"What is the per-unit price of electricity?" is one of the most searched questions in Pakistan — and the honest answer is: it depends. Your price per unit depends on your consumer category, how many units you use, whether you are protected, whether you have a time-of-use meter, and on monthly adjustments and taxes that sit on top of the base rate. This guide explains how the price is built so you can work out your own real cost per unit.
Rates are set by NEPRA and notified by the federal government, and they have been revised several times in 2025 and 2026. Use the figures here to understand the structure, and always confirm current numbers with the latest official notification.
Who sets the unit price?
- NEPRA determines each DISCO's revenue requirement and tariff.
- The federal government notifies a uniform national tariff for all government DISCOs (LESCO, MEPCO, FESCO, IESCO, GEPCO, PESCO, HESCO, SEPCO, QESCO, TESCO, HAZECO), using subsidies and cross-subsidies so that consumers in different regions pay similar rates.
- K-Electric (Karachi) has its own tariff process.
Residential (A-1) slab structure
Residential consumers are divided into groups:
- Lifeline: very low consumption households, with the lowest rate.
- Protected: used 200 units or less in each of the last six months. Two cheap slabs: 1–100 and 101–200 units.
- Non-protected: everyone else, with slabs of 1–100, 101–200, 201–300, 301–400, 401–500, 501–600, 601–700 and above 700 units. The rate rises with each slab.
- TOU residential: homes with 5 kW or more sanctioned load, billed at peak and off-peak rates instead of slabs.
Example rates (as reported for FY2025-26)
When NEPRA cut the base tariff for FY2025-26 in July 2025, news reports listed residential rates such as:
- Protected, up to 100 units: about Rs 10.54 per unit
- Protected, 101–200 units: about Rs 13.01 per unit
- Non-protected, up to 100 units: about Rs 22.44 per unit
- Non-protected, 101–200 units: about Rs 28.91 per unit
- Non-protected, 201–300 units: about Rs 33.10 per unit
Higher slabs had higher rates. These are base rates only — before FPA, QTA, fixed charges and taxes — and further revisions followed, so treat them as an illustration of how wide the gap between protected and non-protected rates is.
Fixed charges for households (2026)
In February 2026, NEPRA's tariff rebasing introduced monthly fixed charges for domestic consumers, both protected and non-protected, according to news reports. The reported amounts ranged from about Rs 200 a month for protected consumers using up to 100 units, to around Rs 675 a month for non-protected consumers using 600 units or more. The fixed charge depends on your category and consumption slab and is added regardless of how few units you use within that slab. Check your bill and the final notification for the exact amount that applies to you.
Your real price per unit
The slab rate is not what you actually pay per unit. Your effective unit price is:
Total bill (excluding arrears) ÷ units consumed
Because the bill adds fixed charges, FPA, QTA and GST (commonly 18%), the effective price is always higher than the base slab rate. For a non-protected household, the effective price is often far above the headline slab rate.
Why the price per unit changes month to month
- FPA (Fuel Price Adjustment) is decided monthly and can be positive or negative.
- QTA (Quarterly Tariff Adjustment) applies for set periods.
- Slab changes: crossing 200 units can make you non-protected for six months.
- Government relief or increases announced during the year.
Commercial, industrial and agricultural rates
- Commercial (A-2): higher rates; TOU meters for most; income tax and, for non-filers, extra tax.
- Industrial (B): TOU rates plus demand-based fixed charges; the government has reduced industrial rates at times to support exports.
- Agricultural (D): separate tube-well rates, sometimes with provincial or federal relief.
How to lower your effective unit price
- Stay protected by keeping use at or below 200 units for six months.
- Avoid crossing slab thresholds near the end of the billing cycle.
- On TOU meters, move heavy loads to off-peak hours.
- Use solar for daytime self-consumption.
Related guides
Read our guides on protected vs unprotected consumers, calculating your bill from units, FPA, QTA and GST for the details behind each part of the price.