KEPCO public tables and Standard Terms checked August 19, 2026
A Korean building power upgrade is not one construction quote
Adding electric-vehicle chargers, a heat pump, commercial kitchen equipment, HVAC, servers, or production machinery can change both the building infrastructure and its continuing electricity bill.
A useful budget separates the required contract-power decision, the facility contribution payable to Korea Electric Power Corporation, the customer-side electrical work, and the monthly basic-charge increase.
This Korea-specific calculator turns an equipment load schedule, a recent bill, and like-for-like contractor quotes into a planning brief for KEPCO and a registered electrical contractor.
It does not design the installation or approve a contract-power application.
Keep three cost boundaries separate
1. KEPCO contribution
The public standard calculation uses added contract power, supply voltage, overhead or underground service, and line distance beyond the published base distance.
A confirmed KEPCO quote takes priority where special or mixed conditions make the standard table incomplete.
2. Customer-side work
This can include service and feeder cables, conduit and excavation, panels and switchgear, a transformer or receiving equipment, design, supervision, testing, applications, outage work, and reinstatement.
Enter payable quotes including Korean VAT on a consistent scope.
3. Monthly basic charge
The comparison applies the user-entered KRW/kW basic-charge rate to contract power or estimated billing demand.
Optional daytime lagging power-factor adjustment is included, but energy charges, VAT, and the power-industry levy are not.
Mixing these boundaries makes omissions and double counting difficult to detect.
A contractor may collect a KEPCO payment as an agent, or the customer may pay KEPCO directly.
A panel or breaker may already be included in an equipment package while another quote lists it again.
Separating the automatic KEPCO table, a manual KEPCO override, customer-side direct costs, contingency, and the continuing fixed charge creates a cleaner procurement comparison.
KEPCO standard facility-contribution rates used here
The values below were read from the KEPCO basic and distance facility-contribution tables on August 19, 2026.
Every published amount in these tables excludes 10% Korean VAT.
Low-voltage single-phase and three-phase service use the same basic-contribution schedule, while their overhead new-line distance rates differ.
KEPCO notes that the high- and extra-high-voltage basic schedule applies where total contract power is at least 100 kW, so a lower target selected with high voltage produces a review warning.
KEPCO basic facility contribution by voltage and service method| Supply category | First 5 kW | Each kW above 5 | Application note |
|---|
| Low voltage, overhead | KRW 220,000 | KRW 86,000 | Single- or three-phase |
| Low voltage, underground | KRW 527,000 | KRW 123,000 | Single- or three-phase |
| High or extra-high voltage, overhead | KRW 17,000/kW | KRW 17,000/kW | Check the 100 kW total threshold |
| High or extra-high voltage, underground | KRW 44,000/kW | KRW 44,000/kW | Check the 100 kW total threshold |
For a low-voltage upgrade above 5 kW, the calculator adds the fixed first-five-kilowatt amount and then multiplies only the remaining upgrade by the incremental rate.
For high or extra-high voltage, it multiplies every added kilowatt by the applicable overhead or underground rate.
If target contract power equals existing contract power, the automatic facility contribution is zero even if a distance was entered, because there is no calculated upgrade event.
KEPCO distance facility contribution rates and base distances| Method | Base distance | Low single, new | Low three-phase, new | High voltage, new | Added-line distance |
|---|
| Overhead | 200 m | KRW 39,000/m | KRW 43,000/m | KRW 43,000/m | Low KRW 5,000/m; high KRW 10,000/m |
| Underground | 50 m | KRW 60,000/m | KRW 60,000/m | KRW 110,000/m | No automated public rate |
The calculator subtracts the 200 m overhead or 50 m underground base distance and discards a remaining fraction below one metre.
For example, 205.9 m of overhead new line is charged as five excess metres, not six.
This arithmetic cannot determine KEPCO's service point, reference point, actual route, mixed overhead and underground split, pole work, road work, or special-supply facilities.
Use a confirmed design response for those boundaries.
A disciplined input workflow
- Verify existing contract power and current peak.
