Net metering in Pakistan: what the shift to net billing means for you

The one-line summary

You can still send surplus solar power to the grid — but under the net-billing rules, your exports are credited at a rate well below what you pay for imported units. Exporting is now a bonus, not the business case. Systems should be sized to consume your own solar first.

What changed

Under the original net-metering regime, one exported unit effectively cancelled one imported unit — which made oversizing your array a rational strategy: generate all day, export the surplus, and let the credits wipe out your evening consumption.

The revised framework moved to net billing: your imports are charged at the full retail tariff, while your exports are purchased at a much lower settlement rate (currently in the region of a third of the retail rate — confirm the exact figure with your DISCO, as it's revised periodically). The bidirectional meter, the DISCO approval process, and the application paperwork all still exist — what changed is the price of an exported unit.

What it means in practice

1. Oversized on-grid systems no longer pay. The extra panels that used to earn retail-rate credits now earn a fraction of that. Size to your daytime load, not your roof area.
2. Self-consumption is king. Every unit you use directly is still worth the full tariff you didn't pay. The economics now reward shifting load into daylight hours — and storing surplus instead of exporting it.
3. Hybrid systems got relatively better. A battery lets you keep your midday surplus and use it in the evening at full retail value, instead of selling it cheap. That's exactly what a hybrid system does — and it solves load-shedding in the same purchase.
4. On-grid still works — it remains the cheapest way to cut a daytime-heavy bill, especially for businesses whose load peaks with the sun. Read the honest pros and cons on our on-grid page.

The application process (unchanged)

DISCO approval for grid interconnection still takes a bidirectional meter, an inspection, and paperwork measured in weeks. We prepare and file the complete application for every on-grid and hybrid installation we deliver — it's part of the EPC scope, not an extra.

How to size a system under net billing

Start from your bill and your usage pattern, not from a package. A right-sized system under the current rules typically:

• Covers 80–100% of your daytime consumption with the array
• Adds battery capacity matched to your evening essentials and outage pattern, not your whole house
• Treats any export as rounding, not revenue

Run your numbers in our savings calculator — it uses current-rules assumptions and shows them openly — or send us your bill on WhatsApp for an exact quote within 24 hours.