By Asif Niaz Meo, Managing Director, SNM Solutions · Updated September 2026
Solar for marriage halls and banquets: the short version
A marriage hall or banquet has a large flat roof and a heavy load: air conditioning, lighting, kitchen equipment and refrigeration. Solar pays best when that load runs while the sun is up, because a unit used on site saves your full tariff, roughly Rs 55–65 at typical rates, while a unit exported under net billing earns about Rs 11. So the question that decides your system is not the size of your roof. It is when your events and your kitchen actually run. We have installed on-grid systems from 10 kW to 100 kW at four halls and banquets in Lahore; they are listed below.
Why event timing decides the return on marriage hall solar
Under the old net metering, a unit exported at noon cancelled a unit imported at night, so a hall that hosted only evening functions still got full value from its panels. Net billing prices the two directions separately: surplus is sold to LESCO at about Rs 11, and everything imported is bought at your normal tariff. A hall whose connection was approved under net metering before 9 February 2026 keeps its original terms for the life of that agreement. For the full rules, see our guide to net metering versus net billing in 2026.
For a hall owner this splits the business into three patterns:
- Lunch functions, daytime events and a kitchen that preps from morning. Most of the generation is used as it is produced. This is the best case for an on-grid system.
- Evening functions only, but cooling and kitchen start in the afternoon. If you pre-cool the hall and run cold rooms in the afternoon, a good share is still used on site. Worth checking your bills carefully.
- Venue closed by day, everything happens after sunset. An on-grid system exports most of its output at the low rate. Solar can still help, but the design and the expectations have to change.
The same logic applies to any business; see solar for shops and offices.
Marriage hall and banquet solar we have installed in Lahore
All four are on-grid systems, and all four figures below are the design output recorded on the project pages. Actual production varies with season, dust and shading.
| Venue | System | Equipment | Design output |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marriage hall, Raiwind Road | 100 kW on-grid | 110 kW Solis inverter, 715 W panels | 400+ units a day |
| Mughal-e-Azam Banquet Hall, New Garden Town | 60 kW on-grid | 2 × 30 kW Solis inverters, 645 W panels | 250+ units a day |
| Milano Marquee, Garden Town | 25 kW on-grid | 20 kW Solis inverter, Trina 585 W panels | 105 units a day |
| Banquet, Johar Town | 10 kW on-grid | 10 kW Growatt inverter, 715 W panels | 40+ units a day |
Read across the design outputs and a pattern appears: about 4 units a day for every kW installed, whether the system is 10 kW or 100 kW. That is the number to use for a first estimate of your own hall.
How to size a solar system for a marriage hall or banquet
Size to the load the hall uses in daylight, not to the roof. A big roof tempts owners to fill it, but under net billing every unit beyond your daytime use goes out at about Rs 11. Three pieces of information settle the size:
- Twelve months of bills. The wedding season and the quiet months look very different, and a system sized on one peak month will export heavily for the rest of the year.
- Your event calendar. How many lunch functions against evening ones, and when cooling and the kitchen start on an event day.
- Your connection limits. Your sanctioned load, shown on your LESCO bill, caps the solar size (DG capacity) LESCO can approve. Our explainer on how the DG capacity limit on your LESCO bill is calculated shows how to read it from your own bill.
A practical way to think about it: work out roughly how many units the hall uses between about 9am and 4pm on an ordinary day, then divide by 4. That gives the kW that the daytime load can absorb. If you want to test a figure first, the solar system calculator gives a rough size from your bill.
The same 18 kW system at two different halls
This example is illustrative, so you can see why timing matters more than hardware. Take an 18 kW on-grid system, approx Rs 1,450,000 installed. At about 4 units per kW, it produces around 72 units a day, or about 2,160 units a month. We value a unit used on site at Rs 55, the low end of the usual range, and an exported unit at Rs 11. A hall is on a commercial connection, and commercial tariffs can differ from home tariffs, so replace Rs 55 with the rate on your own bill before you rely on these figures.
| Hall | What happens to the 2,160 units | Value per month |
|---|---|---|
| Lunch functions and a daytime kitchen (assume 70% used on site) | 1,512 used at Rs 55, 648 exported at Rs 11 | About Rs 90,000 |
| Evening functions only (assume 30% used on site) | 648 used at Rs 55, 1,512 exported at Rs 11 | About Rs 52,000 |
Same panels, same inverter, same price, and a difference of roughly Rs 38,000 a month. That is why your event pattern should be settled before the size. To see your own rough return, divide the system price by the monthly value your bills support; a site survey then firms up both numbers.
