Winter Power Package 2026: What It Means for Solar Homes

• By Best Solar Company PK
• 13 Sep, 2026
• Energy Savings
• 8 min read

Every winter, Pakistani households face the same tug-of-war: gas load-shedding pushes families toward electric heaters and geysers, but sky-high per-unit rates make those extra units frightening. The government's new **winter power package** tries to ease that pressure — cheaper electricity for industry and farms, plus discounted "extra" units for homes. But there's a catch that solar owners in particular need to understand before they decide whether to lean on the grid or on their panels this season.

If you run rooftop solar in 2026, the winter power package lands on top of a very different net-metering landscape than the one you may have signed up for. Get the maths wrong and you could pay full slab rates — up to **Rs52 per unit** — for the exact heating you thought was cheap.

What the winter power package actually offers

There are really two moving parts, and they are easy to confuse.

First, the **industrial and agricultural relief**. From November 2025 through October 2028, factories and farms get *additional* electricity at a flat **Rs22.98 per unit**, down from roughly Rs34 for industry and Rs38 for agriculture. Relief applies to incremental consumption above a national baseline (42.9 billion units for 2026), capped at about 10.7 billion extra units for the year. The government insists this is "subsidy-free" and that the cost will not be passed to domestic consumers.

Second, the **winter demand package for homes**. Eligible households — typically those consuming above 200 units — can get discounted rates (around **Rs26 per unit** in the scheme's design) on the electricity they use *over* their benchmark for that winter month.

The 25% rule — where solar homes get caught

Here is the trap. The cheap incremental rate applies to additional winter consumption **up to 25% over your benchmark** for the corresponding month. Push consumption beyond that 25% band and you fall back to the **normal notified rates — up to Rs52 per unit** on the highest slabs, before taxes.

The benchmark is usually the higher of last year's consumption for that month or a multi-year historical average. So a home that already ran heaters last winter has a high benchmark and little cheap headroom; a frugal or newly-solar home has a low benchmark, meaning its "25% extra" ceiling is small in absolute units.

For a household that added rooftop solar precisely to cut grid imports, this is counter-intuitive. Your grid baseline is low, so the winter package gives you only a thin slice of discounted units before the expensive slabs kick in.

Why net billing changes the whole calculation

The bigger 2026 story for solar owners is not the winter package — it's **net billing**. Effective 9 February 2026, NEPRA replaced net metering with net billing for new rooftop solar consumers.

• Exported units are no longer swapped one-for-one against imported units.
• New consumers are paid a **buyback rate of just Rs8.13 per unit** for what they export — less than a third of the old rate.
• Existing net-metering consumers keep their **Rs25.32 per unit** rate until their contracts expire.
• The contract term was cut from 7 years to 5 years.

In plain terms: exporting surplus solar to the grid is now a weak deal for anyone who signed up after February 2026. **Self-consumption is king.** Every unit you use directly from your panels is worth the retail rate you avoid — Rs30 to Rs47+ — while every unit you export earns barely Rs8.

Layer the winter package on top and the message sharpens: this winter, use your own solar output for daytime heating loads, and be very disciplined about grid-based heating at night.

Grid vs panels this winter: a quick comparison

| Scenario | Effective per-unit cost / value | Best use | |---|---|---| | Solar self-consumption (any consumer) | Rs30–47 avoided (retail) | Run heaters, geysers, appliances during daylight | | Winter package "extra" grid units (≤25% over benchmark) | ~Rs26 | Modest evening top-up, if eligible | | Grid units beyond 25% band | Up to Rs52 | Avoid — most expensive option | | Exported solar, new net-billing consumer | Rs8.13 earned | Low value — don't size a system to export | | Exported solar, existing net-metering contract | Rs25.32 earned | Still worthwhile until contract ends |

The table makes the winter strategy obvious: shift as much heating as possible into sunlight hours, cover it with your own panels, and treat grid electricity — even discounted winter units — as a backup rather than a plan.

A practical winter playbook for solar homes

Drawing on what we see across installations in Punjab and Sindh, here's a concrete, first-hand tip: **time-shift your thermal loads.** Water heating and space heating are the two biggest winter draws, and both can be front-loaded into daylight.

• Heat water at midday when panels peak, then use an insulated geyser or store hot water in a thermos-style tank for the evening.
• Pre-warm bedrooms in the afternoon rather than blasting heaters at 10 pm on expensive grid units.
• If you are on the old net-metering rate, exporting still pays — but even then, self-use above Rs25.32 avoided beats the export value.
• New net-billing owners should consider a **small battery** (even 5kWh) so evening heating runs on stored solar rather than Rs52 grid units.

For sizing and payback specifics, see our guides on choosing the right solar system size and net billing vs net metering explained. If you're still deciding, our piece on solar payback periods in 2026 walks through the new numbers.

Frequently Asked Questions

**Does the winter power package make grid electricity cheaper than solar?** No. Even the discounted winter rate of around Rs26 per unit only applies to a narrow band of extra consumption. Self-consuming your own solar — worth the Rs30–47 retail rate you avoid — is cheaper than almost any grid option, and far cheaper than the up-to-Rs52 rate you pay once you exceed the 25% threshold.

**What is the 25% rule in the winter package?** Discounted "extra" units apply only up to 25% above your benchmark consumption for that month. Consumption beyond 25% is billed at normal notified slab rates, which can reach Rs52 per unit before taxes. Solar homes with low grid baselines get only a small cheap-unit allowance.

**How does net billing affect my winter solar savings?** Under net billing (from February 2026), new consumers are paid just Rs8.13 per unit for exported electricity, versus Rs25.32 for existing net-metering contracts. This makes self-consumption far more valuable than exporting, so winter heating should run on your own panels during the day wherever possible.

**Should I still install solar in Pakistan after these changes?** Yes, for most homes — but size the system for self-consumption, not export. With retail tariffs high and gas supply unreliable in winter, a well-matched solar system (ideally with a small battery) still delivers strong savings and rising energy independence.

The bottom line

The winter power package is genuine relief for industry and farms, and a modest help for high-use homes — but for solar households its 25% cap and the up-to-Rs52 penalty beyond it reward exactly the wrong behaviour if you rely on the grid. Combined with the slashed Rs8.13 net-billing buyback, the winning move this winter is simple: **generate, self-consume, and store — don't export or over-draw.** Design your system around your own daytime heating loads and the grid becomes a fallback, not a monthly shock.

Ready to make your home winter-ready? Talk to our team about right-sizing panels and batteries for the 2026 tariff era.

*Sources: Express Tribune — winter tariff +25%, Arab News — industry/farm subsidy, Profit by Pakistan Today — net billing, NEPRA.* ```

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.