The Lahore Electric Supply Company (LESCO) has officially announced a huge rise in the fees for new domestic electricity connections. This news has shocked people in Lahore and the surrounding areas. You should be ready to pay a lot more than before if you were going to apply for a new meter. The old price of PKR 6,400 has been replaced by a shocking new price of PKR 21,300. This sudden rise is already making news all over Pakistan as people deal with the rising cost of living.
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Getting to Know the New Electricity Meter Fees Structure
The LESCO Board of Directors made the final decision, and a formal notice has been sent out. This isn’t a small change; it’s an increase of almost 230%. The new charges show that the cost of the meter and the cables that go with it has gone up to PKR 17,700. Customers also have to pay PKR 3,600 in security fees on top of that.
For a long time, the standard price for a single-phase connection was very low. You would usually pay PKR 4,000 for the meter and PKR 2,400 for security. Those days are over. Your first bill will go over $21,000 before you even turn on a light bulb because of the hardware costs and the security deposit.
Why Did the Price Go Up So Much?
The official reason is that prices are going up and inflation is rising, but there is a lot of talk behind the scenes. Some high-ranking officials at LESCO are said to have been against this big increase because they were afraid of what the public would think. The Board of Directors, on the other hand, stuck to their guns.
There are also rumors from different sources that this price increase might be meant to help private companies that sell the equipment. No matter what the politics are inside, the burden will always be on the common man. On top of that, this fee doesn’t cover the “miscellaneous” costs or contractor fees that often come up during the installation process.
LESCO New Connection Charges (Old vs. New)
To give you a clearer picture of how much extra you’ll be digging out of your pocket, here is a quick comparison:
| Component | Old Rate (PKR) | New Rate (PKR) |
| Meter & Cable Cost | 4,000 | 17,700 |
| Security Deposit | 2,400 | 3,600 |
| Total Payable Amount | 6,400 | 21,300 |
Immediate Action
The most worrying thing for many people is that this notification went into effect right away. This means that the old rates will no longer apply if you go to the LESCO office today to turn in your application. The new computerized demand notices will show the new prices.
This is a hard pill for the middle-class families in Lahore, Sheikhupura, Kasur, and Okara (the areas that LESCO covers) to swallow. The cost of getting a legal connection is now much higher than it has ever been because the price of electricity units is already at an all-time high.
Short FAQs
1. Does this also apply to business connections?
The current notice focuses on home connections, but commercial rates usually go up in a similar way.
2. Is it possible to pay this fee in parts?
Most of the time, you have to pay the whole amount of a LESCO demand notice at the bank. You can go to your local XEN office to ask for a breakdown, but new connections don’t usually get installments.
3. What if I already got a demand notice?
If you got your demand notice before the notification but haven’t paid it yet, you may need to get a new notice with the new rates.
