How to use our power services

1. Modes of registration (for electricity purchase from low voltage power networks)

a) Customers have the following options in registering electricity purchase:

- Walk-in registration: present oneself at one's local EVN office to register services;

- Mail-in registration: use telephones, emails or local EVN websites;

b) Required documents to be presented:

- For walk-in registration: submit photocopies of the required documents and show the original documents for verification at local EVN offices;

- For mail-in registration: use notarized copies of the required documents;

2. Procedures of registration

* Purchase of electricity for residential use

a) The registration dossier includes:

- A written request for electricity purchase

- One of the following documents concerning the location of the metering point (verified photocopy or notarized copy):

+ Permanent residence permit or temporary residence permit;

+ Housing ownership certificate or Housing allocation certificate or Housing purchase contract;

+ Land-use right certificate (for housing land);

+ Housing lease contract.

If none of the above-mentioned documents concerning the location of the metering point is available, a written request for electricity purchase confirmed by the People’s Committee of the district or commune in charge of that prospective electricity purchase site.

b) Regarding customers representing housing complexes or residential clusters, another document shall be added to the required application dossier: a written legal authorization of the households with the prospective joint electricity consumers in these housing complexes or residential clusters (with signatures of the representative of each household and with notarization or verification by administrative organizations of authority or confirmation by the People’s Committee of the district or commune in administrative charge of that prospective electricity purchase site.)

c) Regarding customers currently in joint consumption of electricity with (an)other customer(s) using an existing electricity meter and now requesting the installation of a separate electricity meter (under a new direct electricity purchase contract with an EVN electricity provider), the following additional documents shall be added to the application dossier:

- Permanent residence permit of the new customer requesting the new meter (verified photocopy or notarized copy);

- A written confirmation of payment of all current electricity charges of the holder of the current joint electricity purchase contract or a written assurance of the new customer requesting the new meter that (s)he has paid or will pay all his/her share of electricity charges to the current holder of the existing electricity purchase contract.

* Purchase of electricity for non-residential use

a) The registration dossier consists of the following documents:

- A written request or official correspondence of request for electricity purchase;

- A list of electrical devices and their electricity consumption modes and ratings;

- One of the following documents concerning the metering point (verified photocopy or notarized copy):

+ Housing ownership certificate;

+ Land-use right certificate;

+ Housing lease contract verified by a relevant authorized government agency;

+ Land lease contract verified by a relevant authorized government agency;

- One of the following documents concerning the customer (verified photocopy or notarized copy):

+ Business registration certificate, Branch registration certificate or Representative office registration certificate;

+ Investment license;

+ Written decision of the entity establishment.

If none of the above-mentioned documents either concerning the metering point  or concerning the customer is available, a written confirmation document by a relevant administrative organization or the local authority in charge of that prospective electricity purchase site will be required.

b) As for customers planning to purchase electricity for production, business or service provision with a registered maximum electricity consumption rating of 40kW or higher, additional documents required in their application dossiers include a chart of electricity loading and the specifications of electrical equipment.

c) Customers with an expected monthly average electricity consumption of 1,000,000 kWh or higher are responsible to have measures to ensure the implementation of the contract before the electricity purchase contract comes into effect.

The value of the contract honouring guarantee is to be negotiated by the electricity purchaser and supplier, but is not to exceed 15 days’ worth of electricity charge, which is calculated on the basis of the monthly average electricity consumption registered in the electricity purchase contract and of the standard hourly electricity consumption rates.

The electricity supplier has the right to interrupt electricity supply to the purchaser in case the electricity purchaser fails to have measures to ensure contract implementation or fails to maintain the guarantee for contract honouring.

* Short-term Electricity Purchase

This kind of electricity purchase contract has a term of 3 months or shorter. If the contract is not renewed at the end of the term by the customer, the electricity supplier will complete and end the contract.

When registering for short-term electricity purchase, the customer needs to either have a bank’s guarantee or place a deposit equivalent to 1.5 month's worth of estimated electricity consumption together with the following two documents:

- A written request or official correspondence of request for electricity purchase;

- One of the following documents (verified photocopy or notarized copy): either Business registration certificate or Written decision of the entity establishment.

If none of the above-mentioned documents is available, a written confirmation document by a relevant administrative organization or the local authority in charge of that prospective electricity purchase site will be required.

