UPPCL New Connection Estimate 2026: SAC and Meter Charges

1. Why the 2026 estimate looks different

The old estimate format often depended on a site visit, measured line length, poles, cable, labour and a manually prepared junior-engineer estimate. Two consumers in the same area could see different amounts and neither could easily verify the calculation.

The 2026 Cost Data Book moves most small and medium new connections to a simpler rule: metering charge + fixed SAC slab. The SAC is not a monthly bill charge. It is a one-time amount for making supply available up to your premises.

• Distance slab: up to 100 metre, above 100 metre up to 300 metre, and more than 300 metre.
• Load slab: separate rows for single-phase LT, three-phase LT and HT loads up to 150 kW.
• Beyond 300 metre: UPPCL prepares an actual estimate and recovers whichever is higher: the table amount or the actual estimate.

2. Metering charge and SAC table from Chapter 5A

This is the consumer-facing table for non-PTW loads up to 150 kW in electrified areas, as printed in Chapter 5A of the 2026 Cost Data Book, "Metering Charge and Supply Affording Charge". In the last column, the table amount is the floor: UPPCL prepares an actual estimate and recovers whichever is higher.

How to read it: a 2 kW domestic applicant within 100 m does not get a custom line estimate at all. The Chapter 5A part is ₹1,855 metering charge plus ₹1,500 SAC — ₹3,355 — with the smart-meter recovery billed separately, as described below. Registration fee, security deposit and any category-specific amounts are additional and appear as their own lines in the portal estimate.

3. The smart-meter recovery line

For single-phase connections, the table shows ₹84 per month for 24 months as the monthly recurring meter charge. That is why a small domestic applicant can see both an upfront metering charge and a later monthly recovery line. Three-phase LT and HT rows in this Chapter 5A table show the monthly recurring charge as Nil.

Do not confuse this with your monthly fixed charge after the connection is live. Fixed charge is part of the electricity bill tariff; metering charge is part of the new-connection cost schedule.

4. When SAC does not settle the whole estimate

The fixed SAC table is broad, but not universal. Expect a different treatment in these cases:

• More than 300 metre from the distribution main: actual estimate applies, with the table amount acting as the floor.
• Private tube-well / PTW connections: PTW has its own package and transformer rules; do not apply this Chapter 5A non-PTW table to a kisan pump.
• Unelectrified colonies and multi-storey multi-point cases: the infrastructure recovery can be handled through development or building-level charges, so the applicant may pay only the metering charge under this head.
• HT loads above 150 kW: those fall outside this table and need the relevant HT estimate provisions.

5. 3 kW and 4 kW applicants now have a phase choice

The table is especially useful for small workshops and homes with three-phase equipment: 3 kW to 4 kW appears in both single-phase and three-phase rows. The cost difference is real. Single-phase 3–4 kW carries a ₹1,908 metering charge and the ₹3,500 SAC slab; three-phase carries a ₹5,278 metering charge and ₹6,500 SAC — roughly ₹6,400 more before anything else is counted. Choose three-phase because your equipment needs it, not because it sounds more powerful.

6. What to check before paying the estimate

1. Load: confirm the kW entered on Jhatpat is what you actually need. Oversizing raises the new-connection estimate and later fixed charges. Use our sanctioned-load guide if you are unsure.
2. Distance band: check whether UPPCL has placed you within 100 m, 100-300 m, or beyond 300 m. The distance should be the practical wire-route distance, not merely a rough map guess.
3. Phase: for 3-4 kW, confirm whether the estimate is single-phase or three-phase.
4. Separate charges: do not mix registration fee, metering charge, SAC and security deposit into one unexplained number. The portal estimate should let you identify each head.

For the application process itself, including documents and escalation steps, read the companion UPPCL Jhatpat new-connection guide.

Source and how to verify it

The amounts above are reproduced from Chapter 5A, "Metering Charge and Supply Affording Charge", of the UPPCL Cost Data Book 2026. We have not seen a revision published after that edition, but cost data books are amended more often than tariff orders, so treat this page as a guide to the structure of the estimate rather than as the payable figure.

The amount UPPCL shows on your Jhatpat estimate is the one you pay. If it differs from the table, the portal is right and this page is out of date — please tell us so we can correct it. Our methodology note explains how we source and check figures.

Frequently asked questions

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