From the time taken to secure a new power connection to the charges consumers may have to pay for cancelling or restoring a connection, the proposed Karnataka Electricity Supply Regulations, 2026 could change several aspects of electricity services. The draft also spells out developers’ responsibilities for power infrastructure, provisions for retrospective billing, meter replacement costs and consumer grievance redressal. Here are the key provisions and how they could affect consumers.1. Power connections & supply* Mandatory OC/CC: Applicants must submit occupancy certificates (OC) or completion certificates (CC), wherever prescribed* Supply timelines— Metro cities: 3 working days— Other municipal areas: 7 working days— Rural areas: 15 working days— Service-line extension: Up to 90 days where extension of the service line is required— New substations: Up to 24 months where a new substation is required* Temporary connections: Temporary LT supply is restricted to loads below 50kW, while loads of 50kW and above fall under HT temporary supply2. Security deposits & addl charges* 10% deduction on refunds: Applicants who decide not to avail electricity supply will receive a refund after deduction of 10% of the security deposit, within 60 days* Additional security deposit: Escoms can demand additional security deposits from consumers as prescribed under regulations* Restoration of disconnected connections: Consumers seeking restoration of permanently disconnected connections must clear outstanding dues, including fixed charges for the disconnection period, and pay the applicable security deposit3. Infra & development charges* 11kV distribution lines: Developers must bear the cost of extending 11kV distribution lines and providing necessary electrical infrastructure for layouts* Transformer costs: Developers of residential layouts must deposit 80% of the estimated cost of distribution transformers and allied materials* Additional 5% charge: A one-time charge of 5% is applicable in specified cases involving transformer installation* Reconstructed buildings: Demolished and reconstructed buildings will be treated as new buildings for electricity connections, requiring fresh service arrangements4. Metering, billing & tariffs* Retrospective billing: Escoms can raise claims for short-billed energy for up to six billing months in cases involving defective or non-recording meters* Higher tariff for excess demand: For non-domestic connections, excess demand can attract twice the applicable tariff. If the excess demand occurs at least three times in a financial year, the lowest increased demand may become the revised sanctioned load* Burnt meter replacement: The cost of replacing burnt-out meters may be recovered from consumers, subject to subsequent determination of cause of damage5. Safety & technical requirements* Licensed electrical contractors: New wiring and alterations must comply with prescribed electrical safety requirements and be undertaken through licensed electrical contractors* Electrical inspectorate approval: Approval is required for temporary installations involving gatherings of 100 or more people and all HT/EHT temporary installations6. Services & grievance redressal* Bilingual notices: Escoms must issue notices to consumers in both Kannada and English* Consumer grievance rights: Notices involving billing disputes and other adverse actions must inform consumers of their right to approach designated officers, consumer grievance redressal forums and the electricity ombudsman* Access to consumption data: Consumption data must be made available to consumers through web portals, mobile applications or SMS