3. Costs

a) The following costs are covered by the electricity supplier as an investment:

- Costs for current transformers (except as otherwise specified in the agreement); meter; protection devices dowmstream of the meter (e.g. circuit breaker, fuse, etc.); meter box; accessories to hang the meter; connection to the meter (conductors, beams, insulators, clamps, etc.);

- Labour costs for installation of the meter, the connections between the low-voltage grid and the meter, and protection devices downstream of the meter;

- Taxes and other charges as stipulated by the Government.

b) Costs related to requested services (if applicable), including:

- Material and labour costs for installation of conductors downstream of the meter (circuit breaker or fuse downstream of the meter excepted);

- Taxes and other charges as stipulated by the Government.

4. Procedures of electricity purchase: The procedures are implemented by the electricity supplier in coordination with the buyer.

Customer has demand for electricity purchase à Customer registers for service à Site survey is carried out à Electricity supply plan is specified à Charges (if applicable) are collected à Necessary approvals are obtained à Installation design is made à Meter is installed à Electricity purchase contract is signed

5. Time frame of electricity supply to customer

a) Within seven working days since receipt of the registration dossier meeting all stipulated requirements: applicable to registration dossiers of electricity purchase for residential use (via one-phase or three-phase meters) and registration dossiers of electricity purchase for non-residential use (via one-phase meter).

b) Within ten working days since receipt of the registration dossier meeting all stipulated requirements and if the low-voltage electricity grid is not overloaded: applicable to registration dossiers of electricity purchase for non-residential use (via three-phase meter).

c) If the electricity purchase request cannot be satisfied because the electricity distribution grid is either unavailable or overloaded, the electricity supplier shall notify the customer within five working days.

1. Before requesting for repairs, the customer needs to take into consideration of the following:

- If the neighbourhood also has electricity black-out: There might be an outage incident or a planned power cut. The customer should phone the number for requesting electricity repairs of the local electricity provider to get more information.

- If only the customer does not have electricity while the surrounding neighbourhood still have power on, the main circuit breaker (fuse) needs to be checked. If there is no electricity to the fuse, then the local electricity provider needs to be notified and requested to have electricity repairs.

The local electricity provider shall deal with the problem within two hours. However, the repair work can only start after the technician upon arriving at the site has investigated and found out the cause of the problem. In cases when replacement of equipment and/or more labour is required, it will take more time to complete the repair.

2. Key information from the customer:

- Name and phone number of the person notifying the troubleshooting;

- The address or neighbourhood of the incident;

- The scope of the power outage;

- Observation of the incident (if applicable): fire, smoke, broken wires, etc.

1. Meter protection responsibility

According to the electricity purchase contract, the customer is responsible for protecting his/her own meter. If the meter is lost, the customer shall have to compensate for it. If the meter is broken, the customer shall bear the cost of calibrating and repair.

The customer is not allowed to unilaterally remove or move the electricity meter. If requiring to have the meter moved, the customer needs to obtain approval by the electricity supplier and pay for the moving costs.

2. Request for inspection

- If there is doubt that the electricity measuring meter is not accurate, the customer has the right to request the electricity supplier to calibrate it. Within three days of receiving the customer’s request for meter inspection, the electricity supplier shall have to complete the inspection, repair or replacement.

- If the customer does not agree with the result of the meter inspection, repair or replacement by the electricity supplier, the customer has the right to request independent calibration to be carried out by the government agency in charge of local electricity activities and electricity use. Within fifteen days of receiving the customer’s request, the government agency in charge of local electricity supply and consumption is responsible for calibrating the meter .

3. Costs for calibrating electricity metering equipment

- The customer shall bear the calibrating cost if the independent calibrating organization specifies that the electricity metering equipment functions according to the Vietnamese Standards.

- The electricity supplier shall bear the calibrating cost if the independent calibrating organization specifies that the electricity measuring equipment does not function according to the Vietnamese Standards.

4. Payment of electricity charge

4.1. If the electricity metering equipment is inaccurate

a) If the time during which the meter was inaccurate can be specified, the electricity provider shall return the excessive charge to the customer or collect the underpaid charge from the customer;

b) If the time during which the faulty meter was running fast cannot be specified, the electricity supplier has to return the excessive charge to the customer, which is to be calculated as one circle of electricity meter recording excluding the current circle of electricity use before the due date of meter recording.

