Thousands Urged to Pay Rs52,000 for New Meters to Keep Net Metering Active
ISLAMABAD: Thousands of solar power users in Islamabad have been left shocked after receiving their latest electricity bills, which instruct them to replace their existing green meters with Automatic Meter Reading (AMR) devices within three months or risk losing net metering privileges.
According to the Islamabad Electric Supply Company (IESCO), the change is part of a broader move to modernize monitoring systems. However, the decision has triggered outrage among solar users, many of whom have already invested Rs800,000 to Rs1 million in setting up their on-grid solar systems.
Consumers are now being told to purchase new AMR meters for Rs52,000, while their existing bi-directional green meters—which record both energy consumption and the electricity supplied back to the grid—will be removed by IESCO.
Many frustrated homeowners have lodged complaints on the Prime Minister’s Portal, urging the government to stop IESCO from enforcing the costly replacements.
Solar consumer Muhammad Naeem said he was shocked to see the instruction on his bill. “I recently spent nearly a million rupees on my solar system. Now they’re asking me to pay Rs52,000 for a new meter. Is it mandatory for all of us?” he questioned.
Another consumer, Maqbood Ahmed, claimed IESCO officials told him the new system would “make it easier” for staff, who would no longer need to manually visit homes for readings and calculations.
When approached, IESCO officials admitted that while the replacement decision had been taken “in principle,” its implementation has been temporarily halted until a clear policy framework is finalized.
An IESCO representative in Sector I-10 said, “We’ve received hundreds of queries from solar users after the bills were issued. Demand notices will be prepared once the policy is finalized, and each consumer will have to pay Rs52,000 for the new meter.”
Another official from IESCO’s Monitoring and Complaint Cell, Mr. Imran, confirmed that several SDOs had already issued demand notices, but the process was paused after consumers protested that their meters were still under warranty.
IESCO spokesperson Raja Asim clarified that the decision to replace green meters with AMR devices was a nationwide policy, not limited to Islamabad. He assured that a new consumer-friendly policy was being drafted to address public concerns and ensure fair implementation.
