Since 9 February 2026, new solar connections in Pakistan are on net billing, not net metering. Units you import are charged at your normal tariff, and units you export are credited at the national average energy purchase price, reported at about Rs 10 to Rs 11 a unit when the rules came in. Agreements signed before 9 February 2026 keep the old net metering method, where exported units cancel imported units one for one, until they expire.
Enter the import and export readings from your bill. For a 10 kW home importing 500 units and exporting 600, net billing leaves about Rs 16,488 of energy and fixed charges before taxes, while net metering leaves only the fixed charges.
Net metering vs net billing
| Net metering (older agreements) | Net billing (from 9 February 2026) | |
|---|---|---|
| Rules | NEPRA Distributed Generation and Net Metering Regulations 2015 | NEPRA (Prosumer) Regulations 2026 |
| How exports count | Units exported are set off against units imported | Imports billed at your tariff, exports credited in rupees |
| Value of an exported unit | Your own tariff rate, while you still import | National average energy purchase price, about Rs 10 |
| When exports exceed imports | Surplus carried to the next bill or paid quarterly | Credit carried to the next bill or paid quarterly |
| Agreement term | 7 years under the last amendments | 5 years, renewable |
NEPRA first moved existing users to net billing too. After a review, an amendment notified in April 2026 (S.R.O. 547(I)/2026) let agreements signed before 9 February 2026 keep the old rate and mechanism until they expire. That protection ends if the plant is changed in a way that raises its maximum output.
How the bill is worked out
Net billing
- Peak units imported × peak rate, plus off-peak units imported × off-peak rate.
- Add fixed charges. For a time-of-use home these are Rs 675 per kW a month on half the sanctioned load, or on the maximum demand if that is higher.
- Take off exported units × the buyback price, and any credit brought forward.
- If the result is below zero, it is carried to the next bill or paid quarterly.
Net metering
Exported units are first set against off-peak imports, because panels export in daylight, which is off-peak. Any exports left over are set against peak imports. Only the units still imported after that are charged. Surplus units are carried forward or paid quarterly.
Worked example
A 10 kW home in Lahore on a 10 kW sanctioned load imports 150 peak and 350 off-peak units and exports 600 units in a month. Rates are Rs 46.85 peak and Rs 34.53 off-peak.
Net billing:
- Imports: 150 × 46.85 + 350 × 34.53 = Rs 7,027.50 + Rs 12,085.50 = Rs 19,113
- Fixed charges: 675 × 5 kW = Rs 3,375
- Export credit: 600 × Rs 10 = Rs 6,000
- Bill before taxes: Rs 16,488
Net metering: the 600 exported units cancel all 500 imported units, leaving 100 surplus units. Only the Rs 3,375 fixed charge is billed, and the surplus is carried forward.
Without solar, the same home would have bought about 1,120 units and paid about Rs 43,897 before taxes. Net billing saves about Rs 27,409 a month, so a Rs 1,125,000 system pays back in about 3.4 years.
Net billing and net metering for the same readings
10 kW sanctioned load, time-of-use rates above, Rs 10 buyback under net billing, bill before taxes.
| Imported peak / off-peak | Exported | Net billing | Net metering |
|---|---|---|---|
| 150 / 350 | 600 | Rs 16,488 | Rs 3,375 |
| 150 / 450 | 300 | Rs 22,941 | Rs 15,582 |
| 200 / 500 | 150 | Rs 28,510 | Rs 24,831 |
| 100 / 200 | 900 | Rs 5,966 | Rs 3,375 |
Net billing hurts most when you export a lot and import at night. Solar you use yourself during the day is now worth about Rs 34 a unit instead of Rs 10.
Rules for new applicants
- The system can be no bigger than your sanctioned load, up to 1 MW.
- Your DISCO can refuse a new connection when solar on your transformer has reached 80% of its capacity.
- The agreement runs for five years and can be renewed by mutual consent.
To size a system, use the solar system calculator. To check what your bill would be without solar, use the electricity bill calculator.
The tariff rates are the government's applicable time-of-use rates for homes with 5 kW or more, notified as S.R.O. 279(I)/2026. The buyback figures are news reports from February 2026, and NEPRA revises the purchase price. Sales tax, electricity duty, fuel charge and quarterly adjustments are left out, and DISCOs apply them in their own way on solar bills. Your bill is the final word.
Net metering questions
Is net metering still available in Pakistan?
Not for new connections. Since 9 February 2026 the NEPRA (Prosumer) Regulations 2026 put new solar users on net billing. Homes with a net metering agreement signed before that date keep it until the agreement expires, under S.R.O. 547(I)/2026.
What is the net billing buyback rate?
Exports are credited at the national average energy purchase price. It was reported at about Rs 10 to Rs 11 a unit when the rules were notified in February 2026. NEPRA updates it, so check the rate shown on your bill and enter it in the calculator.
What happens to extra units under net billing?
If the credit for your exports is more than the charge for your imports, the difference is credited to your next bill or paid to you quarterly, as the regulations provide. The calculator shows it as credit to the next bill.
How long does solar take to pay back under net billing?
For the 10 kW example on this page it is about 3.4 years before taxes are counted, against about 2.2 years under the old net metering. The more of your own solar you use during the day, the faster the payback.
Can I increase my solar system on an old net metering agreement?
Be careful. S.R.O. 547(I)/2026 says the old terms stop applying if the plant is changed in a way that increases its maximum output. Adding panels or a bigger inverter could move you to net billing.
Last reviewed 30 September 2026. Results are estimates; official notices always take precedence.