Wrong net-metering bill? How to check it and complain to your DISCO or NEPRA

The billing errors solar users actually run into, how to prove them from the bill itself, and the complaint route that gets them fixed.

Updated 7 October 2026 · 3 min read

Short answer

First check the bill itself: present minus previous reading should equal units on all four registers, import and export should not be swapped, the reading should be actual (not estimated) and the billing period should be about 30 days. If something is wrong, complain to your DISCO first: call 118, SMS 8118, or email ccms@pitc.com.pk, and keep the complaint number. If it isn’t resolved, file a complaint on NEPRA’s online complaint register.

Most surprising solar bills are correct: they are peak hours, settlement months and fixed charges at work (see why your bill is still high). But billing errors are real. NEPRA’s 2023 inquiry into DISCO overbilling found that not a single DISCO billed all its consumers correctly, with about Rs 8.44 billion overbilled in two months. Here is how to tell which kind of bill you have.

Errors that the bill itself can prove

Problem	How to spot it
Misread meter	Present − previous ≠ units on any of the four registers
Exports missing	Export registers show 0 or no change while your inverter shows export
Registers swapped	Import and export figures look reversed compared with last month’s pattern
Estimated reading	Bill marked as estimated/average, or the reading doesn’t match your meter display
Long billing period	Reading dates more than about 30 days apart
Net-metering not started	Bill is still on the ordinary tariff after your green meter was fitted
Exports capped	Exports credited lower than recorded, possibly due to the export-MDI check on capacity above your approval
Detection charge	A detection or adjustment line you don’t recognise

Solar Bill checks the first four automatically: it recomputes every register, compares the QR code with the print, and flags anything that doesn’t add up.

Collect evidence before you complain

Meter photos. Net meters cycle through registers on the display. Photograph each one (import and export, peak and off-peak), with the date visible.
Inverter data. Export the month’s generation and export figures from your inverter app, for the same dates as the bill.
The bill PDF, downloaded from the PITC website (see how to download it).
Your paperwork: net-metering agreement, commissioning date, and demand-notice receipt if the meter is not installed yet.

The government’s Power Smart app (“Apna Meter, Apni Reading”), launched in June 2025, lets you record your own monthly reading for DISCO consumers. It is useful evidence if readings are estimated.

Step 1: complain to your DISCO

Call 118 from any phone.
SMS 8118.
Email ccms@pitc.com.pk (PITC’s complaint management system, covering LESCO, IESCO, FESCO, GEPCO, MEPCO, PESCO, HESCO and others).
Visit your sub-division (SDO) office with copies of your evidence.

Always write down the complaint number. If you get no response, escalate with that number to qaccms@pitc.com.pk. Information about the PITC route is at bill.pitc.com.pk/ccms.

Step 2: complain to NEPRA

If the DISCO doesn’t resolve it, NEPRA’s Consumer Affairs Department handles complaints against distribution companies, and the 2026 Prosumer Regulations send prosumer–DISCO disputes to NEPRA as well.

File online: NEPRA complaint register.
Track it: NEPRA complaint tracking.
Include your 14-digit reference number, the bill, your evidence, and your DISCO complaint number.

NEPRA decisions are on record. In one October 2025 case, LESCO had never started net-metering billing after a meter change and then tried to charge 12,358 accumulated units at once; NEPRA limited the charge to 140 units a month, citing the Consumer Service Manual’s monthly reading rules.

Delayed green meters and stuck applications

In late 2025 and early 2026 some DISCOs stopped processing net-metering applications. NEPRA called this a violation, and on 26 August 2026 the Power Division told DISCOs and PITC to activate all cases where the demand notice was paid before 9 February 2026. Those cases are entitled to the old net-metering terms. If yours is stuck, complain with your demand-notice receipt and the payment date.

A complaint template

Subject: Incorrect net-metering bill, Ref No [14-digit reference], [Month Year]

My net-metering bill for [month] appears incorrect:
- [e.g. Export off-peak register shows 0 units; meter display shows
  present reading 30,240 against previous 29,322 (918 units).]
Attached: bill PDF, meter photos dated [date], inverter export report.
Please issue a corrected bill before the due date of [date].

Name / Consumer ID / Phone

Questions people ask

My export units are not adjusted on my bill. What should I do?

Check that the export registers have readings and that present minus previous matches the units. Compare with your inverter app’s export for the same dates. If exports are missing or zero, complain to the DISCO through 118, SMS 8118 or ccms@pitc.com.pk with photos of the meter, then escalate to NEPRA if needed.

How do I complain to NEPRA about my electricity bill?

Use NEPRA’s online consumer complaint register at nepra.org.pk after first complaining to your DISCO. Include your reference number, the bill, evidence and your DISCO complaint number. You can track the complaint online.

Can a DISCO bill me for more than 30 days?

No. NEPRA’s 2023 overbilling inquiry found DISCOs billing 30–40+ day periods and treated it as a violation of the Consumer Service Manual, which requires monthly readings.

My meter wasn’t read and I got an estimated bill. Is that allowed?

Meters must be read every month. NEPRA has capped back-billing where DISCOs failed to read meters; in one 2025 LESCO case it limited a catch-up charge to 140 units a month. You can also record readings yourself with the government’s Power Smart (Apna Meter, Apni Reading) app.

My green meter has not been installed. Who do I complain to?

Your DISCO first, with your application and demand-notice receipt. NEPRA has called halts in processing a violation, and in August 2026 the Power Division told DISCOs to activate all cases where demand notices were paid before 9 February 2026. If there is no progress, file with NEPRA.

What is a detection bill?

An extra charge for units the DISCO believes were consumed but not recorded, for example for a slow or tampered meter or a direct connection. You can contest it with your DISCO and then NEPRA; ask for the detection proforma and the basis of the calculation.

Should I pay a bill I am disputing?

Ask the DISCO for a corrected bill before the due date. If correction will take longer, ask in writing how the disputed amount will be handled so your connection is not at risk. Keep copies of everything.

Solar Bill is independent and not affiliated with NEPRA, PITC or any DISCO. Rates, taxes and rules change; your DISCO’s bill is the official record. Policy facts above link to their public sources.