How BESCOM Net Metering Works for Bangalore Homeowners
Net metering lets your rooftop solar system export surplus power to the BESCOM grid in exchange for credits on your electricity bill, tracked through a bi-directional meter under a 25-year power purchase agreement set by the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission.
What the bi-directional meter actually measures
A standard meter counts only the units you import from the grid. A bi-directional net meter counts imports and exports separately, so BESCOM can bill you on the net difference. During the day your solar output serves your own load first, and only the surplus flows out to the grid and gets counted as an export.
At the end of each billing cycle, exported units are credited against imported units. If you exported more than you imported, the surplus carries forward as a credit rather than a cash payout in most residential arrangements.
The application process, step by step
Register the household on the national PM Surya Ghar portal, then apply for rooftop solar through BESCOM's portal with your latest electricity bill, ID and address proof, and roof ownership or NOC documents. BESCOM issues a technical feasibility approval that confirms your sanctioned load and transformer capacity can take the proposed system.
After installation, BESCOM inspects the work, installs the net meter, and issues the commissioning certificate. That certificate is what triggers both net metering and the subsidy transfer.
Typical timeline and common delays
Feasibility approval and net meter installation are usually the two slowest steps, and both sit with BESCOM rather than the installer. Delays most often come from mismatched documents, a sanctioned load lower than the proposed system size, or pending dues on the connection.
SB Electricals files the feasibility application and the subsidy claim as part of every installation, and follows up with BESCOM until the net meter is in place.