Permanent Power for a New Bangalore Home: BESCOM Process, OC Rule and Costs
Completing a house or taking a flat in a new block does not settle the question of electricity. BESCOM, the city's power distribution company, must issue a lasting supply, and the conditions for it tightened in 2025 before being relaxed in 2026. The sections below follow the journey in order, starting with the cheap-looking temporary meter and ending with the questions flat buyers should raise.
Why the Site Meter Is Not the Answer
Power on a building site comes through a temporary line that BESCOM charges above the domestic rate. It is meant to be swapped once construction ends. A household that occupies the house yet keeps that line pays a premium on every unit.
Apartment buyers should watch for this at handover. When a block is still on the contractor's site supply, the lasting connection has not been granted, and a missing OC is the usual reason. Ask for its account number prior to accepting keys.
Whether Your Name Goes on the Form
Resale properties carry a live meter, so the new owner simply asks for a name change. Newly built apartments are handled by the builder, who secures one connection for the whole block and then passes each flat's account to its buyer after registration.
An owner files a new application in three situations. One is constructing a house on their own plot. The others are adding a floor or portion that wants its own meter, and finishing a building that has only had site power so far.
Houses are billed under the low tension domestic rate. A shop, office or paying guest set-up in part of the building is rated commercial, which costs more, so state the true use on the form.
Applying Step by Step
Submissions go through the BESCOM website or the local sub-division. Start by estimating the connected load, ideally with a licensed wireman. Next fill in the new low tension form under the domestic class, attach your papers and settle the registration charge.
An engineer then visits to check the premises, wiring and load. After that the estimate arrives with the deposits and cable charges, and after you pay it and put your signature to the supply agreement, BESCOM installs the meter and energises the line.
A reference number lets you follow the file. Each query from the office freezes the timeline until you respond. Delays mostly come from a wiring report that is absent or an ownership paper in a different name.
The Money Side
Every property gets its own figure, so the post-inspection estimate is the one that counts. Four heads make it up. First comes the fee paid with the form, then an initial security deposit tied to the sanctioned load. Next is a deposit for the meter or its cost, and the last is the supervision cost of laying a cable that starts at the pole or transformer.
Because load drives these numbers, overstating it pushes up the deposit as well as the fixed part of each bill. Understating it brings a penalty if consumption later exceeds it. A realistic figure therefore saves money either way.
From mid-February 2025 (the 15th), new and temporary connections in BESCOM's urban limits receive smart meters. The customer pays for the device, which reports readings remotely so daily usage shows up on a phone.
Calculating Your Load
Think of load as the highest demand a home places on the supply at one moment. A one-bedroom flat with a few fans, lights, a refrigerator and a single air conditioner asks for far less than a big house with many air conditioners, water heaters and an induction stove. Anything beyond a few kilowatts usually gets a three-phase supply.
Keep future purchases in mind. A vehicle charger or a solar plant on the terrace depends on both load and supply type, and a later increase means a new application with an extra deposit.
What Goes in the File
Identity, ownership and safety each need proof. Identity can be shown with Aadhaar, PAN, a passport or a voter card. Ownership is proved by a sale deed and a khata (or e-Khata), and the file also takes a recent tax receipt for the property, the sanctioned building plan, a photograph and a mobile number.
Buildings outside the exemption add the occupancy certificate. Every file also needs a certificate of wiring completion and testing, countersigned by a contractor holding a state licence. Owners tend to forget it. It confirms that the circuits and earthing have passed checks, so hire the contractor before the electrical work starts and let the same person finish the report.
How the OC Requirement Developed
In December 2024 the Supreme Court directed that power, water and sewage connections go solely to buildings holding an occupancy or completion certificate. BESCOM began refusing permanent applications without one on 4 April 2025, and plenty of completed houses stayed on site power.
The state eased matters in stages. September 2025 brought an exemption for plots of 1,200 sq ft or less, built as G+2 or S+3. In June 2026 it grew to cover 2,400 sq ft plots, with 20% tolerance allowed, for G+3 homes.
A one-time offer opened on 22 June 2026 for homes finished on or before 31 May 2026. Owners had 15 days to apply, and the window shut on 6 July 2026.
Only the certificate is excused. The plan approval, setbacks, safety norms and land use rules still hold. Bigger buildings and apartment projects continue to need the OC, so flat buyers need to ask for it first.
Handover Checklist for Flat Buyers
A buyer usually leaves the application to the developer, yet that work decides the future bill. Confirm that the OC exists, that the block is on lasting power with a meter per flat, and which load has been approved for your unit.
Verify the supply type and that all bills are paid up to the handover date. Finally, compare the BESCOM deposits in the cost sheet with the receipts.
Gruha Jyothi free power is claimed separately via Seva Sindhu, after the account moves into the resident's name. We assist buyers across Bangalore in requesting such papers from developers, and our contact page shows how to reach us.
