PM Surya Ghar Subsidy for a Delhi Home: How Much You Get & How to Claim

Almost every customer who walks into our Ashok Vihar shop asking about rooftop solar opens with the same question: "How much does the government actually give back?" It's the right question, but the answer for a Delhi home has two parts that people often miss. There's the central PM Surya Ghar subsidy that every state gets, and then there's a separate Delhi state benefit on top of it. Stack them correctly and a typical 3 kW rooftop system in Delhi gets cheaper than most people expect. This guide walks through exactly how much you get, who qualifies, and the step-by-step claim process — from our experience helping Delhi NCR homes through it.

Two subsidies, not one — that's the part to understand first

A Delhi homeowner is eligible for two separate things at the same time. The first is the central government subsidy under PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana, which is the same across India. The second is the Delhi Solar Policy 2024 benefit, which is a state top-up — it does not replace the central subsidy, it adds to it. The Delhi piece itself has two components: a small one-time state subsidy, and a monthly Generation Based Incentive (GBI) that keeps paying you for years. Most homeowners only hear about the central ₹78,000 figure and stop there, leaving the Delhi benefits on the table.

The central subsidy: PM Surya Ghar, slab by slab

The central subsidy is paid per kilowatt (kW) of installed capacity, on a sliding scale that gives the most for your first couple of kilowatts and then tapers:

• ₹30,000 per kW for the first 2 kW
• ₹18,000 per kW for the 3rd kW
• A hard cap of ₹78,000 — once you hit 3 kW, the central subsidy stops growing, even up to 10 kW

This is why 3 kW is the sweet spot for so many Delhi homes: it's the point where you collect the maximum central subsidy. Going bigger still makes sense if your roof and bills justify it, but you won't get any extra central money beyond ₹78,000. The subsidy is paid by Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) straight into your bank account after the system is commissioned — it is not a discount the installer pockets up front.

The Delhi top-up: state subsidy plus a monthly incentive

On top of the central amount, Delhi's Solar Policy 2024 adds two distinct benefits for residential consumers:

• State capital subsidy: ₹2,000 per kW, up to a maximum of ₹10,000 per home — credited through your first electricity bill after the system is commissioned, not as a separate transfer.
• Generation Based Incentive (GBI): ₹3 per unit your system generates, for domestic 1–3 kW systems (up from ₹2 in the older 2016 policy). For a typical home that works out to roughly ₹700–₹900 a month — money that comes in regardless of how much you export to the grid.

The GBI is the part people underestimate. It's not a one-time rebate — it's a recurring payment based on what your panels produce, so it keeps rewarding you month after month. The Delhi policy openly targets near-zero electricity bills for many homes and cites a payback of about 4 years; we'd frame that 4-year figure as the policy's claim rather than a promise, because your actual payback depends on your bill, your roof, and how much you generate.

Putting it together on a real 3 kW system

Here's how the numbers stack for the size most Delhi homes choose. Installed prices for good on-grid rooftop solar run about ₹55,000–₹85,000 per kW, so a 3 kW system is roughly ₹1.5–1.9 lakh before any subsidy. These are indicative ranges that vary by brand, panel quality and installer — not a quote. Watch how the two subsidies bring it down:

So the ₹78,000 central subsidy alone covers roughly 45–50% of a typical 3 kW system. Add the Delhi state subsidy and the monthly GBI on top, and the effective cost — and the time it takes to pay back — comes down meaningfully. The state subsidy shows up as a credit on your first post-commissioning electricity bill, and the GBI lands month after month.

Who is eligible

For a Delhi home, the broad eligibility is straightforward, but a few points trip people up:

• It's for residential consumers with a valid electricity connection — the connection and the bank account for the subsidy should be in order and ideally match the applicant.
• You need shade-free roof space — roughly 80–100 sq ft per kW, so about 250–300 sq ft for a popular 3 kW system.
• The system size is also guided by your sanctioned load with the DISCOM; we check this during the site survey.
• The installation must be done through the proper PM Surya Ghar process with a registered vendor and approved equipment — the subsidy is tied to following the official portal route, not just buying panels off the shelf.
• The full ₹78,000 central subsidy needs a system of 3 kW or more; smaller systems get the per-kW amount (₹30,000 for 1 kW, ₹60,000 for 2 kW).

How to claim it — the step-by-step process

This is where homeowners get nervous, but the sequence is logical once you see it laid out. The central subsidy and net metering are applied for through the national portal and your DISCOM respectively, and the steps interlock:

• 1. Register on the national portal (pmsuryaghar.gov.in). You'll enter your state, your DISCOM, your consumer number and contact details to create the application.
• 2. Apply for net metering with your DISCOM. In Delhi that's BSES Rajdhani or BSES Yamuna across much of the city, or Tata Power-DDL in north and north-west Delhi. The DISCOM runs a feasibility check and approves before installation.
• 3. Install the system. Once approved, the rooftop panels, mounting structure and grid-tied inverter go up — the on-roof work is usually a day or two with a registered vendor.
• 4. DISCOM inspection and net meter. The DISCOM installs a bi-directional (net) meter and inspects the installation, then commissions it. A commissioning certificate is generated.
• 5. Submit bank details for DBT. After commissioning, you upload your bank account details and a cancelled cheque on the portal. The central subsidy is then transferred by DBT into your account, typically within about 30 days.
• 6. Delhi benefits follow. The state capital subsidy is credited via your first electricity bill after commissioning, and the GBI begins accruing on the units your system generates.

Net metering is the piece that makes the savings real day to day: the surplus solar you export to the grid is credited against the units you import, so your daytime generation offsets your night-time and cloudy-day usage. We've written a separate plain-English walkthrough of the Delhi net-metering and DISCOM process if you want the detail on that stage.

Where we fit in

We're a genuine multi-brand solar and power-backup dealer in Central Market, Ashok Vihar, and we've been serving Delhi NCR since 1998. For rooftop solar we survey your roof and sanctioned load, size the system to your actual bill, install it, and guide you through the PM Surya Ghar registration and the DISCOM net-metering paperwork so the application doesn't stall halfway. We cover Delhi, Gurgaon, Noida, Ghaziabad and Faridabad. We won't quote you a subsidy figure that's gone stale — we help you check what currently applies to your connection.

A genuine note on the numbers: subsidy slabs, the state top-up and the GBI are all set by policy and can change. The figures here are as of 2025–26 — before you commit, confirm the current central rates on pmsuryaghar.gov.in and the Delhi state benefits on solar.delhi.gov.in. If you'd rather just talk it through, call us at +91-9968367658 or come by the shop.