Solar System in DHA Lahore and Bahria Town: What Bungalow Owners Need to Know

Solar Works Pakistan designs and installs these systems through its Lahore branch, with engineering done in-house. WhatsApp 0336 666 4321 to start with your bills.

Typical systems for DHA and Bahria Town homes

These are starting points; your bills decide the size. Our guide to solar system size for marla and kanal houses explains the method, and the solar system price guide and lithium battery prices pages show how components add up.

Diagram

DHA and Bahria Town Lahore: design checks

Society rules

Height and structure limits

Large bungalows

Many ACs; evening load is the challenge

Battery

Carries solar into the evening

DHA Lahore's solar bylaws

DHA Lahore publishes its own rules for rooftop solar. We read two versions on DHA's website: bylaws updated on 1 December 2023, and a later set of installation guidelines. The main points:

1. Approved vendor only. The installer must be approved by DHA and certified by a national energy body. The 2023 bylaws name the Alternative Energy Development Board (AEDB); the newer guidelines refer to the Private Power and Infrastructure Board (PPIB).
2. Design approval before work starts. A complete proposal with a detailed design goes to DHA for scrutiny and approval before installation.
3. Height limits above the roof. For houses of 1 kanal and above, the lower edge of the panels may sit up to 5 feet and the upper edge up to 10 feet above the roof. The newer guidelines set a separate upper-edge limit of 12 feet for 5-10 marla houses.
4. Mumty and water tank space cannot be used without DHA's prior permission, decided case by case, with much tighter height limits.
5. No permanent structure. The frame cannot become part of the building. It must be fixed with stainless steel anchors, on concrete footings, without damaging the waterproofing.
6. Tier 1 panels and inverters.
7. Safety. AC and DC earthing and a lightning arrester are mandatory.
8. Certificates. A vendor certificate for wind and storm resistance (with a higher rating for elevated or customised structures), a structure stability certificate and a commissioning certificate. A LESCO NOC or bill showing the load is also listed.

DHA's rules match how we design anyway: an engineered frame, sealed anchor points, proper earthing and lightning protection, and a written commissioning record. See L2, L3 and elevated structures, roof waterproofing with solar and storm and lightning safety.

Which electricity company bills your DHA house?

Most DHA Lahore phases are LESCO consumers; LESCO runs and maintains the 132 kV grid station that serves Phases VI and VII, for example. DHA's bylaws also name DHA EME alongside LESCO as a relevant distributor, and NEPRA's net metering records list DHA EME (Phase XII) houses separately.

Bahria Town Lahore: the billing question

Bahria Town Lahore works differently from DHA. According to a NEPRA complaints committee decision dated 4 June 2026:

• LESCO supplies power to Bahria Town (Private) Limited through 132 kV grid stations, and Bahria then distributes, maintains and bills residents itself.
• Bahria is not a licensed distribution or supply company; its licence application is still pending.
• Residents complained that exported solar units were capped or deducted, and that net metering agreements were ending after three years, leaving some bills showing zero export.
• Solar inside Bahria Town Lahore was reported at more than 39 MW, while each facility under NEPRA's rules is capped at 1 MW, so NEPRA rejected Bahria's request for net metering at its bulk connections.
• NEPRA directed Bahria to bill residents in LESCO's format, directed LESCO to install bi-directional meters at Bahria's connections, and asked Bahria and residents to settle zero-export cases through new agreements or another arrangement.

What this means for a Bahria Town homeowner: do not count on export income. Design the system so that most of what it produces is used in the house, store the evening share in a battery, and treat any export credit as a bonus. Where export is not allowed or not credited, a zero-export device keeps the system from feeding the grid.

Bahria Town also has its own building-control rules. Our guide to solar for housing societies covers the wider society-level issues.

Net billing for DHA homes on LESCO

For DHA houses billed by LESCO, the national rules apply, summarised from our net metering and net billing guide:

• New solar connections since 9 February 2026 come under net billing. Imports are billed at your tariff; exports are credited at the national average energy purchase price, reported at about Rs 10-11 per unit when the rules were notified.
• Net billing is available to three-phase consumers, with solar capacity up to your sanctioned load. Many DHA and Bahria bungalows are already three-phase.
• Systems up to 25 kW are approved by the DISCO without a NEPRA licence fee; larger systems pay NEPRA a one-time fee per kW.
• LESCO fits AMI smart meters on new solar connections. See AMI meters and net billing.

In a large house with many ACs, self-use is easy to achieve by day. The design challenge is the evening, when ACs, lights and the kitchen all run after the sun sets. See sizing under net billing.

Solar Works Pakistan prepares, submits and follows up your LESCO net billing application.

Designing for large bungalows

Three-phase and balanced loads

A three-phase hybrid inverter spreads solar across all three phases. Single-phase inverters on a three-phase house can leave one phase overloaded while another exports. We list the loads on each phase before choosing. See three-phase vs single-phase inverters.

Two inverters or one?

Above about 15-20 kW, or where the owner wants redundancy, two inverters in parallel can make more sense than one large unit. If one fails, the house keeps some solar. Our guide to running inverters in parallel covers the trade-offs.

