Cancelling a Meter + Reclaiming the Electricity Deposit — Steps, Documents & Timelines (PEA/MEA)
Moving out, demolishing, selling the land or closing a business — an unused meter should be properly cancelled, and if that account ever placed a security deposit you are entitled to that money back with its yield. This page assembles both PEA's and MEA's official-manual procedures: where to file, which documents, how arrears are deducted, what to do when the meter owner has died or the names do not match, and how many working days the utilities give themselves for each step.
Cancelling a meter "gets you money back" when that account once placed a security deposit — the utility must return the deposit plus its yield (cash deposits) after deducting any arrears, and PEA's manual requires this done within 20 working days. Most deposit holders are pre-2020 applicants, businesses and temporary supplies, because since the refund measure under the Cabinet resolution of 10 Mar 2020 MEA explicitly collects no deposit from new residential and small-business users. Channels: PEA via cdp.pea.co.th or any office / MEA via MEASY or a district office — paid out by PromptPay, bank transfer or the utility's other channels. Steps, documents and the special cases follow below.
Quick Answer: Cancelling a Meter Online, How Much Comes Back, How Long It Takes
Short answers to the five questions people search most — the source and detail for each are in the sections that follow.
| Question | Short answer |
|---|---|
| Can I cancel online? | Yes, at both utilities — PEA: the PEA Smart Plus app (or any PEA office) / MEA: MEASY under "Other services" (or a district office). Reclaiming the deposit has its own online channel: cdp.pea.co.th / MEASY. |
| Do I get money back? | Yes, only if the account holds a security deposit — returned with its yield (cash deposits) after arrears are deducted. Homes connected after the 2020 measure mostly placed none, so nothing is due back. |
| How much? | Whatever your deposit receipt says (set by the meter size on the application date) + yield − arrears. The old deposit table is no longer published on a public page — check the real balance on cdp.pea.co.th / MEASY. |
| How long? | PEA: cancellation 10.5 working days, deposit refund within 20 working days / MEA: meter removal 5 working days, PromptPay refund to individuals 5 days — counted from complete documents. |
| Is there a fee? | PEA's official manuals for both cancellation and refund read "no fee information", and MEA's announcement mentions none — if anyone asks you to pay, confirm at 1129/1130 first. |
Do you get money back when cancelling an electricity meter?
What is the electricity security deposit, and who has one?
Where to claim the refund: PEA's and MEA's channels
Both utilities run dedicated online channels for the deposit, separate from the meter cancellation itself — use only these official domains, never links from SMS or chats claiming to be the utility:
PEA — cdp.pea.co.th or any PEA office
MEA — MEASY / MEA e-Service or a district office
How to cancel an electricity meter — the 5 official-manual steps
In the order PEA's citizen manual and MEA's announcement prescribe — bring complete documents, because the utilities' standard clocks start only once the request and papers are complete.
Check arrears and find the deposit receipt
Pull every outstanding period via the PEA Smart Plus / MEA Smart Life apps or 1129/1130, and dig out the deposit receipt / power-purchase contract — if it is gone, PEA's form has a lost-receipt declaration, but having it speeds everything up.
File the cancellation request (+ the deposit-refund request)
PEA: any office or the PEA Smart Plus app — file the deposit-refund request alongside (or via cdp.pea.co.th) / MEA: a district office or MEASY under "Other services", using the meter owner's documents.
The utility checks documents, checks arrears, removes the meter
PEA bundles this into 10 working days (intake, document check, arrears check and meter withdrawal); MEA's suspension/meter-removal manual gives 5 working days (intake 1 · site check 2 · removal order 1 · removal 1).
Settle the final bill — pay it, or have it deducted from the deposit
The utility takes the final reading and closes the account with a last bill — MEA's manual states plainly that unpaid debt "is deducted from the security deposit". The normal payment channels are on how to pay an electricity bill.
Receive the refund (PromptPay / bank transfer / other channels)
PEA's overall standard is 20 working days from the request date (miss it and PEA's standard sets 100 THB/day compensation, cap 1,000 THB) / MEA pays individuals via PromptPay on a 5-day overall standard, while general cash/bank-guarantee refunds run 2 weeks + 5 working days — keep the reference number to track status.
Documents: cancelling the meter + claiming the deposit
Combined from PEA's two citizen manuals and MEA's announcement/manuals — originals or certified copies both work (PEA accepts ThaID in place of the ID card):
| Document | When / note |
|---|---|
| The meter owner's ID card (PEA accepts ThaID; passport for non-Thai nationals) | Every case |
| House/building registration of the premises (MEA: or a connection document — house-number letter, sale agreement, lease, title deed) | Every case |
| Juristic-person certificate ≤6 months old + the signatory's ID | Juristic persons |
| Name-change certificate (if any) | When the current name differs from the record |
| Original stamped power of attorney + the grantor's ID copy | When someone files on your behalf |
| Death certificate + estate-administrator appointment (if any); MEA without an administrator: heir certificate + consent letters + the heirs' house-reg/ID | The meter/deposit owner has died |
| Evidence of the deposit + the deposit receipt (or the lost-receipt certification/declaration) | Deposit-refund side only (cash deposits) |
| The customer account number (CA) and the meter number | Needed on every form / online channel — printed on the bill |
Fees: PEA's official manuals for both the cancellation and the refund read "no fee information", and MEA's announcement mentions none — so we print no substitute number. Confirm anything beyond this at 1129/1130 before paying.
