Gas load shedding in Pakistan and what it does to your geyser
Gas load shedding means the gas company cuts or restricts supply to homes for part of the day, usually in winter when demand is highest. For a gas geyser, every cut or pressure drop can put the pilot out, and it stays out until someone relights it.
Who supplies gas where
Pakistan has two gas utilities. Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) supplies Sindh and Balochistan, including Karachi, Hyderabad and Quetta. Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) supplies Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Islamabad, including Lahore, Rawalpindi, Faisalabad and Peshawar.
Is there a fixed gas load shedding schedule?
Not one that stays the same. In past winters both companies have announced supply windows for homes in many areas, often around meal times, but the hours change by season, by area and sometimes week to week. Many areas also face unannounced pressure drops. That is why a geyser that depends on someone being around when gas returns keeps ending up cold.
Follow your gas company’s official announcements for your area, and plan your geyser around the hours when you actually get gas.
What it means for your geyser
- Every full cut puts the pilot out and the geyser’s safety valve closes.
- Partial cuts and low pressure can put a weak pilot out even when there is some gas.
- When gas returns at night or while you are at work, nobody is there to relight it.
- Families respond by leaving the geyser burning all day, which costs more gas.
Load shedding guides
SSGC load shedding (Karachi & Sindh)
How SSGC gas load shedding and low pressure in Karachi, Hyderabad and the rest of Sindh affect gas geysers, and practical ways to keep hot water in winter.
SNGPL load shedding (Punjab, KP, Islamabad)
How SNGPL gas load shedding in Lahore, Islamabad, Rawalpindi and the rest of Punjab and KP affects gas geysers in winter, and how to keep getting hot water.
Low gas pressure and geysers
Why low gas pressure in winter makes a gas geyser pilot go out, how to tell low pressure from a faulty geyser, and practical fixes for Pakistani homes.
Turn on a geyser automatically
How to make your gas geyser turn on automatically after gas load shedding, and run it on a timer or Wi-Fi switch, step by step for Pakistani homes.
Frequently asked questions
Why does my geyser go off when the gas pressure drops?
The pilot flame needs a minimum pressure to stay alight. When it goes out, the thermocouple cools and the gas valve shuts, so the whole geyser stays off until it is relit.
Related pages
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