Understanding Your WAPDA Green Meter Bill: Why You Still Pay Taxes with Surplus Units

Why Did I Get a Bill When My Export Units Exceeded My Import Units?

One of the most frequent confusions for green meter owners across LESCO, GEPCO, IESCO, and K-Electric is receiving a bill with an amount payable despite having net surplus units.

The Golden Rule: Peak vs. Off-Peak Hours in Pakistan

In Pakistan, 3-phase electricity is billed under two strictly separate time slabs:

• Off-Peak Hours (Daytime & Late Night): Electricity rate is standard (~Rs. 32-38/unit). All your daylight solar exports go here.
• Peak Hours (Typically 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM or 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM): Electricity rate is high (~Rs. 50-62/unit).

Critical Rule: Under NEPRA regulations, daytime solar export units CANNOT directly offset Peak Hour units on your monthly bill. Peak units are billed separately in cash every month!

Where Do Surplus Units Go?

If you export 600 off-peak units and consume 200 off-peak units, your net surplus is +400 off-peak units. These units are banked in your account and carried forward as negative units to the next month.

At the end of every financial quarter (every 3 months), the DISCO calculates your accumulated surplus units and credits the cash equivalent directly into your electricity account or issues a bank cheque!

Mandatory Taxes That Still Apply

Even with zero net units, electricity bills in Pakistan carry mandatory statutory taxes:

• Fixed Charges per kW of Sanctioned Load
• Fuel Price Adjustment (FPA) on gross units
• Electricity Duty (ED)
• General Sales Tax (GST)
• PTV Fee & Neelum Jhelum Surcharge

How to Slash Your Remaining Bill

• Run high-draw appliances (irons, washing machines, borehole pumps) exclusively during solar daylight hours.
• If you have hybrid inverter storage, configure it to discharge battery power into your home during the evening Peak Window (6 PM – 10 PM) to avoid grid peak tariffs completely.