Tool
Solar Payback Calculator
Pakistan replaced net metering with net billing in February 2026, and most solar quotes you will be shown still assume the old arithmetic. This works it out the new way, and separates the units you use yourself from the ones you sell, because they are no longer worth the same.
Payback period
3.3 years
Saving about Rs 359,160 a year on 14,600 units generated
- Units you use yourself, worth Rs 45 each
- Rs 262,800
- Units you export, worth Rs 11 each
- Rs 96,360
Every unit you use during daylight is worth 4.1 times as much as a unit you export. Shifting washing, ironing and water heating into the middle of the day does more for your payback than adding panels.
Under the old net metering rules, where an exported unit cancelled an imported one, the same system would have paid back in about 1.8 years. That scheme was repealed in February 2026.
The export rate is a box you fill in, not a number we supply, because the regulations name a reference price and print no figure, and reported values have ranged from roughly Rs 8 to Rs 11 a unit. Ask your distribution company for the rate in writing before sizing a system. Retail tariffs commonly sit between Rs 40 and Rs 55 depending on your slab and area. This ignores tariff changes, panel degradation and financing costs, so treat it as a comparison between choices rather than a forecast.
Why self consumption is now the whole game
Under net metering, an exported unit cancelled an imported one. Export and self use were worth exactly the same, so the only thing that mattered was total generation. That is why older advice tells you to fit as many panels as the roof takes.
Under net billing you buy at the retail tariff and sell at a wholesale reference price. A unit consumed at home can be worth four or five times a unit exported. Sizing for maximum generation is now often worse than sizing for what you actually use during daylight, and shifting heavy loads into the middle of the day beats adding capacity.
One honest limitation. We do not supply the export rate, because the regulations name a reference price and print no number, and published figures disagree. Get it from your distribution company in writing before you commit money.
Frequently asked questions
Is solar still worth it in Pakistan after net metering ended?
It depends far more on self consumption than it used to. A unit you use during daylight avoids a retail tariff of Rs 40 or more. A unit you export earns a wholesale rate. A system designed around daytime use pays back considerably faster than one designed to export.
What rate will my DISCO pay for exported units?
The regulations say exports are bought at the national average energy purchase price but print no rupee figure, and reported values have ranged from about Rs 8 to Rs 11 a unit. Ask your distribution company for the current rate in writing.
How many units does a solar system generate in Pakistan?
Roughly 4 units per installed kW per day is a common working figure across much of Pakistan, varying with location, season, shading and panel orientation. The calculator lets you change it.
Does the calculator account for the old net metering rules?
It shows what the same system would have returned when an exported unit cancelled an imported one at par, for comparison. That scheme was repealed on 9 February 2026.
What size system can I install?
Your generation capacity cannot exceed the sanctioned load of your premises, which is printed on your bill. Systems of 25 kW and below no longer need NEPRA concurrence.
Before you sign anything
Based on NEPRA's Prosumer Regulations 2026, SRO 251(I)/2026, read on 7 August 2026. Estimates only, and they ignore tariff changes, panel degradation and financing costs. Pakistan Era is not affiliated with NEPRA or any distribution company.