How will your monthly bill change?
From the time taken to secure a new power connection to the charges consumers may have to pay for cancelling or restoring a connection, the proposed Karnataka Electricity Supply Regulations, 2026 could change several aspects of electricity services. The draft also spells out developers’ responsibilities for power infrastructure, provisions for retrospective billing, meter replacement costs and consumer grievance redressal. Here are the key provisions and how they could affect consumers. * Additional security deposit: Escoms can demand additional security deposits from consumers as prescribed under regulations * Restoration of disconnected connections: Consumers seeking restoration of permanently disconnected connections must clear outstanding dues, including fixed charges for the disconnection period, and pay the applicable security deposit * Burnt meter replacement: The cost of replacing burnt-out meters may be recovered from consumers, subject to subsequent determination of cause of damage * Bilingual notices: Escoms must issue notices to consumers in both Kannada and English * Consumer grievance rights: Notices involving billing disputes and other adverse actions must inform consumers of their right to approach designated officers, consumer grievance redressal forums and the electricity ombudsman * Access to consumption data: Consumption data must be made available to consumers through web portals, mobile applications or SMS