4.2. If the electricity metering equipment has stopped working due to malfunctioning

If the customer consumed electricity during the time when the faulty electricity metering equipment stopped working, the electricity charge shall be calculated from the daily average consumption of three consecutive circles of electricity use prior to the current circle with the faulty meter and the number of days of electricity consumption. The actual number of days of electricity consumption is calculated from the date the meter stopped functioning as recorded in the meter memory or from the most recent date of electricity consumption data recording if the meter memory did not record the date the meter stopped functioning until the date when the electricity metering equipment system resumed functioning.

4.3. If the electricity meter is lost

If the customer consumed electricity during the time when the electricity meter was lost, the electricity charge shall be calculated from the daily average consumption of three consecutive circles of electricity use prior to the current circle and the number of days of electricity consumption. The actual number of days of electricity consumption is calculated from the most recent date of electricity consumption data recording until the date the new meter is installed and begins functioning.

* Change of customer in the contract

The dossier consists of: Written request with the agreement by the customer in the previous contract, with the confirmation by the local authority of the locality of electricity consumption or with full legal documents proving the new customer’s ownership of the electricity purchase point.

If the previous customer owes electricity charge payment, the new customer shall make a commitment to pay the charges owed.

The new customer is responsible for notifying the electricity supplier for inspection of the existing electricity metering equipment system once taking charge of the electricity purchase point. During the time before the electricity supplier is notified of the change of customers, the new customer shall be responsible for the electricity metering system received. The electricity supplier is responsible for continued electricity supply, inspection of the electricity metering system and signing of the new electricity purchase contract once the new customer meets all requirements.

* Change of location of the metering system

If the customer needs to change the location of the metering system (change of the electricity voltage of the electricity to be purchased, change of the site in which the metering system is installed, etc.), all the costs for the change of location of the electricity metering system (except the cost of the meter) are to be paid by the customer. If the electricity supplier needs to change the location of the metering system, all the costs shall be covered by the supplier.

* Discontinuation of electricity use

When no longer using electricity, the customer needs to notify the electricity supplier to carry out procedures for liquidating the contract. The contract shall be liquidated once the customer has paid all the due payments committed in the contract.

The electricity supplier shall unilaterally terminate the contract in the following cases:

- The customer stops using electricity for more than six months without notifying the electricity supplier;

- The customer purchasing electricity for residential use has sold the housing property to a new owner and has paid all the due payments, and both the electricity supplier and buyer have no other reservations in written form within 15 days of the settlement of due payments.

* Regulations 

a) The electricity supplier can discontinue or reduce electricity supply in the following situations:

+ Non-urgent situations

- Discontinuation or reduction of electricity supply in accordance with the supplier’s plan when it is necessary to repair, maintain, refurbish, or install electricity structures, to reduce or balance electricity loading due to power shortage, among other planned requirements.

- Discontinuation of electricity supply at the request of relevant individuals or entities to ensure safety in construction works.

- Discontinuation or reduction of electricity supply at the request of the electricity purchaser.

+ Urgent situations

- Incidents happening in the electricity grid to the electricity purchaser; incidents in electricity system leading to power outage which is beyond the electricity supplier’s control;

- Risk of failure, or severe lack of safety harming people and/or damaging electric equipment and system.

- Force majeure.

+ Discontinuation of electricity supply because of entities’/individuals’ violation of legal regulations on electricity-related activities and electricity use.

b) In non-urgent situations requiring discontinuation or reduction of electricity supply, the electricity supplier has to notify the customer at least five days before the time of electricity supply discontinuation or reduction.

* Charges on electricity discontinuation and reconnection (VAT not included)

Unit: VND1,000

Editorial Board of evn.com.vn website would like to introduce to readers a few frequently asked questions from customers and answers from EVN Business Department on: Procedures and cost of installing meters, meter separation procedures when separating household, the cost of replacing a broken power meter by a new one, moving meter location, etc.

Question 1:  Procedures and costs of meter installation:

I would like to register for installing a new electricity meter, to purchase power for domestic use. May I ask: How much it costs and what documents are needed for registration?

Answer:

Dear Valued customer,

1. Procedures for customers to buy electricity for domestic use:

 - Written Request to purchase power.

- 01 copy of document specifying the place of power purchase, it can be one of the following documents:

Household Book proving permanent residence or temporary residence;

or a House ownership certificate or house allocation decisions;

or a eligible house purchase contract;

or a lease agreement with a term of 01 year or more;

or a certificate of land use right (with house);

or an authorization contract of management and use of house/ land.

