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Solar system size calculator
Tier-1 solar panels cost Rs 38 to 40.65 a watt at dealers in September 2026, Rs 22,230 to 23,780 for a 585 W panel. Work out the system your home needs from your bill: its size, panels, inverter, battery, cost and payback.
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Size your solar system
Give the units from your electricity bill and your city, then choose on-grid, hybrid or off-grid. The panels, inverter, battery, cost and payback follow.
Your solar system
- Panels
- 10585 W each
- Inverter
- 5 kWon-grid
- Battery
- NoneIt stops in load-shedding
- Roof space
- 420 sq ftPanels 280 sq ft, plus gaps
- Units made
- 599 a month448 in January
- Payback
- 2.4 yearsOn the first year's saving
Saving, first year
- Units used at home2,683 at Rs 55
- Rs 147,583
- Units sold to the grid4,604 at Rs 8.13
- Rs 37,433
- Saving a year
- Rs 185,017 (1.85 lakh)
Rough cost
- Panels10 × 585 W at Rs 39.2 a watt
- Rs 2.29 lakh
- Inverter5 kW hybrid, run without a battery
- Rs 1.16 lakh
- Stands, wiring and fitting5.85 kW at Rs 15,800 a kW
- Rs 92,430
- Likely range
- Rs 3.7 to 5 lakh
For new connections, as of September 2026, net billing credits Rs 8.13 for a unit sold to the grid, while a unit used at home saves Rs 55. This system keeps 37% of its units at home; the more of them you use by day or store, the sooner it pays back.
Prices and rules as of September 2026. To sell to the grid the connection must be three-phase and the system no bigger than its sanctioned load; the DISCO's bidirectional meter and the approval are not in the cost. An estimate to compare quotes with; an installer should see the roof before you buy.
Prices
Solar panel and system prices in Pakistan, September 2026
Tier-1 N-type panels sell for Rs 38 to 40.65 a watt at dealers and Rs 49.06 to 52.54 online. Fitted, a 5 kW system costs Rs 3.4 to 4.7 lakh and a 10 kW one Rs 6.3 to 8.5 lakh, before any battery.
| Panel | At dealers | Online |
|---|---|---|
| A watt | Rs 38 to 40.65 | Rs 49.06 to 52.54 |
| 585 W panel | Rs 22,230 to 23,780 | Rs 28,700 to 30,740 |
| 615 W panel | Rs 23,370 to 25,000 | Rs 30,170 to 32,310 |
| 645 W panel | Rs 24,510 to 26,220 | Rs 31,650 to 33,890 |
| Inverter | On-grid | Hybrid, budget | Hybrid, IP-rated |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 kW | None listed | Rs 68,000 to 105,000 | Rs 75,000 |
| 4 kW | None listed | Rs 68,000 to 120,000 | None listed |
| 6 kW | None listed | Rs 88,000 to 160,000 | Rs 190,000 to 260,000 |
| 8 kW | None listed | Rs 172,000 to 247,000 | Rs 275,000 to 350,000 |
| 10 kW | Rs 130,000 to 336,000 | Rs 257,000 | Rs 355,000 to 455,000 |
| 12 kW | None listed | Rs 202,000 to 270,000 | Rs 328,000 to 525,000 |
| 15 kW | Rs 165,000 to 335,000 | None listed | Rs 540,000 to 645,000 |
| 20 kW | Rs 250,000 to 333,000 | None listed | Rs 655,000 to 795,000 |
| Battery | Price | A kWh |
|---|---|---|
| 5 kWh | Rs 177,000 to 335,000 | Rs 34,570 to 65,430 |
| 10 kWh | Rs 400,000 to 545,000 | Rs 39,060 to 53,220 |
| 16 kWh | Rs 517,000 to 675,000 | Rs 32,150 to 42,000 |
| System | Panels | On-grid, no battery | Hybrid with battery |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 kW | 5 × 585 W | Rs 2 to 2.7 lakh | Rs 4 to 5.5 lakh with 5 kWh |
| 5 kW | 9 × 585 W | Rs 3.4 to 4.7 lakh | Rs 5.5 to 7.4 lakh with 5 kWh |
| 8 kW | 14 × 585 W | Rs 5.6 to 7.6 lakh | Rs 9.2 to 12.5 lakh with 10 kWh |
| 10 kW | 17 × 585 W | Rs 6.3 to 8.5 lakh | Rs 10.4 to 14.1 lakh with 10 kWh |
| 12 kW | 21 × 585 W | Rs 7.5 to 10.1 lakh | Rs 13.2 to 17.9 lakh with 16 kWh |
| 15 kW | 26 × 585 W | Rs 9.1 to 12.3 lakh | Rs 17.3 to 23.4 lakh with 16 kWh |
| 20 kW | 34 × 585 W | Rs 11.8 to 16 lakh | Rs 20.5 to 27.8 lakh with 16 kWh |
Back-contact panels, the most efficient sold, cost Rs 42.35 to 42.75 a watt at dealers. The panel, inverter and battery prices run from the cheapest make listed to the dearest; a complete system is those parts at their middle prices with the stands, wiring and fitting. On-grid inverters are sold from 10 kW, so a smaller system tied to the grid is priced with a hybrid inverter run without a battery; hybrid systems are priced with a budget indoor inverter up to 12 kW and an IP-rated one above. The DISCO's bidirectional meter and the net billing approval come on top. Source: a dealer's and two online shops' price lists and an installer's published costs, read on 29 and 30 September 2026.
Reference
Solar output by city
What one kW of panels makes on a rooftop in each city, over the year and in its dullest month.
| City | A day | A month | A year | A day, dullest month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lahore | 3.4 | 102 | 1,246 | 2.6 in January |
| Karachi | 4.0 | 119 | 1,442 | 2.9 in August |
| Islamabad and Rawalpindi | 3.6 | 109 | 1,325 | 2.8 in January |
| Faisalabad | 3.5 | 105 | 1,273 | 2.6 in January |
| Multan | 3.7 | 112 | 1,367 | 2.9 in January |
| Peshawar | 3.5 | 105 | 1,277 | 2.7 in January |
| Hyderabad | 4.1 | 122 | 1,490 | 3.5 in July |
| Quetta | 4.5 | 135 | 1,645 | 4.0 in January |
The Global Solar Atlas's long-term output for each city (Solargis data, updated April 2026), less 15% for a rooftop. A month here is a 30-day bill. Elsewhere, use the nearest city.
Reference
System sizes and the units they make
What the common system sizes make in a month, and the panels and roof they take. What each costs is in the price list above.
| System | Panels | Roof (sq ft) | Units, Lahore | Karachi | Islamabad |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 kW | 5 | 210 | 310 | 360 | 330 |
| 5 kW | 9 | 380 | 510 | 590 | 540 |
| 6 kW | 10 | 420 | 610 | 710 | 650 |
| 8 kW | 14 | 590 | 820 | 950 | 870 |
| 10 kW | 17 | 720 | 1,020 | 1,190 | 1,090 |
| 12 kW | 21 | 890 | 1,230 | 1,420 | 1,310 |
| 15 kW | 26 | 1,100 | 1,540 | 1,780 | 1,630 |
| 20 kW | 34 | 1,430 | 2,050 | 2,370 | 2,180 |
Panels of 585 W, to the nearest whole panel. Roof space allows for gaps between the rows.
How it is worked out
From your bill to panels, battery, cost and payback
The size is the units you want the panels to make, divided by what one kW of panels makes where you live. Take the units a month from your bill, times the share you want to cover, divide by 30 for a day, then by the units a kW makes in a day: 550 units ÷ 30 ÷ 3.4 in Lahore is 5.4 kW. Divide that by one panel's rating and round up to whole panels: 5.4 ÷ 0.585 is 9.2, so 10 panels, 5.85 kW. With a summer and a winter bill, the calculator works from their average.
A panel's rating is what it gives in test sunlight of 1,000 W a square metre with its cells at 25°C. On a roof the sun is that strong for only a few hours around noon, the cells run at 50 to 65°C and lose about 0.3% of their power for every degree above 25, dust settles between washes, and the wiring and inverter take a few percent more. So a kW of panels on a Lahore roof makes about 3.4 units a day over the year, from 2.6 in January, when fog and smog cut the sun, to 4.2 in April. The yields here are the Global Solar Atlas's long-term figures for each city, less 15% for a rooftop, which also allows for an on-grid system standing idle in load-shedding.
An on-grid system runs the house on the sun by day and sends the surplus to the grid. It has no battery, and it switches off in load-shedding so that it cannot feed power into a line being repaired. A hybrid system adds a battery: it keeps the house running when the grid goes off, and gives the evening what the panels stored in the day. An off-grid system sends nothing to the grid, so it is sized for the month that needs the most panels, and whatever the battery cannot hold is lost.
The battery is for the hours with neither sun nor grid. Multiply the load it must carry by the hours and add about a tenth for the inverter's losses: 1.5 kW for 4 hours needs 6.7 kWh out of the battery. A battery is not run flat, so its rating is bigger than what it gives: a lithium battery used to 80% needs 8.4 kWh, and a lead-acid battery used to 50% needs twice the usable figure. The inverter is sized a quarter above the load, so a motor can start.
