Net Metering in Pakistan 2026: Net Billing Rules Explained

For new solar users, yes, net metering has ended. NEPRA notified the Prosumer Regulations, 2026 on 9 February 2026, replacing the 2015 net metering regulations with net billing. Under net billing, imported and exported units are priced separately instead of being swapped one for one.

Exported units are bought at the national average energy purchase price, reported at about Rs 10–11 per unit (some reports put it near Rs 8), down from about Rs 26 under the old contracts. NEPRA revises this price periodically. Units you import from the grid are billed at your normal tariff, reported at Rs 37–55 per unit before taxes depending on the slab. New agreements run for five years.

If you already had a net metering agreement before 9 February 2026, an amendment notified in April 2026 lets you keep your old rate and terms until your agreement expires, as long as you don’t increase your system’s output.

The gap between buying and selling is now large: every unit you export earns roughly a quarter of what the same unit costs when you import it at night. A solar system pays back fastest when you use its output yourself during the day, not when you sell it to the grid.

In practice that means sizing the system to your daytime load rather than oversizing for export, moving heavy daytime loads such as air conditioners, pumps, and washing machines into sunlight hours, and considering a battery if you use a lot of power in the evening. A hybrid system lets you store daytime surplus for the night instead of selling it cheaply.

Ask any installer to show payback with exports valued at the net billing rate, not the old Rs 26. A quote that still assumes one-for-one netting will overstate your savings.

NEPRA first said existing prosumers would also move to net billing. After the government asked it to review the rules, NEPRA notified an amendment in early April 2026, with effect from 9 February 2026. Approvals, licences, and agreements issued under the old regulations remain valid, and existing users are billed at the old rate and mechanism until their agreement expires.

The protection is lost if you modify your system in a way that increases its maximum electrical output. If you plan to add panels, ask your DISCO first how the extra capacity will be treated, because the added part falls under the new rules.

As reported at notification, prosumers can’t install generation beyond their sanctioned load. An amendment notified in August 2026 means systems of 25 kW or below no longer need NEPRA’s concurrence and are approved directly by the distribution company. A DISCO can also stop accepting new applications on a transformer once distributed generation reaches 80% of its rated capacity. Any surplus value is credited to the next bill or paid quarterly by the DISCO.

Rules, tariffs, forms, and technical standards can change again. This guide is general buyer education, not legal or regulatory advice. Confirm the live position with NEPRA and your DISCO before making a financial commitment.

A prosumer consumes electricity from the grid and also operates an eligible distributed generation facility connected to the distribution system. The 2026 regulations cover facilities using solar, wind, or biogas, subject to the definitions, application requirements, technical standards, and approvals in the regulation.

A rooftop solar installation does not automatically become an approved grid-export arrangement. The connection, metering, documentation, and concurrence process must follow the applicable framework.

Do not build the entire payback case around exported units until eligibility and the applicable billing mechanism are confirmed. A design with strong daytime self-consumption is less dependent on uncertain export assumptions.

A credible solar proposal should separate electricity used directly at the property from electricity expected to be exported. Direct daytime self-consumption avoids buying those units from the grid; export treatment depends on the applicable regulatory and tariff framework.

Request at least two scenarios: one based primarily on self-consumption and another that includes a clearly stated export assumption. This makes the investment case easier to reassess if tariffs or regulations change.

Use NEPRA’s legal and news pages for notified regulations and later amendments. Your distribution company remains the practical source for application workflow, connection documents, metering, and site-specific requirements — in Karachi, that means checking the current K-Electric solar policy and application process.

Keep copies of the regulation, approved design, application, agreement, meter records, commissioning documents, warranties, and all payments. If a proposal uses the older phrase ‘net metering’, ask the installer to explain how the current prosumer framework affects a new application.