TSSPDCL Net Metering (Now TGSPDCL): Telangana Installer Steps

Telangana's southern DISCOM was called TSSPDCL until the state's bodies moved from the prefix TS to TG. Its website now reads TGSPDCL, but installers and Google still use the old name. Search "TSSPDCL net metering" and you meet the DISCOM's 2017 FAQ, a 2018 PDF of the 2016 guidelines and installer blogs. They say a system can go up to 1 MW, permission takes 21 days and surplus units are settled twice a year.

The regulator replaced the 2016 rules on 15 November 2025. Under the new Regulation the net metering ceiling is 500 kWp, the DISCOM has 15 working days, and surplus units are settled every month. Quote the old page and a customer with a 6 kWp home hears "wait 21 days", when a complete application up to 10 kWp is deemed accepted with no feasibility study.

This guide reads the 2025 Regulation and TGSPDCL's own December 2025 papers and turns them into a filing sequence. A Telangana rooftop job can enter through two doors: the PM Surya Ghar portal or the DISCOM's own Rooftop Solar tab. Every figure carries its source, jurisdiction and date. It is a process guide, not legal advice.

How this was checked: on 31 October 2026 we opened TGSPDCL's website (tgsouthernpower.org), the PDFs linked from its solar menu, the Gazette copy of the Regulation that both TGSPDCL and TGNPDCL host, and the pages of TGREDCO, the state nodal agency. The TGSPDCL site loads through JavaScript, so we read its FAQ and service-page text from its own script file. The regulator's site and the older tssouthernpower.com did not open from our network, and pmsuryaghar.gov.in was blocked, so MNRE's guidelines come from the government's file server. The consumer portal sits behind an OTP, so we have not seen its screens. We read the key pages of the scanned Gazette by eye. Confirm the fee and form version on the portal on the day you file.

TSSPDCL is now TGSPDCL: which papers on its site are current?

TGSPDCL's site serves three generations of rooftop papers side by side. A customer who finds an old page will quote it to you, so know what each one is.

Sources: TGERC Regulation 1 of 2025 (Telangana Gazette Extraordinary 634-A, 15 Nov 2025); TGSPDCL guidelines and flow chart (5 Dec 2025); TGSPDCL FAQ and service pages; TGREDCO PDF. Opened 31 Oct 2026.

TGREDCO's own rooftop page is just as dated: it still shows a 1 MW cap and a subsidy of 40% and 20% of benchmark cost. Do not copy figures from it. The five numbers that most often reach a quotation are below.

Sources: TGSPDCL Solar FAQ and service pages (read 31 Oct 2026); Regulation 1 of 2025, clauses 4.2, 4.4, 4.19, 6.1, 6.6, 8.1.3. The ₹2,500 and ₹15,000 figures are the same in both layers.

The last row matters for a 60 kWp job on a low-tension connection. The FAQ wording could put it in the ₹15,000 class, while the Regulation sorts by the consumer's supply. Ask which fee the portal charges before you quote.

We call the method the Door-and-Band Check. First stamp-check any paper in your hand:

1. Does it name Regulation 1 of 2025 or 15 November 2025?
2. Does it show a 500 kWp ceiling?
3. Does it put the Chief Electrical Inspector threshold at 56 kWp?

If any answer is no, it is older paper. Then pick your Door, the PM Surya Ghar portal or the DISCOM's own tab, and your Band, the size of the system. Door and Band decide almost every clock below.

Which DISCOM is your customer on? TGSPDCL says it serves 15 districts, "from Hyderabad's urban core to the rural heartlands of Mahabubnagar, Nalgonda, and Gadwal". The north belongs to TGNPDCL, whose home page links its own Solar Roof Top portal. This guide covers TGSPDCL only. The bill header names the DISCOM. For other states see our DISCOM-by-DISCOM list, and for the Telangana market our Telangana installer guide.

Door 1 or Door 2: the PM Surya Ghar portal or the Rooftop Solar tab

TGSPDCL's net meter registration page first asks "Do you want to avail PMSURYAGHAR subsidy/CFA", with Yes or No. A Yes sends the customer to the national portal. A No keeps the application with TGSPDCL. Ask this before the OTP step, because it picks the Door. The page says all later SMS alerts go to the mobile number typed in, so use the customer's own number, not the office phone.

Sources: TGSPDCL flow chart for applications registered in the PM Surya Ghar portal (file dated 5 Dec 2025); TGSPDCL guidelines, section III; TGSPDCL net meter registration page; MNRE CFA guidelines, July 2025. Read 31 Oct 2026.

For the portal side of Door 1, our guides to the vendor login and application tracking and the documents to collect at the site visit cover what the national portal asks for.

