Net Metering in Punjab: How PSPCL Credits Your Export

Net metering comes up in almost every solar conversation, yet it is rarely explained properly. This is what happens at the meter.

A meter that counts in both directions

A standard electricity meter only counts what you draw from the grid. A net meter is bi-directional, so it also counts what your solar system sends back to PSPCL whenever you generate more than you are using, which for most homes means the middle of a sunny day. Your bill is based on the net of those two flows over the billing cycle.

Why export is worth less than the units you use

This is where simple solar arithmetic tends to go wrong. PSPCL credits exported surplus at a rate set under PSERC’s net metering regulations, and that rate differs from the tariff you pay for the units you use. Unit for unit, export is generally worth less than power you use yourself.

That is why sizing a system to cover 100% of your annual use usually wastes money. The extra capacity mostly produces surplus that is exported at the lower rate, while a system sized to a sensible net target turns more of its output into savings at your tariff.

What this means for sizing

We size a system so that most of what it generates is used directly, or so that it brings your net use under Punjab’s 300-unit free-usage line. Once export credit is part of the picture, a bigger system is no longer automatically a better one.

Where the net meter fits in the process

PSPCL fits and inspects the net meter as part of installation, and that inspection triggers the commissioning certificate that moves the PM Surya Ghar subsidy forward. Our subsidy guide and what happens on installation day show where it sits in the overall sequence.

One detail we always confirm

For homes near the 300-unit line, it matters whether Punjab’s free units apply to your gross consumption or to your net consumption after solar. We check this against real post-installation bills for your connection type before we quote.