WBSEDCL Net Metering Application Steps for West Bengal Installers

A West Bengal installer who searches "WBSEDCL net metering" finds three different answers on the same website. One WBSEDCL page says net metering needs a three-phase connection and a system of 5 kW or more. A 2021 procedure says net metering stops at 5 kW and anything larger must take net billing. WBSEDCL's own 2025 procedure says net metering runs from 1 kW up to 500 kW. Only the last one is current.

Quote the wrong one and a customer with a 3 kW single-phase home hears "not eligible", or a 12 kW shop owner waits for a study the rules say is not needed. This guide reads the current papers page by page and turns them into a filing sequence and a list of deadlines. 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 WBSEDCL's solar pages and PDFs, the Gazette copy of the regulations that WBSEDCL hosts, WBERC's order of 11 November 2025 on Procedure-C (2025), the Electricity (Rights of Consumers) Rules and CESC's rooftop page. WBERC's own website did not load from our network, so the regulations are read from the Kolkata Gazette copy on wbsedcl.in. WBSEDCL's consumer portal is behind a login, so we have not seen its screens. Confirm the fee and the form version on the portal on the day you file.

Which WBSEDCL page is current? The Stamp check

WBSEDCL's website still serves three generations of rooftop rules side by side. A customer who finds an old page will quote it back to you, so know what each one is.

We call the method the Stamp-and-Clock Check. The first half is the Stamp check. Before you trust any WBSEDCL number, ask three questions of the document in your hand:

1. Does it name Procedure-C (2025) or the regulations of 31 July 2025?
2. Does it show a fee of ₹1,000 or ₹5,000 and forms up to S5 and S6?
3. Does it allow net metering from 1 kW up to 500 kW?

If any answer is no, you are reading older paper. The second half, the Clock, comes later: write down every due date the day the acknowledgement arrives.

CESC is a separate licensee. WBERC's 2025 table of capacity limits names four licensees: WBSEDCL, CESC, DVC and IPCL. The Regulations apply to all, but each runs its own procedure and portal. CESC's rooftop guideline page lists the same three arrangements and the same 1 to 500 kW limit for net metering, and names its own single point of contact. This guide covers WBSEDCL only. The header of the customer's bill tells you which licensee applies. For the national picture see our DISCOM-by-DISCOM net metering list.

What the 2025 rules allow: three arrangements

The Regulations let a prosumer (a consumer who also feeds power into the grid) opt for net metering, net billing or gross metering. They also allow a battery, as long as the inverter stops battery power from flowing into the grid when the grid is down. Here is the comparison, taken from regulations 12, 15 and 17 of the WBERC Regulations and WBSEDCL's Procedure-C (2025).

Source: WBERC Regulations 2025, regulations 9, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17 and 18, Kolkata Gazette, 31 July 2025. The settlement period runs 1 April to 31 March (regulation 2).

Rules that decide a real job:

• Size cap. Installed capacity must not exceed the customer's contract demand or sanctioned load. Government-funded projects may go higher if the scheme allows it, subject to technical feasibility and the customer paying any network upgrade.
• Transformer limit. Rooftop capacity on a feeder or distribution transformer cannot exceed 100% of that feeder's or transformer's capacity. Applications are served first come, first served.
• Net metering quota. Regulation 13 says WBSEDCL must permit net metering systems of at least 100 MW in 2025-26 and 195 MW in 2026-27 in total. Applications that arrive after the limit is full move to the next financial year, though WBSEDCL may allow more.
• Other charges stay. Fixed or demand charges, surcharges and duties still apply to the customer's bill under all three arrangements.
• Time-of-day customers. A prosumer already on a time-of-day tariff keeps it under net metering: consumption in each time block is offset by generation in the same block, and any excess moves to the next lower-tariff block (regulation 14(4)). The simple unit subtraction in the table is for a flat tariff.
• Tenants and societies. The model application form asks whether the applicant is owner or tenant and needs a no-objection certificate from the owner for a tenant. A registered Resident Welfare Association can apply as a prosumer.
• Switching. A prosumer can switch category once in a financial year. Unsettled units are converted at the feed-in tariff.

For the basics, see our net metering glossary entry and the net versus gross metering comparison.

Which arrangement pays? A worked example

The feed-in tariffs in WBSEDCL's deck for 2025-26, set by WBERC, are ₹3.73 per kWh for EHV, ₹3.89 for HV and ₹4.37 for L&MV. The deck gives no 2026-27 figure, so ask for the current year's number. Under regulation 11, once a feed-in tariff is written into the agreement it stays valid for the 25-year useful life of the system. Our feed-in tariff entry explains the term.

