Solar in Johar Town, Model Town and Gulberg: A Guide for Older Lahore Homes

Solar Works Pakistan surveys and installs in these neighbourhoods through its Lahore branch. WhatsApp 0336 666 4321 with your bills and roof photos.

How these neighbourhoods differ

Houses in newer societies such as DHA and Bahria Town face different rules; see solar in DHA and Bahria Town Lahore.

Diagram

Johar Town, Model Town and Gulberg

Daytime empty houses

Battery moves solar into the evening

Busy homes

Most solar used by day

Typical system sizes and prices

Our projects start at about 6 kW. Plot size is only a rough guide; see solar system size for marla and kanal houses, the solar system price guide and lithium battery prices.

Step 1: Check the roof before anything else

Many houses in Model Town and Gulberg have roofs that are several decades old, and some Johar Town houses have had extra floors added. A solar frame adds weight, and its anchor points pass through the waterproofing. What we check on an older roof:

• Cracks, sagging and damp patches on the ceiling below. Damp often means the slab's steel is corroding.
• The condition of the existing waterproofing. If it is due for renewal, do it before the panels go up. Removing panels later to re-waterproof costs time and money.
• Where the load can sit. Frames should bear on beams and columns, not mid-span of a weak slab.
• Parapet height and wind exposure for the structure design.

If the slab is doubtful, we recommend a structural engineer's opinion before installation. Our guides on roof load and roof waterproofing with solar explain the checks. An elevated frame that spans between columns can sometimes avoid loading a weak slab; see L2, L3 and elevated structures.

Step 2: Single-phase or three-phase?

Older and smaller houses in these areas are often still on a single-phase connection, while larger and renovated houses are usually three-phase. This matters because NEPRA's net billing rules make export available to three-phase consumers, with solar capacity up to your sanctioned load.

• Three-phase, enough sanctioned load: a grid-tied or hybrid system with a net billing application to LESCO.
• Single-phase, want to export: convert to three-phase and raise the sanctioned load first. See single-phase to three-phase and increasing sanctioned load.
• Single-phase, self-use only: a hybrid system with a battery, with export limited by a zero-export device.

Older wiring is the other half of this step. A house wired decades ago may have undersized cables, an old distribution board and weak earthing. We check them during the survey, because a hybrid inverter feeding an old board can expose faults that were always there.

Step 3: Trees, neighbours and shade

Model Town's tree cover is part of its character, and many Gulberg and Johar Town roofs sit next to taller neighbours or water tanks. Shade on even part of a panel string cuts its output by more than the shaded area suggests.

During the survey we map shade through the day and across the seasons, then place panels on the clearest part of the roof, split strings so shaded panels do not drag down the rest, or raise the frame above low obstructions. Trimming a branch is often cheaper than losing output every year. See how shading cuts solar output. Trees also bring birds; see pigeons and birds under solar panels.

Step 4: More than one meter in the house

Joint-family houses and houses with a rented portion often have two or three meters. A solar system reduces the bill only on the meter it is connected to. You can put one system on the meter with the most daytime use, or separate systems on each meter. Our guide to solar for houses with multiple meters explains the choices, and if a portion is rented, see solar for rented houses. For flats in Gulberg's apartment buildings, see solar for apartments.

Smog: what to expect from November to January

Lahore's winter smog affects all three areas. Haze reduces the sunlight reaching the panels, and the oily grime it leaves on glass may not wash off in light rain. Together with short winter days, this makes November to January the weakest months for generation. That is normal and should be built into any sizing estimate.

What helps:

1. Clean the panels when grime is visible, with clean water and a soft brush, never a scraper or detergent that marks the glass. See the solar panel cleaning guide.
2. Watch the monitoring app. If output stays low on a clear day after cleaning, ask for a check.
3. Size for the whole year, not for a sunny May afternoon.

Our guide to solar in fog and smog explains the effect in more detail.

LESCO and net billing

Johar Town, Model Town and Gulberg are all LESCO areas. In short, 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.
• Existing net metering agreements keep their terms until they expire; adding capacity can move you to net billing.
• LESCO fits AMI smart meters on new solar connections. See AMI meters and net billing.

Because exported units earn much less than imported units cost, we size systems for self-use first. In a house where the family is out by day, a battery that carries solar into the evening often matters more than extra panels. See hybrid vs on-grid vs off-grid.

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

Where to put the inverter and battery

Older houses rarely have an obvious place for equipment. The inverter and battery need shade, airflow, a dry floor and a short cable run to the board, away from the kitchen and out of children's reach. A covered porch wall or a ventilated store room often works. See where to install your inverter and battery.

How we work in Johar Town, Model Town and Gulberg

1. Bills and photos. Twelve months of bills for each meter, roof photos and photos of the meter and distribution board.
2. Site survey, normally free, covering the roof's condition, shade, phase, wiring and equipment location.
3. In-house design in AutoCAD, including the structure.
4. Detailed BOQ naming brand, model, quantity and warranty for every item.
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 and site readiness, including any roof repair that must come first. 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. More on our installation services.

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.

Get today's price or a free site survey

Send 12 months of bills for each meter, plus photos of your roof and distribution board. We will tell you what the house needs before any panels are discussed.

• WhatsApp or call: 0336 666 4321
• Email: info@solarworks.pk
• Lahore branch: 2nd Floor, Jeff Heights, Gulberg, Lahore (Lahore page)
• 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. Contact us online.

Frequently asked questions

Can an old roof in Model Town or Gulberg carry solar panels?

Often yes, but only after the slab and waterproofing are checked. Frames should bear on beams and columns, and any waterproofing that is due for renewal should be redone first. If the slab is doubtful, get a structural engineer's opinion.

My house in Johar Town is single-phase. Can I install solar?

Yes. You can install a hybrid system for self-use with export limited. To export under net billing you will usually need to convert to three-phase and have enough sanctioned load.

Do trees in Model Town affect solar output?

Yes. Shade on part of a string reduces its output more than the shaded area suggests. We map shade during the survey and design the layout and strings around it.

How much does smog reduce solar output in Lahore?

There is no single figure. Smog reduces sunlight and leaves grime on the glass, and November to January are the weakest months. Cleaning removes the grime, and output recovers when the air clears.

My house has two meters. Do I need two solar systems?

Not necessarily. A system only reduces the bill on the meter it is connected to, so you can solarise the meter with the most daytime use, or install a system on each.

Which electricity company covers Johar Town, Model Town and Gulberg?

LESCO. New solar connections there come under NEPRA's net billing rules.

Sources

LESCO, net billing and smog facts are reused from our net metering and net billing guide and Lahore page, which list their sources.

• World Garden Cities, "Model Town, Lahore, Pakistan" (construction from 1921; share of green space)