Net metering is what makes grid-connected solar pay. Your meter counts in both directions: solar you use directly reduces what you draw, and surplus you export is credited against what you import. At billing time you pay the net difference plus fixed charges. It is also mandatory for the PM Surya Ghar subsidy, since off-grid systems are explicitly excluded.
Here is what the application actually involves.
Step one, feasibility approval. Before anything is installed, your DISCOM checks whether your connection can support the system you want. This typically takes one week to a month. Installing first and applying afterwards is a serious and common mistake. Your installer normally files this, but confirm it is in their scope.
Step two, installation by a portal-registered vendor. The physical work is usually one to three days.
Step three, net metering application. Your installer applies for the bidirectional meter. This is generally where the longest wait sits, because it depends on DISCOM scheduling rather than anything you or your installer control.
Step four, inspection and commissioning. A DISCOM official inspects the installation and, if satisfied, commissions it and installs or configures the net meter. The inspection report is then uploaded to the national portal, which is what triggers your subsidy.
Documents you will generally need. Your electricity bill showing consumer number and sanctioned load, proof of ownership or occupancy, identity documents, the technical specification of the proposed system from your installer, and your Aadhaar-linked bank details for the subsidy. Your installer will usually assemble most of this, but names must match across your bill, Aadhaar and bank account or you will hit delays.
The sanctioned load constraint. Net metering is generally allowed up to your sanctioned load, which is printed on your bill. A system substantially larger than your sanctioned connection can run into approval problems. If you are planning something large relative to it, raise this with your DISCOM early rather than discovering it after installation.
How it differs across NCR. In Haryana, covering Faridabad and Gurugram, net metering falls under the Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission and applies through UHBVN or DHBVN. Monthly surplus credits carry forward and any remaining surplus at annual settlement is compensated at a rate the commission sets, typically below the retail tariff you pay. In Uttar Pradesh, covering Noida and Ghaziabad, the process runs through UPNEDA and your DISCOM, with net metering allowed up to sanctioned load and an annual true-up. Delhi runs through its own DISCOMs.
One Gurugram-specific issue. In some private developer townships, electricity is supplied by a private management company rather than the DISCOM directly. If your bill does not come from UHBVN or DHBVN, ask your society management how solar applications are handled for your arrangement before proceeding.
What net metering does not do. It does not keep your lights on during a power cut. Grid-tied systems shut down automatically when the grid fails, by design, to protect linemen. Backup requires a hybrid inverter and a battery, neither of which is subsidised.
Two things to get in writing before you sign. That net metering liaison is included in your installer's scope, and what happens if feasibility approval is refused. Both are commonly excluded and both cost you if assumed.
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Last updated 27 July 2026 · Reviewed by the RenSetu team