Disconnection and Reconnection
Why a Connection Gets Disconnected
Non-payment, electricity theft, illegal self-reconnection, exceeding your sanctioned load, misusing your tariff category, an expired bank guarantee not renewed within 30 days, or simply requesting disconnection yourself.
The Disconnection Process (Non-Payment)
This is more forgiving than most people assume:
- You cannot be disconnected just for missing one month’s bill, as long as you had no prior outstanding balance.
- If you miss payment, IESCO gives 7 clear days’ notice with your second bill to clear dues before disconnection.
- If you still don’t pay by the second bill’s due date, disconnection follows.
- If a third month also goes unpaid, IESCO issues an Equipment Removal Order and physically removes your meter – restoring supply after that requires full payment of everything owed, not just the recent bill.
- If you’re on an approved installment plan and keep paying, you won’t be disconnected – but missing an installment means disconnection without further notice, and restoration then requires at least 50% of your total dues upfront.
- If you own multiple connections and one defaults, IESCO can apply that unpaid balance against your other active connections.
Requesting Disconnection Yourself
- Temporary (e.g., relocating): allowed for up to 11 months, final bill must be settled first, and reconnecting within 7 days of the disconnection period ending is fee-free.
- Permanent: apply to the load sanctioning officer, settle the final bill, and you’ll get a formal disconnection order. You won’t be liable for misuse of the site afterward if IESCO hasn’t removed the equipment yet.
Getting Reconnected
- Reconnection is allowed for up to 10 years after disconnection, once all dues are cleared.
- Material removed is stored for 365 days free of extra charge if you reconnect within that window.
- Reconnect between 1-3 years later: you get credit for the removed material’s depreciated value.
- Reconnect after 3 years: no material credit.
- Past 3 years and up to 10 years, you can alternatively apply for a fresh new connection instead. Past 10 years, reconnection isn’t an option at all – you must apply as a new connection, though you’ll be given priority processing.
If a Disconnection Was Wrongful
If NEPRA or a court later rules your disconnection invalid, you owe nothing – no reconnection fee, no minimum charges, no fresh security deposit.
Bottom line: One missed bill alone can’t get you disconnected – it takes a second unpaid notice cycle. If it happens, act before the third month; that’s when equipment removal kicks in.
