Household electricity rates in Korea: KEPCO residential tiers, base charge per kWh and a bill estimator
Numbers checked against the official source on 2026-10-19
KEPCO's residential tariff has three usage tiers and a base charge that depends on the tier you reach. For a standard low-voltage home the energy charge is KRW 120.0 per kWh up to the first tier, KRW 214.6 in the second and KRW 307.3 in the third, with base charges of KRW 910, 1,600 and 7,300 per household. The tier limits are 300 and 450 kWh in July and August, and 200 and 400 kWh in the other ten months. Then 10% VAT and a 2.7% power industry fund are added. The estimator below uses only those published numbers.
Source: KEPCO's online service (한전ON), Korean tariff page, tab "주택용(저압/고압)". The page prints "2024년 01월 01일부터 적용" for the low-voltage table and "2023년 11월 09일부터 적용" for the high-voltage table, and offers a download named "24.07.01 시행_전기요금표_주택용". Figures read from the KEPCO pages on 2026-10-19. The download's name suggests a version dated 2024-07-01; we did not open that file, so we cannot say whether any figure in it differs. Confirm your own bill; KEPCO's customer centre is 123 (no area code, paid call).
Residential tariff, low voltage (most homes and apartments)
Applies to residential customers including apartments with a contract demand of 3 kW or less, and also to dormitories or group social-welfare homes that ask for it, and residential officetels.
| Tier | July 1 - August 31 (summer) | Other months (Jan 1 - Jun 30, Sep 1 - Dec 31) | Base charge per household | Energy charge per kWh |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | up to 300 kWh | up to 200 kWh | 910 | 120.0 |
| 2 | 301 to 450 kWh | 201 to 400 kWh | 1,600 | 214.6 |
| 3 | over 450 kWh | over 400 kWh | 7,300 | 307.3 |
Super-user rate: above 1,000 kWh in a month, the page gives an energy charge of KRW 736.2 per kWh ("1,000kWh초과 전력량요금은 736.2원/kWh 적용"). It names July-August for the summer table and December-February for the other-season table.
Residential tariff, high voltage
For households supplied directly at high voltage. Applied from 2023-11-09.
| Tier | Summer limit | Other-month limit | Base charge | Energy charge per kWh |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | up to 300 kWh | up to 200 kWh | 730 | 105.0 |
| 2 | 301 to 450 kWh | 201 to 400 kWh | 1,260 | 174.0 |
| 3 | over 450 kWh | over 400 kWh | 6,060 | 242.3 |
Super-user energy charge above 1,000 kWh for high voltage: KRW 601.3 per kWh.
How the bill is built
- Electricity charge = base charge + energy charge + climate and environment charge + fuel cost adjustment charge.
- Base charge: the figure for the highest tier your month's usage reaches. KEPCO's own worked example gives 250 kWh in the 200-400 band: "기본 요금 : 1,600원(250kWh 기준 2단계 요금 적용)".
- Energy charge is added tier by tier. In the same example, 250 kWh costs KRW 34,730 in energy, which is 200 kWh at 120.0 plus 50 kWh at 214.6 (derived arithmetic: 24,000 + 10,730).
- Climate and environment charge: a per-kWh unit price times usage, to cover renewable-energy obligations, emissions trading and coal-power reduction costs. The tariff page does not print the current unit price.
- Fuel cost adjustment: a per-kWh unit price times usage, which reflects coal, gas and oil price changes. The page says the range is plus or minus KRW 5 per kWh. It does not print the current unit price.
- Billed amount = electricity charge + VAT + power industry fund. VAT is 10% of the electricity charge, rounded to the nearest won (rounding half up). The fund is 2.7% of the electricity charge, rounded down to the nearest 10 won.
Bill estimator
The two unit prices that the tariff page does not print are optional boxes. Look them up on your own bill (they appear as per-kWh lines) and type them in; leave them at 0 to see the bill without them.
Not covered: welfare or large-family discounts and the extra reduction for low use, super-user billing above 1,000 kWh, time-of-use or optional plans, meter-reading date effects, late fees, and any change to the tariff after the dates shown above. Your bill is the final word.
Worked example: 250 kWh in a non-summer month
For 250 kWh in a non-summer month at low voltage: base KRW 1,600, energy KRW 34,730 (derived: 200 x 120.0 + 50 x 214.6), subtotal KRW 36,330. KEPCO's worked example on its calculation-method page shows VAT of KRW 3,633 for exactly these two figures. The 2.7% fund on KRW 36,330 is KRW 980 after rounding down to 10 won (derived arithmetic), so the estimate is about KRW 40,943 before the climate and fuel lines.
Where the official pages disagree
Three KEPCO pages show different low-voltage energy charges, so check the date on whatever table you read.
| Page | Tier 1 / 2 / 3 energy charge (KRW per kWh) | Date shown |
|---|---|---|
| 한전ON Korean tariff page (this page's headline) | 120.0 / 214.6 / 307.3 | applied from 2024-01-01 (low voltage) |
| 한전ON English tariff page, printed table | 120.0 / 214.6 / 307.3 | no date on the table; its hidden screen-reader captions mention 2021 and 2022 dates and older rates (88.3, 93.2 and so on) |
| Old KEPCO English page (home.kepco.co.kr/kepco/EN) | 112.0 / 206.6 / 299.3 | no date printed |
| Old KEPCO cyber branch Korean page | 120.0 / 214.6 / 307.3 | "2023년 11월 9일" for the same numbers |
We use the Korean 한전ON page because it is the dated one and matches the English table on the same site. The old English page is out of date: it lists the lower figures (and 97.0 / 166.0 / 234.3 for high voltage instead of 105.0 / 174.0 / 242.3). The two dates for the 120.0 / 214.6 / 307.3 table (2023-11-09 on the old page and 2024-01-01 on the current one) differ for low voltage; confirm with KEPCO if this applies to you.
Read on 2026-10-19. The tariff is set by KEPCO under its approved supply terms; this page does not give advice on tariff choice. If you are renting, your landlord or management office may bill you differently (for example apartments bill shared electricity separately), so ask them how they charge.
Official sources
- KEPCO online service (한전ON) — Korean tariff page, residential tab — low- and high-voltage residential tables, super-user rate, 'applied from' dates; read in a browser, page is script-rendered (checked 2026-10-19)
- KEPCO online service (한전ON) — Korean tariff page, electricity charge structure tab — bill structure, VAT 10% and fund 2.7% rounding rules, fuel adjustment range of plus or minus KRW 5 per kWh (checked 2026-10-19)
- KEPCO online service (한전ON) — English tariff page — English table of the same residential tariff; hidden captions mention older dates (checked 2026-10-19)
- KEPCO online service (한전ON) — electricity charge calculation method — worked residential example (250 kWh: base KRW 1,600, energy KRW 34,730, VAT KRW 3,633) (checked 2026-10-19)
- KEPCO English site (older page) — Electric Rates Table — shows older energy charges (112.0 / 206.6 / 299.3); no date printed (checked 2026-10-19)
- KEPCO cyber branch (older Korean page) — residential tariff — same 120.0 / 214.6 / 307.3 table labelled 2023-11-09; legacy site (checked 2026-10-19)
Prices change. If an official page shows a different number from this page, the official page wins — and please tell us so we can fix it.