Turning off the main switch does not close a FESCO connection. The meter stays on your account, and so does the security deposit you paid when it was installed. To close it for good and get that deposit back, you need a permanent disconnection, and you need to ask for the refund in writing.
This guide follows the NEPRA Consumer Service Manual (revised 26 November 2025), which FESCO must follow in all eight of its districts, from Faisalabad and Sargodha to Mianwali and Bhakkar.
Pick the right kind of disconnection first
NEPRA allows two kinds of disconnection on request. Choose before you go to the office.
- For up to 11 months.
- The meter and service wire usually stay at the house.
- No fixed or minimum charges while it is off.
- Not allowed if the house also runs on solar or another power source.
- No time limit. The account is closed.
- FESCO removes the meter and material through an Equipment Removal Order (ERO).
- You can apply for a refund of your security deposit.
- Coming back later means reconnection or a new connection.
Coming back within a year? Temporary is usually better. Our FESCO shifting guide covers temporary disconnection in more detail. Leaving for good, or knocking the building down? Read on.
Check that you are the right person to apply
The application must come from the consumer. That is the person whose name is on the bill. If the bill is still in a late father's or an old owner's name, sort out the name first. Our guide to changing the name on an electricity bill explains that step.
Selling the house? The buyer will need power, so a name change usually makes more sense. Under clause 5.2.1, the old deposit is adjusted and the new name pays only the difference at today's rates.
Apply to the officer who sanctioned the load
Clause 8.4 says you apply to the "load sanctioning officer". For most homes and shops this is easy to find. Clause 2.10.1 says connections up to 15 kW in the residential, commercial and general services tariffs are sanctioned by the SDO of your sub-division. Bigger loads go to the XEN, the SE, or the CEO.
The manual gives no set form, so write a short letter. Include:
- Your reference number and the name on the bill.
- A clear request for permanent disconnection and removal of the meter.
- A second line asking for a refund of the security deposit.
- Your CNIC copy and latest paid bill, plus a phone number.
Get a receipt or a stamped copy of your letter. The 30-day refund clock starts from your request, so the date matters.
Pay the final bill
The SDO asks the revenue office for your final bill. Pay it in full. Only after that payment does the officer issue the permanent disconnection order. Before you go, estimate your final FESCO bill from your last reading so you know roughly what to expect.
Clear everything else too. Clause 5.2.6 allows the refund only when there are no outstanding dues. Old arrears, a detection bill or a running installment plan will hold it up. Disputed charge? Settle it first. Our FESCO Electric Inspector guide shows that route.
Let FESCO take the meter away
NEPRA wants the supply cut through an ERO "to avoid misuse of electricity after permanent disconnection". That means FESCO staff remove the meter and service material. Do not take the meter off yourself.
If FESCO is slow to collect it, the same clause protects you: you are not responsible for misuse of supply from material FESCO has not removed. Still, photograph the meter and its last reading on the day you leave.
Gave FESCO space for a transformer or panel? Clause 2.9 says it comes back to you on permanent disconnection if you ask, unless that transformer now serves other consumers with your consent.
Claim the deposit and watch the 30 days
"The security deposit paid by the consumer shall be refunded at the time of permanent disconnection if applied by the consumer for refund after getting approval from the load sanctioning officer provided that there is no outstanding dues against the consumer. The process of refund shall be carried out within thirty (30) days of receipt of such request."
Three things follow from this:
- You must ask. The refund is not automatic.
- The officer must approve it, and you must have no dues.
- The manual talks about the deposit "paid by the consumer". Expect the amount you paid back then, not today's rate. Today's residential rate is Rs 1,220 per kW in towns and Rs 610 per kW in villages (Annexure IV), but an old connection may have paid much less.
No refund after 30 days? Write to the SDO again and keep a copy. Then file a complaint on NEPRA's Complaint Management System. NEPRA also has a regional office in Faisalabad: 1st floor, Plaza No. C-6B, opposite National Bank, College (Hockey Stadium) Road, Kohinoor City.
Know the difference when FESCO closes the account itself
A P-Disc code can also appear without any request. Under clause 8.2.5, if the third month's bill and two months of arrears go unpaid, FESCO can issue an ERO, remove the meter and close the account. Clause 8.6 then speaks of the deposit being adjusted against arrears, so a defaulter should not expect a refund.
- Your other meters can be billed. Clause 8.2.8 lets FESCO move a defaulted connection's dues to the same owner's other running connections.
- Coming back is possible. FESCO can reconnect the premises up to 10 years after disconnection. After 3 years you can choose a new connection instead, and the old deposit may be adjusted against it (clause 8.7). Our reconnection guide lists the fees.
A real FESCO case: P-Disc after one missed bill
A consumer in Quaidabad, District Khushab, missed his May 2022 bill, then paid May and June together before the June due date. FESCO still removed his equipment in July 2022 and gave the account a P-Disc code.
On 6 March 2024, NEPRA's Consumer Complaints Tribunal ruled this broke clause 8.2.3 (no disconnection for one month's unpaid bill). FESCO was told to act against the officials and restore supply with its own material and no reconnection fee, once his ownership papers were confirmed. Clause 8.8 backs this: when NEPRA, the POI or a court cancels a disconnection, no reconnection fee, fixed charges, security deposit or material cost can be charged.
Still unsure?
Can a tenant get the security deposit back?
The refund goes to the consumer whose deposit it is, which normally means the name on the bill. If a tenant paid it, agree with the owner in writing before the tenancy ends.
Will FESCO pay interest on an old deposit?
The NEPRA manual only talks about refunding the deposit paid. It says nothing about interest or raising it to today's rates.
Can I get a permanent disconnection if my house has solar net metering?
The manual bars solar and other dual-source users only from temporary disconnection. It does not mention them for permanent disconnection.
Sources: NEPRA Consumer Service Manual, revised 26 November 2025 (clauses 2.9, 2.10.1, 5.2.1, 5.2.6, 8.2.3, 8.2.5, 8.2.8, 8.3, 8.4, 8.5, 8.6, 8.7, 8.8, Annexure IV); NEPRA Consumer Complaints Tribunal decision against FESCO, 6 March 2024 (complaint FESCO-FSD-16329-09-22), listed on NEPRA Authority decisions: FESCO. Checked 24 October 2026.
