Bihar Waives Application, Meter Testing Charges for Residential Rooftop Solar Under PM Surya Ghar
The Bihar Electricity Regulatory Commission has waived application fees and meter testing charges for domestic rooftop solar installations under the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana to simplify net-metering and accelerate residential solar adoption across the state.
July 15, 2026. By Mrinmoy Dey
The order was issued following a joint petition filed by North Bihar Power Distribution Company (NBPDCL) and South Bihar Power Distribution Company (SBPDCL).
The petition sought regulatory approval to waive the application fee and meter testing charges applicable to consumers under net-metering arrangements, arguing that these charges were discouraging domestic rooftop solar installations under the Centre's flagship residential solar programme. The Commission admitted the petition after hearing detailed submissions from both distribution companies.
According to the DISCOMs, although Bihar has relatively modest solar resource potential, the state has actively adopted the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana and has been promoting rooftop solar installations through awareness campaigns and consumer outreach programmes. The utilities stated that removing procedural costs would help speed up load enhancement approvals, meter testing and other processes required for rooftop solar deployment.
The petition highlighted that the existing provisions under the BERC (Rooftop Solar Grid Interactive Systems Based on Net and Gross Metering) Regulations, 2018, along with the state's rooftop solar guidelines and the FY 2026-27 tariff order, permit distribution licensees to recover charges such as application fees and meter testing fees from consumers. The DISCOMs argued that these charges had become a hurdle to wider adoption of residential rooftop solar systems and requested their waiver specifically for beneficiaries of the PM Surya Ghar scheme.
The utilities also informed the Commission that waiving these charges would not adversely affect their finances because the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has earmarked INR 4,950 crore as incentive support for DISCOMs under the PM Surya Ghar programme. They pointed out that the incentive mechanism is designed to offset any revenue loss resulting from such fee waivers and noted that MNRE had already disbursed around INR 2,100 crore in incentives to various DISCOMs.
During its analysis, BERC also took note of the MNRE's communication dated January 8, 2026, which urged states to simplify rooftop solar approval procedures by removing application fees, meter testing charges and similar requirements. The ministry cited these charges as key barriers preventing small residential consumers from participating in the PM Surya Ghar scheme and referred to similar waivers already implemented in Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat.
The Commission observed that the proposed waiver would apply only to domestic rooftop solar installations under the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana and would not extend to consumers covered under the ULA-RESCO mode in another pending case. It further clarified that although the Bihar DISCOMs had challenged certain provisions of the FY 2026-27 tariff order before the Appellate Tribunal for Electricity (APTEL), those appeals did not cover the miscellaneous and general charges under consideration in this case.
In its order, BERC concluded that waiving the application fee and meter testing charges would encourage greater participation in the residential rooftop solar programme, support the state's renewable energy objectives and contribute to national climate goals. Accordingly, the Commission approved the waiver of these charges specified under the miscellaneous and general charges section of the BERC Tariff Order dated March 18, 2026, and relaxed, for this case only, the relevant provisions of Regulation 8.1 of the 2018 Net and Gross Metering Regulations that permit distribution licensees to recover such charges.
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