Illustrative month, with assumptions: a low-voltage home, retail tariff taken as a flat ₹7.00 per kWh, feed-in tariff ₹4.37, no credit brought forward. The solar system generates 400 kWh, the house uses 140 kWh of it directly and exports 260 kWh, and it imports 420 kWh from the grid. Total consumption is 560 kWh. Fixed charges, duties and surcharges are left out.

In a surplus month, say 150 kWh imported and 300 kWh exported, net metering bills zero and carries 150 kWh forward. Net billing also bills zero (imports ₹1,050, exports ₹1,311) and carries ₹261 forward. Under both, the leftover resets to zero at the start of the next financial year.

Leftover net metering units are not paid for. If a customer has read our banking explainer, which describes a payout of unused units in many states, tell them West Bengal's 2025 Regulations reset the balance to zero. The settlement period ends on 31 March.

The eight gates from S1 to synchronisation: the Clock

WBSEDCL's flow chart in Procedure-C (2025) marks eight steps with the letters A to H. We keep its letters so you can match your notes to its chart. The Regulations define a day as a clear working day (regulation 2), so the WBSEDCL-side limits below count working days.

Sources: WBSEDCL Procedure-C (2025), clauses 6.1 to 6.12 and the time schedule at clause 7.0, issued with WBERC order OA-534/25-26 of 11 November 2025; WBERC Regulations 2025, regulation 5; WBSEDCL deck flow chart (Guideline.pdf), checked 31 Oct 2026.

Up to 10 kW, the Regulations say a complete application is deemed accepted without a feasibility study, and WBSEDCL's flow chart sends it straight from the acknowledgement to the go-ahead and quotation. This matches rule 11(7A) of the national Electricity (Rights of Consumers) Rules as amended on 22 February 2024 (G.S.R. 125(E)), and the 15 days for connection after the installation certificate matches rule 11(9). The time-schedule table in the procedure and regulation 5(5) give the 15-day and 20-day clocks only for systems above 10 kW, while the flow chart draws the 20 days for both. For a system up to 10 kW we therefore treat the 20 days as WBSEDCL's own target and not as a deemed-acceptance trigger. See our guide to feasibility clearance for what a study checks.

Two of the clocks are yours, and missing them ends the job. A quotation not paid within its validity is deemed terminated, and Procedure-C (2025) says the application is cancelled and the application fee forfeited. If you do not install and file within the window, the application is deemed cancelled and WBSEDCL refunds the quotation after deducting its expenses, without interest, within 30 days. Put both dates on the customer's record the day the quotation arrives. The Regulations define a day as a clear working day, but we found no sentence on how quotation validity is counted, so treat 90 calendar days as your deadline.

Fees, forms and documents

The fee and the quotation are different money. The application fee goes in at gate A. The quotation, with meters and any upgrade, comes at gate D.

The charges page also says the fee for testing the installation is "to be notified". Ask your WBSEDCL office what it is before you quote the customer a total.

Before you file, run these five checks:

1. 1

   Read the bill header

   Confirm the licensee (WBSEDCL or CESC). Copy the consumer number and consumer ID exactly, as both go on the form.

2. 2

   Match system size to sanctioned load

   The system cannot exceed sanctioned load or contract demand. If it must, ask WBSEDCL to enhance the load. Regulation 6(7) says this comes "with the recovery of expenditure, if any"; the national rule says the DISCOM does the matching load increase for systems up to 10 kW, so ask in writing what, if anything, WBSEDCL will charge.

3. 3

   Owner or tenant

   A tenant needs the owner's no-objection certificate attached. Collect it at the site visit.

4. 4

   Choose the arrangement and its agreement form

   Form S2 is the agreement for net metering, S3 for net billing and S4 for gross metering. Choose with the customer using the worked example above.

5. 5

   Fix the meter route and the fitness test

   Decide whether WBSEDCL supplies the meters or the customer presents their own. Book the OEM fitness certificate, tested at an NABL-accredited centre, which goes in with form S5.

At gate F the paperwork is: the signed agreement (S2, S3 or S4), the self-certified installation certificate (S5), the certificate of fitness, and either clearance from the office of the Chief Electrical Inspector of West Bengal or self-certification on form S6. Clause 6.11 says the S6 route is for "supply voltage below notified voltage" under the CEA Safety Regulations, 2023, and WBSEDCL's deck prints "(11 kV)" beside it. WBSEDCL's papers give no kW size above which an inspector must visit, so ask your office which route your customer's supply voltage falls under. For when an inspector's clearance is needed and how to get it, read our CEI approval guide. For the customer-side papers at the site visit, use our documents checklist.

