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

For nearly a decade, rooftop solar in Pakistan ran on a simple, generous deal: every unit you exported to the grid cancelled out a unit you later imported — a one-for-one swap. That era is over. Under the **NEPRA (Prosumer) Regulations 2026**, the old system of **net metering banked credits** has been scrapped for all new applicants, replaced by a "net billing" model where you buy grid electricity at roughly Rs50 per unit but sell your surplus for only Rs8–11.

The change took effect on **8–9 February 2026**, and the financial gap it opens is far larger than most homeowners realise. Below, we break down what the loss of unit banking actually costs a Pakistani home — in real PKR — and what you can do about it.

What "unit banking" was — and why it mattered

Under the repealed net metering regime, your bi-directional meter tracked imports and exports separately. When your panels produced more than you used (typically sunny afternoons), the surplus flowed to the grid and was **banked** as a credit at the full retail tariff — around Rs26 per unit in the buyback, effectively a one-to-one exchange against night-time or winter consumption.

That carry-forward was the engine of solar economics here. Your rooftop system did not need to match your load minute-by-minute; the grid acted like a free battery. A summer surplus offset a winter shortfall, and many households ran near a zero bill.

The grid used to be your free battery. Net billing turns it into an expensive shop where you sell low and buy high.

What changed under Prosumer Regulations 2026

The new framework splits the two sides of the meter and prices them very differently:

  • **Imports** from your DISCO are billed at the full applicable consumer tariff — commonly **Rs45–Rs55 per unit** once fuel adjustments, taxes and surcharges are stacked on.
  • **Exports** are bought at the "national average energy purchase price," set by NEPRA at roughly **Rs10–Rs11 per unit** (and as low as Rs8 in some tariff scenarios) — down from about Rs26 previously.
  • **No more carry-forward.** Surplus units are cashed out at the low export rate in the same billing period; they are no longer stored as one-to-one credits you can draw down later.

Crucially, this hits **new applicants only**. After sustained industry pushback and a Prime Minister's intervention, NEPRA confirmed that consumers holding a valid net metering agreement as of 9 February 2026 keep their old one-to-one terms — including the Rs26 buyback — until their 7-year contracts naturally expire (roughly 2026–2032, depending on when you signed).

The real cost: a worked example in PKR

Consider a typical Lahore household with a **10 kW system** that produces around **1,300 units per month** in peak season. Say it exports **400 surplus units** in a good month and, across the year, banks roughly **3,000 units** it would previously have drawn back down in winter and at night.

Here is what those banked units are worth under each system:

| Factor | Old net metering | New net billing (2026) | |---|---|---| | Value of 1 exported unit | ~Rs50 (1-for-1 offset) | Rs10–11 (cash export) | | Cost of 1 imported unit | ~Rs50 | ~Rs50 | | Net loss per banked unit | Rs0 | ~Rs40 | | Value of 3,000 banked units/yr | ~Rs150,000 | ~Rs30,000 | | **Annual loss vs old system** | — | **~Rs120,000** |

That single change — losing the carry-forward — can strip **Rs100,000–Rs130,000 a year** from a mid-sized home's solar savings. On a system that once paid back in 3–4 years, payback can stretch to **6–8 years** unless you redesign how you use and store your power.

The reason is simple arithmetic: you are now selling your afternoon surplus at Rs10 and buying it back that same evening at Rs50. The **Rs40 spread** on every unit that flows out and back is pure loss — money that unit banking used to protect entirely.

Who feels the pain most

  • **Homes that are empty during the day** — offices-goers, families out till evening — export a huge share of production at Rs10 and re-import at Rs50 after sunset.
  • **Oversized systems** sized under the old logic to "bank now, use later" now dump cheap surplus with no way to reclaim its value.
  • **Winter-heavy users** who relied on summer banking to cover December–February shortfalls lose that seasonal cushion entirely.

Businesses with strong daytime load — factories, shops, warehouses running machinery while the sun is up — are the least affected, because they self-consume most of what they generate.

How to protect your solar ROI in 2026

The winning move under net billing is to **self-consume as much as you generate** and export as little as possible:

1. **Add battery storage.** A lithium battery lets you store the Rs10 surplus and use it in the evening instead of buying at Rs50 — a Rs40-per-unit saving that often justifies the battery cost within a few years. 2. **Right-size the system to daytime load**, not to an annual bank. Match the array to what you actually consume while the sun shines. 3. **Shift heavy loads to daylight** — run the washing machine, water pump, iron and EV charger between 10am and 4pm. 4. **Lock in grandfathered terms** if you already have a valid net metering agreement — do not cancel or materially alter it, or you risk being pushed onto net billing. 5. **Consider a hybrid inverter** now, even if you delay the battery, so you are storage-ready.

For a deeper walkthrough of sizing and payback under the new rules, see our guides on net metering vs net billing in Pakistan and choosing the right solar battery.

For the official rules, check the NEPRA regulations portal{target="_blank" rel="noopener"} and coverage from Dawn{target="_blank" rel="noopener"}.

Frequently Asked Questions

**Did the Prosumer Regulations 2026 end net metering banked credits for everyone?** No. Only new applicants after 9 February 2026 fall under net billing with no carry-forward. Homes with a valid net metering agreement before that date keep one-to-one unit banking and the ~Rs26 buyback until their 7-year contract expires.

**How much is the export (buyback) rate now?** NEPRA set it at roughly Rs10–11 per unit — the national average energy purchase price — versus about Rs26 under the old scheme. Imports still cost you the full retail tariff of around Rs45–55 per unit.

**What does losing banked credits cost a typical home?** For a mid-sized 10 kW home exporting around 3,000 surplus units a year, the loss is roughly Rs100,000–130,000 annually, because each banked unit now swings from a Rs50 offset to a Rs10 sale.

**Is rooftop solar still worth it in Pakistan in 2026?** Yes — but the strategy has changed. With daytime self-consumption and battery storage, solar still delivers strong returns; the payback simply depends on cutting exports rather than banking them.

The bottom line

The end of net metering banked credits is the biggest shift in Pakistan's rooftop solar economics since the policy began. New applicants can no longer treat the grid as a free battery — the Rs40 gap between the ~Rs50 import price and the Rs8–11 export rate makes every exported unit a small loss. The answer is not to abandon solar, but to redesign for **self-consumption and storage**.

Want a system sized for the 2026 rules? Get a free net-billing solar assessment from Best Solar Company PK and see your real payback before you invest.

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.