Net metering
Net metering is an accounting arrangement with your distribution company. It is not a device that guarantees a lower bill, and it is not the same in every state.
What the meter is counting
When the roof produces less than the building uses, you import. When it produces more, and the utility allows it, you export.
- 1Panels and inverter
- 2Bidirectional meter
- 3Import or export
- 4Bill settlement
The words on the bill
Import units
Kilowatt-hours you draw from the grid. Night, a cloudy hour, or a small array all show up here.
Export units
Kilowatt-hours you send out. They exist only if the connection is allowed to export and the inverter is synchronised to a live grid.
Bidirectional meter
A meter that can register both directions. A one-way meter cannot tell the utility what you exported.
Net billing
Net billing settles import and export at the rates the regulation states, which may not be the same rate. Net metering is the name people use loosely. The regulation decides which settlement you actually get. Do not assume they are the same rupee.
How a connection usually proceeds
You apply with the consumer number. The distribution company inspects, installs or approves the meter, and signs the agreement its regulator requires. For PM Surya Ghar, the national guidelines say the DISCOM inspection is also the gate for central assistance. The national portal could not be opened from this project on 1 November 2026, so the live screen may ask for documents this page does not list.
Madhya Pradesh consumers follow the Madhya Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission regulations and the local DISCOM's process. Those orders were not re-read line by line for this page. Treat every Madhya Pradesh step as something to confirm with the DISCOM, not as a promise from Anvi Solar.
What net metering does not do
It does not keep the lights on in a power cut. A grid-tied inverter stops when the grid stops. It does not turn export into a fixed income. Settlement follows the current regulation and the tariff. Extra units are not cash until the regulation says they are.
Common mistakes
Assuming export from day one
Until the meter and the agreement are in place, export may not be credited, and the system may not be allowed to run that way.
Confusing the scheme subsidy with the bill
Central assistance is a separate process from how the DISCOM settles units. One can be delayed while the other proceeds.
Ignoring a changed load
A new workshop in the house changes import. The old export estimate does not survive that.
Where to read further
Net metering questions
Is net metering automatic in Madhya Pradesh?
No. It follows the state regulator and your DISCOM. Confirm the current process for your consumer number.
Will export units be paid at the same rate I buy electricity?
Not necessarily. Net billing and net metering settle differently. The regulation, not this page, sets the rate.
Does the meter provide backup?
No. It only measures. Backup needs a battery design, and even then it is limited.
Related guides
- Solar panel technologyCells, module types, efficiency, heat, degradation, and why DCR matters for the central scheme.
- Solar inverter guideThe inverter turns panel current into household current and decides what happens when the grid fails.
- Solar structure and mountingThe structure holds the modules to the roof. Its size is an engineering result, not a catalogue guess.
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