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Solar · IESCO net metering

IESCO net metering, step by step

IESCO fits a bidirectional meter that counts units both ways, so your daytime surplus offsets what the house draws at night. It needs a three-phase connection, an approved-list inverter and a complete file — and from submission to meter swap, plan on six weeks to a few months. We run the entire application for PKR 45,000 flat, follow-up and inspection included.

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The six steps, in order

  1. 01

    Connection check

    Before any equipment

    Net metering needs a three-phase connection and sanctioned load at or above the system size. Many houses here are still single-phase, and the phase upgrade is a separate IESCO job that goes first. We read your bill before we quote a single panel, because discovering this after installation is an expensive lesson.

    We do this

  2. 02

    Install and commission

    2–3 days

    The array goes up and starts paying immediately by covering the daytime load. Nothing about the application blocks generation — only the export credit waits on the file.

    We do this

  3. 03

    Build the file

    About a week

    IESCO's forms, a single-line diagram, inverter approval evidence, panel serial numbers, test results, your CNIC, ownership papers and a recent bill. Files bounce for one missing sheet — and usually nobody phones to say which sheet — so this is where the patience gets spent.

    We do this

  4. 04

    Submit and chase

    4 weeks – a few months

    The file goes to your IESCO sub-division office, and from there it moves at the speed somebody asks after it. Our PKR 45,000 covers the asking — repeatedly, in person — not just the photocopies.

    We do this

  5. 05

    Site inspection

    One morning

    IESCO's team checks the installation against the file. We stand on the roof with them, so a question becomes an answer on the spot instead of a second appointment three weeks later.

    IESCO does this

  6. 06

    Bidirectional meter fitted

    1–3 weeks after inspection

    IESCO removes the old meter and installs the two-way unit. From that first reading onward, every unit you export is credited against what the house draws at night.

    IESCO does this

What goes in the file

A complete first submission is the whole difference between weeks and months. Stalled applications are rarely rejected — they sit incomplete in a drawer at the sub-division, and no letter comes to say which page is missing.

  • IESCO application forms, signed
  • Single-line electrical diagram
  • Inverter datasheet with approval-list evidence
  • Panel datasheets and serial numbers
  • Installation and earthing test reports
  • A recent IESCO bill
  • CNIC copy of the connection holder
  • Ownership or allotment papers for the premises

Where files die

Three things that stall an application

An off-list inverter

If the inverter is not on the approved list, the file stops and stays stopped — no amount of chasing moves it. This is settled the day the equipment is chosen, which is why we only quote listed units.

A single-phase connection

Discovered late, this parks an entire phase-upgrade application in front of yours. Thirty seconds with the bill catches it early; the connection type is printed on the front.

A file nobody visits

Applications do not progress on their own. Someone has to stand at the sub-division counter and ask, more than once. It is dull work, and it is precisely what decides whether approval takes six weeks or six months.

Net metering questions

How long does IESCO net metering approval take?

From submission to the meter swap, realistically six weeks to a few months. The spread depends on how complete the file is and how often somebody asks after it at the sub-division. Anyone promising a fixed fortnight is quoting hope, not experience.

Can the system run before approval comes through?

Yes, from commissioning day. The panels cover your daytime consumption immediately; only the credit for exported surplus waits on the bidirectional meter. This is why an oversized array without approval is money idling on a roof.

What does the application cost?

We charge PKR 45,000 flat for the whole file: preparing the pack, submitting it at your IESCO sub-division, the repeat follow-up visits and standing with the inspection team on the day. IESCO's own meter and processing charges arrive separately on their demand notice and are paid to IESCO directly.

Do I need a three-phase connection?

Yes — net metering rides on a three-phase connection with sanctioned load at or above the system size. Plenty of Islamabad and Rawalpindi houses are still single-phase; the phase upgrade is its own IESCO application and it has to go first. The connection type is printed on your bill, so this takes thirty seconds to check.

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