After commissioning, the work continues. The customer must furnish a fresh certificate of fitness every three years for PV output up to 170 kW (200 kVA) and every two years above that. If the plant stays out of operation for more than six months, a new certificate is needed with CEI clearance or self-certification. WBSEDCL replaces a meter it supplied at its own cost if it fails within seven years without tampering or damage. Put the three-year date in your AMC calendar.

PM Surya Ghar customers in WBSEDCL's area

PM Surya Ghar subsidy is a separate process that sits on top of this one. MNRE's July 2025 guidelines give central financial assistance to residential consumers only. It is ₹30,000 per kW for the first 2 kW and ₹18,000 for the third kW, with nothing beyond 3 kW. A system of 3 kW or more therefore earns at most ₹78,000. Group housing societies and RWAs get ₹18,000 per kW for common facilities, at 3 kW per house up to 500 kW. Commercial and industrial customers get no central assistance, so they file as non-subsidy applicants and pay the fee at gate A.

What the West Bengal papers add:

• Fee. Procedure-C (2025), clause 6.2, exempts government-funded schemes from the application fee, and WBSEDCL's charges page lists zero for domestic consumers under a government subsidy scheme. The 2025 Regulations themselves list the fee without this exemption.
• Incentives. Both the Regulations (regulation 6(11)) and Procedure-C (2025) make WBSEDCL responsible for passing on central and state incentives to the prosumer.
• Inspection. MNRE's guidelines say the DISCOM inspects, signs the agreement and approves the application on the National Portal before subsidy is processed. WBSEDCL's own gates C to H still apply.
• State top-up. MNRE's guidelines allow states to add a subsidy. We opened no official West Bengal government page announcing one, so this guide states no state figure. If a customer quotes one, ask for the government order.

Vendors need WBSEDCL's empanelment. Its invitation under PM Surya Ghar, dated 15 May 2026 (handwritten on the notice), asks for sealed-cover applications at the Chief Engineer, Solar Power Generation Department, Newtown, Rajarhat, on working days from 10.00 to 17.30. Email applications are not accepted. It requires domestic content requirement (DCR) modules, at least three trained technical staff, a declaration and a performance bank guarantee of ₹2.5 lakh valid for five years. Names reach the list within a month. Read the full notice and our vendor portal guide before you apply, because terms change between invitations.

Your sales team's subsidy slabs should match MNRE's table above; our slab explainer has the detail.

When a gate stalls

The Regulations give you tools. Use them in order and keep a dated record of each. For a walkthrough that applies to any state, see our guide to how to apply for net metering in India.

1. Track the application. WBSEDCL must give a web-based tracking system linked to the registration number, covering receipt, site inspection, meter installation and commissioning.
2. Call the single point of contact. Regulation 6(4) requires WBSEDCL to display one from submission to commissioning. The helpline on WBSEDCL's contact page is 19121, available 24 hours.
3. Write, quoting the rule. For systems above 10 kW, regulation 5(5) says the proposal is deemed accepted if WBSEDCL does not communicate within the 20 days. For connection after the installation certificate, the limit is 15 days.
4. Remind the customer of their right. The national Rights of Consumers Rules say a licensee that delays without just cause pays the consumer at least ₹500 for each day of default. The compensation belongs to the customer, not to you, and WBSEDCL may argue it had just cause.
5. Escalate. After the licensee, the consumer can go to the grievance forum (rule 15 of the Rights of Consumers Rules: normally decided in 30 days, not beyond 45) and then the Ombudsman. Our feasibility clearance guide sets out the national route.

Your Stamp-and-Clock tracking table

Keep one row per application and review every row each Monday. The rows are illustrative: names, dates and sizes are made up. WBSEDCL-side dates count Monday to Friday with no holidays, so recount for Durga Puja and other holidays. Your own dates are in calendar days, the safe way.

Illustrative rows. Counting follows regulation 2 ('clear working day') for WBSEDCL-side limits. For quotation payment and installation we use calendar days, because we found no sentence on how WBSEDCL counts those periods.

Write the due date the day the acknowledgement arrives, not the day the customer asks.

How Quickest Solar CRM fits

WBSEDCL's portal and the National Portal are the official records. Your CRM is where your own team keeps the customer's quote, follow-ups and promises. Quickest Solar CRM has no link to either portal, so every status in the table above is typed in by a person, whichever tool you use.

