ISLAMABAD: Monthly bills for electricity consumers across the country have increased manifold after the decision to link fixed charges to load instead of consumption.
The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) had approved the implementation of fixed charges on load basis in the new tariff effective from January 2026, which was given at the request of the federal government.
Earlier, fixed charges were levied according to monthly electricity consumption and were applicable only to those consumers who used more than 300 units of electricity. Under the old system, fixed charges were limited to a minimum of Rs 200 and a maximum of Rs 1,000.
According to the new tariff, fixed charges for domestic consumers have been fixed on the basis of monthly per kilowatt load. Under this system, fixed charges have been imposed on all domestic consumers except lifeline consumers, even if their electricity consumption is low.
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As per the approval of NEPRA, fixed charges in various domestic slabs have been increased from Rs 200 per kW to Rs 675 per kW per month, which is applicable to both protected and non-protected types of consumers.
Under the new formula, fixed charges will depend on the approved load of the consumer, due to which a significant increase in the overall bill is being seen. For example, if a consumer’s load is 5 kW, his monthly fixed charges can increase from Rs 1000 to Rs 3375.
According to experts, after this change, even consumers who use less electricity have been forced to pay higher bills, because now a major part of the bill is linked to load instead of consumption.
