Updated: July 2026
The PESCO per unit price 2026 for homes ranges from Rs 3.95 per unit for lifeline users to Rs 47.69 per unit for households that use more than 700 units a month. These rates come from NEPRA’s tariff schedule that took effect on 1 July 2025 and still applies to PESCO bills in July 2026. Protected consumers (200 units or less) pay Rs 10.54 to Rs 13.01 per unit, while non-protected consumers pay Rs 22.44 to Rs 47.69 depending on the slab.
Your exact rate depends on how many units you burn in the month. PESCO does not set these prices itself. NEPRA fixes one uniform tariff for all distribution companies in Pakistan, and PESCO applies it to homes across Peshawar, Mardan, Swat, Kohat, Bannu and the rest of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Before you work out your cost per unit, you need your latest meter reading and units. The fastest way is to check your PESCO bill online using your 14-digit reference number. That guide covers the whole process, so we won’t repeat it here. Once you know your bill amount, you can also pay your PESCO bill online without visiting a bank.
PESCO Electricity Rates 2026
Here is the full residential slab table for the PESCO tariff 2026. These rates were set in NEPRA’s rebasing decision effective 1 July 2025 and remain in force as of July 2026.
| Slab (units per month) | Non-Protected (Rs/unit) | Protected (Rs/unit) |
|---|---|---|
| Lifeline: up to 50 | – | 3.95 |
| Lifeline: 51–100 | – | 7.74 |
| 1–100 | 22.44 | 10.54 |
| 101–200 | 28.91 | 13.01 |
| 201–300 | 33.10 | – |
| 301–400 | 37.99 | – |
| 401–500 | 40.22 | – |
| 501–700 | 41.60–42.80* | – |
| Above 700 | 47.69 | – |
*Sources report slightly different figures for the 501–700 slabs, so confirm the exact figure on your latest bill.
A few notes on this table. Lifeline rates only apply if your sanctioned load is under 1 kW and you stay under 100 units. Protected status generally means you have used 200 units or less every month for the past six months, with no air conditioner registered on the meter and a sanctioned load under 5 kW. Cross 200 units even once and your whole bill for that month shifts to non-protected rates.
The government has also moved the annual rebasing window to January. So a fresh slab table can now land mid-fiscal-year. If your bill looks different from this table, the printed rate on your bill is the one that counts.
How to Calculate Your PESCO Bill from Units
You can estimate your bijli ka bill in five steps. A pesco bill calculator does the same math, but doing it once by hand helps you understand every line on the bill.
- Note your units for the month (current reading minus previous reading).
- Split the units across the slabs. Each block of units is charged at its own rate.
- Multiply each block by its rate and add the amounts. This is your energy cost.
- Add the monthly fuel price adjustment (FPA) and any quarterly adjustment shown on your bill.
- Add taxes and fees: electricity duty, GST at 18%, and the PTV fee.
Worked example: 300 units (approximate)
Say your meter shows 300 units in July 2026 and you are a non-protected consumer. Here is the rough math, using the rates effective 1 July 2025:
- First 100 units × Rs 22.44 = Rs 2,244
- Next 100 units × Rs 28.91 = Rs 2,891
- Next 100 units × Rs 33.10 = Rs 3,310
- Energy cost = Rs 8,445
Now the add-ons. The FPA for July 2026 was reported at about Rs 0.19 per unit, which adds roughly Rs 57. Electricity duty is a small percentage of the energy cost, typically 1% to 1.5%, so around Rs 128. GST at 18% on the subtotal adds roughly Rs 1,550. The PTV fee is Rs 35 per month.
That brings the estimated total to about Rs 10,200. Treat this as an approximate figure only. Your actual bill can differ because of the exact FPA that month, quarterly adjustments, fixed charges on higher slabs, and arrears. Confirm the exact figures on your latest bill.
Extra Charges on Your Bill
The 1 unit bijli price is only the starting point. Several extra lines push the final amount up.
Fuel price adjustment (FPA). NEPRA reviews actual fuel costs every month and passes the difference to consumers two months later. FPA can be positive or negative. The July 2026 adjustment was small, about Rs 0.19 per unit, but in some past months it has crossed Rs 3 per unit.
Quarterly tariff adjustment (QTA). Every quarter, NEPRA trues up capacity and other costs. This appears as a separate per-unit line and changes four times a year.
Electricity duty. The provincial government charges a small duty, usually 1% to 1.5% of your electricity cost.
GST. The federal government charges 18% general sales tax on the electricity portion of the bill.
PTV fee. A flat Rs 35 per month for domestic connections.