Batteries sized for evenings

For a 1 kanal house, the useful question is which loads must run after sunset and through load-shedding, not how to back up everything. A high-voltage battery bank often suits larger hybrids. See high-voltage vs low-voltage batteries.

Lifts, booster pumps and gate motors

Home lifts, pressure boosters and gate motors draw a short, heavy surge on starting. The inverter and battery must handle that surge without tripping. See solar for home lifts, boosters and gate motors.

Roof space within the height limits

DHA's height limits and mumty restrictions reduce usable roof. An elevated frame within the allowed height can sit above the roof's tanks and AC outdoor units and leave the roof usable underneath, but every layout has to fit the rules for your plot size.

EV chargers: plan them with the solar

If you own an electric car or plan to buy one, decide now. A car charging at about 7 kW for several hours is one of the largest loads a house can have, so the charger should be part of the solar design, not added later.

• Charge in solar hours where possible. A car parked at home during the day can absorb midday solar that would otherwise be exported at a low rate.
• Check the sanctioned load. We add the charger to your existing loads before choosing its size.
• Use a dedicated circuit with its own breaker and earth-leakage protection.

Solar Works Pakistan installs EV chargers as a service. See EV charger installation and charging an EV with home solar.

Owners living abroad

If you own a DHA or Bahria Town home but live abroad, we can survey the house, share the design and BOQ on WhatsApp and email, and hand over monitoring access so you can watch generation from abroad. See solar for overseas Pakistanis.

How we work in Lahore's societies

1. Bills and photos. Twelve months of bills, roof photos, and a list of heavy loads including lifts, pumps and any EV.
2. Site survey, normally free, including the roof's waterproofing, mumty, tanks and the society's height limits.
3. In-house design in AutoCAD, with the layout and structure drawn to your society's rules.
4. Detailed BOQ naming brand, model, quantity and warranty for every item. Our guide to comparing solar quotations shows what to check.
5. Installation by our own team, then testing, safe commissioning and handover with the monitoring app.

Small projects are normally completed in about one week, subject to payment, equipment availability, site readiness and any society approval. Panels, inverters and batteries carry the manufacturer's warranty per product. Our structures carry a 3-year Solar Works Pakistan structure warranty, and our service warranty covers the first year under applicable project terms. After a complaint is registered, we target sending service personnel within 48 hours to begin diagnosis.

Solar Works Pakistan was founded in 2021 and has served 300+ customers, including 50+ industrial clients, with power-generation heritage going back to the 1980s through our founder, Akram Ullah Khan. For other Lahore neighbourhoods, see solar in Johar Town, Model Town and Gulberg and our main Lahore page.

Get today's price or a free site survey

Send your last 12 months of bills, roof photos and your society and phase. We will check the rules that apply and size the system for your house.

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

Frequently asked questions

Do I need DHA's permission to install solar panels?

Yes. DHA Lahore's bylaws require a complete proposal with a detailed design to be submitted for DHA's approval before installation, by an approved vendor. Check the current form and requirements with DHA Building Control.

How high can solar panels be above the roof in DHA Lahore?

DHA's published rules allow the lower edge of the panels up to 5 feet and the upper edge up to 10 feet above the roof for 1 kanal houses, with separate limits for smaller plots and for mumty and water tank areas. Confirm the current limits with DHA before design.

Can I get net metering in Bahria Town Lahore?

Bahria Town Lahore buys power in bulk from LESCO and bills residents itself, and NEPRA has rejected net metering at its bulk connections. In June 2026 NEPRA directed changes to billing and metering. Until export billing is settled, design the system for self-use and battery storage.

What size solar system does a 1 kanal house in DHA need?

Many 1 kanal houses need about 15-20 kW, but the right size depends on your bills, evening load and backup needs. We size from 12 months of bills, not from plot size alone.

Is a battery worth it for a large house in DHA or Bahria?

Usually yes. Large houses use much of their electricity in the evening, and exported units earn far less than imported units cost. A battery moves daytime solar into the evening and covers load-shedding.

Can you install an EV charger with my solar system?

Yes. We install EV chargers and plan them with the solar, so the car can charge from daytime solar and the charger fits your sanctioned load.

Do you have an office in DHA or Bahria Town?

Our branch is in Lahore and our head office is in Faisalabad. Call or WhatsApp 0336 666 4321 before visiting so the right engineer is available.

Sources

Net billing facts are reused from our net metering and net billing guide and Lahore page, which list the NEPRA and LESCO sources behind them.

• DHA Lahore, "Byelaws for Installing Solar Energy Panels" (updated 1 December 2023)
• DHA Lahore, "Guidelines for Installation of Solar System"
• NEPRA Complaints Resolution Committee, decision on Bahria Town Lahore residents' complaint, 4 June 2026
• NEPRA, public comments on Bahria Town (Private) Limited's distribution licence application, Lahore (2023)
• NEPRA, distributed generation licence for a house in DHA EME Phase XII, Lahore (5 October 2020)
• Zameen News, "Grid stations in DHA Phase VI, VII inaugurated" (14 November 2018)