Guides · Faisalabad, Lahore, Punjab
Solar Load Management: Running Heavy Appliances in Solar Hours
Short answer
Solar load management means running your heaviest appliances, such as the washing machine, iron, water motor and AC pre-cooling, between late morning and mid-afternoon, when your panels produce the most. Every unit you use straight from the panels saves you a full-tariff grid unit, while a unit exported under net billing earns much less. You do not need new equipment to start. A few changes to the household routine, and a timer or two, are usually enough.
Why timing matters more than it used to
Under the old net metering rules, a unit exported at noon cancelled a unit imported at night, one for one. Timing hardly mattered. Since 9 February 2026, new solar connections fall under NEPRA's net billing rules: imported units are billed at your normal tariff, and exported units are credited at a separate, much lower rate, reported at about Rs 10-11 per unit when the rules were notified. Our net metering and net billing guide covers the rules in full.
The practical result is simple. A unit of solar you use yourself is worth your full tariff. The same unit sent to the grid is worth far less. Moving loads into the sunny hours turns cheap export units into expensive units you no longer buy.
Example arithmetic only, with round illustrative numbers. Say your tariff is Rs 50 per unit and the export credit is Rs 10. You move a 2-unit wash and a 1-unit ironing session from evening to noon, every day.
| Evening (from grid) | Midday (from solar) | |
|---|---|---|
| Units used | 3 | 3 |
| Cost of those units | 3 × Rs 50 = Rs 150 | 3 units not exported: 3 × Rs 10 = Rs 30 of credit given up |
| Daily difference | About Rs 120 better off |
These are not your tariff or a forecast. Use the rates on your own bill to repeat the sum.
If you have no net billing agreement and your inverter limits export, the case is even stronger: surplus solar is simply wasted, so any load you move into the day is close to free.
Running heavy loads in solar hours
Solar hours
Washing, pumps, irons, AC
Evening
Lights, fans, essentials
Night
Minimum load
When are "solar hours" in Punjab?
Output rises through the morning, peaks around midday and falls through the afternoon. As a working rule:
| Time | Solar output (clear day) | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Before about 9 AM | Low, rising | Light loads only |
| About 10 AM to 3 PM | Highest | Heavy loads: washing, ironing, motors, AC pre-cooling, cooking |
| About 3 PM to 5 PM | Falling | Medium loads, topping up the battery |
| After sunset | None | Battery or grid |
The window is shorter in winter and on smoggy or cloudy days. Your monitoring app shows the real curve for your roof; look at a few clear days and note when generation is comfortably above your base load.
Which loads to move, and how
Washing machine and dryer
One of the easiest wins. Run full loads between about 10 AM and 2 PM. Many automatic machines have a delay-start button: load them in the morning and set the start for midday.
Iron and steam press
An iron draws a lot of power while it heats. Batch the week's ironing into one midday session instead of a few minutes each evening.
Water motor
Fill the overhead tank around noon so the house runs on stored water in the evening. A simple timer on the motor circuit makes this automatic. The motor's starting surge must fit within the inverter's capacity alongside everything else running, so read running a home water pump on solar before you add a timer. Use a timer and protection rated for motor loads; see our breakers and protection page.
Air conditioners: pre-cooling
Run the AC harder in the early afternoon, while solar is strong, so the house is already cool when the sun goes down. Close curtains and doors to keep the cool in. In the evening, a higher thermostat setting then holds the temperature with less effort. Inverter ACs suit this well because they settle at low power once the room is cool; see inverter AC vs non-inverter AC on solar and solar for AC.
Cooking and water heating
Electric kettles, induction plates, rice cookers and electric water heaters are all heavy loads. Lunch cooked at midday, or water heated at noon for evening use, comes from your panels. Our cooking on solar guide covers induction loads.
Do not run everything at once
Shifting loads is not the same as stacking them. If the washing machine, motor, iron and two ACs all start together, the inverter can overload, especially during load-shedding when it has no grid to lean on. Spread heavy loads across the solar window:
- 10 AM: water motor fills the tank.
- 11 AM: washing machine.
- 12 noon: ironing and cooking.
- 1 to 4 PM: AC pre-cooling.
Your inverter's rated output is the ceiling for everything running at one moment.
Using timers and inverter settings
- Plug-in or DB-mounted timers for the water motor and electric water heater. Choose ones rated for the load.
- Delay-start on washing machines and dishwashers.
- Hybrid inverter priority settings. In solar-first modes the inverter serves the house from panels first. Our guide to SBU, SUB and utility-first modes explains the choices.
- Grid charging off. For most homes, let the sun charge the battery rather than the grid at night. See should you charge your battery from the grid?
Load management with a battery
A battery stretches solar into the evening, but it is smaller than the sky. Use direct solar for the heavy midday loads and save the battery for the evening essentials: lights, fans, fridge, internet and perhaps one AC. Running a washing machine on battery at night uses stored units you may want later during load-shedding.
Peak and off-peak tariffs
Some connections are billed at a higher rate in evening peak hours. If yours is, moving loads out of the peak window is worth even more. Check your bill for separate peak and off-peak readings and the current peak hours for your DISCO.
Load management and system size
Good habits come first, then sizing. Under net billing, the right system covers your daytime use rather than exporting as much as possible. Read sizing your solar system under net billing or try the solar calculator. Our projects start at about 6 kW.
How Solar Works Pakistan helps
Our engineers design around when you use power, not only how much, and at handover we show you the monitoring app and inverter modes. We serve homes, shops and factories throughout Punjab, with 300+ customers and 50+ industrial clients since 2021.
Get today's price or a free site survey
Send us 12 months of electricity bills and a list of your main appliances. We will tell you how much of your load can move into solar hours, and what size system fits.
- 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
We serve customers throughout Punjab, and site surveys are normally free. See our Faisalabad and Lahore pages, or contact us.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best time to run appliances on solar?
On a clear day in Punjab, roughly 10 AM to 3 PM, when output is highest. The window is shorter in winter and on smoggy days. Your monitoring app shows the exact curve for your roof.
Is it worth running the washing machine at midday under net billing?
Usually yes. A unit used from your panels saves a full-tariff grid unit, while a unit exported earns a much lower credit. Moving regular loads like washing and ironing into daylight is one of the simplest ways to get more from your system.
Can I run the AC, water motor and washing machine together on solar?
Only if the total stays within your inverter's rated output, including the motor's starting surge. It is safer to stagger heavy loads across the midday window, especially during load-shedding.
What is AC pre-cooling?
Running the AC more in the early afternoon, on solar, so the house is already cool by sunset. In the evening the AC then needs less power to hold the temperature, which saves battery or grid units.
Should I use my battery to run heavy loads at night?
Generally no. Keep the battery for evening essentials and load-shedding. Heavy loads are better run directly from solar during the day.
Do I need special equipment for solar load management?
No. Most of it is routine. A timer for the water motor or water heater, delay-start on the washing machine and the right inverter mode cover most homes.
Sources
- Dawn, "Nepra pulls the plug on net-metering" (10 Feb 2026), export rate reported for new prosumers
Net-billing facts restate article #04 (English net billing guide), which carries the full source list.