Fixed charges and meter rent. NEPRA allows monthly fixed charges on higher residential slabs, reported between Rs 200 and Rs 1,000 depending on the slab. A small meter rent may also apply on older connections. Check your bill to see which of these apply to you.
Why Did My PESCO Bill Increase This Month?
Same house, same habits, bigger bill. It happens for three common reasons.
The FPA swung upward. Because FPA changes every month, a quiet Rs 0.19 adjustment can be followed by a much larger one. Compare the FPA line on this bill with last month’s bill.
You jumped a slab. Slab jumps are the most painful. If you moved from 195 units to 210 units, you lost protected status for the month, and every unit got billed at non-protected rates. Going from roughly Rs 13 to Rs 33 per unit on your top units can nearly double the bill.
Peak-hour usage on a TOU meter. If you have a time-of-use meter, units used during evening peak hours cost far more than off-peak units. A few extra hours of AC during peak time shows up fast.
Seasonal readings matter too. Summer bills in Peshawar and Mardan climb because fans, coolers and ACs run longer, not because the rate changed.
PESCO Peak and Off-Peak Hours (TOU)
Time-of-use billing applies to consumers with TOU meters, common on three-phase and higher-load connections. NEPRA’s 2026 tariff lists the residential TOU rate at about Rs 46.85 per unit in peak hours and about Rs 34.53 per unit off-peak. Confirm the exact figure on your latest bill, since TOU rates also move with adjustments.
Peak timings shift with the season. The usual pattern for PESCO and other DISCOs is:
| Season | Peak hours |
|---|---|
| Summer (roughly May–August) | 7:00 pm – 11:00 pm |
| Spring and autumn | 6:00 pm – 10:00 pm |
| Winter (roughly December–February) | 5:00 pm – 9:00 pm |
All remaining hours are off-peak. If you have a TOU meter, the four peak hours are the most expensive time of the day to run heavy appliances.
7 Ways to Lower Your PESCO Bill
Bijli ki qeemat is high, but your usage is in your control. These steps make a real difference:
- Stay under a slab boundary. If you are near 200 units, cutting 10 units can keep your protected rate and save thousands. Watch 300, 400 and 700 too.
- Shift heavy loads off-peak. Run the washing machine, iron and water pump after 11 pm in summer if you are on a TOU meter.
- Set the AC at 26°C. Every degree lower adds roughly 6% to the AC’s power use. An inverter AC at 26°C is the sweet spot.
- Swap old bulbs for LEDs. A 12-watt LED gives the same light as a 100-watt bulb at about one-tenth the units.
- Kill standby loads. TVs, chargers and Wi-Fi routers on standby quietly add units all month. Switch off at the plug.
- Service the fridge and AC. Dirty filters and worn door seals force compressors to run longer for the same cooling.
- Consider solar net metering. A net-metered solar system exports your extra daytime units to PESCO and offsets them against your bill, which can pull a heavy user down several slabs.
Track your units weekly instead of waiting for the bill. You can check any bijli bill online for every distribution company in Pakistan from one place.
FAQs
What is the PESCO per unit price in 2026?
Residential rates range from Rs 3.95 per unit (lifeline) to Rs 47.69 per unit (above 700 units), effective 1 July 2025 under NEPRA’s rebasing decision and still applicable in July 2026. Protected consumers pay Rs 10.54 to Rs 13.01 per unit. Most non-protected homes fall between Rs 22.44 and Rs 40.22 per unit.
What happens if I cross 200 units in a month?
You lose protected status for that month, and your entire consumption is billed at non-protected rates, not just the units above 200. Repeated months above 200 units also reset your six-month protected history. This single slab jump is the most common reason a bill suddenly doubles.
Is the FPA the same every month?
No. The fuel price adjustment changes monthly based on actual generation costs and reaches your bill about two months later. It was around Rs 0.19 per unit in July 2026 but has been higher in past months, and sometimes it is negative, which reduces the bill.
How do I know which slab I am in?
Look at the “units consumed” figure on your bill, or subtract the previous meter reading from the current one. Then match that number against the slab table above. Your bill also prints the applied rate for each block of units.
Do PESCO rates differ from LESCO or IESCO rates?
No. NEPRA sets a uniform national tariff, so the base per-unit price is the same across all distribution companies. Small differences in the final bill come from provincial duty and company-specific adjustments.
Will the rates change again in 2026?
Quite possibly. The government has shifted annual rebasing to January, and FPA and quarterly adjustments move throughout the year. Always treat the rate printed on your latest bill as final, and check back here for updates.
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