Solar system price for marriage halls and banquets in Lahore
A small banquet or a hall with a modest daytime load often falls within the sizes we publish fixed prices for. Larger halls are priced after a survey.
| Size | On-grid (approx) | Hybrid (approx) |
|---|---|---|
| 10 kW | Rs 850,000 | See the full price table |
| 15 kW | Rs 1,200,000 | Rs 2,550,000 (16 kWh battery) |
| 18 kW | Rs 1,450,000 | Rs 2,850,000 (16 kWh battery) |
| Above 18 kW | Itemised quote after a free site survey | |
Prices are approximate, installed, and exclude WAPDA / LESCO net-billing charges. See the 15 kW solar system price page for what that size includes, and commercial solar in Lahore for larger systems.
Does a hall need a battery?
A battery earns its keep by moving midday surplus into the evening. Each kWh of usable lithium capacity moves roughly one unit a day. A hall’s evening load during a function is large, so a battery sized to carry it would be a major cost on its own, and it would only be fully used on event nights.
For most halls, then, the order of decisions is: first size an on-grid system to the daytime load, then decide separately whether you want storage for backup of essential loads such as lights, fans and cold rooms. If load-shedding is what drives the question, compare the options in solar vs generator in Pakistan, which gives a formula you can fill in with your own fuel price.
Before you sign: a checklist for hall owners
- Roof ownership and consent. If the building is rented, get the owner’s written consent before anything else.
- Which roof carries the panels. Panels go on a permanent structure. If part of the venue is a tent or a light temporary roof, plan the array on the permanent building or a raised steel structure.
- Access for cleaning. Dust on the panels reduces output. Ask how the panels will be reached and washed safely.
- Monitoring. Insist on inverter monitoring so you can compare event days with quiet days and see what the system is really doing.
Frequently asked questions
Is solar worth it for a marriage hall in Lahore?
It is worth most for halls that use a lot of power in daylight: lunch functions, afternoon pre-cooling and a kitchen that runs from morning. Under net billing a unit used on site saves roughly Rs 55–65, while an exported unit earns about Rs 11, so daytime use decides the return.
What size solar system does a banquet hall need?
It depends on the daytime load, not the roof. Our banquet and marriage hall installations in Lahore range from 10 kW to 100 kW. As a first estimate, divide the units the hall uses between about 9am and 4pm by 4, since these systems produce about 4 units a day per kW.
How much does solar cost for a banquet hall?
For smaller venues, a 10 kW on-grid system is approx Rs 850,000, 15 kW approx Rs 1,200,000 and 18 kW approx Rs 1,450,000. Larger halls get an itemised quote after a site survey. Prices exclude WAPDA / LESCO net-billing charges.
Is solar still useful if our functions are only in the evening?
It can be, but less than for a daytime venue, because more of the output is exported at about Rs 11. Pre-cooling, cold rooms and kitchen prep in the afternoon still use solar directly, so check your bills before deciding the size.
Should a marriage hall install a hybrid system with batteries?
Usually the on-grid system comes first, sized to the daytime load. A battery large enough to run a full function would be a big extra cost, so it is usually wiser to consider storage only for backup of essential loads.
How many units does a 100 kW system produce at a marriage hall?
Our 100 kW on-grid system at a marriage hall on Raiwind Road has a design output of 400+ units a day. Actual production varies with season, dust and shading.
Roman Urdu mein aam sawalat
Kya marriage hall ke liye solar faida mand hai?
Haan, khaas tor par agar hall mein din ke waqt functions hote hain ya kitchen aur AC dopehar se chalte hain. Net billing mein jo unit hall khud use kare wo taqreeban Rs 55 se 65 bachati hai, jab ke grid ko bheji gayi unit sirf Rs 11 ke qareeb deti hai.
Banquet hall ke liye kitne kW ka system chahiye?
Ye din ke load par depend karta hai, chhat ke size par nahi. Lahore mein hamare hall aur banquet projects 10 kW se 100 kW tak hain. Andaza lagane ke liye subah 9 se sham 4 baje tak ke units ko 4 se divide karein.
Agar functions sirf raat ko hon to kya solar lagana chahiye?
Lagaya ja sakta hai, lekin faida kam hoga kyun ke zyada bijli Rs 11 ke qareeb grid ko jayegi. Pehle apne 12 mahine ke bill dikhayein taake system ka size sahi rakha ja sake.
Run a marriage hall or banquet? Send us your bills.
Share your last twelve electricity bills and your usual event pattern. We will size the system to your daytime load and show you what it is worth each month, with an itemised quote. Free site survey in Lahore.