The registration page also blocks a clubbed service, a temporary supply and a service with a pending "Mats" case. We did not find "Mats" explained, so ask the section office. The Regulation also bars a consumer with pending arrears (clause 4.10). Check the account before you spend a survey visit.

Your Band: what the size of the system decides

Size changes whether a study is needed, who certifies safety and which arrangement is allowed. These are the bands the 2025 Regulation draws.

Sources: Regulation 1 of 2025, clauses 4.2 to 4.5, 4.19, 4.20, 6.6 (Gazette, 15 Nov 2025); Electricity (Rights of Consumers) Amendment Rules 2024, G.S.R. 125(E), 22 Feb 2024. Read 31 Oct 2026.

Separately, the Regulation caps system size against load: up to 100% of sanctioned load for residential and Government consumers, and up to 80% of sanctioned load or contract demand for industrial, commercial and other consumers (clause 4.9). The minimum is 1 kWp, with a minimum load of 1 kWp.

Three illustrative jobs show Door and Band together. The sizes are assumptions, not customer data.

The inspector step is where jobs above 56 kWp slow down. Our Electrical Inspector approval guide explains the central rules and the state thresholds. For shared credit across connections, see our virtual and group net metering guide, which reads the same Telangana clauses.

The nine gates and their clocks on the Rooftop Solar tab

Door 2 follows clauses 6.1 to 6.13 of the Regulation and section III of TGSPDCL's guidelines. Door 1 skips gates the portal handles, but the DISCOM steps after installation are the same. The DISCOM's limits are in working days. The payment, agreement and commissioning limits say plain "days", and we found no definition, so count calendar days for your own deadlines.

Sources: Regulation 1 of 2025, clauses 6.1 to 6.12; TGSPDCL guidelines, sections III.C and V(a); TGSPDCL agreement form (Annexure-7), header. Read 31 Oct 2026. Section V(a) of the guidelines reads "shall inspect the system within five (15) working days and provide approval". The word and the figure disagree, and the guidelines do not say which is meant. Plan on 15 working days and confirm with the division office. Separately, Regulation clause 6.12 gives 15 days from the installation certificate for the agreement, meter and commissioning together.

Gates 8 and 9 overlap: 15 days from the installation certificate in the Regulation, and 15 working days for inspection from the work completion report in the guidelines. The papers do not say how they fit. Diarise from your stamped receipt, ask the division office to confirm in writing which inspection period it applies, plan on 15 working days, and treat day 15 as the point to write.

Missing these ends the job. An unpaid estimate cancels the application and forfeits the fee. TGSPDCL's notice format (2019, still on the site) says feasibility approval "stands terminated without any further notice" if the work completion report is not in within four months. Set reminders before each date, not on it.

Fees, forms and documents

The fee and the later charges are different money. The fee comes at gate 1, or on the first bill for Door 1. The rest comes later, case by case.

Read 31 Oct 2026. MNRE guidelines: PM-Surya Ghar CFA guidelines to residential consumers, file uploaded July 2025.

Run five checks before you file:

1. 1

   Read the bill header

   Copy the service connection number, tariff category, supply voltage and sanctioned load. Check that no arrears are pending (clause 4.10).

2. 2

   Match size to sanctioned load

   Residential and Government consumers can go to 100% of sanctioned load, others to 80%. If the system must be larger, check that the customer accepts the additional-load route.

3. 3

   Gather the filing set

   The Gazette form asks for a passport photo, Aadhaar number, addresses, email, mobile, bank details, tariff category, voltage, sanctioned load and average monthly use. Its checklist adds the latest bill, proof of fee payment, two stamped self-addressed envelopes (stamp printed as ₹5) and a bank passbook copy.

4. 4

   Add what the service page asks

   The service page also lists a landlord NoC, an MNRE empanelment certificate, a single-line diagram and load details. They are not in the Gazette checklist, so ask whether they are required, and carry them anyway.

5. 5

   Prepare the completion pack

   Module and inverter serial numbers, test certificate details, protection details, the signed agreement, and the CEIG certificate above 56 kWp. A 2017 work completion form still on the site says 75 kW. Use 56 kWp.

Name the form by its title, not its number: the net metering application is Annexure-2 in the Gazette and Annexure-1 in TGSPDCL's guidelines. Group and virtual arrangements also need an undertaking from every participating connection.

