How to Read Your Electricity Bill Before Going Solar (and What a 100 Unit Bill Costs)

This guide walks through each part of a FESCO, LESCO, MEPCO, GEPCO or IESCO bill, shows how a small bill is built up, and explains how to turn 12 months of units into a sensible solar size. We checked the tariff news below on 13 October 2026. Tariffs are revised often, so confirm the figures on your own latest bill.

The parts of your bill that matter for solar

Every DISCO prints its bill slightly differently, but the same information is there. Look for these items:

If you run a factory or a large commercial unit, MDI deserves its own reading. Our guide to MDI on your electricity bill explains it in detail.

Diagram

Read your bill before solar

Units

Monthly kWh: sizes the system

Fixed charges

Per kW of sanctioned load, by slab

Protected and unprotected consumers

Domestic consumers on the A-1 tariff are split into two groups.

• Protected: reported as households that used 200 units or less in each of the previous six billing months. They pay lower slab rates on the first 200 units.
• Unprotected: everyone else. If a protected household crosses 200 units in a single month, it loses protected status and pays the higher rates on all its units until it again completes a qualifying six-month run.

This is why a single hot month can raise bills for half a year. In September 2026 it was reported that the Power Division was considering limiting the higher rate to the month in which 200 units is crossed, but this was a proposal, not a change in force.

There is also a smaller "lifeline" category for very low users, which gets separate treatment.

Fixed charges in 2026

Until early 2026, domestic fixed charges applied mainly to unprotected households above 300 units. In February 2026 NEPRA approved a Power Division request to extend fixed charges to lower-use households too. Reports at the time listed the following monthly amounts:

Source: reporting on NEPRA's decision of February 2026 (see Sources). Lifeline consumers were reported as exempt.

One major outlet described the same charge as Rs 200 to Rs 675 per kW of sanctioned load, not per connection. Other outlets listed it per consumer by usage slab. At the same time, per-unit rates for higher slabs above 300 units were reported to have been cut slightly.

What this means for solar: fixed charges do not go away when you install solar. You still pay them for staying connected to the grid. Solar reduces the units you buy, and the unit-based part of the bill is where the saving comes from.

Two smaller changes from 2025: the Rs 35 PTV fee was removed from electricity bills, and the provincial electricity duty stopped being collected through bills from 1 July 2025.

What does a 100 unit electricity bill cost in Pakistan?

Here is how a small domestic bill is put together. The numbers below are round illustrative figures for explaining the method, not your tariff.

Example: a protected household using 100 units

1. Energy charge: 100 units × slab rate. If the slab rate were Rs 11 per unit, that is Rs 1,100.
2. Fixed charge: say Rs 200 for this category.
3. Fuel and quarterly adjustments: whatever is notified that month (can be positive or negative).
4. Taxes: GST and any others, applied as per the rules for your category.

Example: an unprotected household using 100 units

The same 100 units at an illustrative slab rate of Rs 23 per unit is Rs 2,300 before fixed charge, adjustments and taxes. The same usage can cost roughly double simply because of the household's history over the past six months.

A September 2026 report put the base protected rate for the first 100 units at about Rs 10.5 and the unprotected rate at about Rs 22.4, before fixed charges, taxes and adjustments.

Should a 100 unit household go solar? Usually not as a grid-tied system. A home using 100 to 200 units a month is often protected, already pays low rates, and would need only a very small system. Solar Works Pakistan designs systems from about 6 kW upwards, which suits homes and businesses with much higher use. If your bill is small, the better step is usually energy efficiency (inverter AC, LED lighting, efficient fans).

Peak and off-peak units

If your sanctioned load is 5 kW or more, you will usually have a time-of-use (TOU) meter, and your bill will show peak and off-peak units separately. Peak units cost more per unit. Peak hours are in the evening and vary by season; they have been under review, with reports in 2025 of NEPRA asking DISCOs to limit the peak window.

This matters for solar because panels produce nothing during evening peak hours. To reduce peak units you need either a battery or a shift of loads into daytime. That is one reason hybrid systems with batteries have become more common since net billing replaced net metering. See our net metering and net billing guide.

How to use 12 months of units to size solar

The single-month total on your bill is not enough. Use the full history.

1. Collect 12 months of units. Most bills print the last 12 months. If yours does not, download duplicate bills from your DISCO's website.
2. Find the peak month. In Punjab this is usually June to August, when ACs run hardest.
3. Find the average. Add all 12 months and divide by 12.
4. Convert to daily units. Divide by 30.
5. Divide by useful sun hours to get an approximate system size in kW.

