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Net Metering vs Net Billing: What Changed in February 2026
On 9 February 2026 the NEPRA (Prosumer) Regulations 2026 (S.R.O. 251(I)/2026) repealed the 2015 net metering rules. The word “net” survived; the mechanism did not.
The two mechanisms
| Net metering (repealed) | Net billing (current) | |
|---|---|---|
| Exports | Offset imports unit-for-unit | Credited in rupees at the average energy purchase price |
| Value of an exported unit | The retail rate (Rs 33 – 60 all-in) | Rs 8.13 by the current sourced default (range Rs 8 – 11 reported) |
| Imports | Only the netted remainder is billed | Billed at the full tariff — slabs, fixed charge, adjustments, GST |
| Surplus | Banked as units across a quarter | Credit carries forward in rupees |
| Agreement term | 7 years | 5 years, renewable 5 more by mutual consent |
The practical translation: a self-consumed unit is now worth roughly four exported ones. System sizing, payback and the value of daytime load all follow from that single ratio — the calculator shows both regimes on your own numbers.
Who keeps the old terms
As first notified, the new rules reached existing owners too — which triggered a government review. The amendment that followed (S.R.O. 547(I)/2026, April 2026) settled it: agreements and licences under the repealed regulations continue to be billed at the repealed rate and mechanism until their term expires. Two conditions ride on that protection. A material modification — adding panels, fitting a larger inverter, anything that changes the system's maximum output — voids the saving. And renewals after expiry fall under net billing: the grandfathering is a bridge to the end of your current term, not a permanent status. Because the amendment's own text is best confirmed against your position, the reporting (Business Recorder, 3 April 2026) is linked from the methodology page and your company can confirm your term in writing.
The smaller print
The regulations cover systems from 1 kW to 1 MW, capped at the sanctioned load, with local transformer capacity capped at 80%. Small systems were eased twice during 2026: systems up to 25 kW pay no NEPRA licence fee (April 2026), and up to 25 kW no longer need NEPRA concurrence — the distribution company approves directly (August 2026; the amendment's SRO number is reported inconsistently, so we cite the substance and not the number). Export credit beyond the month's bill carries forward under the regulations rather than expiring at the meter.
What it does to the solar decision
Payback stretched from the old two-to-three-year stories to roughly three to five years for a daytime-occupied home — still sound, differently driven: daytime self-consumption is now the whole game. The worth-it guide and the payback calculator both price the decision under the new rules, exports at the export rate and not a paisa more.