Surplus units: what the 2025 Regulation pays

The old FAQ says unadjusted units are settled twice a year, in June and December, at the average cost of power purchase. That is the 2016 regime. Under clause 8.1.3 of the 2025 Regulation:

• Every month, exports are netted against imports. If imports are higher, the customer pays the difference at the normal tariff.
• If exports are higher, the surplus is paid at the lowest tariff in solar power agreements the TG DISCOMs signed under Section 63 of the Electricity Act in the previous financial year. It is adjusted in the next bill or paid to the bank account given at filing.
• The rate is notified yearly by the Commission. We found no notified figure on any page we could open, so ask TGSPDCL for the current number.
• A monthly minimum bill still applies when exports exceed imports. HT customers net units within the same time block first.

Illustrative example: a home on a flat ₹7.00 retail tariff, with fixed charges and duties left out. We do not know the notified settlement rate, so ₹2.50 per unit is a stand-in. It is not a Telangana figure.

Illustrative. Mechanics follow Regulation 1 of 2025, clause 8.1.3 and the worked illustration in its Annexure (1,000 units injected, 700 supplied, 300 settled at the settlement price). The ₹2.50 is an assumption.

Any average power purchase cost figure for Telangana, including ones on other pages, is 2016-regime material until TGERC's current notified settlement rate is in your hand. Our banking explainer covers the general mechanics, and net versus gross metering helps with the arrangement choice.

PM Surya Ghar customers: what Telangana adds, and what it does not

Subsidy sits on top of the net metering file. Under MNRE's July 2025 guidelines, central financial assistance (CFA) goes to residential consumers only: ₹30,000 per kW for the first 2 kW and ₹18,000 for the third kW, nothing beyond 3 kW, so ₹78,000 is the most one home gets. Modules must meet the domestic content requirement (DCR). The scheme period ends on 31 March 2027. TGSPDCL's guidelines restate the same table.

What the Telangana papers add:

• Inspection. MNRE makes the DISCOM inspect, sign the agreement and approve on the National Portal before CFA is processed. TGSPDCL's gates 8 and 9 still apply.
• Claim time. MNRE says CFA is processed within 15 days of DISCOM approval. That is MNRE's clock, not TGSPDCL's.
• Fee. The flow chart says net meter application charges come on the first bill for portal applications. The December 2025 guidelines still show ₹2,500 and ₹15,000.

Fees can change by circular. Before you quote a customer, ask the division office in writing for the current fee and for any exemption circular.

State top-up. We found no Telangana government page announcing a per-kW cash top-up on PM Surya Ghar. TGREDCO's vendor invitation of November 2024 names only CFA of up to ₹78,000 per household. The Telangana Clean and Green Energy Policy 2025 (Energy Department) has a rooftop section on page 27 promising 100% net SGST reimbursement for rooftop projects of households, Indiramma Indlu houses, government educational institutions and other government buildings. We found no order or claim procedure saying who gets it or how, and we did not read the rest of the 83-page scan. Do not promise it. If a customer quotes a top-up, ask for the government order.

Sources for this section: MNRE guidelines (file uploaded July 2025, PDF); TGREDCO vendor invitation (file dated 9 Nov 2024); Telangana Clean and Green Energy Policy 2025 (file dated 12 Jan 2025, no G.O. number on the pages we read); TGREDCO rooftop page. All read 31 Oct 2026.

Match the slabs in your proposals to the MNRE table in our subsidy slabs explainer.

Check the transformer before you promise a date

Net metering is allowed transformer by transformer on a "first come, first serve" basis (clause 4.1). Solar capacity of LT customers on one transformer cannot pass 50% of its rated capacity. For HT, the cap is 50% of the feeder's permitted load or of the substation capacity (clause 5.1).

Clause 5.2 told TGSPDCL to publish the capacity available on each transformer and 11 kV feeder on its website within three months of the Gazette, then every quarter. The site's solar menu lists a "NetMetering Capacity on Distribution Transformer" item, but in the site's code the item has no link target, and we could not open a capacity list. So ask the section office in writing how much room the customer's transformer has before you sell a large system. If approval cannot be given for lack of transformer or feeder capacity, clause 6.8 says the application may be considered in chronological order once capacity becomes available, if the consumer opts for that.

When a clock stalls

Use these in order and keep a dated record of each. For any state, see also how to apply for net metering in India.

1. Track the application. TGSPDCL's site has a "Know your Application Status (Net Metering)" link that needs the registration number.
2. Call and write. Call 1912, then email both netmeter addresses. The nodal contact is the local Divisional Engineer (Operations).
3. Quote the clause. Clause 6.6 deems an application approved if not acted on in 15 working days. Name it, with the registration date.
4. Remind the customer of the compensation rule. The Regulation points delay compensation to the 2016 Standards of Performance Regulation (clause 11.1), whose amounts we did not read. The national Rules say a licensee that delays without just cause pays the consumer at least ₹500 a day. It belongs to the customer, and the DISCOM may argue just cause.
5. Escalate. Billing disputes go under TGERC's 2015 grievance regulation (clause 8.1.7). The national Rules give a grievance forum 30 days normally and 45 at most, then the Ombudsman.

