Solar power
Net metering application and paperwork in Islamabad and Rawalpindi
Net metering lets your meter run backwards when you export, crediting units against what you draw at night. Getting it approved means a licensed application to IESCO with the right drawings and a bidirectional meter installed. The service runs PKR 35,000 to 60,000, separate from the DISCO's own charges.
- Typical price
- From PKR 35,000
- How long it takes
- Preparation takes a few days; approval and meter installation depend on the DISCO's queue and are outside our control
- Site survey
- Free in Islamabad & Rawalpindi
Check eligibility before promising anything
Net metering needs a three-phase connection in most cases, a sanctioned load that suits the system size, and no arrears on the account. We check all three at the start, because the commonest reason an application stalls is a mismatch between system size and sanctioned load that could have been caught on day one.
Prepare the application pack properly
Single-line diagram, equipment datasheets, installer licence details, CNIC and the account copy. Applications are returned for missing or inconsistent paperwork far more often than for anything technical, so the pack is assembled once and checked against the current requirement rather than an old checklist.
Submit, follow up and attend the inspection
We submit, track the file, and meet the inspecting officer on site with the system ready and the drawings in hand. An inspection attended by someone who can answer a technical question on the spot is an inspection that does not need a second visit.
Meter installed, then verify the first bill
Once the bidirectional meter is fitted we check that import and export are both registering, and we read your first billed statement with you. Errors in the first cycle are common and much easier to correct while the installation is recent.
What the price covers. PKR 35,000 covers the application service for a standard domestic system: pack preparation, submission, follow-up and attending the inspection. Commercial connections and larger systems run to PKR 60,000. The DISCO's own meter and processing charges are paid separately, directly to them.
Included on every visit
- Eligibility checked against connection type, sanctioned load and arrears
- Single-line diagram and full application pack prepared
- Licensed installer details supplied with the file
- Application submitted and tracked to decision
- Inspection attended on site with drawings
- Import and export both verified after meter installation
- First billed statement read through with you
Questions people ask
How long does approval take?
It depends on the DISCO's queue, and we will not quote you a date we cannot control. What we can control is the number of times the file comes back — most delays we see are returned paperwork rather than slow processing, and a pack assembled correctly the first time is the single biggest thing that shortens the wait.
Do I get paid for the units I export?
You get credited, not paid in cash. Exported units offset units you import, and the settlement runs against your bill under the current NEPRA-approved rate. Because that rate and the mechanism have both been revised before, treat any payback calculation as an estimate under today's rules rather than a guarantee across the life of the system.
Can I install solar without net metering?
Yes, and plenty of people do. Without it, generation you do not use at the moment it is produced is simply lost, so the system pays back more slowly unless your usage is genuinely daytime-heavy. For a house where everyone is out until evening, net metering is most of the financial case.