How many days each step takes
| Step | PEA | MEA |
|---|---|---|
| Cancellation / meter removal | 10.5 working days total: document/arrears check + meter withdrawal 10, settle & cancel 0.5 (request date to approval) | Suspension / meter removal 5 working days total (intake 1 · site check 2 · order 1 · removal 1) |
| Deposit refund (on cancellation) | Within 20 working days of the request (checks/withdrawal/arrears 10 + refund 10); 100 THB/day compensation, cap 1,000, if late | Individuals via PromptPay: 5 days total (ID check 1 · deposit/debt check 2 · approval 1 · transfer 1); general cash/bank-guarantee: 2 weeks + 5 working days |
| Using power at the same premises again later | After cancellation = a fresh application through the normal steps (see the meter page) | A "temporary suspension" can reconnect within 1 year without re-applying (≤6 months: reconnection fee; >6 months or after demolition/rewiring: fee + internal re-inspection); past 1 year, apply anew |
Do not confuse this with being cut off for arrears — that is a different rulebook (warning notice, right to disconnect, reconnection fee): see disconnection rules.
Which Case Are You? Home · Temporary Supply · Business Transformer · Temporary Closure · Selling
"Cancelling a meter" covers several situations that follow different routes — find your row before you file:
| Case | What to do | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Home meter up to 30(100)A, stopping for good | File the cancellation + the deposit-refund request (if any) using the 5 steps below. | PEA's citizen manual on cancelling supply is written for exactly this case. |
| Temporary supply (Type 8) after the build or event ends | Still need power → apply for a permanent meter for the real use / no longer needed → cancel and reclaim the deposit, because temporary supplies carry a deposit per the utility's schedule. | PEA's 20-working-day standard is written for deposit refunds on cancellation — the manuals cited here do not single out temporary supplies, so confirm at 1129/1130 · temporary-supply rates and rules: temporary construction electricity |
| Business/factory: meter above 30(100)A or a transformer supply | Go to the local utility office directly with a juristic-person certificate ≤6 months old + the signatory's ID. | PEA's published cancellation manual covers meters up to 30(100)A only — larger supplies have no public step list · MEA's manual lets other user classes reclaim the deposit on ending use, meter downsizing or a user change. |
| Temporary closure / demolish-and-rebuild (MEA areas) | Request a "temporary suspension" instead of permanent cancellation. | Reconnect within 1 year without re-applying (reconnection fee applies) — after 1 year, apply anew. |
| Selling / moving out while a buyer or tenant keeps using power | Do not cancel — do a name transfer. | No supply break and no debt chasing your name — at PEA the old deposit returns to the transferor within the transfer. |
Every row summarises the official manuals/announcements cited at the bottom. Where they are silent (large meters, business transformers, temporary supplies) we say so — confirm with 1129 (PEA) / 1130 (MEA).
The cases people get stuck on: name mismatch, death, selling, temporary closure
The deposit holder's name differs from the current owner: MEA requires the claimant's ID number to match the deposit holder — a mismatch means going to a district office with evidence. PEA has a separate form for "the owner of the premises whose name differs from the deposit owner" (at an office or via cdp.pea.co.th).
The meter owner has died: death certificate + estate-administrator letter (PEA); MEA splits two ways — with an administrator (court order + final-judgment certificate) or without (heir certificate + every heir's consent letter + the heirs' registration/ID), and the money may only go to the administrator/heir. To keep using power instead of cancelling, do a name transfer.
Selling / moving out while the house keeps using power: do not cancel — transfer the name instead, because arrears chase the registered meter owner (MEA warns outright that it acts legally against the named contract party), and at PEA the transfer is tied to changing the security: the old cash deposit is returned to the transferor under its rules within the transfer's 30-working-day standard — details on the name-transfer page.
Temporarily closing / demolish-and-rebuild (MEA areas): choose a "temporary suspension" over permanent cancellation — reconnect within 1 year without a fresh application; returning after demolition/rewiring requires the internal inspection again.
Scam warning: deposit refunds are a favourite phishing hook — the utilities do not call or send links to "claim your refund". Type the addresses yourself (cdp.pea.co.th / eservice.mea.or.th/measy / meaeservice.mea.or.th) and check the domain before entering an ID number.
Who wrote this page
Compiled by the CapSolar team, a commercial solar provider in Thailand, and reviewed by Frank Lee (Founder). Every step and timeframe cites PEA/MEA citizen manuals and official announcements whose accessibility we verified as of Aug 2026 (links at the bottom). Where the official documents are silent — the old deposit-amount table, for instance — we say so plainly and give the channel to ask. Nothing here is invented.
FAQ
Keep reading
Electricity Meter Name Transfer
The house changes hands but keeps power — transfer, don't cancel.
Disconnection & Reconnection Rules
Cut off for arrears — a different thing from cancelling.
How to Pay an Electricity Bill
Clear the final bill in one go before cancelling.
Electricity for Empty Land / a Farmhouse
This page's mirror: a new meter where no line reaches yet.
Cancelling a meter because the business is moving or growing?
A new site is the best moment to plan energy from day one — CapSolar assesses free from your actual bills whether the new building or factory fits solar via EPC or PPA.