MEPCO Peak Hours 2026 — What They Are and Why They Appear on Your Bill

What are peak hours in electricity billing?

Peak hours refer to the time windows when electricity demand across the national grid is at its highest — typically in the evening, when commercial activity is winding down, households switch on lights and appliances, and industrial operations are still running. During these windows, the grid is under maximum strain, and generating enough electricity to meet demand costs more.

To manage this, NEPRA applies a two-rate structure to certain consumer categories: a higher per-unit rate during defined peak hours, and a lower off-peak rate for the remaining hours. This creates a financial incentive for higher-consumption consumers to shift load away from peak periods — reducing strain on the grid, lowering the need for expensive short-run thermal generation, and ultimately affecting how the FPA is calculated for everyone.

Current peak hours for MEPCO consumers in 2026

Peak hours vary by season and by consumer category. The current NEPRA-approved peak windows:

For commercial consumers (Tariff B-2 and above):

For industrial consumers (Tariff C-1, C-2, C-3):

Off-peak hours for these categories cover all remaining time outside these windows — including nighttime, early morning, and daytime hours before the evening peak begins.

Who peak hours actually apply to — and who they don't

This is the part that genuinely matters for most people reading this:

Peak hours DO apply to:

• Medium and large commercial connections — Tariff B-2 (5 kW to 500 kW) and B-3 (above 500 kW)
• All industrial connections — Tariff C-1, C-2, and C-3
• Any connection category where time-of-use billing is specified in your tariff category

Peak hours DO NOT apply to:

• Domestic residential connections — Tariff A-1 (protected and unprotected)
• Lifeline consumers — 50 units or less
• Small commercial connections — Tariff B-1 (up to 5 kW)
• Agricultural tube well connections — Tariff D

If you're a regular household consumer in Multan, Bahawalpur, Rahim Yar Khan, or anywhere else in South Punjab with a domestic single-phase or three-phase connection, your bill charges the same per-unit rate regardless of what time of day you use your appliances. You are not penalized for running your AC at 7 PM versus 7 AM — the peak-hour mechanism simply doesn't exist in your tariff structure.

Peak vs off-peak rates — actual figures

For connections where peak hours do apply, the rate differential is significant:

Commercial Tariff B-2 (per unit):

• Peak hours: Rs. 44.00 per kWh
• Off-peak hours: Rs. 32.00 per kWh

Industrial Tariff C-1 (per unit):

• Peak hours: Rs. 32.00 per kWh
• Off-peak hours: Rs. 22.00 per kWh

Industrial Tariff C-2 (66 kV, per unit):

• Peak hours: Rs. 28.00 per kWh
• Off-peak hours: Rs. 20.00 per kWh

A factory running heavy machinery during the 4-hour evening peak pays roughly 45 to 50 percent more per unit than during off-peak hours. For a plant consuming 500 units across a peak window, the difference between peak and off-peak rates adds up to several thousand rupees per day — which is why load scheduling away from peak hours is one of the first things industrial energy managers optimize.

How peak hours are measured

Meters on commercial and industrial connections that fall under time-of-use tariffs are generally equipped to measure and record consumption separately in peak and off-peak windows. Your bill will typically show two consumption figures: units consumed during peak hours and units consumed during off-peak hours, each billed at the applicable rate.

This is separate from the MDI (Maximum Demand Indicator) charge, which measures your single highest 30-minute demand peak regardless of time of day. Your bill can carry both a time-of-use peak charge and an MDI charge simultaneously — they measure different things.

Practical implications for commercial and industrial consumers

If your connection falls under a time-of-use tariff, the most straightforward cost reduction available is scheduling high-draw activities away from the peak window:

Identify which operations can be shifted. Production runs that don't require human oversight — cooling, curing, compressor cycles, water heating — can often be scheduled overnight or early morning with minimal operational impact.

Run tests and equipment checks during off-peak hours. Machine startup and testing cycles, which can spike demand significantly, are better scheduled before the peak window opens.

Audit your equipment's actual consumption pattern across the day. Many industrial operators don't have a clear picture of exactly which equipment is running during peak hours — a simple sub-metering exercise or a review of your bill's peak/off-peak split often reveals faster-acting opportunities than any other energy audit.

Combine with demand management for MDI. Since peak hours and MDI both create higher costs during the same general evening window, addressing both together — shifting load away from peak hours while also staggering startup sequences to avoid demand spikes — tends to produce better combined savings than treating them as separate optimization problems.

What to do if your bill looks wrong on peak/off-peak charges

If the peak versus off-peak consumption split on your commercial or industrial bill doesn't match your operational pattern — for example, peak-hour consumption significantly exceeding what you know was actually running during those hours — that's worth investigating. A meter calibration issue, a configuration problem with how your meter records time-of-use data, or a simple billing calculation error are all legitimate grounds for a correction complaint. The CCMS portal at ccms.pitc.com.pk is the correct channel, and being specific about the discrepancy — "peak-hour units billed were X but our operations during that window only draw Y kW" — produces a much faster resolution than a general "the bill looks wrong" complaint.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are peak hours for MEPCO electricity consumers?
For commercial (Tariff B-2 and above) and industrial (Tariff C) connections, peak hours run from 6 PM to 10 PM in summer and 5 PM to 9 PM in winter. These are the hours where a higher per-unit tariff rate applies. Domestic residential connections are not subject to peak-hour tariff differences.

Do peak hours affect my home electricity bill?
No. Domestic residential connections on Tariff A-1 — whether protected or unprotected — pay the same per-unit rate at all hours. Peak-hour billing only applies to commercial (B-2 and above) and industrial (C category) connections.

Why is my commercial electricity more expensive in the evening?
Because your Tariff B-2 or commercial connection carries a time-of-use rate structure where units consumed during the evening peak window are charged at a higher per-unit rate than off-peak consumption, reflecting the higher cost of generation during peak grid demand hours.

Can I avoid peak-hour charges by shifting operations?
Yes — for commercial and industrial connections, scheduling high-draw operations outside the 4-hour peak window directly reduces the units billed at the higher peak rate. This is one of the highest-impact operational changes available for businesses with controllable load scheduling.

Is the peak-hour window the same year-round?
No — it shifts seasonally. Summer peak hours run 6 PM to 10 PM, winter peak hours run 5 PM to 9 PM, reflecting the earlier sunset and shift in evening demand patterns between seasons.

What's the difference between peak-hour charges and MDI charges?
Peak-hour charges are based on the number of units consumed during peak time windows, billed at a higher per-unit rate. MDI (Maximum Demand Indicator) charges are based on the single highest 30-minute power demand during the month, billed per kW regardless of timing. Both can appear on commercial and industrial bills simultaneously as they measure different aspects of consumption.

Last updated: August 2026 | Rates sourced from NEPRA S.R.O. No. 279(I)/2026
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