A greener home in DHA Lahore starts with understanding how the household uses electricity. Solar panels can reduce grid consumption, while a well-designed battery system can support selected appliances during an outage. The right combination depends on daily demand, the roof, the approved electrical connection and the amount of backup the family actually needs.
Plot size is a useful starting point, but two houses on the same street can need very different systems. Occupancy, cooling habits, insulation and the number of hours appliances run all affect the final design.
Start with your electricity use
Review the last 12 months of electricity bills, including summer peaks and quieter winter months. Then separate daytime use from evening demand and identify the appliances that must keep running during load-shedding.
Solar array capacity is normally stated in kilowatts or kilowatt-peak. Battery storage is measured in kilowatt-hours. These are different: one describes power, while the other describes stored energy. A large solar array does not automatically provide a large overnight reserve.
Ask the installer to specify the panel capacity, inverter output and usable battery capacity separately. A list of air conditioners alone is not enough to establish how many appliances can run together.
A starting point for each DHA plot size
The following ranges are for initial planning. Final sizing needs a roof survey, a load assessment and confirmation of the electrical connection requirements.
| Home size | Solar capacity to assess | Main planning priority |
|---|---|---|
| 5 marla | 3–6 kW | Match a compact roof to daytime demand and essential backup. |
| 10 marla | 6–10 kW | Balance cooling demand, appliance schedules and evening use. |
| 1 kanal | 10–15 kW | Review the loads across floors and separate essential circuits. |
| 2 kanal | 20–30 kW | Obtain a detailed design for roof layout, electrical capacity and storage. |
5 marla: make the available space work
A smaller home may benefit from a modest system that serves regular daytime use. A household with longer air-conditioning hours may need more capacity. Measure the usable roof rather than assuming the entire plot footprint is available: water tanks, stairs, shading and maintenance access all take space.
10 marla: balance daytime and evening demand
For a family home, the key question is when electricity is used. Cooling, laundry and pumping that can be scheduled during sunny hours may increase direct solar consumption. If most demand falls after sunset, compare the cost of suitable storage with the alternative of continuing to buy some electricity from the grid.
1 kanal: design around the load across the house
Larger homes often have several occupied rooms and more than one household routine. Agree which circuits need backup and which can remain grid-dependent. This helps avoid buying an oversized battery simply to match the size of the solar array.
2 kanal: commission a detailed system design
A larger roof does not automatically justify filling it with panels. Higher capacities need careful assessment of the electrical connection, roof structure, shading and cable routes. A 20 kW budget should not be treated as a quote for a 30 kW installation or for whole-house overnight backup.
What should you budget?
The figures below are broad examples drawn from advertised installed packages checked on 22 October 2026. They are planning figures rather than a quotation or a like-for-like comparison. Equipment specifications, battery capacity and included services differ substantially between packages.
All figures are in PKR lakh; one lakh equals PKR 100,000.
| System size | On-grid package | Hybrid package with battery |
|---|---|---|
| 3 kW | 3.0–5.8 lakh | 4.0–9.5 lakh |
| 6 kW | Around 5.0 lakh | Around 9.0 lakh |
| 10 kW | 8.5–14.5 lakh | 15.0–22.0 lakh |
| 15 kW | 12.0–21.0 lakh | 24.0–31.0 lakh |
| 20 kW | 19.0–26.5 lakh | 28.0–40.0 lakh |
The 6 kW row is a single advertised package example, not a market-wide range. Larger installations, unusual roof structures and additional storage require a tailored quotation. Ask each installer to state whether taxes, metering, application charges, load enhancement and structural work are included. Do not assume a single documentation fee applies to every project.
On-grid or hybrid?
An on-grid system primarily supplies daytime demand and can export surplus electricity when the connection is approved. A conventional grid-connected system generally shuts down during a power cut; panels alone should not be treated as backup power.
A hybrid system can combine solar, grid electricity and a compatible battery. Backup also depends on the inverter's capabilities, the wiring arrangement and which circuits are connected to its backup output. Confirm these details in writing before choosing a package.
Under a net-billing arrangement, imported electricity is charged at the applicable tariff and exported electricity is credited separately. Do not assume that one exported unit cancels one imported unit at the same value. Confirm the current terms for your own connection, including any existing agreement, before calculating savings.
Using more solar electricity at home can improve its value. A battery may help shift energy into the evening, but its purchase cost, losses, warranty and eventual replacement also belong in the calculation. Hybrid is not automatically the least expensive option for every household.
Size the battery around essential backup
Start with the appliances you want to support and the number of hours they must run. The usable energy available from a battery is different from its headline capacity, and its power output must also be sufficient for the connected loads.
As a simple illustration, 8 kWh of usable energy divided by a constant 2 kW load gives four hours before allowing for conversion losses and any reserve setting. Real runtime varies as appliances cycle and conditions change. A battery described as 10 kWh should not be assumed to run several air conditioners all night.
Plan the roof and approvals together
Have the installer prepare a measured roof layout showing panel positions, shading, access routes, drainage and nearby structures. Panel quantity depends on the chosen module's wattage and dimensions; there is no fixed panel count for every 5-marla or 1-kanal home.
DHA Lahore's solar-installation guidance requires a proposal and approval before installation, together with an appropriately authorised vendor. Roof-height limits and structural requirements must be checked against the current rules for the property. Using the mumtee, machine-room or overhead-water-tank area requires prior permission; it should not be assumed to be available for an elevated array.
The installation plan should address structural stability, wind resistance, roof waterproofing, earthing and lightning protection. Obtain the required certificates and commissioning records from the installer, and confirm the applicable DHA and electricity-distribution requirements before work begins.
Ask for a complete quotation
Compare proposals against the same requirements. A useful written quotation should identify:
- Exact panel and inverter models, capacities and warranty arrangements.
- Battery model, usable storage, output limits and supported inverter compatibility.
- The circuits that will operate during an outage and the expected backup duration under a stated load.
- A measured roof layout, mounting specification and the required approval documents.
- Electrical protection, earthing, lightning protection and commissioning checks.
- Itemised installation, metering, application and other charges, with exclusions clearly stated.
- Expected annual generation and savings assumptions, including self-consumption, exports and maintenance costs.
Avoid treating a fixed monthly saving or a three-year payback as a promise. Weather, shading, household habits, tariffs and equipment costs can all change the result.
Build efficiency into the home
Solar works best alongside sensible energy use. Consider roof insulation, shading, efficient cooling equipment, LED lighting and suitable controls when planning a new home or upgrading an existing one. Reducing unnecessary demand can also reduce the amount of generation and storage the property needs.
The aim is a system that suits the way the home is lived in: a practical roof layout, manageable electricity bills and clearly defined backup for the appliances that matter most.
