New Electricity Connection 2026

Reviewed on 2026-06-20 by Dr. Shrawan Kumar Pathak.

This guide is a decision-tree. At each fork you answer one yes or no question, then follow the branch that fits your situation. Start at the top and stop the moment you reach an action that matches where you are stuck.

Electricity supply in India is run by a distribution company, called a discom or power utility, and each state or city has its own. Your bill names it: examples include the various state power corporations, BSES and Tata Power in Delhi, MSEDCL in Maharashtra and so on.

If yes, go to that discom's official website and find the “New Connection”, “New Service Connection” or “Apply Online” tab. If no, check any neighbour's electricity bill, or call the national electricity helpline 1912 from any mobile and ask which discom serves your address. Do not apply on the National Power Portal at npp.gov.in. That is a data dashboard, not a place to apply.

The category decides your tariff and your document list, so choose carefully before you pay.

If the supply is for a house or flat, choose the domestic category, often coded LT-1 or “Low Tension Domestic”. Enter the load you need in kilowatt (kW). A small flat with lights, fans, a fridge and a television usually needs around 2 to 5 kW; add more if you run an air conditioner or a water pump.

A shop or office is a commercial connection, a workshop is industrial, and a borewell or farm pump is agricultural. These have different tariffs and may need extra clearances. If you also run a trade from the premises, sort your municipal trade licence first, because some discoms ask for it as ownership or use proof.

Here is the relief most people do not know. Under the Electricity (Rights of Consumers) Rules, 2020, a connection up to a load of 10 kW needs only two documents: a proof of identity and a proof of ownership or lawful occupancy of the premises.

If you own the premises, use your sale deed, allotment letter, registered agreement, or the latest property tax receipt as ownership proof. If you rent, a registered rent agreement plus a no-objection note from the owner usually works. For identity, Aadhaar, voter ID, passport or driving licence are accepted. A passport-size photograph completes the set.

No. The same Rules say there is no estimation of demand charges for loads up to 150 kW, so the discom cannot stall a normal home or small-business connection on that ground. You will still pay an application fee, a refundable security deposit and any service-line or development charge, but those are quoted after your application is accepted.

Follow these steps on the discom portal in order.

1. Click “New User Registration”, enter your name, mobile number and email, and verify the OTP. You receive a User ID and password.
2. Log in, select “New Service Connection” and choose your category and load in kW.
3. Upload your two documents and photograph in the slots shown.
4. Pay the application or processing fee online and note the application or request number. Keep the receipt.
5. The discom inspects the site or checks feasibility, quotes the security deposit and service-line charge, and after you pay it, installs the meter and releases supply.

No connection is given without a meter, and by Rule the meter must be a smart prepayment or prepayment meter. If you also want a separate point for an electric vehicle charger, the 2024 amendment lets you apply for a separate EV connection.

Figure: step-by-step flow. If a step stalls, use the grievance or RTI route shown.

This is the fork that protects you. Count the days from when your application was complete, that is, fee paid and documents accepted.

• Metropolitan city: the discom must release the connection within 3 days.
• Other municipal area: within 7 days.
• Rural area: within 15 days, or 30 days in rural hilly terrain.

These limits come from the Electricity (Rights of Consumers) Amendment Rules, 2024, which took effect on 22 February 2024 and cut the older 7, 15 and 30 day limits. If the deadline has passed with no connection and no valid reason, you have moved from “applicant” to “aggrieved consumer”, and the next forks are your remedies.

If the reason is fixable, for example a missing document or a load mismatch, correct it and resubmit. If no reason was given, or the reason is unfair, do not keep re-applying. Escalate.

Sometimes the delay is because the service cable must cross a public road or footpath. That is a separate municipal permission, not your job to chase, but it helps to know it exists. See road-cutting permission so you can ask the discom whether this is the hold-up. A genuine delay caused by a builder, as many flat owners face, is covered in our note on a builder delaying your utility connection.

1. Call 1912 and log a ticket, or use the discom's online complaint form. Quote your application number.
2. If that fails, file with the Consumer Grievance Redressal Forum (CGRF) of your discom, set up at sub-division or division level. It is free.
3. If the CGRF order does not satisfy you, approach the Electricity Ombudsman appointed by your State Electricity Regulatory Commission. Grievances are meant to be settled within a maximum of six months.
4. For a wider service failure, your municipal grievance route and an RTI to a state-owned discom can pull out the inspection report and the reason for delay.

After your application is complete, the discom must release it within 3 days in a metro city, 7 days in other municipal areas and 15 days in rural areas, or 30 days in rural hilly terrain. These are legal maximums set by the 2024 amendment to the Rights of Consumers Rules.

Apply on your own state discom's website under “New Connection” or “New Service Connection”. There is no single all-India application site. The National Power Portal at npp.gov.in is only a data dashboard, so do not apply there.

For a load up to 10 kW you need only two: a proof of identity and a proof of ownership or lawful occupancy, plus a photograph. Discoms cannot demand a long list for an ordinary home connection.

There is an application fee, a refundable security deposit and a service-line or development charge. The exact rupee amounts differ by state, discom and your sanctioned load, so confirm the current figures on your own discom portal before you pay.

No. For loads up to 150 kW there is no estimation of demand charges, so a normal home or small-shop connection cannot be stalled on that ground. You still pay the security deposit and service-line charge after acceptance.

Yes. By Rule no connection is given without a meter, and the meter must be a smart prepayment or prepayment meter. You can also apply for a separate connection just for an electric vehicle charger.

Call 1912 and log a ticket, then file free with the Consumer Grievance Redressal Forum of your discom. If still unresolved, go to the Electricity Ombudsman of your state regulator, which should decide within six months. An RTI to a state-owned discom gets you the inspection report.

Usually yes. A registered rent agreement with a no-objection note from the owner works as occupancy proof in most states. Confirm the exact list on your discom portal, since the accepted occupancy documents vary by state.

• https://powermin.gov.in (Ministry of Power, Electricity Rights of Consumers Rules, 2020)
• https://www.pib.gov.in (PIB PRID 2008289, Rights of Consumers Amendment Rules, 2024)
• https://npp.gov.in (National Power Portal and the 1912 electricity helpline)

Confirm your state discom's fees, category codes and exact document list on its own official portal before you apply, because these figures vary by state and by sanctioned load.