Electricity Bills Shock Ordinary Consumers as Billing Formula Changed

ISLAMABAD: A major change in tariff structure or electricity bills approved by the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) has triggered widespread public concern.

Electricity consumers across Pakistan are facing a sharp rise in power bills following the change in NEPRA tarrif structure.

Under the revised tariff system, fixed charges will now be calculated based on a consumer’s sanctioned electricity load rather than actual electricity consumption.

The new tariff was approved by NEPRA at the request of the federal government and came into effect in January 2026.

Previously, fixed charges were imposed only on domestic consumers using more than 300 electricity units per month, ranging between Rs. 200 and Rs. 1,000.

On the other hand, under the new framework, fixed charges will apply to all domestic consumers except lifeline users, even if their electricity consumption remains low.

According to details, fixed charges across different consumer slabs have been revised upward, ranging from Rs. 200 per kilowatt to as high as Rs. 675 per kilowatt per month.

The change means even low-consumption households will now face higher electricity bills. For example, a consumer with a sanctioned load of 5 kilowatts could see fixed charges increase from a previous maximum of Rs. 1,000 to nearly Rs. 3,375 per month.

Consumers are now realizing that electricity costs will no longer depend primarily on usage and put additional financial pressure on households already struggling with rising living expenses.