Energy Cashback: Save Just 1% and You Get Money Back -- The Relaxed July-December Rules, and Why Some Apartments Don't Qualify

What Energy Cashback actually is -- cash back for what you save

Energy Cashback is a Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) program that pays cash based on how much less electricity you used compared to the average for the same period over the previous two years, multiplied by a per-unit rate. It isn't a discount taken off your bill -- it's a separate cash deposit for the amount you saved, which is the key difference. Once you sign up, every billing cycle is evaluated for savings, and you can apply year-round.

Only July through December this year, the bar is much lower

Previously, you needed to save at least 3% compared to your average usage to qualify. But for meter readings from July through December 2026, the threshold has been temporarily relaxed so that saving just 1% or more qualifies you for cashback. It's also worth knowing that no matter how much you save, the savings rate is only recognized up to a maximum of 30%.

The rate changes depending on your savings bracket

The amount you get back isn't simply the kilowatt-hours you saved times a flat rate -- it's a tiered structure where the per-kWh rate itself changes depending on your savings bracket. Under this year's July-December temporary rules, the rate ranges from 30 won to as much as 120 won per kWh depending on your savings percentage. Even a small amount of savings qualifies you for a payout, but the higher your savings rate climbs, the higher the per-kWh rate you're paid climbs too -- so "the more you save" isn't a simple straight-line relationship.

If you live in an apartment, check this first

Not every apartment resident can apply. If your electricity charge is bundled into your building's maintenance fee and individual unit-level usage data isn't submitted to KEPCO, your unit is excluded from applying. Conversely, if your building has individual meters per unit and usage is tracked separately, you can apply as an individual household. To find out which situation your building is in, check with the building management office about how electricity is billed -- whether it's bundled into the shared maintenance fee or not.

Applying isn't automatic

Saving a lot of electricity doesn't mean the cashback gets deposited on its own. You have to apply directly through the official Energy Cashback website (en-ter.co.kr) or the KEPCO:ON app before your usage starting that billing cycle is even evaluated for savings. If online application is difficult, you can also apply in person at your nearest KEPCO branch office with ID. Usage from before you applied isn't retroactively credited, so if you tell yourself "I'll apply later," whatever you saved in the meantime just goes uncounted.

How much do you actually get back -- the calculation steps

The exact amount depends on the gap between your household's average usage over the past two years and your actual usage this billing cycle, so it varies household by household. The calculation steps are: ① check your average usage for the same billing month over the past two years, ② compare this month's actual usage against that average to get your savings rate (%), ③ multiply the kWh you saved by the per-kWh rate that corresponds to your savings bracket. You can check your own average usage and savings rate through the usage-lookup menu on the Energy Cashback website or the KEPCO:ON app.

A worked example to get a feel for it

Say a household's average usage for the same billing month over the past two years was 350 kWh, and this month they used 280 kWh. That's a savings of 70 kWh, a 20% savings rate. Under the July-December temporary rules, this household qualifies for payout (1% or more), and they'd receive the per-kWh rate for the 20% bracket multiplied by 70 kWh. Worth remembering: the gap in final cashback between a household saving in the low-teens percent and one saving in the 20s isn't just about how much electricity they saved -- the different rate applied to each bracket widens that gap further.

If you applied but don't see a cashback

If you applied but didn't receive a cashback for a particular billing cycle, it's usually because that month's savings rate didn't clear the 1% (or the earlier 3%) threshold, or because the two-year average you're being compared against was already unusually low, leaving less room to show savings. If your past average was unusually low -- say, a month when your household was away during a holiday -- you might not show much of a savings rate this year even if you lived normally. In that case, the most accurate approach is to check the comparison average directly through the monthly usage lookup on the Energy Cashback website.

Steps to follow

① If you live in an apartment, first check with the building management office whether electricity is billed separately by unit. ② Once eligibility is confirmed, apply through the Energy Cashback website or the KEPCO:ON app (applications are accepted year-round). ③ Confirm the relaxed rule for July-December billing cycles: 1% or more savings qualifies for payout. ④ Understand that the cashback is calculated at 30-120 won per kWh depending on your savings rate each billing cycle. ⑤ Since usage before you applied isn't credited retroactively, don't put it off -- apply now.

If you're looking for other ways to cut your electricity bill itself, it's worth checking whether you qualify for the electricity bill welfare discount. If you live in an apartment, reading up on the apartment maintenance fee disclosure rules first can help you understand whether your unit's electricity is billed separately. For cutting other fixed costs like your phone plan, this site has separately covered how to calculate the penalty fee when switching mobile plans. Savings rates and cashback rates can be adjusted by KEPCO policy from one billing cycle to the next, so check the Energy Cashback website for the latest notice before applying.