LESCO was reported to have begun a small prepaid electricity meter trial in Lahore’s Allama Iqbal Town in April 2026. The latest located reports said two meters had been installed. Under the reported arrangement, consumers add credit before using electricity, and consumption draws down that balance. It is a pilot—not evidence that prepaid meters are available to all LESCO customers.
Where is LESCO testing prepaid electricity meters?
ARY News reported on April 2, 2026, that LESCO had installed two prepaid meters in Allama Iqbal Town. TechJuice also reported the two-meter trial in April 2026. These reports describe a limited test, not a Lahore-wide rollout. The latest specific reports located are from April; they do not establish whether the trial has since expanded.
ARY News’ April 2 report quoted LESCO Chief Engineer Muhammad Ramzan Butt describing the arrangement: “Consumers will load balance into their meters, and electricity will be supplied according to the available credit.” TechJuice’s account also described the trial and noted that no meter price or expansion timeline had been announced.
How does the reported prepaid meter system work?
A customer loads credit in advance, then electricity use reduces the available balance. The reports compare the process to mobile-phone credit: supply is described as depending on the balance remaining on the meter. This differs from ordinary monthly billing, where payment follows recorded consumption; the reports do not provide a tariff comparison or show whether the prepaid arrangement changes the rate charged.
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Butt said consumers could manage how quickly their credit was used, including by limiting use during peak times. ARY News reported his illustration that a balance might last six days or as long as a month, depending on consumption. That is an example of possible usage—not a measured result from the trial.
Is the prepaid pilot intended to prevent overbilling?
LESCO’s stated aim was to respond to consumer complaints about overbilling. That is the rationale reported for testing the meters, not proof that the system has reduced bills or disputes. The April reports supplied no measured results, savings figures, or complaint data from the pilot.
Can LESCO customers request a prepaid meter?
The reports do not establish consumer eligibility, an application or enrollment process, a meter price, or how customers would add credit. A two-meter trial does not show that other Lahore consumers can obtain one. TechJuice reported that no price or expansion timeline had been announced; no later direct update located here confirms availability or a rollout schedule as of October 8, 2026.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How is this different from LESCO’s AMI smart-meter work?
LESCO’s prepaid trial and its advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) activity are separate projects in the available reporting. The prepaid trial is described as a way to pay in advance and manage consumption against a credit balance. AMI materials concern automated metering and utility monitoring, including check meters for government connections; they do not confirm an expansion of the prepaid trial.
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- The Punjab Energy Department’s Reconciliation Cell describes separate AMI check-meter projects for government connections.
- A Punjab Procurement Regulatory Authority tender record documents LESCO AMI meter procurement; the tender closed August 4, 2026.
- Dawn’s July 2026 report covers a separate AMI program involving conventional meters at government departments.
These AMI references should not be read as evidence that prepaid meters were rolled out to homes or that one type of meter automatically replaces the other.
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