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The Delhi government is set to implement a major change to its free electricity scheme, which will directly impact consumers whose households have negligible or absolutely zero electricity consumption. If you own a property that has remained locked up for a long period and where no electricity is being utilized, your subsidy may now be discontinued. Following this change, a fixed charge of up to ₹200 could be levied on the electricity bills of approximately 4.45 million households.

The Burden of Fixed Charges on Locked-Up Properties
The government has now turned its focus toward "dormant"—or inactive—electricity consumers. These are individuals who have installed electricity meters in their names but whose monthly power consumption is negligible. Until now, the prevailing rule stipulated that if electricity consumption remained within 200 units, the bill would be entirely zero. This "zero bill" status also entailed a waiver of the fixed charge, the cost of which the government would directly reimburse to the electricity distribution companies. However, under the new plan, if a house remains locked and the meter reading stands at zero, the government will withhold that subsidy.

Who Are "Dormant" Consumers?
An in-depth analysis of electricity billing data by the department revealed that for three to four months of the year—particularly during the winter season—thousands of connections record absolutely no electricity usage. Such consumers often reside outside Delhi for the majority of the year. Furthermore, a startling revelation emerged: in a bid to maximize the benefits of the subsidy, many individuals have obtained multiple separate electricity connections within the same household. Consequently, between 2020 and 2025, the number of electricity consumers in the capital witnessed a massive surge of over 1.2 million—a growth rate that was not mirrored, in proportion, by the number of water consumers during the same period.

Financial Burden of Subsidies Crosses ₹4,000 Crore Mark
The primary driving force behind this stringent measure by the government is the continuously escalating expenditure on electricity subsidies. When this scheme was first launched in the financial year 2015–16, the burden of the subsidy on the state exchequer stood at ₹1,442.76 crore. Over the past decade, this figure has skyrocketed. In the year 2021-22, this figure stood at ₹3,250 crore, which has now risen to ₹4,000 crore for the year 2025-26. Currently, Delhi has a total of over 6.2 million electricity consumers; according to data from December 2025, 5.872 million of these consumers have availed themselves of the subsidy benefit.

Minimum Electricity Consumption Threshold to be Established
Under the current regulations, there is no electricity bill for consumption up to 200 units in Delhi. For consumption ranging from 201 to 400 units, the government provides a 50% rebate (capped at a maximum of ₹800), whereas the subsidy is completely withdrawn once consumption exceeds 401 units. Officials state that, to identify inactive consumers, a specific threshold for 'minimum electricity unit consumption' will now be established. If a consumer's total monthly consumption falls below this prescribed limit, they will be excluded from the scope of the subsidy scheme.

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