How to request new electric service from LUMA

It is the request to energize a property with no active electric service: typically new construction, or a lot that has never had an account. Puerto Rico’s electric service is operated by LUMA Energy, a private transmission and distribution operator, not a government agency. That matters for knowing who you complain to, and why this is done on LUMA’s site rather than a .pr.gov portal. What distinguishes this from a transfer is that here LUMA needs evidence that the property’s electrical installation is fit and that the building’s use is authorized, which is why the electrical certification and the use permit come into play.

It applies to anyone who will receive electric service at a property without an active account. You do not need to be the owner: LUMA accepts a broad list of instruments to establish your right to occupy the property, including a deed, lease agreement, purchase contract, court resolution or order, declaration of heirs, will, sworn statement from the owner, or evidence of legal authorization to occupy the property. If the residence is rented, LUMA expressly adds the rental or lease agreement.

• Valid photo identification issued by the state or federal government, and a Social Security number.Verified against the official source
• Electrical Installation Certification.Verified against the official source
• Use Permit, issued by OGPe or the corresponding autonomous municipality.Verified against the official source
• Evidence of your right to the property: a deed, lease agreement, purchase contract, court resolution or order, declaration of heirs, will, sworn statement from the owner, or evidence of legal authorization to occupy the property. If the residence is rented, LUMA also asks for the rental or lease agreement.Verified against the official source
• The physical address of the home where service will be provided, with location references if needed, and a mailing address if different from the service location.Verified against the official source
• Payment of the deposit. LUMA lists it as a requirement but does not publish the amount on this page.Verified against the official source

• The photo identification and evidence of the Social Security number.
• The property’s Electrical Installation Certification.
• The Use Permit issued by OGPe or by your autonomous municipality.
• The document establishing your right to the property, and the rental agreement if the residence is rented.

1. 1

   Step 1: Confirm yours is new service and not a transfer

   This is the question that decides everything else. If the property already has or had an electricity account and you want to put it in your name, that is a service transfer: a different requirement list, with no Use Permit and no electrical certification unless the premises have been without service for over a year. New service is for a property with no active account, and it is the only one of the two that will send you looking for an OGPe permit.

2. 2

   Step 2: Start with the Use Permit, which takes longest

   LUMA states the Use Permit is issued by OGPe or the corresponding autonomous municipality. That is a complete process in its own right, with its own sequence of steps, and it is not resolved in a phone call. If you are building or have just finished construction, starting it early is what keeps the house from being finished and still dark.

3. 3

   Step 3: Get the Electrical Installation Certification

   This is the other technical requirement. LUMA requires it for new service without exception, unlike a transfer, where it only applies if the premises have been without service for over a year. Get it from the appropriate professional before calling, because without it the request does not move.

4. 4

   Step 4: Gather evidence of your right to the property

   LUMA accepts several instruments and it is worth knowing, because many people assume no deed means no service: a deed works, but so does a lease agreement, a purchase contract, a court resolution or order, a declaration of heirs, a will, a sworn statement from the owner, or evidence of legal authorization to occupy the property. If you rent, LUMA also asks for the rental agreement.

5. 5

   Step 5: Call 1-844-888-5862 or go to a Customer Service Center

   Those are the two routes LUMA publishes for new service. Have at hand the exact physical address of the place where service will be provided, with location references if needed, and the mailing address if it is different. Be ready as well for the deposit payment, which LUMA lists as a requirement.

By calling 1-844-888-5862 (LUMA), or in person at any LUMA Customer Service Center. LUMA also maintains Mi LUMA Web and the Mi LUMA app for managing the account once service is active, and publishes an appointment system for its centers.

• Requesting new service when the property already had power and a transfer is what applies, ending up chasing an unnecessary Use Permit.
• Leaving the Use Permit for last, when it is the requirement that takes longest because it is a separate process before OGPe or the municipality.
• Assuming no deed means no service, when LUMA accepts a lease agreement, a declaration of heirs, a sworn statement from the owner and several other instruments.
• Renting without bringing the rental agreement, which LUMA expressly asks for in addition to the property-right document.
• Calling without the exact physical address and location references, especially in areas where the mailing address does not match the service address.
• Not budgeting for the deposit, which LUMA lists as a requirement even though it does not publish the amount.

These are the government pages this guide is based on.

• LUMA Energy

  LUMA

  lumapr.com

• Mi LUMA Web and Mi LUMA App

  LUMA

  lumapr.com