The cost is built the way an installer builds a quote, from the price list: the panels at the middle of the dealers' prices, Rs 39.2 a watt as of September 2026; the inverter the system needs at the middle of the prices listed for its size; the stands, wiring, protection and labour at about Rs 15,800 a kW; and a lithium battery at the middle price a kWh for its size, which falls from about Rs 46,900 for a 5 kWh pack to Rs 38,100 for 16 kWh. Quotes run about 15% either side with the make and the installer, and the DISCO's bidirectional meter and approval come on top. With a quote in hand, type its figure a kW under Prices.
What solar saves depends on how much of it the house uses. A unit used as it is made saves the price of a unit from the grid, about Rs 55 with taxes for a home using around 500 units a month. For new connections, as of September 2026, a unit sent to the grid is credited at Rs 8.13 under NEPRA's net billing. So the calculator goes month by month: the solar made while the house is using power (40% of a family's units, unless you change it) is used; what is left charges the battery, if there is one; the rest goes to the grid. The payback is the cost over the first year's saving. Rising tariffs shorten it, and panels losing about half a percent of their output a year lengthen it a little.
On a quote or a bill
Terms you will meet
- kW and units (kWh)
- A kW is the rate power flows at; a kWh, the unit on your bill, is a kW for an hour. A system is named by its panels' kW, and what it makes and what you use are counted in units.
- Specific yield
- The units one kW of panels makes in a day or a year in a given place. The sunnier the city, the fewer panels the same units take.
- Tier-1 panel
- A panel from one of the largest makers, whose panels banks have financed large solar projects with. The panels on the price list are tier-1; a dealer will quote other makes as well.
- N-type and back-contact panels
- N-type (TOPCon) cells lose less power in the heat and with age than the older P-type ones, and are what homes are fitted with now. Back-contact panels move the cells' wiring to the back, which makes them the most efficient sold, at Rs 3.15 to 3.55 a watt more than a usual N-type panel.
- IP rating
- How well an inverter or battery is sealed against dust and water. IP20 and IP21 units must be kept indoors; IP54 to IP66 units can be fixed outside, on a roof or a wall, and cost more.
- Net billing
- The arrangement for new solar connections since 9 February 2026: units taken from the grid are billed at your tariff, and units sent to it are credited at the national average energy purchase price. It replaced net metering, which offset the units one for one.
- National average energy purchase price
- The average paid to power plants for the energy in a unit, leaving out the capacity payments that make up most of the price of power: Rs 8.13 a unit for 2026. NEPRA sets it again each January.
- Sanctioned load
- The load in kW your connection is approved for, printed on your bill. A system that sells to the grid can be no bigger than it, and the DISCO can raise it on application.
- Depth of discharge
- How far a battery is run down before it is charged again. Lithium batteries are used to about 80 to 90%, lead-acid to 50%; running them deeper shortens their life.
- Hybrid inverter
- An inverter that works with panels, a battery and the grid at once. It runs the house on the sun first, then the battery, then the grid, and keeps going in load-shedding.
- Bidirectional meter
- The meter a DISCO fits to a connection that sells to the grid. It counts the units taken and the units sent separately, and is often called a green meter.
Questions
Solar system questions
Still have a question?
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+92 333 2466662Chat on WhatsAppWhat is the solar panel price in Pakistan today?
As of September 2026, tier-1 N-type panels sell for Rs 38 to 40.65 a watt at dealers: Rs 22,230 to 23,780 for a 585 W panel, Rs 23,370 to 25,000 for 615 W and Rs 24,510 to 26,220 for 645 W. Bought online one at a time they cost Rs 49.06 to 52.54 a watt, Rs 28,700 to 30,740 for 585 W, and back-contact panels, the most efficient sold, Rs 42.35 to 42.75 a watt at dealers. Panels are imported, so the price moves with the makers' prices abroad, the rupee and demand here: in August 2025 they cost about Rs 22 a watt.
How much does a 5 kW solar system cost in Pakistan?
About Rs 3.4 to 4.7 lakh fitted without a battery, as of September 2026: 9 panels of 585 W (5.27 kW) at dealer prices, a 5 kW inverter, the stands, wiring and fitting. On-grid inverters are sold from 10 kW, so a system this size tied to the grid is fitted with a hybrid inverter run without a battery. With a 5 kWh lithium battery it is about Rs 5.5 to 7.4 lakh. The DISCO's bidirectional meter and the net billing approval come on top. In Lahore these panels make about 540 units a month.
How much does a 10 kW solar system cost?
