A net meter counts electricity in both directions: the units you take from the grid and the solar units your rooftop sends back. You pay only for the difference, according to your state’s rules.
How it works
During a sunny afternoon your panels may make more power than your home uses. The extra flows into the grid and the net meter counts it. At night you draw power from the grid as usual. At the end of the billing cycle the two are set against each other.
Example
A 3 kW system makes about 360 units in a month. The house uses 300 units, but only 180 of them while the sun is out. It exports 180 units and imports 120 at night. With net metering the bill is for 120 imported units minus the 180 exported credit, so this month’s bill is for zero units and 60 units carry forward, subject to your state’s rules on how long credits last and at what rate they are settled.
What to check in your state
- How exported units are credited: at the full tariff, a lower fixed rate, or only against imports
- Whether unused credit carries over month to month and how it is settled at the end of the year
- The maximum system size allowed on your sanctioned load
- Meter charges and how long installation takes
How you get one
Your DISCOM installs the net meter after your rooftop system is approved and inspected. Under PM Surya Ghar you apply for it on the national portal after installation. For a full year of numbers, meter costs by state and the application steps, read net metering in India.
Related: DCR panels and ALMM, DISCOM.
Sources
Figures last checked on 26 September 2026.