If the Customer does not have any of such  documents, the Request for power purchase shall be certified by the Local Commune or Ward People's Committee about the power purchase place.

2.  In respect of the cost:

- Costs borne by the Power units: The entire cost of materials, installation labor, taxes and fees as prescribed by the Government to install the service drop from the low voltage grid to meters and MCCB to protect the meter.

- Costs borne by Customers: All costs of materials, installation labour of electrical conductors from meters into the customer’s house (except MCCB). If the customer hires the Power Unit to perform the said, it shall include taxes and fees as prescribed by the Government.

Question 2: Procedures of separating meters

Our families (2 households) are sharing one electricity meter. Is it possible for us to split the service into 2 separate meters? What is the procedure? How much is the cost? Could you please give us specific guidance?

Answer:

Dear Valued customer!

Under the provisions of paragraph 1 of Article 2 of Circular No. 19/2014/TT-BCT dated 18 May 2014: At one registered power purchase place, the power purchasing side who is a household using Household Book proving permanent residence or temporary residence can only sign 01 contract (installation of one meter).

Customers who are separated households while still living together shall be entitled to 01 more rated level for household power price without having to install an additional meter. Customers need to contact power branches to register for increasing the rated level of the power price.

If you still want to separate the meters, please come to the nearest Customer service office to request for additional procedures for installing the meters. In addition to the usual documents and meter installation procedures, you need to submit the following documents:

- Household book of the new separated household (duplicate: copy, duplicate or print)

- The certificate of full payments of power bill of the holder of current Power purchase agreement or the commitment of the one who wants a separate meter that they will be responsible for paying off all debts for power shared with the holder of current Power purchase agreement.

However, to ensure the technical aspect and safe electricity use, the related Power branch needs to survey customers’ electrical system and decides whether the meter installation could be added or not.

Costs of implementation:

a) The costs borne by the power unit:

- Costs borne by the Power unit: The costs of materials, installation labor, taxes and fees as prescribed by the Government to install the service drop from the low voltage grid to meters and MCCB for meter protection.

- Costs borne  by the Customers: All costs of materials, installation labour of electrical conductors from meters into the customer’s house (except MCCB). If the customers hire the Power Unit to do the said, the cost shall include taxes and fees as prescribed by the State.

Question 3: Cost of changing broken meter

Electricity meter/electricity meter fuse, etc. of my family is broken and needed to be replaced. Do I have to pay for its replacement?

Answer:

Dear Valued customer,

According to related regulations, the customer is responsible for protecting the meter in their own registered place. In case the meter is lost, the customer shall compensate for it. In case it is damaged, customer shall pay for the fixing and inspecting costs.

If it cannot be identified as the customers’ fault, Power Unit is responsible for renewing or fixing it.

Question 4: Moving the meter

Can I move the meter to another place? If yes, what procedures must I follow? Who do I have to contact for implementation?

Answer:

Dear Valued customer,

You cannot dismantle or move the meter on your own. If you want to move the meter, you need to work with Power Unit and are responsible for paying all related costs in regard of changing the place of the measuring system (except for the meter).

Power Unit is responsible for disclosing all the costs at the place of transaction. You shall contact local power branch directly for detailed instructions.

Q1: Account logging in guide

I want to log in my account on a Power company’s website about customer care. Could you please give me instructions?

A:

Dear Valued customer,

To log in your account on customer care website:

Step 1: Open your Internet browser, enter the link to the Customer care website (for example, Web page of EVNHANOI Contact Center is: http://cskh.evnhanoi.com.vn)

Step 2: Enter your account name and password to log in (by default, this information is the customer code)

Step 3: Select your required service.

Q2: Print e-bill

Could you please tell us how to print an e-bill? Thank you!

A:

Dear Valued customer,

Printing e-bill guide is as follows:

Step 1: Open your Internet browser, enter the link to the Customer care website (for example, of EVN HANOI is http://cskh.evnhanoi.com.vn)

Step 2: Enter your account name and password to log on to the website (by default, this information is the customer code)

Step 3: In the menu on the left, find the function Lookup, click Lookup bill - payment history -> Lookup and download e-bill.

Step 4: On the home screen, select the month and year to lookup e-bill, then click the Search button and wait 1-2 seconds, the site will show you a list of e-bills.

