ISLAMABAD: The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) on Wednesday increased the electricity prices under the monthly fuel price adjustment (FPA), ARY News reported.NEPRA has raised the electricity rate by Rs 1.42 per unit and has issued a formal notification regarding the hike. According to the notification, the increase is part of the monthly adjustment for February 2026.The additional charges will be reflected in the consumers’ April 2026 bills. In accordance with government policy guidelines, the price uptick will also apply to K-Electric consumers.However, the hike will not apply to Lifeline consumers or electric vehicle (EV) charging stations.NEPRA had previously reserved its decision following a hearing on the February adjustment. This follows a prior increase of Rs 1.63 per unit for the January adjustment.Earlier, Electricity consumers across Pakistan are facing a significant increase in monthly bills after fixed charges were linked to load rather than consumption.The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) approved the new tariff, effective from January 2026, under which fixed charges are applied based on sanctioned load, following a request from the federal government.Previously, fixed charges were based on monthly electricity consumption and applied only to consumers using more than 300 units. Under the old system, these charges ranged between Rs200 and Rs1,000.Under the new tariff, fixed charges for domestic consumers are calculated on a per kilowatt load basis. Except for lifeline users, all domestic consumers are now subject to fixed charges, regardless of how little electricity they consume.According to NEPRA’s approval, fixed charges across different domestic slabs have been set between Rs200 and Rs675 per kilowatt per month, applicable to both protected and non-protected consumers.Under this formula, fixed charges depend on the consumer’s sanctioned load, leading to a noticeable increase in overall bills. For example, a consumer with a 5kW load could see fixed charges rise from Rs1,000 to as much as Rs3,375 per month.Experts say that, following this change, even low-consumption users are being forced to pay higher bills, as a larger portion of the charges is now linked to load rather than usage.