Since Pakistan moved new solar connections from net metering to net billing in 2026, the most important idea for solar owners is self-consumption: using your own solar electricity directly instead of exporting it to the grid.
Two ways solar saves money
- Self-consumption: solar power used in your home at the moment it is produced. Each unit used directly saves you a unit you would otherwise buy from the grid at the full tariff (plus adjustments and taxes).
- Export: surplus solar power sent to the grid. Under net billing, it is bought at a lower rate linked to the national average energy purchase price — reported at around Rs 11 per unit when the 2026 regulations were notified.
If a grid unit costs you around Rs 50 including adjustments and taxes, a self-consumed unit is worth several times more than an exported one.
How to increase self-consumption
- Shift loads to daytime: run washing machines, irons, water pumps and dishwashers between about 10 am and 3 pm.
- Pre-cool your home: run ACs harder in the afternoon while solar is strong, and reduce use in the evening.
- Use timers: for water pumps, electric geysers and other flexible loads.
- Heat water with solar: an electric geyser on a timer during sunny hours can use solar instead of gas.
- Batteries: store midday surplus for evening use — worthwhile if your night-time consumption is high and the battery cost makes sense.
Sizing your system for self-consumption
Instead of installing the largest system your roof allows, look at your daytime consumption. A system that produces roughly what you use during daylight hours, with modest export, gives better value under net billing.
Example
A home's 10 kW system produces 40 units on a sunny day.
- Case A: uses 15 units directly, exports 25 → savings ≈ 15 × 50 + 25 × 11 = Rs 1,025
- Case B: shifts loads, uses 30 directly, exports 10 → savings ≈ 30 × 50 + 10 × 11 = Rs 1,610
Same panels, about 57% more value — just by changing when appliances run. (Figures are illustrative.)
Track your numbers
Your bidirectional meter's import and export registers, and your inverter's app, show how much you generate, use and export. Aim to reduce exports and imports at the same time.