Electricity and Gas Bill for an Empty House in Pakistan: What You Pay at Zero Units (2026 Fixed and Minimum Charges)
An empty house in Pakistan still pays electricity fixed charges of Rs 200 to Rs 675 per kW and a gas fixed charge with Rs 40 meter rent. See the 2026 figures.
An empty house in Pakistan still gets an electricity bill and a gas bill: electricity carries a fixed charge of Rs 200 to Rs 675 per kW of sanctioned load, or a Rs 75 minimum on a single phase connection with no fixed charge, and sui gas carries a fixed charge of Rs 600 or Rs 1,500 plus Rs 40 meter rent. Those amounts are payable even when the meter shows zero units, before taxes. They come from the February 2026 electricity tariff notification and OGRA's current gas price notification, which we read on 1 November 2026.
This catches out overseas Pakistanis, families who move to another city and landlords between tenants. The house is locked, nothing is switched on, and the bills keep coming. Here is exactly what you pay and why.
Electricity: fixed charges apply even at zero units
Under the 2026 tariff almost every home pays a monthly fixed charge per kW of sanctioned load, whatever it uses. It ranges from Rs 200 per kW for protected homes to Rs 675 for heavy users. Only lifeline homes pay no fixed charge.
The tariff notes say fixed charges for ordinary homes are based on sanctioned load, the load written on your connection, not on the units you use. So a house with a 3 kW sanction pays for 3 kW every month, locked or not.
| Home category | Fixed charge per kW a month | 3 kW house, zero units |
|---|---|---|
| Lifeline | none (Rs 75 minimum applies) | Rs 75 |
| Protected, 1 to 100 units | Rs 200 | Rs 600 |
| Unprotected, 1 to 100 units | Rs 275 | Rs 825 |
| Shop under 5 kW | Rs 1,000 a month flat | Rs 1,000 |
The notification does not spell out which slab's fixed charge applies at exactly zero units. Our reading is the first slab of your category, as in the table. A house that has used 200 units or less every month for six months counts as protected, so an empty house usually settles at Rs 200 per kW after six months. All figures are before taxes and duty.
The Rs 75 and Rs 150 minimum charge covers the rest
Where no fixed charge applies, the tariff sets a minimum monthly customer charge even if no energy is used: Rs 75 for a single phase connection and Rs 150 for three phase. Where a fixed charge applies, the minimum charge does not, so you never pay both.
In practice, the Rs 75 minimum matters mostly for lifeline homes, which have no fixed charge. For a normal family house, the fixed charge per kW is the floor of the bill.
Sui gas: Rs 600 or Rs 1,500 plus Rs 40 meter rent
OGRA's gas notification charges protected homes a fixed Rs 600 and non-protected homes Rs 1,500 a month, rising to Rs 3,000 above 1.5 hm3. Every home also pays Rs 40 meter rent. These apply to SNGPL and SSGC customers alike.
Gas protected status depends on winter use. A home whose average use in the last four winter months, November to February, is 0.9 hm3 or less is protected. An empty house uses nothing, so after a winter of zero use it should be protected and pay Rs 640 a month, by our addition.
| Gas category | Fixed charge | Meter rent | Monthly floor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected | Rs 600 | Rs 40 | Rs 640 |
| Non-protected, up to 1.5 hm3 | Rs 1,500 | Rs 40 | Rs 1,540 |
OGRA's notice also says the minimum bill is worked out at the first slab rate of each category. It does not say what volume that minimum assumes, so we cannot put a rupee figure on it. The full slab table is in sui gas slab rates for 2026.
What an empty house pays in a year
A protected 3 kW house with protected gas pays about Rs 600 for electricity and Rs 640 for gas each month at zero use, about Rs 14,880 a year before taxes, by our arithmetic. If it is unprotected on both, the floor rises to about Rs 28,380.
| Empty house, 3 kW, zero use | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Protected electricity and protected gas | Rs 1,240 | Rs 14,880 |
| Unprotected electricity, non-protected gas | Rs 2,365 | Rs 28,380 |
Taxes, electricity duty and any arrears come on top. Unpaid fixed charges pile up as arrears like any other bill, and arrears are what lead to disconnection notices.
How to cut the bill on a house you are not using
You have three practical options: lower the sanctioned load, ask for a temporary disconnection, or keep paying and make sure the meter is read. Which one is right depends on how long the house will stand empty.
- Lower the sanctioned load if the house will stand empty for many months. A 1 kW sanction pays a third of the fixed charge of 3 kW. The process is in reducing your sanctioned load.
- Ask for temporary disconnection if you will be away for a long time. The rules are covered in temporary disconnection on request.
- Pay through an app from abroad so nothing falls into arrears, and keep every receipt.
- Ask a neighbour to photograph the meters each month. A photo protects you if a later bill shows units you never used.
- Keep the house protected by making sure no tenant or guest pushes use over the limits for long.
If the gas meter is not read for months, the bill may be estimated. How estimated and minimum gas bills work is explained in estimated and minimum SNGPL bills.
Common questions
Why do I get an electricity bill with zero units?
Because the tariff charges a monthly fixed charge per kW of sanctioned load, or a Rs 75 or Rs 150 minimum where no fixed charge applies.
What is the minimum electricity bill in Pakistan?
Rs 75 a month for single phase and Rs 150 for three phase where no fixed charge applies, before taxes.
What is the fixed charge on a gas bill?
Rs 600 for protected homes and Rs 1,500 for non-protected homes up to 1.5 hm3, plus Rs 40 meter rent.
Does a locked house still pay the gas meter rent?
Yes. OGRA's notification charges Rs 40 meter rent to protected and non-protected homes.
Can I stop the fixed charge by switching off the main switch?
No. The fixed charge depends on sanctioned load, not use. Lowering the load or disconnecting changes it.
Do lifeline homes pay a fixed charge?
No. They pay the Rs 75 minimum on a single phase connection when they use nothing.
How we verified this
What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.
On 1 November 2026 we read the residential schedules and notes of S.R.O. 279(I)/2026 of 12 February 2026 and OGRA's gas sale price notification effective 1 July 2025 from OGRA's consumer gas prices page, both scanned files. Which slab's fixed charge applies at zero units is our reading, as the notification does not say. The monthly and yearly totals are our arithmetic and leave out taxes, electricity duty and PTV fee, which we did not check.
About the author
Global Affairs & Political Economy Writer
Muhammad Hatim is a book lover who started writing because he enjoys it. At Pakistan Era he writes about international relations, geopolitics and the global economy, with a particular interest in South Asia and the forces behind current events.
