Building a home in TN? Be ready to pay hefty sum for temporary power connection

CHENNAI: Planning to build your dream home? Be prepared to shell out a hefty sum just to get a temporary electricity connection, followed by high bimonthly power bills.

Besides rising construction material costs, those constructing individual houses are feeling the pinch from steep electricity charges. In the last four years alone, the cost of availing a temporary power connection has nearly doubled due to repeated hikes in miscellaneous charges, the latest of which came into effect on July 1.

A consumer now has to pay Rs 220 as registration-cum-application fee, while the development charges vary based on the type of power distribution (overhead or underground) and the phase of the connection.

For overhead lines, the Tamil Nadu Power Distribution Corporation Ltd (TNPDCL) collects Rs 3,095 for single-phase connections and Rs 2,215 per kW for three-phase connections. In areas with underground cables, the charges are even higher, Rs 7,735 for single-phase and Rs 5,525 per kW for three-phase.

In addition, consumers also pay a meter caution deposit, Rs 825 for single-phase and Rs 2,215 for three-phase connection, along with a security deposit of Rs 330 per connection and Rs 995 per kW. Service connection charges are Rs 1,105 for single-phase and Rs 1,660 for three-phase.

From July 1, a consumer seeking a 2 kW temporary connection in an area with underground cables will have to pay Rs 17,135. Before the tariff revision in September 2022, the same connection cost just Rs 9,050.

What makes it tougher is that the temporary power supply for construction, categorised under LT VI, attracts the highest tariff slab. A unit of electricity costs Rs 13.25, and there is a fixed monthly charge of Rs 608 per kilowatt.

So, if a consumer uses a 2 kW connection and consumes 100 units in two months, the total bill would come to Rs 3,823. This includes Rs 1,325 as energy charges, Rs 2,424 as fixed charges, and 5 per cent electricity tax (Rs 66.25) on the energy component.

There is more. If a consumer exceeds the sanctioned load three times during the construction period, the sanctioned load is revised to the maximum recorded demand. Additional development charges and a higher security deposit will then be levied, said R Bathri Narayanan, an authorised electrical contractor in Avadi.

In addition to the doubling of charges collected by the utility for new connections, consumers are often forced to pay bribes to officials to expedite the process, he added. “Even after making the payment online, officials provide the connection only after receiving bribes. Otherwise, consumers face long delays under the pretext of meter unavailability,” Bathri alleged.

Surya Pandi, a resident of Madurai, took to social media to question the delay in receiving a temporary connection. He applied for a single-phase connection with a connected load of 2 kW on May 8 and paid the required charges, but the connection has yet to be provided. “How many days will it take,” he asked, tagging TNPDCL's handle on social media.