Step 5: At the View section, customers can View bills or download e-bills. By choosing View bills, the image of electronic bills will appear along with the printer icon in the upper left corner.

Step 6: Click the printer icon in the upper left corner to print e-bill.

If you have taken these steps but still cannot log in, you should contact the Power contact center for specific instructions.

Best regards.

Q1: Registration procedures for power purchase for domestic use

I want to purchase power for domestic use.  What is the procedure? What documents are required, how long does it take and how much does it cost?

A: Dear Valued customer,

To be supplied with power for domestic use, you should go to the nearest Customer service office of Local power branch to register it.

When registering to purchase power, customers need to have 02 following documents:

1. Request for power purchase  

2. A copy of one of the documents related to power purchase places:

  - Household book of permanent residence or temporary residence;

  - Certificate of house ownership or decision on the place of house or house sale contract;

  - Certificates of land use rights (with house on land);

  - House lease contract.

In case the Customer does not have any of these documents, the Request for power purchase shall be certified by the Local Commune or Ward People's Committee about the power purchase place.

Customers can refer to the procedures and relating costs at: http://www.evn.com.vn/EVN-khach-hang/EVN-khach-hang/Huong-dan-dich-vu- diene / Index.aspx

In case the regional grid is unqualified for power supply certified by local regulatory agency (the Department of Trade and Industry), the power branch will send a written reply to the customers within 03 working days, including expected time for power supply.

Q2: Procedures for changing the information in the power purchase agreement

Is it possible for me to change the information (name / phone number / ...) in the power purchase agreement? What is the procedure? How much does it cost? Please give me specific instructions.

A: Dear Valued customer,

To make changes in information stated in the power purchase agreement, you can contact your local Power branch for detailed instructions, Power branch will assist you in  performing these procedures.

For the request to change the name in the agreement, you should contact Power branch for procedures as prescribed.

For now, these services are free of charge.

Q3: Procedures for private substation installation

I want to install a substation for my own, what procedures are there to follow? What is the cost and time duration for perform the work? Thank you.

A: Dear Valued customer,

The procedure for the installation of private substations is as follows:

a. Written request to power purchase.

b. 01 copy of a document identifying the place of power purchase, it can be one of the following documents:

- 01 copy of document specified the place of power purchase, it can be one of the following documents: Household Book; or a House ownership certificate; or a eligible house purchase contract; or ownership certificate of land use (house available on land for domestic customers); or a authorization contract on management and use of house/land; or place renting contract (for other customers);

c. 01 copy of the documents specifying the purpose of power use if it is not for domestic use. It may be one of the following documents: certificate of enterprise registration; or a certificate of business registration; or a registration certificate of the branch or representative office; or investment license; or decision on establishment of the enterprise.

Local retailed distribution units  in rural and mountainous areas who buy power from the distribution network with a total capacity of 50 KVA or more shall have a Power Operating License granted by the authorized governmental agencies.

d. Written request for Connection as prescribed by the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

After conducting a survey at site, Power branch will carry out the connection agreement, the connection point agreed will be the ground for determining the investment boundary between Power branches and customers.

You can work with the local Power branch to consider a relevant lump-sum service or to hire a company specializing in design and construction of the work.

Q4: Procedure for installing three phase meters

I want to install 3-phase electricity meter, serving the purpose of manufacturing / agriculture / family activities, etc., What procedures should I follow, what documents are required and how much will the cost be?

A: Dear Valued customer,

If 3-phase network is available in the area, the local power branch will check the actual equipment and the power usage of the customer to determine the power supply,  whether 1 phase or 3-phase, for the customer.

The procedure is as follows:

- If the customer is a 1-phase user, there shall be a written request to change the purpose, capacity as well as a list of additional equipment.

- If the customer requests for a new power supply, it is required to have: Written request for power purchase and 01 copy of the document specifying the power purchasing place.

If the regional network is unqualified for 3-phase power supply, the Power branch will send a written reply to the customer within 03 working days stating the estimated time of power supply.

Cost of implementation:

- The costs borne by the Power unit: The entire cost of materials, installation labour, taxes and fees as prescribed by the Government to install the service drop from the low voltage grid to meters and MCCB for meter protection.

- The costs borne by the Customer: All costs of materials, installation labour of electrical conductors from meters into the customer’s house (except for MCCB). In case the customer hires the Power Unit to do this, the cost will include taxes and fees as prescribed by the State.