What a West Bengal subsidy-led sales team can do with it:

• PM Surya Ghar subsidy calculator: the free calculator on our homepage gives a quick central subsidy estimate. It has no West Bengal option, so pick "Other", and its state subsidy line then reads zero. Check any 2 kW to 3 kW result against the MNRE slab above (₹30,000 per kW for the first 2 kW, ₹18,000 for the third) before a rep quotes it, because the calculator's figures in that range have not matched MNRE's table when we tested.
• 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.
• Customisable lead stages, labels, reminders and activity log: add stages such as "Quotation issued" and "Installing", label each lead with its arrangement, and set a follow-up reminder for the 90-day and 180-day dates. Filter leads by label to build the Monday list.
• Team members with permissions, dashboard and team report: the weekly review happens in one place, and each person sees only what you allow.

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 West Bengal application you have open. For each, write the licensee, arrangement, form, gate and the next due date on the Clock table.
2. Run the Stamp check on your own templates. Replace any 5 kW or 3-phase eligibility line, any ₹500 or ₹2,000 fee and any "net billing above 5 kW" wording.
3. Diarise your two clocks. For every quotation and go-ahead, set reminders at 60 days (pay) and 150 days (install and file S5 and S6).
4. Ask your WBSEDCL office three questions in writing: the testing fee, the 2026-27 feed-in tariff, and whether virtual or group net metering is allowed.

Frequently asked questions

What is the current process for WBSEDCL net metering?

It follows the WBERC Grid Interactive Rooftop Solar Regulations, 2025 (31 July 2025) and WBSEDCL Procedure-C (2025), which WBERC's order of 11 November 2025 directed WBSEDCL to implement "within one month from the issuance of this order" (paragraph 6.0). File Form S1 online or at the billing office, pay the quotation after the go-ahead, install, file forms S5 and S6, then WBSEDCL inspects, fits the meter and synchronises.

What is the minimum and maximum size for net metering in West Bengal?

The customer needs a sanctioned load or contract demand of at least 1 kW. Net metering covers 1 kW to 500 kW, or the contract demand or sanctioned load, whichever is lower. WBSEDCL pages that say 5 kW or more, or 5 kW as a ceiling, describe earlier procedures.

How much is the WBSEDCL application fee for rooftop solar?

The 2025 Regulations fix a non-refundable fee of ₹1,000 for LV and MV and ₹5,000 for HV and EHV, and WBSEDCL Procedure-C (2025) exempts government-funded schemes. WBSEDCL's Applicable Charges page still shows the 2021 figures of ₹500 and ₹2,000 plus GST, so confirm the amount on the portal first.

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

No. Under regulation 5(4), a complete application up to 10 kW is deemed accepted without a technical feasibility study, which matches rule 11(7A) of the national Rights of Consumers Rules as amended on 22 February 2024. Above 10 kW, WBSEDCL has 15 days for the study and 20 days to give the outcome, quotation and clearance, and silence means deemed acceptance.

How long do I have to install after the go-ahead?

Procedure-C (2025) gives 180 days from the go-ahead or deemed acceptance, extendable once by up to 90 days, to install and submit the installation certificate (S5) and S6 certification. After that the application is deemed cancelled and the quotation is refunded after WBSEDCL's expenses, without interest, within 30 days.

Do PM Surya Ghar customers pay the application fee?

Not under the papers we read. Procedure-C (2025) exempts government-funded schemes, and WBSEDCL's charges page lists zero for domestic consumers under a government subsidy scheme. They still pay the quotation for meters and any alteration of service. Commercial and industrial customers get no central subsidy.

What happens to unused units at the end of the year?

Under net metering, surplus units carry forward month to month and reset to zero at the start of each financial year. Net billing credit resets to zero too. Under gross metering, any credit at the end of the settlement period (1 April to 31 March) is paid by the licensee.

Does CESC follow the same process as WBSEDCL?

The 2025 Regulations apply to every licensee WBERC regulates, and CESC's rooftop page lists the same three arrangements and the same 1 to 500 kW net metering range. But CESC is a separate licensee with its own procedure, portal and contact. Check the bill header and use CESC's own documents.

Can West Bengal customers use virtual or group net metering?

We cannot confirm it. Regulations 1 to 22 of the 2025 Regulations mention neither, though a Resident Welfare Association may apply as a prosumer. MNRE's guidelines cover any arrangement a state regulator approves. Ask WBSEDCL in writing and watch for WBERC orders.