Read contract power and, where available, billed demand or maximum demand from recent Korean electricity bills and meter records.
If no interval or demand record exists, document the conservative operating assumption used for the existing peak.
- Build the new-equipment load schedule.
Enter electrical input kW per unit, quantity, and the share expected to operate at the relevant peak.
Do not confuse useful heating or cooling output with electrical input.
Confirm EV load management, heat-pump resistance backup, motor starting, duty cycling, and operating interlocks with the designer or manufacturer.
- Compare minimum, recommended, and planned power.
Minimum power rounds projected peak up to a whole kilowatt.
Recommended power adds the user's reserve assumption before rounding, while planned power is the target entered for the project.
These are planning cases, not a KEPCO contract determination.
- Select the supply condition and enter confirmed distance information.
Choose low-voltage single-phase, low-voltage three-phase, or high voltage, then choose overhead or underground service.
Enter actual line distance including the base distance only after confirming how KEPCO measures it.
- Replace the automatic amount when KEPCO has quoted the project.
Turn on the manual quote and enter the amount payable including VAT.
The result retains the public-table calculation beside the applied quote so the difference remains visible.
- Align customer-side quote scopes.
Separate cable and route work, panels, receiving equipment, design and supervision, inspection and applications, and other outage or reinstatement work.
Use VAT-inclusive payable values and apply contingency only to this customer-side subtotal.
- Replace the reference basic-charge rate.
Enter the actual KRW/kW rate for the tariff and option shown on the latest bill.
Use the demand-meter option only when the customer has a maximum-demand meter, and use the power-factor option only after confirming Article 43 eligibility.
How the load and capacity calculation works
Coincident demand by item
Rated electrical input × quantity × peak diversity percentage ÷ 100 gives each item's coincident demand.
The calculator sums all items and adds that amount to current peak demand.
Capacity cases
Minimum is the ceiling of projected peak.
Recommended is the ceiling of projected peak multiplied by one plus the reserve percentage.
Planned margin is target contract power minus projected peak, so a negative value clearly identifies a deficit.
Default fictional load schedule
- Two 7 kW AC EV chargers at 50% peak diversity contribute 7.0 kW.
- One 12 kW heat pump at 60% contributes 7.2 kW.
- One 5 kW commercial kitchen item at 50% contributes 2.5 kW.
Added coincident demand is 16.7 kW.
Adding the existing 30 kW peak gives a projected peak of 46.7 kW.
Minimum contract power is 47 kW, recommended power at a 15% reserve is 54 kW, and the fictional 55 kW plan has 8.3 kW of margin.
Diversity is not a universal national percentage.
It depends on operating hours, control logic, weather, production sequence, charging policy, and whether loads overlap with the building's existing peak.
Where evidence is weak, run several cases and have the operating assumptions reviewed rather than treating a single default as a rule.
Worked cost example and staged choices
Moving from 40 kW to 55 kW is a 15 kW low-voltage overhead upgrade in the default example.
The basic contribution is KRW 220,000 for the first 5 kW plus ten times KRW 86,000, producing KRW 1,080,000 before VAT.
VAT is KRW 108,000, so the automatic KEPCO total is KRW 1,188,000.
With no excess line distance and no customer-side quote entered, the displayed initial budget is KRW 1,188,000, but that is not a complete construction budget.
Minimum, recommended, and planned upgrade cases in the default example| Case | Contract power | Added power | Automatic KEPCO incl. VAT | Monthly basic charge | Meaning |
|---|
| Minimum | 47 kW | 7 kW | KRW 431,200 | KRW 289,520 | Projected peak rounded up |
| ★ Recommended | 54 kW | 14 kW | KRW 1,093,400 | KRW 332,640 | Includes 15% reserve |
| Planned | 55 kW | 15 kW | KRW 1,188,000 | KRW 338,800 | User-entered target |
The monthly figures above use the editable KRW 6,160/kW reference and no power-factor adjustment.
Existing basic charge is 40 × KRW 6,160, or KRW 246,400 per month.
The 55 kW plan is KRW 338,800 per month, an increase of KRW 92,400 per month and KRW 1,108,800 per year before energy charges, VAT, and levies.
