Updated 23 September 2026 — the rules changed this year. On 9 February 2026, NEPRA notified the Prosumer Regulations 2026, which replaced net metering with net billing for all new solar connections. Under net billing the units you import are charged at the normal slab tariff, while the units you export are bought back at roughly PKR 8.13 per unit instead of the previous PKR 25.32. New licences also run for five years rather than seven. Anyone who signed a net metering agreement before 9 February 2026 keeps the old rate until that contract expires. The practical consequence: a zero bill is no longer a realistic target for a new installation. The saving now comes mainly from using your own generation during daylight hours, not from exporting. Everything below about eligibility, documents and the LESCO application process still applies. Source: Profit / Pakistan Today, 10 February 2026
With peak electricity rates exceeding PKR 60+ per unit (including fuel price adjustments and taxes), residential electricity bills in Lahore, Shahdara, and Ferozewala have reached record highs.
The most effective way to bring that bill down is a grid-tied solar system registered with LESCO. In this guide, SG Solar Solutions explains how the billing mechanism works, what changed under the 2026 rules, and what a 10kW system realistically saves today.
1. What is LESCO Net Metering?
Net metering is a bi-directional billing mechanism that allows solar system owners to export surplus solar electricity generated during daylight hours back into the LESCO main power grid.
When your solar panels generate more electricity than your house consumes, your green bi-directional meter counts the exported units. At night or on rainy days when your solar system isn’t producing power, you draw grid power. At the end of the month, LESCO deducts your exported units from your imported units.
$$\text{Final Billed Units} = \text{Imported Units from LESCO} - \text{Exported Solar Units to LESCO}$$
That subtraction is how net metering worked, and it is still how it works for anyone whose agreement predates 9 February 2026. For new connections on net billing, imports and exports are no longer netted unit-for-unit: you are billed for every imported unit at the slab tariff and credited separately for exported units at the lower buyback rate. The formula above therefore describes the legacy scheme, not a new 2026 connection.
2. Real Net Metering Calculation Example
Let’s look at a typical 10kW Solar System installed on a 10 Marla house in Shahdara:
- Average Daily Solar Generation: 42 Units / Day
- Total Monthly Solar Generation: ~1,260 Units
- Household Daytime Consumption: 15 Units / Day (450 Units / Month)
- Surplus Solar Exported to Grid: 27 Units / Day (810 Units / Month Exported)
- Nighttime Grid Consumption: 25 Units / Night (750 Units / Month Imported)
Monthly LESCO Bill Math:
$$\text{Net Billed Units} = 750 \text{ (Imported)} - 810 \text{ (Exported)} = -60 \text{ Units (Credit)}$$
Result: The homeowner pays PKR 0 for electricity consumption and accumulates 60 credited units for the following month!
3. Step-by-Step LESCO Net Metering Process
- System Sizing & 3-Phase Meter Verification: Your house must have a 3-phase LESCO meter connection and an on-grid or hybrid 3-phase inverter (minimum 3kW).
- Application Filing: Prepare application forms, CNIC copy, property ownership papers, and recent paid LESCO bill.
- Engineering Inspection & NOC: SG Solar Solutions prepares the single-line electrical diagram, protection schematics, and equipment test certificates.
- LESCO Approval & License Issue: NEPRA / LESCO awards the 3-year renewable net metering generation license.
- Bi-Directional Meter Installation: LESCO meter lab tests and installs the official bi-directional green meter.
4. Let SG Solar Solutions Handle Your Net Metering
Avoid bureaucratic delays and application rejections. SG Solar Solutions provides complete turnkey net metering filing across Shahdara, Ferozewala, Kot Abdul Malik, Metro City, Al Rehman Garden, Begum Kot, Muridke, Kamahan, and Lahore Cantt.
- 📞 Call Net Metering Specialist: 0318 0637648
- 🌐 Learn More: https://www.sgsolarsolutions.pk/services/net-metering-lesco/