Our feasibility clearance guide sets out the central rule. For a second DISCOM guide in the same format, see WBSEDCL net metering for West Bengal installers. Rules read 31 Oct 2026: Amendment Rules 2024 and Rules 2020.

How Quickest Solar CRM fits

TGSPDCL's portal and the National Portal are the official records. Quickest Solar CRM has no link to either, so every status is typed in by a person, whichever tool you use. What a Telangana subsidy-led team can do with it:

• PM Surya Ghar subsidy calculator: the free calculator on our homepage lists Telangana and TSSPDCL in its drop-downs and gives the central subsidy line for a home customer. It carries no Telangana state top-up, which matches the official pages we read. Always check its central figure against MNRE's table for the size you quote.
• Proposal Generator: proposal templates carry your logo, items, product photos and terms and conditions, with the PM Surya Ghar subsidy applied in the proposal. Share the PDF on WhatsApp. Use the terms section to list the papers the customer must supply.
• Customisable lead stages, labels, follow-up reminders and activity log: add stages such as "Registered", "Feasibility" and "Inspection requested". Label each lead with its Door and Band, and set a reminder for each clock above.
• Team members with permissions, dashboard and team report: review every open Telangana job in one place each Monday.

You can try the calculator on the homepage now, and see how the subsidy appears on a customer proposal in the proposal generator.

What to do this week

1. List every open Telangana job. For each, write the Door, the Band, the gate it has reached and the next due date.
2. Run the stamp check on your templates and quotations. Remove any 1 MW ceiling, 21-day or 30-day promise, 75 kW inspector threshold, twice-a-year settlement line and TSSPDCL form names.
3. Ask the subsidy question first. Settle Door 1 or Door 2 before the OTP step, and record the customer's own mobile number.
4. Write to your division office with four questions: whether GST is added to the fee (the payment screen and receipt will show it), who supplies the net meter and at what price, how much headroom the transformer has, and what the current notified settlement rate is.

Frequently asked questions

Is TSSPDCL the same as TGSPDCL?

Yes. TGSPDCL, the Southern Power Distribution Company of Telangana Limited, is the name on its website, its December 2025 guidelines and the 2025 Regulation. Older forms on the same site still say TSSPDCL. The northern districts are served by TGNPDCL.

What is the current process for TGSPDCL net metering?

TGERC Regulation 1 of 2025 (15 November 2025) and TGSPDCL's December 2025 guidelines. File under "Rooftop solar" on tgsouthernpower.org or at the office, pay the fee, get feasibility, sign the agreement, install, then the DISCOM inspects, fits the meter and commissions. PM Surya Ghar customers apply on the national portal.

What is the maximum size for net metering in Telangana?

Up to 500 kWp for all categories except temporary supply, and up to 100% of sanctioned load for residential and Government consumers or 80% for others. The FAQ page that says 1 MWp is from the 2016 regime. Gross metering goes up to 1 MWp.

How much is the TGSPDCL application fee for rooftop solar?

The Regulation and TGSPDCL's guidelines say ₹2,500 for LT and ₹15,000 for HT, per connection. For PM Surya Ghar applications the flow chart says charges come on the first bill. Neither says whether GST is added to the fee, so check the payment screen and the receipt. Fees can change by circular, so ask the division office for the current fee in writing.

Is a feasibility study needed for a 5 kW rooftop system?

No. Under clause 6.6, a complete application up to 10 kWp is deemed accepted with no feasibility study, and the DISCOM does any matching load increase. Above 10 kWp it has 15 working days, and silence means deemed approval.

When is CEIG approval needed in Telangana?

Above 56 kWp. The consumer must insure the system and get a Chief Electrical Inspector certificate, due within 15 working days of the information being received. Up to 56 kWp the consumer self-certifies. Pages that say 75 kW are from the 2016 regime.

How are surplus units paid under net metering in Telangana?

Monthly, at the lowest solar tender tariff of the previous financial year, adjusted in the next bill or paid to the bank account given at filing. TGERC notifies the rate yearly, and we found no current figure. A monthly minimum bill still applies.

Does Telangana give a state subsidy on top of PM Surya Ghar?

We found no Telangana government page announcing a per-kW cash top-up. The Clean and Green Energy Policy 2025 promises 100% net SGST reimbursement on household rooftop projects, but we found no claim procedure. Ask for the government order if a customer quotes a top-up.