NEPRA's Gross Metering Shift: What the Rs 11.30/Unit Feed-in Tariff Really Means for Your Solar System

• By Best Solar Company PK
• 21 Jul, 2026
• Solar Policy
• 8 min read

If you have installed rooftop solar in the last few years, your savings were built on a simple deal: every unit you exported to the grid cancelled out a unit you later imported, at the same retail price. That deal is ending. NEPRA — the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority — has moved to replace the old 1:1 net metering framework, and the phrase every solar owner now needs to understand is **gross metering**, priced at a proposed **feed-in tariff of Rs 11.30 per unit**.

This article breaks down exactly how that number works, why gross metering is a bigger shift than the "net billing" you may have read about, and who stands to lose the most.

First, the three systems — and why the words matter

People use "net metering," "net billing," and "gross metering" interchangeably. They are not the same, and the difference is worth real money.

• **Net metering (the old system):** One bidirectional meter tracks the *net* of what you import and export. Export 300 units, import 300 units, and your energy charge is roughly zero. Surplus units were credited at a rate that climbed as high as Rs 22–27 per unit. This is what made payback periods of 2–3 years possible.
• **Net billing (the interim reform):** Import and export are billed *separately*. You still self-consume solar power in real time, but the surplus you push to the grid is bought at a low fixed rate — NEPRA's Prosumer Regulations set this near the national average power-purchase price of roughly Rs 10–11 per unit — while every unit you draw back is charged at the full retail tariff plus taxes and surcharges.
• **Gross metering (the proposed direction):** This is the strictest model. *All* the electricity your panels generate flows to the grid and is sold at the fixed feed-in tariff. Everything your home or business consumes is bought back separately at the retail rate. You do not "self-consume" your own solar output on paper — you are effectively a tiny power producer selling wholesale and buying retail.

How the Rs 11.30 feed-in tariff actually works

The logic behind Rs 11.30 comes straight from NEPRA's own reasoning. New utility-scale solar parks are being contracted at tariffs below Rs 10 per unit. Regulators argue it makes no sense for the grid to keep paying rooftop owners Rs 22 or more for the same kilowatt-hour, because that premium is ultimately loaded onto everyone else's bill — including the millions who cannot afford solar at all. So the proposed feed-in tariff pegs your exports close to what the grid pays a commercial generator: **Rs 11.30 per exported unit**, locked into a contract of around **five years** (down from the seven-year net-metering agreements), renewable by mutual consent.

Here is the practical arithmetic for a Lahore or Karachi household on a protected-slab retail tariff of, say, Rs 42 per unit:

• **Under old net metering:** 1 exported unit offset 1 imported unit → you saved ~Rs 42 per exported unit.
• **Under the Rs 11.30 gross/feed-in model:** 1 exported unit earns you Rs 11.30, but the unit you import later still costs ~Rs 42 → your effective benefit per exported unit collapses to roughly a quarter of what it was.

The message is unmistakable: the grid no longer wants to be your free battery. Solar economics now reward **self-consumption during daylight hours**, not exporting.

Who this hits — and who is protected

Not everyone is affected equally.

• **Existing net-metered consumers are protected.** NEPRA has repeatedly confirmed — reinforced after the Prime Minister's Office intervened in February 2026 — that anyone holding a valid net-metering agreement keeps their existing terms and buyback rate until that agreement expires. If your seven-year contract still has time on the clock, your economics do not change today.
• **New and future installers bear the full impact.** Anyone applying after the new framework takes effect enters under the reduced buyback regime. Your system will still slash your bill by powering the house during the day — but the days of near-instant payback on export-heavy systems are over.
• **Export-heavy households lose the most.** Homes that are empty all day and generate large daytime surpluses were the biggest winners of net metering. Under gross/feed-in pricing, those surpluses now earn Rs 11.30 instead of Rs 40-plus.
• **Businesses that consume during daylight are least affected.** Factories, offices, shops and warehouses that run their load 9-to-5 already self-consume most of their generation, so they were never relying heavily on export credits.

What smart solar owners should do now

The reform changes the *strategy*, not the *value*, of going solar. Electricity from the grid is only getting more expensive, and every unit you generate and use yourself still saves you the full retail tariff. The playbook simply shifts:

• **Size the system to your daytime load, not your total bill.** Oversizing to farm export credits no longer pays.
• **Shift consumption into daylight.** Run the washing machine, water pump, iron and — where possible — air conditioning while the sun is up.
• **Seriously evaluate battery storage.** When exports earn only Rs 11.30 but imports cost Rs 40-plus, storing your own surplus for the evening peak becomes far more attractive than it was under net metering. Falling lithium prices help the case.
• **If you are already on net metering, do not panic and do not cancel.** Your locked-in rate is your best asset. Protect it.
• **If you are about to install, move deliberately.** Understand which framework your DISCO is enrolling you under and model your savings on self-consumption, not export income.

For a fuller comparison of the two billing structures, see our guide on net metering vs net billing in Pakistan.

Frequently Asked Questions

**Is gross metering already in force in Pakistan?** NEPRA has moved decisively away from 1:1 net metering, notifying its Prosumer Regulations in early 2026 and pushing the buyback rate for new consumers down toward the Rs 10–11.30 range. The exact mechanism your distribution company applies — full gross metering versus net billing — can vary, so confirm the current terms with your DISCO before you sign anything.

**Will my existing net-metering agreement be changed?** No. NEPRA has stated that consumers with valid agreements keep their existing rates and terms until those agreements expire. The new pricing applies to new applicants.

**Why is Rs 11.30 so much lower than the old Rs 22–27 rate?** Because it is benchmarked to what the grid pays large solar producers — under Rs 10–11 per unit — rather than to the retail price you pay. Regulators argue the old premium was subsidised by non-solar consumers and was financially unsustainable.

**Does solar still make sense at Rs 11.30 per unit?** Yes, but the returns come from *avoiding* expensive grid electricity during the day, not from selling surplus. With retail tariffs above Rs 40 per unit for many slabs, a right-sized system that you consume yourself still pays back well — payback periods just stretch longer than the 2–3 years of the net-metering era.

**Should I add a battery now?** For new installers with high evening usage, increasingly yes. When exports earn Rs 11.30 but evening imports cost four times that, storing daytime surplus for night use captures far more value than exporting it.

**The bottom line:** gross metering rewrites the rules, but not the fundamentals. Grid power keeps getting costlier; sunshine stays free. The winners under the new regime are those who generate and use their own power — not those who bank on selling it back.

*Sources: Profit by Pakistan Today, ProPakistani, DAWN, The Express Tribune, and the NEPRA (Prosumer) Regulations, 20262026)%2009-02-26.PDF).*

Best Solar Company PK designs and installs reliable solar systems in Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Lahore, Multan, Taunsa Sharif and Karachi. Contact us for a free survey and the best advice for your home or business.