KRW 6,160/kW is the General Service (A) I low-voltage basic rate shown on the KEPCO tariff page effective November 9, 2023.
It is a convenient editable example, not a rate that applies to every Korean building.
Billing demand and daytime lagging power factor
Without a demand meter
The comparison uses existing contract power before the upgrade and target contract power after it.
Confirm the actual billing rule and tariff category on the bill and with KEPCO.
With a demand meter
The estimate takes the largest of current billed demand, projected peak rounded up, and 30% of target contract power rounded up.
This preserves known demand history instead of resetting it to zero, but it is still only an Article 68 approximation.
KEPCO Standard Terms Article 68 considers maximum demand from relevant seasonal months, along with contract changes and meter-installation history.
A single recent billed-demand value cannot reproduce the complete monthly rule.
Obtain the relevant demand history when the fixed-charge result materially affects the investment decision.
Current KEPCO daytime lagging power-factor adjustment examples| Lagging power factor | Adjustment rate | Adjustment on KRW 616,000 | Adjusted basic charge |
|---|
| 85% | +1.0% | +KRW 6,160 | KRW 622,160 |
| 90% | 0% | KRW 0 | KRW 616,000 |
| 95% | -1.0% | -KRW 6,160 | KRW 609,840 |
| 100% | -1.0%, capped at 95% | -KRW 6,160 | KRW 609,840 |
Under the current Article 43 rule, daytime lagging power factor below 90% adds 0.2% of the basic charge for each percentage point, assessed down to a 60% floor.
A value above 90% deducts 0.2% per point, capped at 95%.
The calculator deliberately does not use the 0.5% figure found in older material.
The rule applies only to eligible tariff and metering conditions, including specified low-voltage customers at 20 kW or more and relevant high-voltage customers.
Night-time leading power-factor charges from 23:00 to 09:00 require separate reactive-energy information and are excluded.
Application scenarios
EV charging
Determine whether all chargers can operate at full output together and whether a load-management controller limits the site peak.
Do not simply add charger nameplate totals to contract power when an enforceable control strategy changes coincident demand.
Record that control strategy in the design and operating documents.
Heat pumps and electric boilers
Include compressor input, pumps, controls, defrost operation, and any cold-weather resistance backup rather than using thermal output capacity.
Test whether winter heating demand overlaps the building's established demand peak.
Commercial kitchens and HVAC
Check whether induction equipment, ovens, dishwashers, refrigeration, ventilation, and HVAC overlap during preparation or service.
A tenant should also confirm landlord approval, available receiving capacity, work ownership, and reinstatement obligations.
Factories, laboratories, and server rooms
Motor starting, UPS losses, redundancy, cooling, harmonics, and critical-load requirements cannot be designed from steady kW alone.
Use the calculator for a cost envelope, then commission fault-level, protection-coordination, cable, voltage-drop, grounding, and power-quality design.
Quote-normalisation checklist
- Use the same target contract power, supply voltage, phase, and overhead or underground assumption in every quote.
- State whether the KEPCO facility contribution is paid directly or included as a pass-through amount handled by the contractor.
- Mark the start and end of customer-side service and feeder work, cable length, conduit, excavation, fire-stopping, and reinstatement.
- Separate panels, switchgear, breakers, metering, controls, and modifications to existing equipment.
- Identify transformer, cubicle, receiving, and protection equipment and the conditions under which existing assets may be reused.
- Assign design, supervision, drawings, technical review, test reports, KEPCO application, and pre-use inspection responsibilities.
- Price outage duration, temporary power, business interruption controls, night or holiday work, and occupant notices.
- Align VAT, removal, disposal, lifting, road or parking reinstatement, provisional sums, and contingency.
- Record quote validity, commodity escalation, equipment lead time, commissioning, warranty, and exclusions.
Frequently asked questions
Can I submit the recommended result directly as my KEPCO contract power?
No.
Minimum and recommended power are planning results based on the diversity and reserve assumptions entered by the user.
