⚡ Peak Hours — Karachi
🌙 Off-Peak: 11 PM – 7 AM
📅 Last reviewed:
K-Electric Peak Hours 2026 Karachi — Complete Timing & Rate Guide
Covering official TOU tariff timings and high-demand load hours for Karachi, Pakistan — June 2026.
⚠️ Two different "peak hours" — which applies to you?
K-Electric uses two overlapping but different peak hour definitions. Many users confuse them and end up misreading their bill:
1. TOU Tariff Peak (billing-based): 7:00 AM – 11:00 PM — applies if your meter is a TOU meter. Every unit consumed in this window is billed at the higher peak rate.
2. Load-Demand Peak (grid-based): 5:00 PM – 11:00 PM — the high-stress window when KE's grid is under maximum load. Even non-TOU consumers benefit from avoiding this window as it drives load shedding and FCA charges.
Check your bill: if it shows "Peak Units" and "Off-Peak Units" as separate line items, you are on TOU. If not, the load-demand window (5–11 PM) is what you need to manage.
Last updated: June 2026
K-Electric Peak Hours Timing 2026 — Full Schedule
| Period | Time | Type | Who It Affects | Rate |
|---|
| TOU Billing Peak | 7:00 AM – 11:00 PM (weekdays) | Peak hours | TOU meter consumers only | Higher rate (~25–35% above base) |
| TOU Billing Off-Peak | 11:00 PM – 7:00 AM (weekdays) | Off-peak hours | TOU meter consumers only | Lower rate (~15–25% below base) |
| Weekends & Public Holidays | All day | Off-peak hours | TOU meter consumers only | Lower rate all day |
| High-Demand Load Window | 5:00 PM – 11:00 PM (daily) | Grid stress peak | All Karachi consumers | Drives load shedding & FCA |
| Low-Demand Window | 11:00 PM – 5:00 PM (next day) | Off-peak (grid) | All Karachi consumers | Lower grid stress, less load shedding |
🔴 HIGH-DEMAND WINDOW (MOST EXPENSIVE)
5:00 PM – 11:00 PM
This is when KE's grid is under maximum load. Avoid heavy appliances in this window regardless of your tariff type.
🟢 OFF-PEAK (CHEAPEST — RUN HEAVY APPLIANCES NOW)
11:00 PM – 7:00 AM
Shift AC, washing machine, geyser, and water pump to this window to save 15–30% on your monthly bill.
Summer alert (Jun–Aug): During peak summer, the high-demand window effectively extends to 6:00 PM – 12:00 AM due to heavy AC load citywide. Plan accordingly.
🏙️ Area-Wise Peak Hours in Karachi (By Locality)
Official KE peak hours are uniform citywide, but actual load shedding and grid stress varies by feeder. Below are typical high-demand windows for major Karachi areas:
| Area | Typical High-Demand Window | Notes |
|---|
| DHA (All Phases) | 6:00 PM – 11:00 PM | Stable supply, shorter stress window |
| Clifton / Boat Basin | 6:00 PM – 11:00 PM | Commercial mix, lower load shedding frequency |
| Gulshan-e-Iqbal | 6:00 PM – 11:30 PM | High density, occasional extension past 11 PM |
| Gulistan-e-Johar | 6:00 PM – 11:30 PM | Similar to Gulshan feeder pattern |
| North Karachi | 5:30 PM – 10:30 PM | Earlier peak due to industrial load overlap |
| Korangi / Landhi | 5:00 PM – 10:00 PM | Industrial + residential combined load |
| Malir / Gadap | 5:00 PM – 10:00 PM | Rural feeders, higher load shedding frequency |
| North Nazimabad | 6:00 PM – 11:00 PM | Primarily residential, relatively stable |
| Orangi Town | 5:30 PM – 10:30 PM | High density, moderate load shedding |
| Surjani Town | 5:00 PM – 9:00 PM | Earlier peak, longer off-peak window after 9 PM |
If your area is not listed, use the citywide window (5–11 PM) as your reference. Download the KE Live app for your specific feeder's load management schedule.
💰 How Much Can You Save by Shifting to Off-Peak?
Example household in Karachi (TOU meter):
— Air conditioner (1.5 ton) — 6 hours daily
— Washing machine — 1 hour
— Water geyser — 1 hour
— Iron — 0.5 hour
Total daily usage during peak hours: 10 kWh.
