Slab Benefit & Slab Jump Explained
Definition. A slab is a consumption bucket (0–100, 101–200, 201–300, and so on) with its own per-unit price; the slab benefit means low-volume unprotected users are billed entirely at the lowest slab rate up to 100 units rather than being averaged across slabs.
How Pakistan's residential slab tariff actually calculates your bill, what slab benefit means, and why a single extra unit can move you into a higher slab and raise every unit above you.
Slab benefit in plain English
For unprotected residential consumers, crossing 100 units in a month removes slab benefit — the entire month's bill is recalculated at each slab rate, not just the units above 100. That is why a bill for 101 units can be dramatically higher than a bill for 99 units.
This design encourages low consumption and is regulator-approved; it is not a DISCO calculation error.
How to avoid a slab jump
Track daily units on your meter display or with the MEPCO/LESCO consumer app. If you are at 180 units on day 25, switch off water heaters and geysers for the last week of the cycle to stay under 200.
Shift heavy loads (AC, iron, pump) to early morning or late night and set AC thermostats to 26 °C to reduce the per-hour draw.
Slab structure at a glance
Typical unprotected slabs: 1–100, 101–200, 201–300, 301–400, 401–500, 501–600, 601–700, 701+. Each slab has its own published per-unit rate plus FPA, ET, TRS, and GST on top.
Always confirm the current rates on the tariff table printed on your bill or on the NEPRA notification for the month — the numbers are revised periodically.
Frequently asked questions
Does slab benefit apply to protected consumers?
Protected users already sit on the cheapest slab structure and do not lose benefit the same way. Their slabs are lower and slower to step up.
Does solar net metering affect my slab?
Yes — net metering reduces net units imported from the grid, which can keep you inside a lower slab and preserve slab benefit for unprotected users.
Related tariff topics
- Protected vs Unprotected Consumers
- Fuel Price Adjustment (FPA) Explained
- TV Fee, GST, ET & TRS Explained
Check your own numbers on the official duplicate bill or try the bill calculator.