Guide · Updated September 2026
Home solar installation: how the process actually works
The short answer
A home solar installation in India has five stages: a load check and roof survey, system design with an itemised quote, registration on the PM Surya Ghar national portal, the installation itself, and finally DISCOM inspection and net-meter commissioning. The subsidy is released to your bank account only after commissioning — never deducted upfront by the installer.
Start from your bill, not from a panel
System size follows your consumption, not the other way round. Take twelve months of units from your bills, average them, and size the system so it generates roughly that much across the year. Oversizing past your annual consumption earns you the export rate on the surplus instead of the retail tariff you would have avoided — which is why a smaller system bought properly usually beats a larger one sold hard.
The site survey: what it must actually check
A real survey measures shadow-free roof area at the sunniest hours, not total roof area. It should also record roof type and age (RCC slab versus metal sheet), whether the structure needs civil work, the cable route from roof to meter, where the inverter will sit and whether that spot is shaded, earthing availability, and your sanctioned load. If nobody visits and measures, you are being quoted from a satellite image.
Registration on the national portal
Under PM Surya Ghar the process runs through the national portal: you register, select your DISCOM, and submit the application — normally done by your vendor, who must be registered on the portal for the subsidy to be claimable. The DISCOM then issues a feasibility approval against your sanctioned load before installation begins. Installing before that approval is the most common reason a subsidy claim fails.
Installation day: what to verify before the crew leaves
Check the panel and inverter model numbers against the quote and photograph the serial labels. Confirm the mounting structure is what was specified — GI versus MS matters over 25 years. Confirm DC and AC cables are in conduit or UV-rated, that the lightning arrester and earthing are genuinely installed, and that you can see live generation in the monitoring app before the crew packs up.
Net meter, commissioning and the subsidy
After installation your DISCOM inspects the system, installs a net meter, and commissions it — only then does generation count towards the subsidy, and only then can the system legally export. The subsidy is credited to your bank account after commissioning. Treat commissioning as part of the purchase, not as paperwork that follows it.
What actually stalls a project
The delays are rarely technical. Feasibility approvals queue at the DISCOM, sanctioned-load upgrades take longer than the installation itself, and society or landlord permissions can sit for weeks. A shared meter or a connection in someone else's name needs the paperwork settled before hardware arrives, otherwise you own a system you cannot commission.
Have this ready before you sign
Your latest electricity bill, a cancelled cheque in the connection holder's name, identity and address proof for the portal application, and photographs of the proposed roof area. If the connection is in someone else's name, settle who owns the system and who claims the subsidy before any money moves.
Run your own numbers
Guides give you the rules; the calculator gives you your numbers. One input — your monthly bill.
Open the calculatorFAQ
How long does home solar installation take in India?
The physical installation is usually a few days. The weeks are in the DISCOM process around it — feasibility approval before, and inspection with net-meter commissioning after. Budget for the whole chain, not just the rooftop work.
Do I have to buy only from a registered vendor?
For the PM Surya Ghar subsidy, yes — the vendor must be registered on the national portal. You may buy from anyone if you are not claiming the subsidy, but on a residential system in India that is usually a large amount of money to leave unclaimed.
Can I install solar myself?
You can physically mount panels, but a grid-connected system needs a licensed installer for the electrical work plus DISCOM approval and a net meter. A self-installed system also cannot claim the subsidy.
Does my sanctioned load matter?
Yes. The DISCOM approves a system size against your sanctioned load, and a system above it may need a load upgrade first — time and cost before anything is installed.