• By Best Solar Company PK
  • 04 Aug, 2026
  • Net Metering
  • 8 min read

If you installed rooftop solar in 2026, your first bill under NEPRA's new **net-billing** system can look baffling. The familiar "your meter ran backwards" logic is gone. In its place is a two-line calculation and a separate cash payout that lands only once every three months.

This guide walks you through exactly how to read that bill, what the new **Import×retail − Export×buyback** math means in rupees, and why your export credit no longer wipes out next month's units.

Net Metering vs Net Billing: What Actually Changed

Under the old net-metering regime (in place since 2015), every unit you exported to the grid cancelled out one unit you imported — a clean one-to-one swap. Because import and export were valued at the same retail tariff, one exported unit was effectively worth Rs22–27.

NEPRA notified the new **Prosumer Regulations 2026** on 9 February 2026, replacing that swap with net billing. Now your imports and exports are priced **separately**:

  • **Import (grid → you):** billed at your full retail consumer tariff, the same slab rate every non-solar household pays.
  • **Export (you → grid):** bought at the National Average Energy Purchase Price — currently around **Rs11 per unit**, down from the Rs27 that one-to-one swapping used to be worth.

Your exported units no longer erase your imported units. They are two different transactions, valued at two very different rates — and settled on two different clocks.

Crucially, if you already held a valid net-metering agreement on 9 February 2026, a protective amendment keeps you on the old one-to-one terms until your contract naturally expires. Net billing applies to **new** solar connections and new agreements.

The Import×retail − Export×buyback Math, Line by Line

Your bill now separates two meters (or two registers on one bidirectional meter): units imported and units exported. Here is the core formula:

**Amount payable = (Units imported × retail tariff) − (Units exported × buyback rate)**

Let's put real numbers on it. Imagine a Lahore home in a mid-range slab paying roughly **Rs30 per unit** retail, that imports 400 units and exports 300 units in a month:

| Line item | Units | Rate (Rs/unit) | Value (Rs) | |---|---|---|---| | Electricity imported from grid | 400 | 30 | 12,000 | | Export credit (buyback) | 300 | 11 | 3,300 | | **Net energy charge** | — | — | **8,700** |

Notice what happens. Under old net metering, 300 exported units would have cancelled 300 imported units, leaving you billed for just 100 net units — around Rs3,000. Under net billing, the same solar output only trims Rs3,300 off a Rs12,000 import bill. The rate gap between Rs30 in and Rs11 out is the whole story.

On top of the net energy charge you still pay the usual fixed charges, meter rent, electricity duty, GST, TV fee and any fuel-cost or quarterly tariff adjustments. Those are calculated on your **imported** units, not your net figure — another reason bills look higher than before.

Why Your Export Credit Now Arrives as a Quarterly Cash Payout

This is the part that surprises most first-time users. Under net metering, surplus units rolled over month to month as a **unit bank** you could draw down later. That rollover is gone.

Under net billing, NEPRA settles your export value in rupees, and the mechanism works like this:

  • In any month where your **import bill is larger** than your export credit, the credit is deducted straight from that month's bill (as in the table above).
  • Where your **exports exceed your imports** — common in sunny months like May and June — the surplus is not carried as free units. Instead it accumulates as a rupee balance and is **paid out to you on a quarterly basis** (every three months) at the ~Rs11 buyback rate.

So a heavy-export summer no longer gifts you free winter units. It gifts you a cash cheque or bank credit roughly once a quarter. For most households the practical effect is a smaller monthly saving plus a modest lump sum three or four times a year.

### What this means for your numbers

  • Size your system closer to your **own consumption**. Oversizing to "sell to the grid" made sense at Rs27; at Rs11 it earns far less.
  • Shift heavy loads — washing machines, irons, pool or water pumps — into **daylight hours** so you self-consume solar directly instead of exporting it cheaply and buying it back expensively.
  • Expect payback periods to stretch. Many 2026 estimates now put residential payback at roughly 4–6 years rather than the 2–3 years quoted a couple of seasons ago.

For a fuller cost picture, see our solar payback and cost guide for Pakistan and our net metering application walkthrough.

A Quick Checklist for Reading Your First Bill

  • Find the **units imported** figure and confirm the **retail slab rate** applied to it.
  • Find the **units exported** figure and confirm the **buyback rate** (should be around Rs11).
  • Multiply each out and subtract — that is your net energy charge.
  • Check whether a **quarterly export payment** or carried rupee balance appears; if you exported a surplus, it should show as a credit awaiting payout.
  • Verify fixed charges and taxes are levied on imports, not on your net units.

If the export rate on your bill looks wildly off, or your protected net-metering agreement is being billed under net-billing rules by mistake, raise it with your DISCO — the transitional protection for pre-9-February-2026 contracts is legally binding.

Frequently Asked Questions

**What is the current solar export buyback rate in Pakistan?** Under the Prosumer Regulations 2026, surplus exported electricity is bought at the National Average Energy Purchase Price, currently about **Rs11 per unit**. This replaced the earlier one-to-one arrangement that valued exports at roughly Rs22–27 per unit.

**Why did my solar savings drop even though my panels produce the same power?** Because import and export are now priced differently. You buy grid units at your full retail tariff (often Rs28–40+) but sell surplus at only ~Rs11. The gap between those two rates, not your panel output, is what shrank your monthly saving.

**When do I get paid for the electricity I export?** Where your exports exceed your imports, the surplus is settled as a rupee balance and paid out **quarterly** — every three months — rather than rolled over as free units the next month.

**I already have net metering. Am I moved to net billing automatically?** No. If your net-metering agreement was valid on 9 February 2026, a protective NEPRA amendment keeps you on the old one-to-one terms until your existing contract expires. Net billing applies to new connections and new agreements.

The Bottom Line

Net billing changes the arithmetic of rooftop solar in Pakistan, not the value of going solar. Your bill now reads as two separate lines — expensive imports minus cheap exports — and your surplus comes back as a quarterly cash payout instead of a monthly unit bank.

The winning strategy in 2026 is simple: **use your own solar the moment you generate it**, size your system to your load, and treat the quarterly payout as a bonus rather than the plan. Want a system designed around self-consumption and the new tariffs? Talk to our team for a free net-billing solar assessment and get a quote built for the 2026 rules.

*Sources: NEPRA (Prosumer) Regulations 2026; reporting by <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1972203" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dawn</a> and <a href="https://tribune.com.pk/story/2591628/nepra-rolls-out-new-regulations-abolishing-net-metering" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Express Tribune</a>.*

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.