Scheme guide · Telangana
Gruha Jyothi gives eligible Telangana homes a zero bill up to 200 units a month. That one number decides whether a rooftop plant saves you money or sits on the roof repaying itself for a decade. Here is the rule, how it interacts with solar, and the state's own plan to put DISCOM-owned solar on Gruha Jyothi homes.
Last reviewed
Fast triage: Always under 200 units and on Gruha Jyothi? Your bill is already zero, so don't buy a plant; watch for the utility-led solar programme instead. Regularly over 200? The whole month is billed, and that is where solar earns. Not eligible at all? Size normally with the ₹78,000 PM Surya Ghar subsidy. Check your bill first.
| Item | What applies |
|---|---|
| Benefit | Zero bill for a domestic connection using up to 200 units in a month; running since March 2024 |
| Who | Households with a white ration card (food security card) linked to Aadhaar, applied through Praja Palana; one domestic connection per household; tenants can claim it on the connection they use |
| New applicants | Apply at Praja Palana offices; new ration card holders can join, as the government calls it a continuing scheme |
| Above 200 units | The month is billed in full at normal tariff (see the cliff) |
| Scale | 52.82 lakh beneficiaries across TGSPDCL and TGNPDCL; the state paid ₹3,593 crore of bills from March 2024 to December 2025 and sanctioned ₹2,080 crore for 2026-27 |
Some scheme websites say every domestic connection is covered automatically and that you pay only for units above 200. Neither matches what the government has said: eligibility runs through the ration card and Praja Palana, and the 200-unit limit is a ceiling, not a deduction.
Asked in the Assembly about units above 200, the Deputy Chief Minister said the scheme was announced for consumers who use less than 200 units. In practice that means a home on 195 units pays nothing, and a home on 215 units pays the normal bill for all 215. The jump between those two months is far bigger than 20 units of electricity.
This is why summer matters so much in Telangana. Many Gruha Jyothi homes sit at 150–190 units for most of the year and cross 200 in April and May, when fans, coolers and an air-conditioner run all day. Those are exactly the months when a rooftop plant generates the most.
Take twelve months of bills and note the units, not just the amount. Then find your band:
| Your monthly units | What Gruha Jyothi does | Our honest view on solar |
|---|---|---|
| Under about 170 all year | Zero bill every month | Don't buy. A plant saves next to nothing; wait for the DISCOM-led programme |
| 170–200, crossing 200 in summer | Zero most months, full bills in peak months | Borderline. First cut summer load (efficient fan or AC, timer on the pump). Only consider a small 1–2 kW plant after your DISCOM confirms how net-metered months are counted |
| 200–300 most months | Little or no benefit; full bills | Worth a proper check. 2–3 kW usually covers it; central subsidy ₹60,000–₹78,000 |
| Above 300, or not eligible | None | Size normally, 3 kW or more; see the Telangana hub |
TGREDCO's own sizing guidance points the same way: 1–2 kW for homes on 0–150 units, 2–3 kW for 150–300, and above 3 kW beyond that. The difference here is that a Gruha Jyothi home under 200 units has no bill to cut, so the sizing table answers "how big" only after you have answered "whether".
Telangana's net-metering regulation (Regulation 1 of 2025) lets domestic consumers install rooftop solar under net metering, with exports set off against imports in the bill. What we have not found is a published rule on how Gruha Jyothi treats a net-metered home: whether the 200-unit test is applied to net imported units, to gross consumption, or whether the benefit continues at all once solar is installed.
A calculator site claims you can "legally" keep the scheme by holding net imports under 200 units. It cites nothing, and we would not borrow money on that assumption. Before you sign a quote, ask your section office two questions, preferably in writing:
If the answer to either is unclear, size the plant on the assumption that you lose the benefit, and only buy if the numbers still work. Our Telangana solar loan guide walks through the same check for borrowers.
On 15 November 2025 the Telangana government approved rooftop solar of 4,066 MW for 20.33 lakh households under the utility-led aggregation (ULA) model, with TGREDCO as the implementing agency, and linked Gruha Jyothi with PM Surya Ghar. Within TGSPDCL, 10,11,533 households (about 2,023 MW) have been identified, and MNRE has given in-principle approval for 20,175 installations in the first phase.
The logic is simple: the state pays the bills of Gruha Jyothi homes, so solar on those roofs cuts the state's own cost. Under utility-led aggregation the DISCOM side arranges and installs the plant rather than the household hiring a vendor. Two practical points:
| Category | Registrations | Installed | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| PM Surya Ghar (homes) | 44,662 | 29,816 | 125.6 MW |
| Net metering (other consumers) | 30,259 | 29,777 | 640.9 MW |
| Model Solar Village | 4,335 | 3,190 | 6.4 MW |
In the north, TGNPDCL reports its own figures; see the TGNPDCL guide. For homes that do pay for units, the central subsidy is ₹30,000 for 1 kW, ₹60,000 for 2 kW and ₹78,000 for 3 kW or more, with no general state top-up for city homes. Steps: TGSPDCL guide · how to apply.
An independent advisory: not TGSPDCL, TGNPDCL, TGREDCO or an installer. We don't file Gruha Jyothi or PM Surya Ghar applications or sell panels. We read your bill and tell you honestly whether solar pays, including when the answer is "wait": free bill check for Telangana homes.
Not if you stay at or under 200 units every month. Your bill is already zero, so a plant has almost nothing to save. Solar starts to make sense when you regularly cross 200 units, because then the whole month is billed, or when you are not eligible for Gruha Jyothi at all.
The scheme covers households that use 200 units or less in a month. Answering in the Assembly, the Deputy Chief Minister said it was announced for consumers using less than 200 units; in a month you cross 200, you pay the normal bill for the whole month, not only for the units above 200. Some websites say you pay only the excess units; that is not how the government has described it.
We have not found a published rule that removes Gruha Jyothi from net-metered homes, or one that says the 200-unit test is applied to net imported units. Until your DISCOM confirms it in writing, ask your TGSPDCL or TGNPDCL section office how a net-metered month is counted before you buy or borrow.
The state approved 4,066 MW of rooftop solar for 20.33 lakh households under the utility-led aggregation model on 15 November 2025, with TGREDCO as the implementing agency, and has linked Gruha Jyothi with PM Surya Ghar. TGSPDCL has identified 10,11,533 households (2,023 MW) and MNRE gave in-principle approval for 20,175 installations in the first phase. Under this model the DISCOM side installs the plant; wait for your DISCOM to contact you rather than paying a private vendor for it.
Related: Telangana hub · TGSPDCL guide · TGNPDCL guide · Solar loan in Telangana · Free electricity vs solar, state by state
