EPDK Announces New Regulations for Natural Gas Subscriptions: Installments and Exemptions Detailed

New Regulation in the Natural Gas Market The "Regulation Amending the Natural Gas Market Distribution and Customer Services Regulation," prepared by the Energy Market Regulatory Authority (EPDK), has been published in the Official Gazette and entered into force.
Based on Laws No.
4628 and 4646, the new regulation introduces comprehensive changes to connection fees, security deposits, meter operations, billing periods, and definitions of illegal usage.
Connection Fees and Refund Conditions According to the new regulation, the subscriber connection fee will be collected as a one-time payment during the connection agreement.
Installment options of up to six months on credit cards will be offered for these payments.
Refunds can be requested within five business days of the application, provided that the construction of the service line has not yet commenced; however, no refunds will be issued once the manufacturing process has started.
Distribution companies are now obligated to make the gas supply ready within a maximum of 30 days from the collection of the connection fee.
This period may be extended up to 90 days with the applicant's consent.
Additionally, if a connection fee has previously been paid for the same address, it cannot be collected again.
Installments and Exemptions for Security Deposits Security deposits collected from subscribers using mechanical meters can now be paid in at least six equal installments via credit card without interest.
The regulation also grants full exemptions from security deposits for specific groups, including: Users of prepaid meters Places of worship and cemevis Quran courses affiliated with the Presidency of Religious Affairs (Diyanet) Households receiving social assistance Public administrations (excluding commercial facilities) Billing and Illegal Usage Inspections New rules have been implemented to protect consumer rights during the billing process.
In cases where the reading period is extended due to the distribution company, the accumulated consumption fee must be billed in at least four interest-free installments.
Invoices must be delivered at least 10 days before the due date, and the payment period cannot be less than five business days.
Notifications can be made through digital channels such as SMS and email, in addition to paper invoices.
The definition of illegal natural gas usage has been expanded to include interference with meters, regulators, remote reading systems, and smart measurement systems.
Furthermore, before a contract can be terminated due to debt, the distribution company is now required to provide notification at least three business days in advance through at least two different communication methods.