About Rs 6.3 to 8.5 lakh for an on-grid system fitted, as of September 2026: 17 panels of 585 W (9.95 kW) at dealer prices, a 10 kW on-grid inverter, the stands, wiring and fitting. A hybrid system with a 10 kWh lithium battery is about Rs 10.4 to 14.1 lakh. The make of the panels and inverter, the structure and the installer move the price, so compare quotes part by part, and ask whether the bidirectional meter and the approval are included. In Lahore a system this size makes about 1,020 units a month.
What is the price per watt of solar panels?
As of September 2026, Rs 38 to 40.65 a watt at dealers for tier-1 N-type panels of 580 to 650 W, and Rs 42.35 to 42.75 for back-contact panels. Online shops ask Rs 49.06 to 52.54 a watt for one panel at a time. To compare two panels, divide the price by the watts: a 585 W panel at Rs 22,932 is Rs 39.2 a watt. A whole system fitted comes to more a watt, as the inverter, stands and wiring are added: about Rs 70 a watt for a 20 kW on-grid system and Rs 81 for 3 kW, where they weigh more.
How many solar panels do I need for my house?
Divide your units a month by 30, then by what 1 kW of panels makes in a day where you live (about 3.4 units in Lahore, 4 in Karachi and 3.6 in Islamabad), then by the panel's rating in kW, and round up. A Lahore home using 550 units a month needs about 5.4 kW: 10 panels of 585 W and a 5 kW inverter. Put your own bills into the calculator for your city, with the roof space and battery.
How many units does 1 kW of solar make in a day in Pakistan?
On a rooftop, about 3.4 units a day over the year in Lahore, 4 in Karachi, 3.6 in Islamabad and Rawalpindi, and 4.5 in Quetta, the sunniest of the cities here. It changes with the season: in Lahore from about 2.6 a day in January to 4.2 in April. So a 5 kW system makes about 510 units a month in Lahore, and a 10 kW system about 1,020.
How much solar do I need for a 1 ton AC?
A 1 ton AC uses about 1 unit an hour while it runs in the heat, so 8 hours a day comes to about 240 units a month. Making that many units in Lahore takes about 2.3 kW of panels, 4 panels of 585 W, and a 1.5 ton AC about half as much again. An inverter AC uses less once the room is cool. To run an AC from a battery at night, count about 1 kW of load for each ton, with the inverter 25% above the load so the compressor can start.
What is the payback period of solar in Pakistan?
About 2.4 years for an on-grid system at September 2026 prices, in the example the calculator opens with: 5.85 kW in Lahore for 550 units a month costs about Rs 3.7 to 5 lakh and saves about Rs 1.9 lakh a year. A hybrid system with 8.4 kWh of battery costs more but keeps more of its solar at home, and pays back in about 2.8 years. The payback turns on how much of the solar you use: a unit used saves about Rs 55, while a unit sold to the grid earns Rs 8.13.
Is net metering still available for new solar connections?
No. For new connections, as of September 2026, the NEPRA (Prosumer) Regulations, 2026 (SRO 251(I)/2026, in force since 9 February 2026) have replaced net metering with net billing. Units taken from the grid are billed at your tariff, and units sent to it are credited at the national average energy purchase price, Rs 8.13 a unit for 2026, which NEPRA sets again each January. The agreement runs five years. To sell to the grid the connection must be three-phase and the system no bigger than its sanctioned load, and a system of 25 kW or less needs only the DISCO's approval, with no NEPRA fee. Agreements signed before 9 February 2026 keep their old terms until they end.
Which is better: on-grid, hybrid or off-grid solar?
On-grid is the cheapest and suits a house where someone is home in the day, but it stops in load-shedding and sells its surplus for Rs 8.13 a unit. A hybrid keeps the house running when the grid goes off and moves the day's surplus into the evening, where it saves about Rs 55 a unit instead, so under net billing it pays back nearly as fast: about 2.8 years against 2.4 years in the example above. Off-grid suits a house with no connection, or one that will not sell to the grid; it has to be sized for the dullest month, so some summer power goes to waste.
What size battery do I need for solar?
Multiply the load you want to keep running by the hours, then divide by 0.9 for the inverter's losses and by the depth of discharge. Fans, lights, a fridge and a TV come to about 1 kW; 1.5 kW for 4 hours is 6.7 kWh usable, which is 8.4 kWh of lithium battery used to 80%. A lead-acid battery should only be run down to half, so it needs twice the usable figure. Lithium batteries come in packs of about 5 kWh, so round up to whole packs; as of September 2026 a 5 kWh pack costs Rs 177,000 to 335,000.
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