# Why crossing 200 units makes your electricity bill jump

Source: Searchable (https://searchable.pk/news/pakistan/electricity-bill-slabs-why-crossing-200-units-costs-so-much)
Type: News article
Author: Searchable Editorial
Published: 10 Sept 2026
Updated: 15 Sept 2026
Retrieved: 15 Sept 2026

> Protected consumers pay a fraction of the unprotected tariff. One high-usage month can push you out of the protected category for six months.

NEPRA's residential tariff has two tracks. **Protected** consumers, those using 200 units or less for six consecutive months, pay subsidised slab rates. Everyone else is **unprotected**, with rates roughly three to four times higher per unit.

## The cliff

A household that used 190 units in each of the last six months and then uses 210 units in a hot month loses protected status. The next six bills are charged at unprotected rates even if usage drops back below 200.

## Above 200, the slab benefit disappears

For unprotected consumers using more than 200 units, the **entire** consumption is billed at the rate of the highest slab reached, not just the units within it. Going from 300 to 301 units re-prices all 301 units.

## Practical moves

- Read the meter mid-month; a small change in AC hours can keep you under a threshold.
- Compare the all-in per-unit cost with the [Electricity Bill Calculator](/tools/utilities/electricity-bill-calculator).
- If you regularly use 400+ units, a solar system pays back in 3–5 years at today's tariffs, see the [Solar Payback Calculator](/tools/solar/solar-payback-calculator) and [solar installers](/businesses/solar-companies).

## Sources

- NEPRA: Consumer-end tariff (NEPRA): https://nepra.org.pk

How to cite: "Why crossing 200 units makes your electricity bill jump", Searchable, 15 Sept 2026, https://searchable.pk/news/pakistan/electricity-bill-slabs-why-crossing-200-units-costs-so-much