Awais Leghari admits fixed electricity charges have doubled

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Energy, Awais Leghari, has acknowledged that fixed charges in electricity bills have indeed doubled.

Speaking on ARY News program “Khabar”, Awais Leghari stated that previously fixed charges were calculated at 3 to 4 percent of the bill, whereas they are now calculated at 10 percent.

Responding to questions from anchor Muhammad Malick, the Federal Minister said that the fixed cost in electricity bills remains the same throughout the year. In months with higher electricity consumption, the fixed cost appears lower as a percentage. He explained that earlier, fixed charges were around 3 to 4 percent of the bill, but currently they stand at around 10 percent.

Awais Leghari further stated that for protected domestic consumers using up to 200 units, the energy cost has decreased by 31 percent. He added that in months with lower consumption, fixed charges appear higher, while in months of higher consumption, the fixed cost proportion decreases. He also said that earlier fixed charges were up to 4 percent, but now they have doubled.

He claimed that electricity tariffs for domestic consumers have overall decreased and that subsidies will continue, making electricity cheaper by 5 to 6 rupees per unit.

Awais Leghari also said that if the variable cost is divided per unit, the overall electricity bill has decreased. He noted that fixed charges feel higher in winter, while this effect is less noticeable in summer.

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He added that electricity consumption has increased by 8 to 9 percent from July 2025 to the present, and by around 7 to 9 percent over the past 9 to 10 months, and referred to NEPRA’s website for verification of this data.

The shift in billing structure has reportedly transferred more burden to low-consumption users, meaning that households using less electricity are relatively more affected by fixed charges. He further stated that in months of lower consumption, fixed charges increase, which implies that lower- and middle-income households and small domestic users may be more impacted.