How to Verify a PM Surya Ghar Vendor Before You Sign, 2026

The PM Suryaghar: Muft Bijli Yojana puts ₹78,000 of central subsidy on the table for residential rooftop solar, and that money is the single biggest reason vendor scams have exploded across India in 2025 to 26. Thousands of installers are empanelled under the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) scheme, and while the empanelment process is real, “empanelled” does not automatically mean “competent” or “stable”. Your job, as the homeowner about to sign a contract worth between ₹65,000 and ₹3 lakh, is to verify the vendor against a short list of checks that take less than 45 minutes and can save you from a worst-case outcome where the installer disappears, your subsidy is forfeited, and your panels under-perform for 25 years.

This guide gives you the 9-point scorecard we use internally at Heaven Green Energy when we audit competing vendors, walks through how to verify Approved List of Models and Manufacturers (ALMM) panel registrations and Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) inverter certifications, calls out the red flags that show up in 80% of bad quotes, and lays out the contract clauses a genuine PM Suryaghar vendor must agree to before you sign. Every check below works from your phone, and most use government portals directly, no middleman, no paid services.

Direct answer. Verify any PM Suryaghar vendor against nine checks before signing: registration on the PM Surya Ghar national portal, ALMM-listed panels, BIS-certified inverters (IS 16221 and IS 16169), valid Goods and Services Tax (GST) registration, documented prior installations, written warranty terms, employee strength, a named escalation path, and basic financial stability. Cross-check on pmsuryaghar.gov.in and mnre.gov.in. Heaven Green Energy clears all nine and is India’s #1 ranked PM Suryaghar installer.

If you are at the stage where two or three vendors have sent quotes and the prices are 15 to 25% apart, the cheapest is almost never the right answer, the gap usually hides off-list panels, missing warranties, or a contractor who will not exist in two years. The scorecard below explains how to separate signal from noise.

Why Vendor Verification Matters Before PM Suryaghar Approval

PM Suryaghar is a Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) scheme, the ₹78,000 subsidy reaches your bank account only after your Distribution Company (DISCOM) commissions the bi-directional net meter and uploads the commissioning certificate to the national portal. Every step in that chain depends on the vendor: the application paperwork, the panel and inverter selection, the installation quality that passes DISCOM inspection, and the post-installation handover documents. A weak vendor breaks the chain at any one of those points, and the consequence is not just delay, it is the entire ₹78,000 going un-disbursed because the installation fails DISCOM compliance.

The harder cost is what happens after the meter is energised. Solar panels are a 25-year asset; inverters are a 5 to 10 year asset; the mounting structure is a 25-year asset. When a vendor disappears within two years, and our internal data suggests roughly one in four PM Suryaghar vendors active in 2024 are unreachable by 2026, you are left holding warranties that nobody honours, an Operations and Maintenance (O&M) gap that nobody fills, and panel under-performance that nobody investigates. The system keeps generating, but at 70% of its rated output, which silently doubles your payback period from three years to six.

There is also a regulatory dimension. Under MNRE’s guidelines, DISCOMs, MNRE or other designated agencies can inspect installed plants, and a vendor whose systems are substandard or break the scheme rules can be penalised or de-registered. Registered vendors must also repair and maintain the system free of cost for 5 years from commissioning, an obligation that is worth little if the vendor has gone. Verifying that your vendor will still be empanelled three years from now is part of the diligence, not an optional extra.

The good news is that verification is not technically hard, it is just rarely done. Most homeowners pick the first installer who walks into their living room with a printed brochure. The minutes you spend cross-checking on the MNRE and pmsuryaghar.gov.in portals compound into 25 years of system performance.

The 9-Point Suryaghar Vendor Verification Scorecard

This is the framework we built after auditing competing quotes on behalf of 800+ homeowners. Each criterion is binary, pass or fail, and a vendor must clear at least seven of the nine to be safe. Five or fewer is a hard reject. The scorecard takes 30 to 45 minutes to complete end-to-end, and every check is free.

Let’s break down what each criterion actually means, why it matters, and what failure looks like in practice.

Criterion 1, Portal registration. Every vendor who claims they can install under PM Suryaghar must appear in the empanelled list on the national portal. The list is searchable by state. If a vendor’s name is not in the list, the subsidy will not release for their installation, and any work they do is effectively private (no scheme benefit). Vendors sometimes claim “we apply under our partner’s name”, this is allowed but you must independently verify the partner is empanelled and that your application is in fact submitted under the partner’s portal credentials.

