EV Chargers and Generator Backup in Bangalore Flats: Rules, Billing and Questions for the Builder
Few buyers ask a sales executive how many kilowatts their flat will get when the grid fails, or where an electric car will plug in. Those answers are fixed when the building is designed, and changing them afterwards is slow and costly. This guide, written for buyers in Bangalore, begins with backup power and then covers charging, the state rules and the written promises to collect.
Backup Power: the kW Cap
Diesel generators, housed below ground or in a services yard, power most complexes. They carry shared services like lifts, water pumps, passage lighting and security equipment without restriction. Each flat is limited to a set load by a limiter, and the limit varies from project to project.
As a guide, a limit near 1 kW lets a household run a refrigerator, lights, fans, a television and a router. At 2 or 3 kW there is room for a washing machine, a mixer-grinder or an air conditioner, one at a time. Anything from 5 kW upward feels close to normal supply.
Enforcement matters as much as the number. On some meters the flat switches off when the limit is crossed, and someone must reset it by hand. Changeover should be automatic and quick, because a 30-second gap hardly bothers a television but ruins work on a desktop computer.
Owners meet the costs of diesel, servicing and eventually replacing generators, inside maintenance or as a separate item. Where dual-source meters are fitted, associations often charge generator units at a premium to mains units. A bigger allocation brings comfort and a bigger bill.
What an Electric Car Needs at Home
Three things must line up. The parking slot has to be reachable by a cable, the building must have spare load, and the owner needs permission. In India, electric cars mostly charge overnight from an AC wall unit of 7.4 kW or 3.3 kW, and scooters make do with a common 15 A socket.
The larger charger can draw more than the load sanctioned to a two-bedroom flat, so the supply reaching the parking level is critical. Tick off these items:
- A slot allotted in writing, close to a wall or pillar suitable for mounting
- Conduits or trays running between the electrical room and the bays
- Spare capacity at the transformer and on the basement panel
- A meter or sub-meter reserved for that charger alone
- Earthing and protection approved by a licensed contractor
Open and stilt parking are straightforward. A deep second basement is harder, and mechanical stack parking is the toughest case: the car moves, while the charger cannot follow.
Three Billing Models
The table sets out how electricity for charging is usually charged to the owner.
| Model | How it works | Suits |
|---|---|---|
| Flat's own meter | Units appear on the domestic bill | Individual BESCOM meters and short cable runs |
| Sub-meter | Association bills recorded units from the common supply | Complexes with spare capacity at the slot |
| Shared chargers | Operator-run units; residents pay by app | Complexes short of spare load |
One shared charger serves several cars in turn, which explains its appeal when load is tight. Slot-level chargers on sub-meters offer the best convenience.
The State and National Rules
Karnataka was first in India to adopt an EV policy, in 2017. Its regulator, KERC, amended the Conditions of Supply in 2019 and revised them in August 2024. Under them, any building whose requisitioned load is 250 kW or above and built-up area beyond 5,000 sq m needs two or more charging points. Associations may bill charging through a sub-meter under BESCOM's category LT-6(c), whose rate changes with the annual tariff order.
The Ministry of Power's September 2024 guidelines describe a charger in group housing as a community station for residents and visitors. Owners may instead charge through their present connection or ask for a separate metered one. Before working out costs, ask BESCOM for the current LT-6(c) rate.
After You Move In
The association is responsible for common areas, and parking floors and electrical rooms are among them. A resident normally applies in writing, hires an approved electrician, pays for the cable and follows the metering rules. A paper EV policy that lists allowed chargers, cable routes, fire safety conditions, billing and an approval deadline keeps the process quick.
Older complexes face more steps before the first charger: a new BESCOM load sanction, cabling to the parking level, a meter and a resolution among owners. If the developer still manages the complex, read what the handover papers say about spare load and charging.
Pre-Booking Questions
Developers of new projects expect these. Buyers of resale flats can ask the association office instead.
- How many charging points are there in the approved plan, and in which locations?
- How much spare load is reserved per bay for additional chargers?
- Will my own slot be given a conduit and a metered point?
- What generator cap applies to each flat, and does it differ by size?
- How is generator power billed, and what did a month cost last year?
- Does a written EV policy exist, and how quickly are requests cleared?
- Are all of the above commitments recorded in the sale agreement or its annexure of specifications?
The new-project cost sheet usually carries generators under infrastructure or electricity charges, so run it through our EMI calculator. RERA gives buyers a claim on the specifications attached to the agreement, so the numbers belong there and not in a sales conversation.
