West Bengal rooftop solar and net metering calculator
What would rooftop solar do to your West Bengal bill? Enter your use and system size to see the bill with net metering, the PM Surya Ghar subsidy and the payback.
- West Bengal’s own net metering rules
- PM Surya Ghar subsidy built in
- Bill run through the current tariff
Enter your units to see the bill.
West Bengal net metering rules
- A home with a sanctioned load of 1 kW or more can use net metering. The system can be from 1 kW up to the sanctioned load, and not above 500 kW (WBERC Rooftop Solar Regulations 2025, reg. 12). Source
- Exports are subtracted from imports in each billing period. The home pays for net imports at its normal tariff. Net exports carry forward to the next bill (reg. 12, reg. 14(3)). Source
- At the start of each financial year, any surplus units still carried forward are reset to zero, with no payment (reg. 14(5)). Source
- Fixed charges, rebates, surcharges, duties and levies stay payable as usual (reg. 14(6)). The regulations set no network or banking charge on solar units. Source
- Homes can choose net billing or gross metering instead, where exports earn a feed-in tariff that WBERC sets. This calculator works out net metering only (regs 4(2), 11). Source
- WBSEDCL's net metering agreement repeats the carry-forward rule and the reset to zero at the start of each financial year. Source
Default generation of 100 units per kW a month: the Union Cabinet's PM Surya Ghar note says a 3 kW system 'will be able to generate more than 300 units a month on an average'. Source
PM Surya Ghar central subsidy: ₹30,000 a kW for the first 2 kW and ₹18,000 for the third kW, no more above 3 kW (₹78,000 at most). Grid-connected homes only, domestic-made modules, once per home. MNRE benchmark cost ₹50,000 a kW up to 2 kW and ₹45,000 a kW above. Scheme runs to 31 March 2027. MNRE guidelines
Rooftop solar questions
How does net metering work?
A two-way meter records what you draw from the grid and what your panels send to it. On each bill the units you exported are taken off the units you imported, and you pay for the net units at the normal tariff. What happens to extra units depends on the state: some buy them every month, others carry them forward and settle at the end of the year.
How much does a 1 kW rooftop system generate?
The Union Cabinet’s note on PM Surya Ghar says a 3 kW system makes over 300 units a month on average, about 100 units per kW. MNRE says 1 kW can make 4 to 5.5 units on a clear sunny day. Your roof’s direction, shade and dust change this, so you can edit the figure.
How much is the PM Surya Ghar subsidy?
For homes: ₹30,000 a kW for the first 2 kW and ₹18,000 for the third kW, so ₹78,000 for 3 kW or more. Higher amounts apply in special-category states. The system must be grid-connected and use domestically made modules, and a home can get it only once. The scheme runs until 31 March 2027.
Do I still pay a fixed charge with solar?
Yes. In every state covered here, fixed charges and government levies stay payable whatever your solar credits.