Rooftop solar in Chandigarh: CPDL net metering and what is different

Chandigarh sits next to Mohali, but rooftop solar works differently on each side of the boundary. The power company is different, the regulator is different, there are no free units, and the city has its own building rule for rooftop solar. This guide sets out what is different in Chandigarh, what a system saves on a Chandigarh bill, and how the subsidy and net metering work here.

Who is who in Chandigarh

• Chandigarh Power Distribution Ltd (CPDL) supplies electricity in the city. It took over from the UT Electricity Department on 1 February 2025, and it handles your connection, bill and net meter.
• The Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission (JERC) for Goa and the Union Territories sets Chandigarh’s tariffs and its rooftop solar and net-metering rules.
• CREST, the Chandigarh Renewable Energy and Science and Technology Promotion Society, is the UT’s agency for solar energy.

What solar saves on a Chandigarh bill

Chandigarh homes pay for every unit, at telescopic slab rates that are lower than Punjab’s top rate. These are the domestic energy charges for 2026-27 in JERC’s tariff order for CPDL:

A fixed charge of ₹30 per kW of load a month comes on top. Because the slabs are telescopic, solar removes your highest-priced units first.

A worked example. A home using 500 units a month pays about ₹2,190 in energy charges. A 4 kW system makes roughly 430 to 500 units a month, which brings the energy charges down to between zero and about ₹60. At 2026-27 prices, a 4 kW system with DCR panels costs roughly ₹1.3 lakh to ₹1.86 lakh after the ₹78,000 subsidy, and pays for itself in roughly five to eight years.

How this differs from Mohali. Across the boundary, a Punjab home within 300 units a month pays nothing for energy, so solar saves money mainly in the summer months. In Chandigarh there are no free units, so solar saves money every month of the year, but at lower rates. Our savings calculator works out both: choose Chandigarh and enter your bill.

Net metering under JERC

Net metering in Chandigarh follows JERC’s regulations for grid-connected solar under net metering, made in 2019 and amended in August 2024. The main rules:

• Size: a system can be as large as your sanctioned load, up to 500 kW on one premises. Larger projects come under net billing instead.
• The local transformer: the total rooftop solar on one distribution transformer is limited to 75% of its capacity, unless CPDL allows more after a load study.
• Approval: a complete application for a system up to 10 kW is treated as accepted without a feasibility study, and CPDL raises your sanctioned load on request if the system needs it. Once you submit the installation certificate, CPDL has 15 days to sign the agreement, fit the meter and commission the system.
• Billing: units your panels export are set against units you import. In a month when you export more than you import, the extra is carried forward as credited units.
• End of the year: the settlement year runs from April to March. Credited units left at the end of March are bought by CPDL at its average power purchase cost or JERC’s feed-in tariff, whichever is lower, and the count starts again from zero. So size the system to your own use, not to sell power.
• Other options: since the 2024 amendment, you can also choose net billing, where exported units are valued at a feed-in tariff set by JERC, or gross metering, where all the solar output is sold to CPDL.

Charges waived for homes under PM Surya Ghar. In August 2025 JERC waived three charges for homes installing rooftop solar under PM Surya Ghar: the cost of the meter CPDL installs, the charges for testing, installing and maintaining it, and the registration fee. The net-metering agreement with CPDL is still required.

The subsidy in Chandigarh

Chandigarh homes can claim the central PM Surya Ghar subsidy of up to ₹78,000 on the first 3 kW, on the same terms as anywhere else: DCR panels, a registered vendor and a domestic connection in your name.

The 500 sq yd rule

Under a UT notification of May 2016, rooftop solar is compulsory on residential houses of 500 square yards (one kanal) and above in Chandigarh, and the Estate Office has issued notices to owners who have not installed it. If you are not sure whether the rule covers your house, ask CREST or the Estate Office.

How to apply

Homes apply on the national portal, pmsuryaghar.gov.in, choosing Chandigarh and CPDL. The documents are much the same as in Punjab: a recent bill, identity proof, proof of ownership, roof photographs and, for the subsidy, bank details in the applicant’s name. Our list of documents for PSPCL net metering is a useful guide, though CPDL’s forms are its own.

How Maya Green Power works in Chandigarh

From our office in Zirakpur we take on commercial projects and hybrid systems with battery backup in Chandigarh now. Subsidy applications for Chandigarh homes have their own approval route, which we are setting up, so for now we survey and size home systems and tell you how to apply. Our Chandigarh page sets out what we take on in the city, and the commercial solar page and battery backup page have more detail.

Common questions

Is rooftop solar compulsory in Chandigarh?

For residential houses of 500 square yards (one kanal) and above, yes, under a UT notification of May 2016. If you are not sure whether the rule covers your house, ask CREST or the Estate Office.

Do I pay CPDL for the net meter?

Not if you install rooftop solar on your home under PM Surya Ghar. In August 2025 JERC waived the meter cost, the meter testing and installation charges and the registration fee for these homes.

Does Chandigarh have free electricity units like Punjab?

No. Punjab's 300 free units a month apply to PSPCL connections only. Chandigarh homes pay for every unit at slab rates, so rooftop solar saves money every month, not only in summer.

How much does a 4 kW solar system save in Chandigarh?

For a home using about 500 units a month, roughly ₹2,000 to ₹2,200 a month in energy charges at 2026-27 rates, or ₹24,000 to ₹26,000 a year. After the PM Surya Ghar subsidy, a 4 kW system typically pays for itself in five to eight years.