If used during peak (5–11 PM): 10 kWh × Rs 33.10 = Rs 331 per day.
If shifted to off-peak (after 11 PM): 10 kWh × Rs 25.50* = Rs 255 per day.
Daily saving: Rs 76 — Monthly saving: ~Rs 2,280 — Yearly saving: ~Rs 27,360.
*Off-peak effective rate is approximately 15–25% lower under the TOU tariff. Non-TOU consumers still benefit indirectly through lower FCA charges and reduced load shedding when citywide demand drops.
Even if you are not on a TOU meter, shifting heavy appliance usage out of the 5–11 PM window reduces grid stress in your area, which directly reduces load shedding duration on your feeder.
⚙️ How K-Electric Decides Peak Hours
K-Electric's load management system monitors real-time demand across Karachi. The high-demand window (5–11 PM) is defined as the period when total citywide consumption consistently exceeds 80% of available generation capacity. This happens due to:
- Air conditioner usage — hottest hours run 6 PM–10 PM, with AC continuing until midnight.
- Evening return home — lights, fans, TVs, and cooking appliances switch on between 6 PM and 8 PM citywide.
- Industrial shift overlap — factories in Korangi, Landhi, and SITE area run evening shifts.
- Water pumps & geysers — used heavily in the evening and early night across residential feeders.
KE publishes a monthly Load Management Schedule on its official website (ke.com.pk). The peak window can shift by 30–60 minutes during maintenance outages or extreme weather events.
🏙️ Peak Hours in Other Pakistani Cities (For Comparison)
KE's TOU tariff structure is unique to Karachi. Other DISCOs under NEPRA operate a simpler peak/off-peak split:
| City / DISCO | Peak Hours | Off-Peak | Tariff Type |
|---|
| Karachi (K-Electric) | 7 AM–11 PM (TOU) / 5–11 PM (load demand) | 11 PM–7 AM + weekends | TOU (for eligible consumers) |
| Lahore (LESCO) | 5:00 PM – 11:00 PM | 11:00 PM – 5:00 PM | Standard slab |
| Islamabad (IESCO) | 5:00 PM – 11:00 PM | 11:00 PM – 5:00 PM | Standard slab |
| Multan (MEPCO) | 5:00 PM – 11:00 PM | 11:00 PM – 5:00 PM | Standard slab |
| Faisalabad (FESCO) | 5:00 PM – 11:00 PM | 11:00 PM – 5:00 PM | Standard slab |
🧾 Time-of-Use (TOU) Tariff — Do You Qualify?
KE offers the TOU tariff to eligible residential and commercial consumers. Under TOU, the per-unit rate during peak hours (7 AM–11 PM) is 25–35% higher than the base slab, and during off-peak hours it drops 15–25% below the base rate.
How to check if you are on TOU: Look at your KE bill. If it shows two separate line items — "Peak Units Consumed" and "Off-Peak Units Consumed" — you are on TOU. If your bill shows only a single "Units Consumed" figure, you are on the standard tariff.
If you are on TOU, shifting even 5 kWh daily from the peak window to after 11 PM can save Rs 1,500+ per month. If you are not on TOU, the financial benefit still exists through lower FCA charges — but the bigger benefit is reduced load shedding in your area.
📝 Step-by-Step: How to Shift Your Electricity Usage Today
- Identify your heavy appliances — AC, geyser, washing machine, iron, dishwasher, water pump. These are the ones that move the needle on your bill.
- Use delay timers — Set washing machine and dishwasher to start after 11:00 PM using the built-in delay start feature.
- Program your AC — Use the sleep timer to turn AC on at 11:00 PM and off at 7:00 AM. Pre-cool your room between 10:30–11:00 PM at peak rate if needed.
- Heat water early morning — Set your geyser timer to run between 5:00 AM and 6:30 AM — still within off-peak hours.
- Iron clothes after 11:00 PM — Or before 7:00 AM the next morning.
- Charge devices overnight — Phones, laptops, power banks, and EVs all charge well on a timer set for 11 PM – 6 AM.
- Track your savings — Compare the "Peak Units" vs "Off-Peak Units" on your next two bills to measure the shift.
Pro tip: Use our
KE unit price page to calculate exactly how much you save per unit shifted from peak to off-peak.