A 3 kW system — the size that suits most Indian homes — runs about ₹1.6–2 lakh turnkey, and ₹78,000 of that comes back under PM Surya Ghar. Here is what drives the price, what your roof needs to take, and how to tell a real quote from a cheap one.
Per-kW cost falls as the system grows — a 1 kW install carries the same structure design, wiring, paperwork and inspection as a 3 kW one, spread over a third of the capacity.
Indicative ranges for turnkey installation including approvals — not quotes. Final price depends on roof type, structure height, cable run and site access.
Solar offsets what you consume during daylight. If your household runs heaviest in the evening, a share of your bill stays. Net metering carries daytime surplus forward against night-time use, which is why the meter and the approval matter as much as the panels.
Because they are not quoting the same thing. Module wattage and technology, inverter make, structure specification, cable sizing and whether approvals are included all move the number. A cheap quote usually has the difference hidden in the structure and the paperwork.
The subsidy is paid after installation and inspection, into your bank account — it is not knocked off the price up front. You fund the full amount first. Anyone offering to 'adjust' it before disbursal is taking a risk with your money.
A mounting structure is bolted or ballasted to it. On an RCC roof that means penetrations that have to be properly sealed, and on a sloped or tiled roof it means the right rail system. Waterproofing failures show up in the first monsoon, not on handover day.
PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana pays ₹30,000 per kW for the first 2 kW and ₹18,000 for the third, capping at ₹78,000. It reaches your bank account after installation and inspection — it is not deducted from the price up front.
Full subsidy guide → · Official portal — rates change by government order; last checked 2026-08-26.
Bill and roof check
We look at twelve months of bills and your usable, shadow-free roof area. Those two together decide the size — not a guess from your floor plan.
Portal registration
PM Surya Ghar registration and the DISCOM application, filed for you. The subsidy depends on this being done correctly and by a registered vendor.
Design and approval
Layout, structure specification and the DISCOM technical feasibility approval before anything is ordered.
Installation
Structure, modules, inverter, cabling and earthing. Typically two to four days on site for a home system.
Net meter and inspection
Bi-directional meter installation, DISCOM inspection and grid synchronisation.
Subsidy disbursal
Once inspection clears, the subsidy claim goes through the portal and is credited to your bank account.
We are vendor-neutral and buy on bankability, warranty terms and service reach — not on whoever is discounting hardest this quarter. Final makes are fixed in your BOQ and agreed before order.
Listed makes are those we specify and procure against. Names and marks belong to their respective owners; listing them indicates the equipment we install, not endorsement or an exclusive partnership.
Tell us your bill and city. An engineer will size the system, work out the subsidy you qualify for, and come back with a real number — not a brochure.
Have last month's bill handy? Send it on WhatsApp and we can size the system before we call.
Indicatively ₹65,000–85,000 for 1 kW, around ₹1.1–1.4 lakh for 2 kW and ₹1.6–2 lakh for 3 kW, turnkey and before subsidy. Per-kW cost falls as size rises because the fixed costs — structure design, wiring, paperwork, inspection — are much the same whatever the capacity. Under PM Surya Ghar a 3 kW system attracts up to ₹78,000 back, which changes the picture substantially. These are ranges, not quotes: your roof type, structure height and distance from the meter all move the number.
The nationally published structure is ₹30,000 per kW for the first 2 kW and ₹18,000 for the third, capping at ₹78,000 for 3 kW and above. Some states add their own on top. It is paid into your bank account after installation and inspection — not deducted from the price up front. Rates are set by government order and change, so confirm the current position on pmsuryaghar.gov.in before you commit.
Work backwards from your bill, not your roof. A household paying ₹1,500–2,500 a month usually lands around 2 kW; ₹2,500–4,000 around 3 kW; ₹4,000–6,500 around 5 kW. Then check the roof can take it — roughly 100 sq.ft of genuinely shadow-free area per kW. If the roof cannot, the roof wins.
For most homes, 3 kW. The central subsidy caps at ₹78,000, which 3 kW reaches — so the extra 2 kW in a 5 kW system is entirely self-funded and lengthens the payback. 5 kW makes sense when consumption genuinely justifies it, such as heavy air-conditioning or an EV. It is not automatically the better buy, whatever the larger quote implies.
Yes. A grid-connected rooftop system needs a net-metering application, technical feasibility approval, and a bi-directional meter installed by the DISCOM after inspection. This is not optional and it is not paperwork you can skip — the subsidy also depends on it. We file it as part of the job.
Installation on a home system is usually two to four days. What sets the overall timeline is the approvals — registration, technical feasibility, then inspection and meter installation — and those depend on your DISCOM's current workload. Anyone promising a fixed total date before the application is filed is guessing.
Panel cleaning every few weeks in dusty months, and an annual check of connections, earthing and inverter health. Generation drops quietly when panels are dirty or a string has failed, so monitoring matters more than most homeowners expect — a system can underperform for a year without anything visibly wrong.
One photo tells us your tariff and consumption — enough to size the system, work out your subsidy and give you a real number instead of a brochure.
