Get connected to ESCOM
How to apply for electricity in Malawi: ESCOM’s steps from application to connection, what to bring, what you pay, and the mistakes that delay you.
- Application form: free
- Quotation valid 30 days
- Apply online or at an office
Quick answer: Fill in ESCOM’s free application form at any ESCOM office or on its web portal, with a sketch map to your premises and a list of your appliances. ESCOM visits your site and gives you a quotation valid for 30 days. Pay it at an ESCOM customer service office, have a qualified electrical contractor fill in ESCOM’s wiring forms, and ESCOM inspects and connects you.
How to apply for an ESCOM new connection
These are ESCOM’s own steps. Do each one yourself: ESCOM warns against letting someone else apply for you.
Apply
Visit any ESCOM customer care centre or office and fill in the application form, or download it (PDF). You can also apply online on ESCOM’s web portal, where you first register with an email address. Customer service staff will help you fill in the form if you get stuck.
ESCOM investigates your site
ESCOM staff visit your area and premises to confirm your details and plan the connection. Your sketch map is how they find you.
Get your quotation
After the site inspection ESCOM prepares a quotation. Your payment is based on it, and it is valid for 30 days.
Pay at an ESCOM office
Pay the quoted amount at any ESCOM customer service office while the quotation is still valid. Keep the receipt: it is your proof of payment for the rest of the process.
Wiring forms and inspection
Get a set of wiring forms from ESCOM. A qualified electrical contractor fills them in to certify that your wiring is sound and to declare the load you plan to use. Hand them back to ESCOM: they are needed before ESCOM inspects.
Connection
Only ESCOM employees, contractors and agents may make the connection and fit or test the meter. ESCOM’s page does not describe this last step or say how long it takes after inspection, so check with ESCOM at the office where you paid.
Documents and details for the application
ESCOM’s page and form ask for these. The form itself is free (it says Form ndi ya Ulele), so never pay anyone for it.
Application checklist
- The application form: your name, postal address, phone, email and occupation.
- Where the premises are: district, area and physical address or plot number.
- A sketch map with directions, landmarks, features of your premises and where ESCOM’s lines are nearby (there is a box for it on the form).
- A list of your appliances: lighting points, sockets, geysers, cookers and motors, with their estimated power.
- Supply type: single phase, three phase, or an upgrade from single to three phase.
- Details of the owner of the premises. The form asks whether you are the owner, an employee of the owner or a relative.
ESCOM does not list an ID document or proof of ownership on its page or form. Take your National ID anyway and check with ESCOM what else your office needs.
Wiring forms come later. ESCOM gives them to you after payment. Ask your office for its list of prequalified electrical contractors: ESCOM’s FAQ says it is available at all its customer service desks.
How much an ESCOM new connection costs
Your quotation is the real price. ESCOM does not publish a price list for ordinary connections; it explains what the quotation is made of.
Charges are either standard (a set charge per single phase or three phase connection, in some areas) or tailor made, depending on the work, the type of connection and where you are. A quotation may include:
- Capital contribution
- Your share of extending the network to you
- Deposit
- Once off and refundable: security for your electricity account
- Connection fee
- Standard statutory fee for making the final connection
- Inspection fee
- Statutory fee for testing your wiring
ESCOM’s published MEAP price (as of June 2025)
- K93,200 for a connection under the Malawi Electricity Access Project, for homes within 500 metres of a transformer (ESCOM’s website; its Facebook post of March 2025 says K93,300).
- Could not pay it all? A K17,475 deposit, with the balance in instalments after connection.
- Ready Board (instead of full house wiring): K64,074, with instalments from K5,825.
MEAP ended on 31 December 2025 (ESCOM news). Its successor, ASCENT, aims to connect 235,000 households by 2030, and ESCOM switched on its first ASCENT connections on 8 April 2026 (about 190 households so far, with contractors being engaged for the nationwide rollout, as posted on ESCOM’s Facebook page). ESCOM has not published ASCENT connection prices on its website or Facebook. Check with ESCOM whether these figures still apply.
Timing and things that delay you
ESCOM does not publish how long a new connection takes. The only fixed time is the quotation: pay within 30 days or it lapses.
ESCOM says avoid these
- Connecting yourself. Any connection ESCOM did not authorise is charged as fraudulent use of power under the Electricity Act.
- Corruption. Your connection may be badly delayed if you are found offering bribes.
- Wrong job details. Saying standard, non-standard or customised wrongly slows your application down.
- Letting someone else apply for you. People who hand the process to another person risk being swindled.
- Paying for the quotation. You should not pay anyone to get a quotation.
Your meter and buying units
ESCOM has been moving customers to prepaid meters since 2016, and in January 2026 said the last postpaid customers were being moved over (ESCOM news). Ask your office which meter you will get.
On prepaid? Our ESCOM units guide shows every way to buy units (Airtel Money, Mpamba, banks, ESCOM offices and Puma agents), how to enter the 20-digit token and what to do when one fails.
Apply and get help
ESCOM new connection FAQ
How much is an ESCOM new connection fee?
It depends on your quotation: ESCOM uses standard charges in some areas and tailor made ones elsewhere. Under MEAP (as of June 2025) a connection near a transformer was K93,200, or a K17,475 deposit plus instalments. MEAP ended in December 2025, so check the current price with ESCOM.
Where do I get the ESCOM application form?
At any ESCOM office, or download it from ESCOM’s new connection page. It is free.
Can I apply for electricity online?
Yes, on ESCOM’s web portal. You register with an email address and password first.
What documents do I need?
ESCOM asks for the form, a sketch map to your premises, a list of appliances and the owner’s details. It does not list an ID; take your National ID and check with ESCOM.
How long is the ESCOM quotation valid?
30 days. ESCOM only accepts payment against a quotation that is still valid.
Do I need an electrician?
Yes. A qualified electrical contractor must fill in ESCOM’s wiring forms to certify your wiring before ESCOM inspects.
How long does a new connection take?
ESCOM does not publish a time. Ask at the office where you paid, and keep your receipt and quotation together.
Can I pay in instalments?
MEAP allowed a deposit and instalments until it ended in December 2025. ESCOM has not said whether ASCENT does the same; check with ESCOM.
Related guides
Sources: the new connection application page, application form, service centres, contact and FAQ pages on escom.mw, ESCOM news on MEAP connection charges (March and June 2025), the move to ASCENT (February 2026) and prepaid meter migration (January 2026). Checked October 2026. Charges change; your quotation is the final word.
