PESCO Tariff and Per-Unit Slab Rates (FY 2024-25)
PESCO does not have one flat rate per unit. It charges through a set of slabs, so the rate climbs as your monthly usage rises, and protected consumers sit on a separate, much lower scale. The rates below come from the NEPRA-notified residential structure in the FY 2024-25 base tariff, reviewed in July 2024. They are the right working figures to plan with, but confirm the exact number on your printed bill, since monthly and quarterly adjustments shift it.
The full PESCO slab table
Charging is progressive: your first 100 units are billed at the first-slab rate, the next 100 at the second rate, and so on up the ladder.
| Units used in the month | Unprotected (Rs/unit) | Protected (Rs/unit) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 100 | Rs 23.59 | Rs 11.69 |
| 101 to 200 | Rs 30.07 | Rs 14.16 |
| 201 to 300 | Rs 34.26 | Unprotected only |
| 301 to 400 | Rs 39.15 | Unprotected only |
| 401 to 500 | Rs 41.36 | Unprotected only |
| 501 to 600 | Rs 42.62 | Unprotected only |
| 601 to 700 | Rs 43.60 | Unprotected only |
| Above 700 | Rs 48.84 | Unprotected only |
The protected column only runs to 200 units, because using more than that removes protected status. Who counts as protected, and how to keep the status, is covered in protected consumer status.
Protected and unprotected: which scale applies
Which column you are billed on is decided by your recent usage, not by choice. A household that has stayed at or below 200 units in every one of the last six months is a protected consumer and is billed on the lower scale. Any single month above 200 units moves that month's consumption to the unprotected scale and can cost you protected status for the months that follow. This is why two homes using the same number of units can receive very different bills: one may be protected and the other not. If you are unsure which applies to you, read our guide to protected consumers and check the rates printed in your bill's charge calculation.
What gets added to the per-unit charge
The slab rate is only the energy charge. Every PESCO bill also carries the lines below, which is why the amount you actually pay per unit is higher than the table on its own:
| Line item | Rate | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Fuel Price Adjustment (FPA) | Varies each month | Monthly NEPRA adjustment for the actual fuel cost of generation; can be a charge or a refund |
| Quarterly Tariff Adjustment | Varies each quarter | NEPRA adjustment for capacity and use-of-system costs, applied over a following quarter |
| Surcharge | Rs 3.23 / unit | Per-unit surcharge carried on the bill in the reviewed vintage |
| Electricity Duty | About 1.5% of energy charges | A provincial levy collected on the bill |
| General Sales Tax (GST) | 18% | Federal sales tax on the electricity charges |
| PTV licence fee | Rs 35 / month | Television licence fee collected with every domestic bill |
| Meter rent | Rs 25 / month | Fixed rent for a single-phase meter |
Electricity duty is a Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial levy, GST is federal, and the PTV fee and meter rent are small fixed amounts. FPA changes every month and a quarterly adjustment may apply for part of the year.
A worked example
Consider an unprotected home in Peshawar using 250 units. The energy charge is 100 units at Rs 23.59, plus 100 at Rs 30.07, plus 50 at Rs 34.26, roughly Rs 7,079 before extras. On top go the per-unit surcharge, about 1.5% electricity duty, 18% GST, the Rs 35 TV fee, Rs 25 meter rent, and that month's FPA. That is why the final figure is noticeably higher than units times a single rate. Our bill estimator runs this calculation for your own units, and the high-bill guide shows what tends to push the total up.
Frequently asked questions
What are the current PESCO per-unit rates?
Unprotected domestic rates run from Rs 23.59 per unit in the first slab up to Rs 48.84 above 700 units. Protected consumers pay Rs 11.69 up to 100 units and Rs 14.16 up to 200. These are FY 2024-25 figures, before surcharge, duty, GST and FPA.
Do PESCO tariff slabs reset every month?
Yes. Slabs are applied to each month's usage on its own, so your bill is calculated from that month's units. Protected status, however, is judged over a rolling six-month window, not a single month.
Why is the amount I pay per unit higher than the slab rate?
The slab rate is only the energy charge. A per-unit surcharge, roughly 1.5% electricity duty, 18% GST, the monthly FPA and fixed fees are added on top, so the effective cost per unit is higher than the table figure.
Are PESCO rates different from other electricity companies?
The NEPRA residential slab rates are uniform across the WAPDA distribution companies, so PESCO's domestic slab rates are the same as other DISCOs. Only the provincial electricity duty and some local adjustments vary.
Sources
- NEPRA notified residential (non-ToU) tariff slab structure, FY 2024-25 (base tariff reviewed July 2024). Confirm the current figure against your printed bill, as fuel and quarterly adjustments change it.
- Consumer-end tariff schedule, WAPDA/DISCO domestic tariff (A-1), NEPRA determination FY 2024-25.
- This site's own bill estimator, which applies the same July 2024 slab rates.
- PITC online bill portal for PESCO: bill.pitc.com.pk/pescobill (Power Information Technology Company).