1 kW · Price & fit
A 1 kW plant attracts about ₹30,000 in central assistance and generates roughly 120–150 units a month. It is also the size where fixed costs hurt most, which is why the useful part of this page is not the price — it is knowing whether 1 kW, 2 kW, or waiting is right for you.
Indicative 2026 bands
| Stage | Typical band (on-grid residential) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Gross turnkey quote | ≈ ₹65,000–95,000 | Panels, inverter, structure, cabling, labour; GST as billed |
| Central assistance (eligible) | ≈ ₹30,000 | ₹30,000 per kW for the first 2 kW; DBT after commissioning |
| Indicative net | ≈ ₹35,000–65,000 | Gross minus assistance; state top-ups, if any, are extra and change |
| Roof needed | ≈ 8–10 m² shadow-free | Plus room to reach the modules for cleaning |
| Typical generation | ≈ 120–150 units/month | Lower in wet states; reduced by shade, heat and soiling |
Last reviewed
Here is the part that confuses people. Central assistance is commonly ₹30,000 per kilowatt for the first two kilowatts, so at 1 kW you receive the same rate per kilowatt as someone installing 2 kW. On paper you are not being penalised at all.
Yet 1 kW still comes out worse, and the arithmetic shows why. Take the middle of each price band. A 1 kW plant at roughly ₹80,000 gross, less ₹30,000, nets about ₹50,000 for one kilowatt. A 2 kW plant at roughly ₹1,40,000 gross, less ₹60,000, nets about ₹80,000 for two kilowatts — ₹40,000 each.
So the second kilowatt costs you around ₹30,000 while the first costs ₹50,000. The subsidy rate did not change; what changed is that the second kilowatt did not have to pay again for the portal application, the net meter process, the trip to your roof, the earthing or the waterproofing. Those were bought once, with the first kilowatt carrying the whole bill.
Translate it into generation and the gap is starker. That extra ₹30,000 buys you a second 120–150 units a month indefinitely — the cheapest capacity available to you at any size. Which is why going from 1 kW to 2 kW is usually the best-value decision on this entire page, and why the third kilowatt is better still, being part-subsidised on top. The breakdown is in 2 kW price; the point where extra capacity stops being subsidised at all is in 3 kW vs 5 kW.
Those numbers are illustrative and your quotes will differ — the shape is the lesson, not the rupees. Whenever you compare two sizes, divide the difference in net cost by the difference in capacity rather than comparing headline prices.
None of the above means 1 kW is never correct. It means it needs a reason beyond "cheapest option".
Planning conservatively at four to five units per kilowatt per day across the year, expect roughly 120–150 units a month. What that is worth depends on your tariff and on timing. Units consumed while the panels are generating avoid your full retail rate; surplus exported settles for less under your state's rules — see net metering.
On a small bill the absolute saving stays modest even when the percentage looks impressive, and that is the number that pays back your investment. A plant covering most of a ₹500 bill is saving you a few hundred rupees a month against a net cost in the tens of thousands. The thresholds are laid out in ₹500 bills and ₹1,500 bills.
It sounds prudent and it rarely is. Expanding means paying mobilisation, access and much of the paperwork a second time, and it often means the inverter is the obstacle — a unit sized for 1 kW generally will not carry three, so you either replace it or run a second system alongside.
If you expect consumption to rise materially, the better plan is usually to wait until it justifies the size you actually want, rather than to install the smallest plant now. If you do go ahead and expansion is a real possibility, raise it before the inverter is selected so headroom can be specified deliberately.
If your consumption is consistently low — under roughly 150 units a month — a rooftop plant of any size struggles to justify itself, because the savings are capped by what you were paying in the first place. We would rather say that than sell you a system that never pays back.
A better sequence: take twelve months of units off your bill, reduce obvious waste first, watch how your usage and tariff move over a year, and revisit when the numbers clearly support at least 2 kW. Solar is not going anywhere, and the scheme has been running long enough that waiting a season is not a lost opportunity.
Run the free home check from your bill and we will tell you whether 1 kW, 2 kW or waiting is the honest answer. Related: 2 kW price · 3 kW price · PM Surya Ghar · costs & payback.
Gross turnkey quotes for a standard on-grid 1 kW residential plant commonly land somewhere around 65,000 to 95,000 rupees depending on city, roof access, structure specification and inverter choice. Central assistance of about 30,000 rupees for an eligible plant brings the indicative net cost to roughly 35,000 to 65,000 rupees. The band is wide because at this size a larger share of the price is labour, paperwork and metering rather than hardware.
Central assistance under the residential scheme is commonly 30,000 rupees per kilowatt for the first two kilowatts, so an eligible 1 kW plant typically attracts about 30,000 rupees, released by direct benefit transfer after commissioning. A 2 kW plant attracts about 60,000 and a 3 kW plant reaches the ceiling of about 78,000. Verify current figures on pmsuryaghar.gov.in, since scheme terms are revised from time to time.
Planning conservatively at four to five units per kilowatt per day averaged across the year, expect roughly 4 to 5 units daily or about 120 to 150 units a month. High-irradiance dry regions sit at the upper end and long-monsoon states at the lower end, and shade, heat derating, dust and orientation all pull the real figure down further. Use an annual figure rather than a clear-day figure when judging any savings claim.
Because most of the job does not shrink with capacity. Liaison and portal paperwork, the net meter application and DISCOM process, mobilising a team to your roof, earthing, the cable run from array to meter, safety equipment and waterproofing every penetration cost close to the same whether you install one kilowatt or three. Only the modules and part of the structure scale down. Those fixed costs are therefore spread across the least possible capacity, giving 1 kW the highest rupees-per-watt figure of any size and the weakest payback.
In three narrow situations. When a state programme specifically funds a small plant for a defined cohort, sometimes around one kilowatt, making your upfront cost minimal. When your genuinely shadow-free roof area is under roughly 10 square metres, so nothing larger physically fits. And when a low sanctioned load caps you and you do not wish to pay for an enhancement. Outside those cases the arithmetic usually favours either 2 to 3 kW or waiting.
It depends entirely on your tariff and on when you use power, not on the panel count. Around 120 to 150 units a month of generation is worth full retail value only for the portion you consume while the sun is up; the surplus is exported and settles for less. On a small bill the absolute saving is modest in rupee terms even when the percentage looks impressive, which is why payback on the smallest systems tends to be long.
Expanding later is usually more expensive than building the right size once, because you pay mobilisation, scaffolding and paperwork twice, and because your existing inverter may not accept the additional capacity. If you expect consumption to rise, it is generally better to wait until your usage justifies the size you actually want than to install a small plant and add to it. Discuss headroom with the installer before the inverter is chosen if expansion is genuinely likely.