KEPCO contract calculation, the detailed rules, the actual receiving arrangement, and professional electrical design take priority.
Use the result to frame the question, not to replace approval.
What diversity percentage should I use?
There is no universal percentage for every project.
Use manufacturer data, actual meter records, operating schedules, control logic, interlocks, and a documented worst credible overlap.
Compare a conservative case when evidence is weak and ask the designer to verify the operating scenario.
Does zero distance contribution mean no line-work cost?
No.
The line may be within the public base distance or no confirmed distance may have been entered, while customer-side cable, conduit, excavation, road work, reinstatement, or special facilities still cost money.
Confirm the service point and work boundary in KEPCO's response and the contractor's quote.
Is KRW 6,160/kW valid for every building in Korea?
No.
It is the editable General Service (A) I low-voltage reference from the tariff table effective November 9, 2023.
General, industrial, educational, high-voltage option, seasonal, and time-of-use arrangements can have different structures.
Replace it with the rate confirmed on the latest bill or by KEPCO.
Does improving power factor to 100% keep increasing the discount?
No.
The daytime lagging discount in this implementation is capped at 95% under the current Article 43 rule.
Eligibility depends on tariff, contract power, and reactive metering, while excessive correction can create night-time leading-power-factor issues.
Do not size correction capacitors without harmonic and system review.
Can this tool decide whether a pre-use inspection is required?
No.
Electrical Safety Management Act Article 9 and its Enforcement Rule Article 6 must be applied to the actual facility type, capacity, and construction scope.
Inspection fees, testing, drawings, filings, and attendance can also vary.
Enter only a quote confirmed for the actual project.
Why does the staged table ignore my manual KEPCO quote?
A manual quote normally relates to one defined planned scope.
Applying the same amount to minimum and recommended cases would imply that KEPCO quoted those different designs.
The staged table therefore uses the same public automatic formula for all three cases, while the main planned budget applies the manual override.
Legal and technical boundary
- The calculator does not create a single-line diagram or size transformers, breakers, conductors, grounding, protection, correction capacitors, or harmonic filters.
- It does not calculate short-circuit current, selectivity, voltage drop, starting performance, fire stopping, resilience, or an outage method.
- Whether work must be carried out by a registered electrical contractor under Electrical Construction Business Act Article 3 depends on the actual scope and any statutory exception.
- It does not determine pre-use inspection, filing, electrical safety manager, building approval, fire-code, road-excavation, landlord, or condominium-management requirements.
- The KEPCO public table does not reproduce every special facility, mixed route, design-adjustment contribution, or allocation of utility and customer work.
Use the output as a transparent cost envelope and question list.
A registered Korean electrical contractor and the appropriate electrical engineer should inspect the existing service, receiving equipment, panels, routes, protection, and operating constraints.
KEPCO should confirm the supply voltage, service point, measured line distance, facility contribution, construction boundary, contract-power method, and tariff consequences in writing.
Official references and maintenance date
The calculation was checked on August 19, 2026 against KEPCO Standard Terms Articles 43, 68, and 93, the public basic facility-contribution table, and the public distance facility-contribution table.
The legal boundary references Electric Utility Act Article 16 effective March 10, 2026; Electrical Safety Management Act Article 9 effective February 1, 2026; its Enforcement Rule Article 6 effective July 1, 2026; Electrical Construction Business Act Article 3 effective November 28, 2025; and the 10% VAT rate under Value-Added Tax Act Article 30 effective January 2, 2026.
Rates and terms can change after the checked date.
Reopen the official pages before relying on the result for procurement or an application.
Turn the result into written project questions
Save the calculation and attach equipment schedules, recent bills, maximum-demand records, and site photographs.
Ask KEPCO to confirm the supply voltage, service point, work boundary, facility contribution, contract-power method, and tariff treatment.
Ask the registered contractor to confirm receiving capacity, cable and panel scope, outage method, design, commissioning, inspection, reinstatement, VAT, exclusions, and warranty.
Comparing minimum, recommended, and planned cases on the same assumptions makes immediate need and future reserve visible without pretending that a planning calculator is an electrical design.