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Solar Rooftop Subsidy Calculator (India 2026)

Enter your electricity bill and get your ideal system size, cost after PM Surya Ghar subsidy, monthly savings and payback period.

☀️ Most homes overpay for years. A ₹3,000/month electricity bill is ₹3.6 lakh over 10 years. A subsidised rooftop solar system that pays back in ~3 years turns the next 22 years of that bill into almost-free power.
We size the system to offset this bill
Typical homes: 1–5 kW
Home tariff in India: ₹6–10/unit
Typical: ₹50,000–70,000/kW
India average ≈ 4 units/kW/day (3.5 in the north, 4.5+ in the west & south)

📊 Your Solar Estimate
Recommended Size
Panels (≈550 W each)
Gross System Cost
Govt Subsidy
💰 Net Cost After Subsidy
⏱️ Payback Period
Monthly Generation
Monthly Savings
Annual Savings
Roof Area Needed
🌱 25-year net savings: over the panel lifetime, after recovering your net cost, this system saves you approximately . (Excludes tariff inflation, which makes the real saving even higher, and ~0.5%/year panel degradation.)
How we sized it:
Monthly units = Bill ÷ Tariff  |  System kW = Units ÷ (Gen/day × 30)
Net cost = (kW × ₹/kW) − subsidy  |  Payback = Net cost ÷ Annual savings

PM Surya Ghar Subsidy (2026)

The central government's PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana gives residential rooftop solar subsidy directly into your bank account:

System SizeSubsidy
1 kW₹30,000
2 kW₹60,000
3 kW or more₹78,000 (max)

₹30,000/kW for the first 2 kW, +₹18,000 for the 3rd kW, capped at ₹78,000. State subsidies may add more — check your DISCOM.

How This Calculator Works

It sizes your system to offset your bill, applies the government subsidy, then works out how fast the savings repay the net cost.

Generation: 1 kW of panels makes about 4 units a day in India — roughly 120 units a month.

Net metering: daytime export is credited against night-time use, so a right-sized system can wipe out almost your whole bill.

How Rooftop Solar Cost, Subsidy & Payback Are Calculated

Sizing a home solar system starts from how many units you use, not from a guess. Once the size is set, the gross cost, the PM Surya Ghar subsidy and your tariff decide the payback. Here is the full method this calculator uses.

Monthly Units = Monthly Bill ÷ Tariff (₹/unit) System Size (kW) = Monthly Units ÷ (Generation per kW per day × 30) Gross Cost (₹) = System Size × Cost per kW Subsidy (₹) = ₹30,000/kW up to 2 kW, +₹18,000 for 3rd kW, max ₹78,000 Net Cost (₹) = Gross Cost − Subsidy Monthly Savings (₹) = Monthly Generation × Tariff Payback (years) = Net Cost ÷ (Monthly Savings × 12)

Worked Example — ₹3,000/month bill

Bill: ₹3,000/month  |  Tariff: ₹8/unit  |  Cost: ₹60,000/kW  |  Generation: 4 units/kW/day

Monthly Units = 3,000 ÷ 8 = 375 units
System Size = 375 ÷ (4 × 30) = 3.1 kW ≈ 3 kW
Gross Cost = 3 × ₹60,000 = ₹1,80,000
Subsidy = ₹78,000  →  Net Cost = ₹1,02,000
Monthly Savings = 360 units × ₹8 = ₹2,880 → Annual = ₹34,560
Payback = 1,02,000 ÷ 34,560 ≈ 3.0 years

Tips to Get the Best Value

  • Apply for subsidy through the official PM Surya Ghar national portal — never pay extra for the subsidy itself
  • Choose a DISCOM-empanelled vendor so net metering and subsidy approval go smoothly
  • Don't oversize — a system bigger than your yearly consumption exports cheaply and slows payback
  • Insist on good mounting structure height so you can still use the terrace below
  • Prefer higher-wattage mono PERC / TOPCon panels if roof space is tight

Solar System Size, Cost & Savings Reference Table

Indicative figures at ₹60,000/kW, ₹8/unit tariff, 4 units/kW/day generation, PM Surya Ghar subsidy applied.

System Size Suits Bill Gross Cost Subsidy Net Cost Monthly Saving Payback
1 kW~₹1,000₹60,000₹30,000₹30,000₹960~2.6 yr
2 kW~₹2,000₹1,20,000₹60,000₹60,000₹1,920~2.6 yr
3 kW~₹3,000₹1,80,000₹78,000₹1,02,000₹2,880~3.0 yr
5 kW~₹5,000₹3,00,000₹78,000₹2,22,000₹4,800~3.9 yr
10 kW~₹10,000₹6,00,000₹78,000₹5,22,000₹9,600~4.5 yr

* Approximate values. Use the calculator above for your exact bill, tariff and local prices.

Frequently Asked Questions

Residential rooftop subsidy is ₹30,000 per kW for the first 2 kW, plus ₹18,000 for the third kW, capped at ₹78,000 for any system of 3 kW or larger. So 1 kW gets ₹30,000, 2 kW gets ₹60,000, and 3 kW or bigger gets the maximum ₹78,000. The subsidy is credited directly to your bank account after installation and inspection.

Divide your monthly units by about 120 to get the kW size. A 360-unit/month home needs roughly 3 kW. At 550 W per panel, that's about 6 panels needing ~300 sq ft of shade-free roof. The calculator above sizes it precisely from your bill.

After subsidy, a typical home system pays back in about 3 to 5 years. A 3 kW system at ₹1.8 lakh drops to ₹1.02 lakh after the ₹78,000 subsidy and saves about ₹2,880/month, giving roughly a 3-year payback. After that, power is essentially free for the remaining 20+ years of panel life.

About ₹1.6–2.0 lakh before subsidy (₹50,000–70,000 per kW installed). After the ₹78,000 PM Surya Ghar subsidy, the net cost is roughly ₹85,000–1.2 lakh. Final price depends on panel type, brand, structure height and your state.

Roughly 80–100 sq ft of shade-free roof per kW. A 1 kW system needs ~100 sq ft, 3 kW needs ~300 sq ft, and 5 kW needs ~500 sq ft. The area should get direct sunlight (ideally south-facing) with minimal shadow from tanks, walls or trees.

Yes. With net metering, daytime export is credited against night-time draw, so you effectively bank your generation and a right-sized system offsets almost the whole bill. Combined with the subsidy and a 3–5 year payback, rooftop solar is one of the highest-return home investments in India today.

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