumer Service Manual from NEPRA's website and read section 1.2.1, section 2.4, section 2.10.1 and Annexures III and IV.
- Get the application form from your DISCO's own office or official website, and keep copies of what you submit.
- When the demand notice arrives, check its payment deadline and pay the full amount only through the bank or online method it names.
- Keep the paid receipt and write down your connection deadline from Annexure III.
- Once the meter is installed, check your first bill on the homepage using its reference number.