• By Best Solar Company PK
  • 06 Aug, 2026
  • Solar Policy
  • 7 min read

For the first time since the 2026 net-billing cuts, there is real reason for optimism. The Power Division has floated a **solar battery peak-hour buyback** plan that would pay homeowners and businesses up to **Rs22 per unit** for electricity exported to the grid between 5pm and 10pm. If approved, this Time-of-Use (ToU) net billing model could rescue the solar-plus-storage economics that NEPRA's February 2026 rules badly damaged.

This is a big shift. Instead of one flat, low export rate all day, the grid would pay you far more for power you send back exactly when the country needs it most — the evening peak. For anyone who owns or is planning a solar system with batteries, this changes the entire math.

What the Power Division is actually proposing

In early August 2026, an advisor to the Power Division formally recommended introducing **Time-of-Use net metering and net billing** with enhanced evening discharge rates. The core idea is simple: reward stored solar power supplied during the hours the grid is most stressed.

Key features of the proposal:

  • **Peak window:** 5:00pm to 10:00pm, when national demand is highest.
  • **Buyback rate:** Rs18 to Rs22 per unit (kWh) for electricity exported during that window.
  • **Behaviour it encourages:** charge your battery with cheap daytime solar, then sell surplus back to the grid during the expensive evening peak.
  • **Goal:** cut the grid's costly peak-hour power purchases and accelerate Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) adoption.

The rationale is grid stability. Pakistan's evening peak demand has now crossed **26,000 MW**, and the system operator pays a premium to meet it. Buying stored solar at Rs22 is still cheaper than firing up expensive furnace-oil or imported-gas plants. It's a rare win-win in Pakistani energy policy.

Charge in the sun, sell at sunset — the peak-hour buyback finally puts a real price on the one thing solar alone can't do: deliver power after dark.

Why net billing broke solar economics in 2026

To understand why this matters, remember what happened earlier in 2026. NEPRA replaced the old **net metering** system with **net billing**. Under net metering, every unit you exported offset a unit you imported — a genuine one-for-one swap worth around Rs25–27 per unit.

Under the new net billing rules for fresh applicants:

  • Exported units are bought at roughly the national average energy price — about **Rs10–11 per unit** (some notifications cited as low as Rs8.13).
  • Imported units are still charged at your full slab tariff, often Rs45–65+ per unit.
  • Contract terms were cut from seven years to **five years**.
  • The one-for-one unit exchange was abolished.

The result: payback periods on new grid-tied systems stretched out, and a solar-only setup suddenly looked far less attractive. The peak-hour buyback proposal is the government's answer to the backlash — and it specifically rewards adding a battery.

The numbers: what Rs22 a unit really means

Here is how the three regimes compare for a Pakistani prosumer exporting surplus power:

| Mechanism | Export rate (Rs/unit) | Best export time | Battery needed? | |---|---|---|---| | Old net metering (pre-2026) | ~25–27 (1-for-1 offset) | Any time | No | | Current net billing (2026) | ~10–11 | Midday surplus | No | | Proposed ToU peak buyback | **18–22** | 5pm–10pm | Yes (to shift power) |

Say your system produces a 5-unit evening surplus every day. At the current flat net-billing rate of Rs11, that's about **Rs1,650 a month**. Under the proposed peak buyback at Rs22, the same 5 units earn roughly **Rs3,300 a month** — double the return, purely from timing your exports.

Over a year, that's an extra ~Rs20,000 for a modest household setup, and far more for commercial rooftops exporting 20–50 units into the evening peak. That improved cash flow is what pulls battery payback back into a sensible 4–6 year range.

Who benefits most from the peak-hour buyback

This model rewards a specific setup — solar paired with storage. The biggest winners will be:

1. **Homeowners with lithium batteries** who can bank midday generation and discharge at 6–9pm. 2. **Commercial and industrial rooftops** that already run through the evening and can dispatch large surpluses. 3. **New solar buyers** deciding whether to add storage — the buyback tilts the decision firmly toward batteries.

It's no surprise the market is already moving. Pakistan imported a record **652.2 MWh** of lithium-ion batteries in April 2026, part of **6.004 GWh worth nearly Rs126 billion** brought in between January 2024 and June 2026 — a jump of about **1,640%**. Households are storing power with or without policy support; ToU billing simply pays them to share it.

What it means for your solar-plus-storage investment

If you're planning a system in 2026, here's the practical, first-hand advice we give clients at Best Solar Company PK:

  • **Size the battery for the evening peak, not the whole night.** You only need enough usable capacity (typically 5–10 kWh for a home) to cover exports and self-use across the 5–10pm window. Oversizing wastes money.
  • **Choose a hybrid inverter that supports time-based export.** ToU billing rewards scheduled discharge, so buy hardware that can be programmed to export during set hours.
  • **Keep daytime self-consumption high.** Run heavy loads (AC, pumps, EV charging) on direct solar at noon; reserve the battery for the premium evening window.

One insight most installers won't mention: even before ToU is notified, batteries already pay off by shielding you from expensive peak-slab import tariffs and load-shedding. The buyback is upside on top of savings you'd bank anyway. For related planning, see our guides on choosing the right solar battery in Pakistan and the shift from net metering to net billing.

You can track the official rules on the <a href="https://www.nepra.org.pk" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NEPRA website</a>, and read independent grid analysis from <a href="https://ieefa.org/resources/net-metering-reforms-and-grid-challenges-amid-pakistans-solar-rise" target="_blank" rel="noopener">IEEFA's coverage of Pakistan's solar reforms</a>.

Frequently Asked Questions

**Is the Rs22 per unit peak-hour buyback approved and active?** Not yet. As of August 2026 it is a formal proposal from a Power Division advisor recommending Time-of-Use net billing at Rs18–22 per unit for the 5–10pm window. It still needs approval and a NEPRA notification before it becomes law, so treat it as a strong signal of direction, not a guaranteed rate.

**Do I need a battery to earn the peak-hour rate?** Effectively, yes. Solar panels alone produce little to nothing after sunset, so you cannot export during the 5–10pm evening peak without storage. The whole model is built to reward solar-plus-storage owners who charge by day and discharge at dusk.

**How is this different from current net billing?** Current net billing pays one flat, low rate (about Rs10–11 per unit) regardless of when you export. Time-of-Use billing would pay a much higher rate — up to Rs22 — specifically for evening-peak exports, roughly doubling the value of well-timed surplus power.

**Will existing net-metering customers be affected?** Existing net-metering consumers were largely protected under their original terms after the 2026 changes. A new ToU option would most likely target new applicants and battery adopters, though final eligibility depends on how NEPRA writes the regulation. Check the latest notification before you commit.

The bottom line

The proposed **solar battery peak-hour buyback** at up to Rs22 per unit is the most encouraging solar policy signal Pakistan has seen since net billing arrived in 2026. By paying a premium for stored power during the 5–10pm crunch, Time-of-Use net billing rewards exactly the systems the grid needs — solar paired with batteries — and shortens payback periods that the earlier cuts stretched out.

If you're weighing solar in 2026, design for storage now so you're ready the moment the rate is notified. **Contact Best Solar Company PK for a free peak-hour ROI assessment** and a battery-ready system quote tailored to your bills.

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.