The Lahore Electric Supply Company (LESCO) has decided to raise the demand notice charges for single-phase electricity connections.
As per the revised plan, the fee for obtaining a single-phase connection could increase by up to Rs11,000, pushing the demand notice cost from the current Rs10,000 to as high as Rs21,000.
A standard single-phase meter is estimated to cost around Rs5,000, but with the shift to AMI (Advanced Metering Infrastructure) meters, the price could go up to Rs16,000.
This means consumers will face higher expenses due to the adoption of advanced meters.
The move comes after the Power Division of the Ministry of Energy placed a ban on the installation of static meters across all power distribution companies.
In compliance with this directive, LESCO plans to purchase AMI single-phase meters during the current financial year. The switch to AMI meters is the main reason for the expected rise in demand notice charges.
This follows an earlier adjustment for three-phase connections, where demand notice fees were increased by up to Rs50,000.