Net metering is what makes rooftop solar pay in NCR. Your panels make the most power at noon, when most homes use the least. The net meter banks that midday surplus so it covers your evening AC and lights. This guide explains the bill, the year-end settlement and the process at each DISCOM, with figures as of November 2026.
What is net metering?
Net metering replaces your old meter with a bidirectional one that records units imported from the grid and units exported by your panels. You are billed only for the net: imports minus exports. Every NCR DISCOM offers it for grid-connected rooftop systems, and it is part of the PM Surya Ghar process.
Your panels first feed your own load. Only the surplus goes out to the grid. At night, or on a hazy December morning, you draw from the grid as before. Like a Konark wheel reading the sun by its shadow, the meter quietly keeps count both ways.
How do I read a net-metered bill?
Look for three numbers: import, export and net units. The energy charge is on the net figure, while fixed charges stay as before. If export is higher than import in a month, the extra is carried forward as credit.
| Line on the bill | What it means | Example month (illustrative) |
|---|---|---|
| Import (kWh) | Units you took from the grid, mostly evenings and nights | 270 |
| Export (kWh) | Spare units your panels sent to the grid, mostly midday | 180 |
| Net units | Import minus export; what you are charged for | 90 |
| Carried forward | Credit from earlier months used against this one | Depends on your history |
Note that the units you used directly from the panels during the day never appear on the bill at all. Your inverter app shows total generation; the bill shows only the grid side. Comparing the two is the best way to check the system is healthy.
What happens to surplus units at the end of the year?
In Delhi, surplus that remains at the end of the settlement year is paid to you at the APPC rate, the DISCOM's average power purchase cost. That rate is lower than what you pay per unit, so the best result comes from sizing the system to use almost all of what it makes.
In practice this means sizing on your annual units, not on your peak summer bill. Spring surplus is banked for June's AC load. A system that leaves a big surplus every March is earning far less on those last units. Other states have their own settlement rules under their regulators, and we explain yours at survey. Our sizing guide shows how to get this right.
What are group net metering and virtual net metering?
Group net metering lets one owner credit solar from one roof to several of their own connections. Virtual net metering lets several consumers share the units from one system, such as flats in a society sharing a common roof or a terrace that belongs to all floors.
Delhi offers both. In Punjab, PSERC allowed net metering, group net metering and virtual net metering in April 2026, which matters for Mohali. For a group housing society in Noida or Gurugram, the common-area connection is usually the simplest first step; see solar for societies.
How does the process work at each DISCOM?
Everywhere in NCR the application starts on the PM Surya Ghar portal and goes to your DISCOM for feasibility, then inspection and the net meter after installation. The regulator and nodal agency differ by state, and so do inspection queues.
| DISCOM | Areas | Rules and nodal agency | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| BSES Rajdhani | South and west Delhi | DERC; solar.delhi.gov.in | 15-day feasibility, deemed approval; fees waived up to 10 kW |
| BSES Yamuna | East and central Delhi | DERC; solar.delhi.gov.in | Same DERC timelines |
| Tata Power-DDL | North and north-west Delhi | DERC; solar.delhi.gov.in | Same DERC timelines |
| NDMC | Lutyens Delhi | DERC | Same DERC framework |
| DHBVN | Gurugram, Faridabad | HERC 2021 regulations; HAREDA | 500 kW ceiling |
| UHBVN | Panchkula | HERC; HAREDA | Haryana schemes apply |
| PVVNL | Noida, Ghaziabad | UPERC RSPV 2019; UPNEDA | Up to 100% of sanctioned load |
| NPCL | Greater Noida | UPERC RSPV 2019; UPNEDA | Up to 100% of sanctioned load |
| CPDL | Chandigarh | CREST is the nodal agency | DISCOM since 1 February 2025 |
| PSPCL | Mohali | PSERC; PEDA | Net, group and virtual net metering |
Typical timeline
- Feasibility from the DISCOM (15 days in Delhi under DERC; others vary)
- Installation on your roof, usually one to three days
- Vendor uploads installation details and the DCR certificate
- DISCOM inspection and net meter fitting, usually the longest wait
- Commissioning certificate, then subsidy redemption
For a home, survey to savings usually takes three to six weeks in all. Chandigarh moved from the UT electricity department to CPDL in February 2025, so check that older forms you may have saved are still current; we use the live process.
How big a system can I net meter?
In Uttar Pradesh a home system can be up to 100% of your sanctioned load under UPERC's 2019 rooftop regulations. Haryana's HERC 2021 regulations set a ceiling of 500 kW. In every DISCOM, sanctioned load is the first thing we check, because it decides the largest system you can connect without paperwork.
For most homes the practical limit is the roof, not the rules. You need roughly 80 to 100 sq ft of shade-free roof per kW, so a 300 sq ft clear roof suits about 3 kW.
Do I need a load enhancement?
If the system you want is larger than your sanctioned load, yes, in most cases. A home in Noida with a 3 kW sanctioned load that wants 5 kW must raise the load first. The DISCOM may charge for the extra load, and your fixed charges can change.
Many NCR homes have a sanctioned load set years ago, before two or three ACs arrived. If your bills already show penalty charges for exceeding load, a load enhancement may be due anyway. We read this off your bill at survey and file the enhancement along with the solar application where the DISCOM allows it, so the two do not hold each other up.
What usually holds up a net meter?
A pending inspection, a name mismatch, unpaid dues or a sanctioned load that is too low. All four are visible before you start, which is why we check them at survey.
- Name on the connection differs from the owner applying for subsidy.
- Arrears on the connection, which stall feasibility.
- Meter location that needs shifting or a fresh meter box.
- Transformer capacity in older colonies, which can slow feasibility on crowded feeders.
What should I check after the net meter is fitted?
Check three things in the first two months: that the meter records export, that your first bill shows an export figure, and that your app's generation is in line with what the system should make. Catching a wrongly set meter early saves months of argument later.
- The meter display. A net meter cycles through several readings, including import and export. Ask the DISCOM lineman or us to show you which code is which on the day it is fitted.
- The first bill. It should show import, export and net units. If export shows zero after a sunny month, the meter may be set wrongly; raise it with the DISCOM at once.
- The app. In Delhi 1 kW makes about 3 to 4 units on a typical day. Export plus what you used during the day should roughly add up to the app's total.
- Your papers. Keep the commissioning certificate, the net meter test report and the agreement together. You will need them for the subsidy and if you ever sell the house.
Net metering paperwork is part of every Konarq installation, across BSES, Tata Power-DDL, DHBVN, PVVNL, NPCL, CPDL and PSPCL. Book a free roof survey and we will read your bill, check your sanctioned load and tell you what your DISCOM needs. Local detail is on our pages for Delhi, Gurugram, Noida, Greater Noida, Ghaziabad, Faridabad and Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula.