MSEDCL Net Metering: Application Steps, Portal & Inspection

Maharashtra is one of India's largest rooftop solar markets, and the MSEDCL application runs on one online portal with timelines written into MERC's regulations. Most delays come from what happens around those timelines: arrears on the account, a system larger than the sanctioned load, an overloaded transformer, or a sanction that lapses before the installation is done. This guide walks an installer through the full MSEDCL ladder using MSEDCL's own procedure and MERC's rooftop regulations, and tells you where the official sources stop and "confirm with the sub-division" begins.

Last verified 14 Oct 2026 against MSEDCL's rooftop solar page and procedure document and MERC's 2019 rooftop regulations with the 2023 amendment. MSEDCL's procedure document is dated April 2022, so portal screens may have changed.

Official MSEDCL links for rooftop solar

If you came here looking for MSEDCL's own pages, start from these. They are the links MSEDCL itself lists on its rooftop solar page.

Who qualifies for MSEDCL net metering

MERC's Grid Interactive Rooftop Renewable Energy Generating Systems Regulations, 2019 (as amended in 2023 and 2024) set these conditions. The text is on MSEDCL's regulation page and merc.gov.in.

A 3 kW home system is well inside these limits for almost every residential consumer, so the usual failure is not eligibility. It is an installer who sizes to the roof and forgets the sanctioned load, or an old account with an unpaid bill. For the national picture, see our guides on net metering vs gross metering and how export, import and banking are calculated.

Which route to use: MSEDCL portal or PM Surya Ghar

Both exist side by side. A non-subsidy project applies on MSEDCL's rooftop portal and chooses "Regular Non Subsidize". A residential subsidy project is registered on the PM Surya Ghar national portal, which MSEDCL's iSMART page links to, and the MSEDCL application selects the subsidy scheme. MSEDCL's procedure document predates PM Surya Ghar, so confirm the current order of steps with the sub-division before you promise it to a customer.

The central subsidy is ₹30,000 per kW up to 2 kW plus ₹18,000 for the third kW, capped at ₹78,000, per pmsuryaghar.gov.in. Our PM Surya Ghar application process, empanelled vendor guide and subsidy calculation posts cover the national side.

The MSEDCL approval ladder: 5 stages

This is the named framework we use for MSEDCL projects. The stages follow MSEDCL's procedure document and MERC's Annexure 1 timelines. "Working days" are MERC's wording.

1. 1

   Pre-application checks

   Confirm the supplier on the bill is MSEDCL, the consumer has no arrears, the planned kW is at or under sanctioned load, and the mobile number and email in MSEDCL's billing record are correct. All portal messages go by SMS and email only.

2. 2

   Online application and registration fee

   The consumer enters the consumer number, MSEDCL fills the billing details, you add the technical details (capacity, arrangement, inverter AC capacity, voltage), accept the terms, verify by OTP, then pay the registration fee online. No documents are uploaded at this stage. MERC's regulation: MSEDCL registers or flags a deficiency within 3 working days.

3. 3

   Technical feasibility and sanction

   A field officer and the empanelled agency visit the site together. The officer approves or rejects in a mobile app; rejection reasons in MSEDCL's procedure are no shadow-free area or a wrongly entered capacity. MERC's regulation: feasibility within 15 working days of registration and approval within 7 working days after. The sanction letter is emailed, and it is valid for 6 months.

4. 4

   Installation, meters and work completion report

   Install within the 6-month sanction. Buy the generation meter and the bi-directional net meter to MSEDCL's specification and get them tested at MSEDCL's lab. Enter the meter details on the portal and upload the work completion report (Annexure I of the procedure).

5. 5

   Joint inspection, agreement and commissioning

   The sub-divisional engineer and a testing engineer jointly inspect the site, list any defects, and permit commissioning once compliance is shown. MERC's regulation: testing and commissioning within 10 working days of your request and net meter installation and synchronisation within 10 working days after. The net metering connection agreement is signed before synchronisation.

Documents and what to upload when

MSEDCL's procedure is clear that no documents are needed at the application stage. They are needed at commissioning. Per that procedure, non-subsidy consumers upload:

• The commissioning report in MSEDCL's Annexure I format (consumer and agency details, sanctioned and installed capacity, inverter and module details)
• A self-certification of safety and the test report of a licensed electrical contractor
• Electrical Inspector permission, only if the system is above 200 kW (see when Electrical Inspector approval is needed)
• A third-party leasing agreement, only if the RESCO model is selected
• A photograph of the commissioned system

Subsidy projects add the national scheme's documents, such as consumer ID proof, insurance copies and the joint inspection and undertaking proformas listed in the procedure. Keep your site plan and single-line diagram ready for the joint visit; our SLD glossary page and site survey checklist explain what to prepare. Inverters should show anti-islanding protection on the datasheet, and modules for subsidy projects must be ALMM-listed.

Fees, timelines and surplus export

The fee and timeline rows above are minimums and ceilings written into regulation. MSEDCL can set a different fee through its schedule of charges, and meter testing and your own installation time sit outside MSEDCL's clock. Quote customers a range from your own project history, not a fixed date.

Surplus units. Exported units carry forward as credit. Under Regulation 11.4 of the 2019 rules, credit left unadjusted at the end of the financial year is purchased by MSEDCL at the generic tariff approved by MERC for that year, and the First Amendment adds a 50% cash and 50% bill-credit rule for credit that grows for three consecutive years, with interest if MSEDCL pays late. We do not print a per-unit export rate here because it changes with each MERC order; read the current generic tariff on merc.gov.in.

Retail tariff. The slabs that decide your customer's savings come from MERC's multi-year tariff order for MSEDCL (Case No. 217 of 2024), with the FY 2026-27 tariffs effective 1 April 2026 per MERC's press note on the order. Secondary tariff calculators disagree with each other on slab rates, so we do not reprint slabs. Use the customer's actual bill and the MERC schedule for payback maths, and our net metering charges across states post for the comparison view.

How to check status, and where to escalate

Use the status and document upload page listed in the official links box with the request ID. MSEDCL's procedure says SMS and email go out at registration and at sanction, and the field officer's feasibility result is also pushed to the consumer by SMS. We have not reproduced the portal's status labels because they are not published in MSEDCL's documents; screenshot them from a live application in your own account before you build a checklist around them.

1. 1

   Sub-division office

   Call or visit the sub-division that handles the consumer number. Quote the request ID and the regulation timeline for the stage that is overdue.

2. 2

   Zone or Circle nodal officer

   MSEDCL's procedure says a nodal officer at Zone or Circle level coordinates between agencies, consumers and field officers, and consumers can approach them to resolve disputes.

3. 3

   Internal Complaint Redressal System

   Register the complaint on MSEDCL's complaint portal and keep the complaint number.

4. 4

   Consumer Grievance Redressal Forum

   If the complaint is not resolved, file with the CGRF through MSEDCL's grievance link. Regulation 11.8 gives eligible consumers this recourse for billing disputes, and the agreement carries the same clause.

5. 5

   Compensation claim and PM Surya Ghar portal

   Ask for the ₹500 per day compensation the regulation provides for a missed activity. For subsidy projects, also raise the issue on the PM Surya Ghar national portal.

What installers get wrong at MSEDCL

• Sizing past the sanctioned load. The regulation caps the system at sanctioned load or contract demand. If the customer wants more, the load enhancement link on the portal comes first.
• Ignoring arrears. With arrears, the application does not submit and the consumer is told to pay first.
• Forgetting the transformer. MSEDCL's tool compares applied capacity against 70% of the transformer rating minus what is already sanctioned. If there is no room, the application waits in a queue only if the consumer chose the waiting-list option.
• Overstating the shadow-free area. Wrong capacity or no shadow-free roof is a stated reason for rejection at the site visit. Run a proper site survey before the application.
• Picking the wrong scheme on the form. Subsidy projects must select the subsidy scheme; everything else is "Regular Non Subsidize". The choices change the allowed arrangement and project model.
• Letting the sanction lapse. Six months from sanction to commissioning is a hard limit, as the warning above shows.
• Buying the wrong meter. The specification is in the sanction letter and on MSEDCL's site, and the meters are tested at MSEDCL's lab.

For the cross-DISCOM view of rejections, see our net metering rejection reasons guide, and for the national process DISCOM approval process and how to apply for net metering in India.

Regulatory watch: what may change

How QuickEstimate fits an MSEDCL workflow

Every MSEDCL stage above is a date you have to watch, and the sanction expiry is the one that costs money. QuickEstimate's solar CRM lets you keep one pipeline stage per rung of the ladder, so a job stuck at feasibility or at "meter testing" shows up in one view. The Proposal Generator and Quotation System put the sanctioned-load check and the PM Surya Ghar subsidy line into the quote before the customer says yes, which avoids the sizing mistake. You can book a demo to see it on a live Maharashtra project.

Related guides for other states: PGVCL (Gujarat), TANGEDCO (Tamil Nadu) and BESCOM (Karnataka). For the Maharashtra market itself, read our Maharashtra solar installer guide, and for the meter, how the bi-directional meter works. The full DISCOM list is in net metering DISCOM list for India.

What to do this week

1. Audit every sanctioned MSEDCL job for its expiry date. Note the sanction date and add six months. Anything inside 60 days needs a plan.
2. Check capacity against sanctioned load on every open quote. If the customer needs more kW, start the load enhancement first.
3. Save one screenshot set of the status page from a live application, so your team knows what each screen looks like.
4. Write the regulation clock into your follow-up script: 3 working days to register, 15 to study feasibility, 7 to approve, 10 to commission.

Frequently asked questions

How long does MSEDCL net metering take?

MERC's rooftop regulations set the clock for MSEDCL: it must acknowledge the application within 3 working days, finish the technical feasibility study within 15 working days of registration, and convey approval within 7 working days of the study. After you submit the work completion report, testing and commissioning is due within 10 working days, and net metering equipment and synchronisation within 10 working days after that. Your real timeline also depends on meter testing and your own installation time, so promise customers a range, not a date. If MSEDCL misses a stage, the regulation provides compensation of ₹500 per day of delay.

What is the official MSEDCL portal for rooftop solar net metering?

Rooftop solar applications go through MSEDCL's iSMART rooftop page on mahadiscom.in, which links to the online application form, the status and document upload page, and the PM Surya Ghar national portal. Bill payment, consumption and complaint services sit on the separate consumer self-service portal. Always start from mahadiscom.in and not from a search ad or a third-party site.

How do I check my MSEDCL rooftop solar application status?

Use the Check Status and Upload Documents page linked from MSEDCL's rooftop solar page on mahadiscom.in, with your request ID and consumer number. MSEDCL's procedure says the portal also sends SMS and email at registration and at sanction, so keep the consumer's mobile number and email current in the billing system. If the portal shows no movement past the regulation timelines, escalate through the channels in this guide.

What is the MSEDCL registration fee for rooftop solar?

Under MERC's rooftop regulations the non-refundable registration fee is ₹500 for an LT consumer with sanctioned load or contract demand up to 20 kW, plus ₹100 for every further 20 kW or part of it, and ₹5,000 for an HT consumer. The regulation lets MERC set a different amount through MSEDCL's schedule of charges, so confirm the amount on the portal before you quote it to a customer.

What is the maximum rooftop solar capacity under MSEDCL net metering?

The system cannot exceed the consumer's sanctioned load (or contract demand), and under net metering it is also capped at 5 MW after MERC's First Amendment of 16 November 2023. MSEDCL also checks the distribution transformer: total rooftop capacity on a transformer is limited to 70% of its rating unless MSEDCL's load study allows more. The minimum system size is 1 kW.

What happens to surplus solar units under MSEDCL net metering?

Exported units are carried forward as credit from one billing period to the next. Under the 2019 regulations, credit still unadjusted at the end of the financial year is purchased by MSEDCL at the generic tariff MERC approves for that year, and the amount is credited in the following billing cycle. The First Amendment adds a rule for credit that keeps growing for three consecutive years. Check the current generic tariff on MERC's website for the figure.

Who buys the net meter in Maharashtra?

MSEDCL's procedure for rooftop solar says the consumer or empanelled agency procures a generation meter and a bi-directional net meter as per MSEDCL's published specification, and gets them tested at MSEDCL's testing laboratory. For subsidy projects the cost of the generation meter is borne by the agency and the consumer pays for the net meter and its testing. Meter practice, including smart meters, has been changing, so confirm with the sub-division before buying.

How do I escalate a delayed MSEDCL net metering application?

Start with the sub-division office and the nodal officer at the Zone or Circle level that MSEDCL's procedure names for disputes. Then use MSEDCL's Internal Complaint Redressal System, and if the matter is not resolved, the Consumer Grievance Redressal Forum, both linked from the mahadiscom.in rooftop page. Quote the application number, the date, and the regulation timeline that has been missed.