KSEB New Connection Charges 2026: Fixed Rates by Load

KSEB new connection charges for homes become fixed amounts from 12 October 2026. Instead of a site estimate for poles and cable, you pay a rate set by the load you ask for. A new domestic single-phase connection up to 2 kW costs ₹2,000.

What changes on 12 October 2026

Until now, the amount you paid KSEB for a new service connection depended on an estimate of the poles, cable and labour needed for your plot. The new system replaces that with a published rate for each load band, so you can know the figure before you apply.

The Kerala State Electricity Regulatory Commission (KSERC), which approves KSEB's charges, fixed the rates in its order dated 23 September 2026 in OP No. 34/2026. The rates are prospective. They apply where the amount is collected on or after 12 October 2026.

Most homes are billed on connected load, which is the total rated load of the appliances you declare to KSEB. For these homes the charge is based on the connected load you declare. Consumers on demand-based billing pay on the contract demand they declare and KSEB agrees to.

KSEB new connection charges for homes: the rate table

KSERC-approved rates for amounts collected on or after 12 October 2026 (Annexure I, OP 34/2026).

KSEB had asked for ₹2,500 up to 1 kW and ₹3,000 up to 2 kW. The Commission set one rate of ₹2,000 for domestic single-phase connections up to 2 kW. It noted that many homes built under government housing schemes, including LIFE Mission, fall in this load range.

Above 10 kW, the charge is worked out per kVA or kW of the load you request rather than as one flat amount. For example, a home asking for a 12 kW three-phase connection would be charged at ₹1,560 for each kW requested.

If you only convert an existing single-phase service to three-phase and your connected load does not change, the same Annexure I table sets ₹700 per kW of that load (serial 7). For example, converting a 4 kW single-phase service with no extra load would be 4 × ₹700 = ₹2,800. If the conversion also increases load, the order uses the slab difference or the additional-load per kVA/kW rate instead of stacking this conversion fee on top. Solar homes that need three-phase for a plant above 3 kW should also read the 3 kW single-phase inverter cap.

Who gets the fixed rates and who does not

The fixed rates cover LT and 11 kV applicants whose premises are within 200 metres of KSEB's existing line at that voltage. There is an extra allowance of 35 metres for the weather-proof service cable that runs from the pole to your meter.

Homes farther away than this are outside the table. KSEB has been told to propose a separate method for those longer extensions with its next cost data petition. Cases under Regulation 36 of the Kerala Electricity Supply Code, where the applicant bears the cost of extending the network, are also excluded.

If you are building in a new layout far from the nearest pole, ask the section office early whether your plot falls inside the 200-metre limit. That answer decides whether you get the table rate or a site estimate.

What adding load costs, for an AC, EV charger or solar

When you ask KSEB to increase your connected load, the charge is worked out only on the additional load, at the approved rate for it. You do not pay again for the load you already have.

A small increase is free. No extra charge applies when the added load is less than 10% of your approved load or 20 kVA/kW, whichever is lower. That relief does not apply if the increase needs a change to your existing service line or voltage level.

For example, 10% of a 6 kW connected load is 0.6 kW. Declaring a 0.5 kW pump would stay inside that relief if your service line does not change, while moving from 6 kW to 8 kW would not.

Plan your future load in one go. If you expect to add rooftop solar, an EV charger or more air-conditioners in the next few years, it is usually simpler to ask for that load once than to apply for several small increases.

What KSEB must publish and do under the order

• An online per kVA/kW calculator on its official website, so applicants can see the charge for a new connection or load increase upfront.
• A standard list of materials and specifications for service-connection work up to 1 MW, so the work matches what the rate assumes.
• Timely installation and upgrading of transformers and lines for connections covered by these rates, paid for from the money collected.

The Commission also refused KSEB's request to charge 1.15 times the rate where the connection uses aerial bunched cable, the insulated overhead cable KSEB plans for its network. You pay the same table rate either way.

How to check your demand note

• Find your connected load, phase and tariff category on your latest KSEB bill.
• Decide the total load you need, including solar, EV charging, pumps and air-conditioners.
• Ask the section office whether your premises are within the 200-metre limit.
• Compare the demand note with your row in the table above before you pay.
• If the amount looks wrong, raise it with the section office first, then the Consumer Grievance Redressal Forum (CGRF).

Frequently Asked Questions

Official Sources and Accuracy Note

• 01KSERC order dated 23.09.2026 in OP No. 34/2026 (per kVA/kW connection rates)
  Operative direction (9) — rates have prospective effect and apply to Regulation 32(2) amounts collected on or after 12th
  govt source · opened 2026-10-05