Rooftop solar subsidy and savings, explained
Government support can take a real bite out of the cost of home solar. Here is how it works in general terms, and where to check today’s figures before you decide.
Who can get help
Subsidies are mainly for homes
Homes
Individual residential connections can get central financial assistance under the national rooftop solar scheme, PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana at the time of writing. It is paid per kW, up to a cap.
Housing societies
Group housing societies and residents’ welfare associations can get support for systems that power common areas such as lifts, pumps and lighting.
Shops and factories
Commercial and industrial connections are generally outside the residential subsidy. Their case rests on savings and, for owners, possible tax benefits.
How it is claimed
From application to money in your account
- 01
Register
Apply on the national portal with your electricity consumer number.
- 02
Feasibility
Choose a registered vendor; the discom confirms your connection can take the system.
- 03
Install
The system goes up, and the net meter application follows.
- 04
Inspect and claim
After the discom inspects and commissions it, the subsidy is paid to your bank account.
How the savings work
Net metering in one picture
Your panels produce most between about 10:00 and 15:00. What the house doesn’t use flows to the grid and is set off against what you draw at night. Your bill becomes the net units plus fixed charges.
Payback in years = (system cost − subsidy received) ÷ yearly savings
The calculator’s sample 3.5 kW home costs ₹1.75 lakh and saves about ₹37,800 a year: roughly 4.6 years before subsidy. Whatever subsidy you receive comes off the top and shortens that.
Questions
Subsidy questions we hear every week
Does the installer I choose affect the subsidy?
Yes. The scheme expects a vendor registered on the portal for your discom. Ask to see the registration; on a real site it would be shown here and in the footer.
Whose name should the application be in?
Usually the person in whose name the electricity connection is. If you rent, talk to the owner first, and check the portal’s current rules.
Will solar make my bill zero?
Rarely. Fixed charges, duty and any night use beyond what you export remain, but the energy part of the bill can drop sharply.
Free, about 45 minutes
See your roof’s real numbers
We measure the roof, check the shadows and your meter, and send a layout, a generation estimate and a written price within two working days.