LESCO faces backlash over reported ‘double billing’ of solar customers in May 2026 bills
LAHORE – Pakistani solar consumers are in dire straits as Lahore Electric Supply Company (LESCO) faces alleged inconsistencies in electricity billing, including double billing and application of different solar charge policies within consecutive billing cycles.
LESCO issued electricity bills for April under the net metering policy, where a unit-per-unit adjustment mechanism was applied. Under this system, excess power exported to the grid was paid at around Rs 25 per unit, providing relief through direct offsetting of imported and exported units.
However, in May, consumers reported that their bills were calculated under a revised net billing framework, following the implementation of the national tariff structure. Under this arrangement, the earlier unit-per-unit adjustment was reportedly discontinued, and the price of exported electricity was around Rs 8 per unit.
Customers allege that the transition resulted in a significant difference in billing amounts between April and May, even though some of them have existing contracts under the net metering system. A number of affected customers have since contacted various LESCO offices to lodge complaints regarding the changes and seek clarification on their bills.
This situation raised concerns about the consistency of policy enforcement among solar consumers, especially where net metering contracts seem to have been replaced by net billing.
It is further informed that the Federal Minister for Energy Owais Leghari directed the Net Metering Policy to remain in force till February 8, while the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) also approved the relevant amendments on the request of the Ministry of Energy.
Despite these reported policy directives and regulatory approvals, consumers maintain that billing practices on land do not reflect uniform application, creating uncertainty and concern in the growing solar energy sector.
Lesco is yet to clarify the specific complaints raised by customers at the time of reporting.
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The post LESCO faces backlash as solar consumers report ‘double billing’ in May 2026 bills appeared first on Daily Pakistan English News.
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