Net Metering vs Net Billing in Pakistan (2026): What Changed and What Your Solar Exports Are Worth

If you are planning rooftop solar in Pakistan, the rules for selling electricity back to the grid changed in February 2026. Most of the confusion online comes from mixing up the old system (net metering) with the new one (net billing). This guide explains both in plain language, using NEPRA's own documents, and shows what the change means for a normal household bill.

The short version: new solar connections are now on net billing. Units you take from the grid are charged at the normal tariff, and units you send to the grid are bought at a much lower rate, currently Rs 8.13 per unit according to NEPRA. People who signed a net-metering agreement before 9 February 2026 keep their old terms until that agreement expires. Solar still makes sense, but it now pays off mainly by covering your own daytime use, not by exporting.

What net metering was

Under the NEPRA net-metering regulations of 2015, your bidirectional (green) meter recorded units imported from the grid and units exported by your solar system. Exported units were set against imported units, so one exported unit cancelled one imported unit. In practice, many homes could push their bill close to the fixed charges and taxes by exporting a lot during the day and importing at night.

That one-for-one swap was valuable because the units you cancelled would otherwise have cost you your full slab rate.

What changed in 2026: net billing

On 9 February 2026 NEPRA notified the NEPRA (Prosumer) Regulations, 2026 (S.R.O. 251(I)/2026), which repealed the 2015 regulations. Regulation 14 sets out the new net billing arrangement:

• Units the DISCO supplies to you are billed at the applicable tariff, which is your normal slab or time-of-use rate.
• Units you supply to the DISCO are bought at the national average energy purchase price.
• If what you sold is worth more than what you bought in a billing cycle, the difference is carried to your next bill or paid to you quarterly.
• NEPRA can revise the purchase rate by notification during your agreement, and the revised rate applies automatically.

So instead of swapping units one for one, the DISCO now bills your imports and your exports separately, at two very different prices.

What is the buyback rate right now?

In its quarterly adjustment decision notified as S.R.O. 1501(I)/2026 (7 September 2026), NEPRA says net-billing units exported to the ex-WAPDA DISCOs were accounted for at Rs 8.13 per kWh, and older net-metering units at Rs 25.32 per kWh, for April–June 2026. NEPRA updates these figures periodically, so treat them as the latest official numbers rather than a permanent rate. Your own bill should show the rate actually applied.

I already have net metering. Am I affected?

The original 2026 regulations would have moved existing users onto a lower rate as well. In April 2026 NEPRA amended regulation 21 (notified as S.R.O. 547(I)/2026, as reported at the time) so that agreements signed under the old regulations keep the old rate and mechanism until the agreement expires. The change was made to count from 9 February 2026.

Two cautions:

• When your agreement comes up for renewal, the renewal is on the new net-billing terms.
• Press reports of the amendment say that a material modification, such as adding panels to increase your system's output, can move you onto the new terms. If you have an old agreement, check with your DISCO in writing before you expand.

Other rules that matter when you apply

The regulations contain a few practical points that affect how you size and install a system:

• System size can't exceed your sanctioned load (regulation 3(2)). If your sanctioned load is 5 kW, you can't connect a 10 kW system without first getting the load increased.
• The agreement runs for five years from commissioning and can be renewed for further five-year terms by mutual consent (regulation 7).
• Busy transformers can be refused. A DISCO won't accept new applications on a distribution transformer once connected solar reaches 80% of its rated capacity (proviso to regulation 3(5)).
• Metering can be one bidirectional meter or two separate meters, one for import and one for export (regulation 5).
• Grid-connected inverters must comply with UL 1741 (regulation 9(5)). Ask your installer for proof that the inverter model meets this.
• NEPRA concurrence. Your DISCO forwards the agreement, fee and an affidavit to NEPRA for concurrence, and billing under the arrangement starts after concurrence is granted (regulations 3(11) and 4).

The regulations also set timelines for each step. The DISCO acknowledges your application within five working days, completes its initial review within fifteen, signs the agreement within seven, and installs the interconnection within fifteen working days of you paying the demand notice. In real life these steps often take longer, so plan for it.

Don't export before your meter is installed. Until the green meter is fitted, set your inverter to zero export. Otherwise an ordinary meter may record your exported units as consumption, and your bill goes up instead of down.

What net billing means for your bill, in rupees

The key number is the gap between what you pay for a grid unit and what you are paid for an exported one.

Take a household on the un-protected tariff using about 400 units a month. Under NEPRA's current schedule, every one of those units is charged at Rs 36.46 before fixed charges, adjustments and taxes. An exported unit earns Rs 8.13. That means each unit of solar you use yourself saves about Rs 28.33 more than the same unit exported. For heavier users the gap is wider. Above 700 units the slab rate is Rs 47.20.

Homes with a sanctioned load of 5 kW or more are billed on time-of-use rates: Rs 46.85 per unit in the four peak hours and Rs 34.53 off-peak. The same logic applies. Exported units earn far less than the units you buy in the evening.

You can test your own numbers with the electricity bill calculator or your DISCO's page, such as the LESCO bill calculator or IESCO bill calculator.

How to get the most out of solar under net billing

The goal has shifted from "export as much as possible" to "use as much of your own solar as possible". In practice:

1. Size for your daytime use, not for export. Start from your summer bill and the appliances you run during the day. A system much larger than your daytime use mostly earns the low buyback rate. The solar calculator sizes the system from your appliances or monthly units.
2. Move flexible loads into sunlight hours. Washing machines, irons, water pumps, dishwashers and EV charging all cost less when they run off your own panels.
3. Pre-cool in the afternoon. Running ACs harder while the sun is strong and easing off in the evening shifts some cooling onto solar.
4. Consider a hybrid inverter. A hybrid inverter lets you add batteries now or later, and keeps essential loads running during load-shedding. See our hybrid vs on-grid inverter guide.
5. Think about a battery only if your evening use is high. Storing a daytime unit for the evening is worth roughly the gap above, but batteries cost money and wear out. A 5 kWh lithium battery currently lists at about Rs 222,800 – 260,000. Our lithium vs tubular guide explains how to judge whether one pays back.

Is solar still worth it in 2026?

For most homes with a daytime load, yes. The panels now cost far less than they did a few years ago. Today's typical rate is Rs 38.0–42.2 per watt, and every unit you use from your roof replaces one you would otherwise buy at your full slab rate. What has changed is the payback from exporting, which is now small.

To see what a system costs today, see the 5 kW system price or 10 kW system price. Before you sign anything, run your quote through our solar quotation checklist.

Prices in this guide update automatically from the dealer listings we track (last refreshed 2 October 2026). They are indicative market ranges, not quotes.

Official sources

• NEPRA (Prosumer) Regulations, 2026, S.R.O. 251(I)/2026, 9 February 2026: nepra.org.pk
• NEPRA decision on quarterly adjustment for April–June 2026, S.R.O. 1501(I)/2026, 7 September 2026 (para 23, export rates): nepra.org.pk
• NEPRA draft amendment to regulation 21 (existing agreements), published for comment: nepra.org.pk. The notified amendment was reported by The Nation, 3 April 2026.
• Domestic tariff schedule (S.R.O. 279(I)/2026) as published by IESCO: iesco.com.pk/tariff-guide

This guide explains the rules as published. It is not legal advice. Policies can change by notification, so confirm the terms of your own agreement with your DISCO.