Example arithmetic only: a home with a yearly average of 1,200 units a month uses about 40 units a day. Assuming about 5 useful sun hours a day for illustration, 40 ÷ 5 = 8 kW. If the peak month is 1,800 units, a design between the average and the peak (with a battery or load-shifting for evening use) is often more sensible than sizing to the very top. This is a starting estimate, not a generation promise.

Then check these limits:

• Sanctioned load: under net billing, your solar capacity cannot exceed it. If you need more, apply to raise sanctioned load first.
• Phase: single-phase homes cannot export under the 2026 rules, so they should design mainly for self-use.
• Daytime vs night use: units used at night are not covered by panels alone.

Our solar calculator does this arithmetic for you, and how many solar panels for 5 kW and 10 kW turns kW into a panel count. For system prices by size, see solar system price in Pakistan. To understand how units saved turn into payback, read how to estimate solar payback.

Bring your bill to the site survey

When our engineers visit, the bill is the first document we ask for. Have ready:

• The latest bill, plus 12 months of history (or duplicates)
• Your CNIC and the name the connection is registered in
• Sanctioned load and phase (both printed on the bill)
• A note of heavy loads: ACs, motors, pumps, machines and when they run

Read what happens during a free solar site survey for the full process. Solar Works Pakistan does the load analysis and design in-house and installs with its own teams.

Get today's price or a free site survey

Send us a photo of your latest bill and the 12-month history. We will tell you honestly what size makes sense and what it will cost today.

• WhatsApp or call: 0336 666 4321
• Email: info@solarworks.pk
• Head office: Main Boulevard, Sargodha Rd, Block F FDA City, Faisalabad
• Lahore branch: 2nd Floor, Jeff Heights, Gulberg, Lahore
• Hours: 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM, daily
• Service area: all of Punjab. See our Faisalabad and Lahore pages, or contact us.

Site surveys are normally free. Founded in 2021, Solar Works Pakistan has served 300+ customers, including 50+ industrial clients.

Frequently asked questions

How much is a 100 unit electricity bill in Pakistan?

It depends on your protected or unprotected status, your DISCO's current slab rate, the fixed charge, fuel adjustments and taxes. An unprotected household can pay roughly double a protected one for the same 100 units. Check the rate printed on your own bill for the current month.

What is a protected electricity consumer?

A domestic consumer reported as using 200 units or less in each of the previous six months. Protected consumers pay lower slab rates. Crossing 200 units in one month removes protected status for the following months.

Does solar remove fixed charges from my bill?

No. Fixed charges are paid for staying connected to the grid, whatever your usage. Solar reduces the units you buy from the grid, which lowers the energy part of the bill.

Where is sanctioned load on my bill?

It is printed near the top of most DISCO bills, usually labelled "sanctioned load" or "load" in kW. Under net billing, your solar capacity cannot be larger than this figure.

Which month's units should I use to size solar?

Use all 12 months. Look at both the yearly average and the summer peak, then design between the two, with a battery or load-shifting for evening use where it makes sense.

Why are my peak units so high?

Peak hours fall in the evening, when lights, fans and ACs run and panels produce nothing. A battery, or moving loads like pumps and washing machines to midday, is the usual way to reduce them.

Is solar worth it for a 100 unit bill?

Usually not as a grid-tied system. Low-use homes often pay protected rates and would need a very small system. Solar Works Pakistan designs systems from about 6 kW upwards for homes and businesses with higher use.

Sources

1. The News, "Domestic consumers using up to 300 units hit with fixed charges" (11 Feb 2026)
2. Dawn, "Fixed power charge to be levied per kW, not per connection" (11 Feb 2026)
3. BOL News, "NEPRA extends fixed tariffs to domestic consumers below 300 units" (Feb 2026)
4. Aaj News, "Power tariffs rise nationwide as Nepra imposes fixed charges on all households" (11 Feb 2026)
5. The Standard, "Government unveils increased fixed charges on household electricity consumers" (Feb 2026)
6. Nukta, report on proposed domestic fixed charges ahead of the NEPRA hearing (Feb 2026)
7. Pakistan Observer, update on the 200-unit protected rule (Sep 2026)
8. FESCO, electricity tariff page (schedule effective 1 July 2024; TOU for 5 kW and above)
9. Profit (Pakistan Today), "Govt abolishes electricity duty on bills" (1 Jul 2025)
10. Daily Pakistan, "Peak electricity hours cut to 11pm" (21 Aug 2025)