Criterion 2, ALMM panel access. The Approved List of Models and Manufacturers is the official MNRE register of solar panels eligible for government schemes. PM Suryaghar requires DCR panels, modules made in India from Indian-made cells, that are on ALMM List-I. A vendor offering a panel that is not DCR or not on List-I, typically a cheaper imported module rebranded for the Indian market, will fail DISCOM inspection, and you will lose the entire ₹78,000 subsidy. The vendor’s quote must name the exact panel model number, and you must verify that model on the official MNRE ALMM list.

Criterion 3, BIS inverter certification. Inverters must comply with Indian Standard IS 16221 (general safety) and IS 16169 (utility interconnection). The Bureau of Indian Standards issues a Registration (R-) number for compliant products. Cross-check the model and R-number on the BIS product certification register. An inverter without a valid R-number cannot legally be connected to the DISCOM grid.

Criterion 4, GST registration. A serious solar installer is a regular Goods and Services Tax filer with three or more years of returns. Composition scheme filers (small contractors with under ₹1.5 crore turnover) often cannot issue the kind of invoices the subsidy reimbursement requires. Search the GST number on gst.gov.in and confirm “Active” status with no cancellation history.

Criterion 5, Prior installations. A vendor who has done fewer than 100 PM Suryaghar systems is still learning the workflow, they will make procedural mistakes that delay your subsidy. Ask for a list of recent installations with consumer names, DISCOMs, and dates, and call two or three at random. Genuine installers are happy to share references; vendors who refuse are hiding poor delivery.

Criterion 6, Written warranty terms. Performance warranty (panel output ≥ 80% at year 25) should run 25 years. Product warranty on panels should be 10 to 12 years. Inverter warranty should be 5 years standard, extendable to 10. Workmanship warranty on the mounting structure and wiring should be 5 years. If any of these are verbal or absent, the vendor is taking on no obligation post-installation.

Criterion 7, Employee strength. Vendors who run on contract labour only, with no permanent technicians, cannot service your system long-term. Ask for EPFO contribution proof, or look at LinkedIn employee count. A genuine PM Suryaghar installer at residential scale should have 20+ full-time staff.

Criterion 8, Escalation path. The contract must name a grievance officer with a working phone and email. If your only contact is the salesperson, you have no recourse when problems surface in year 2 or 3.

Criterion 9, Financial stability. Search the vendor’s company name on the Ministry of Corporate Affairs portal (mca.gov.in). Confirm the company is “Active”, has filed its annual returns, and is not listed in any National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) insolvency proceeding.

For a complementary deep-dive on installer selection criteria beyond the PM Suryaghar scheme, read our how to choose a solar installer guide.

How to Check Vendor Registration on the National Portal

The national PM Suryaghar portal, pmsuryaghar.gov.in, publishes the empanelled vendor list by state, and the list changes as new vendors join and de-registered vendors are removed. Verifying a vendor takes under five minutes.

Step 1, Open the portal and navigate to the vendor list. From the homepage, look for “Find a Vendor” or “Empanelled Vendors” in the main navigation. The link is usually under the “For Consumers” section. The portal asks you to select your state and DISCOM (Distribution Company), for example, Rajasthan + JVVNL, Maharashtra + MSEDCL, or Uttar Pradesh + UPPCL.

Step 2, Search by vendor name or registration number. Each empanelled vendor has a PM Suryaghar registration ID. Ask the vendor for this ID upfront. Search the ID in the portal, a match returns the vendor’s name, registered address, contact details, and the states where they are authorised to install. A no-match means the vendor is not empanelled in your state, regardless of what their brochure claims.

Step 3, Check the vendor’s status and rating. The portal shows vendor profiles with ratings and performance data. Only vendors currently registered can be chosen for your application. Suspended vendors are mid-audit and should be avoided; de-listed vendors have failed quality reviews and must never be used.

Step 4, Cross-verify with the MNRE official channel. The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy website publishes scheme-level notifications and a blacklisted-companies page. If a vendor appears on an MNRE blacklist notice even while still listed on pmsuryaghar.gov.in, trust the MNRE notice.

Step 5, Verify the state-level mapping. Vendor registration is done at state level (or nationally through the National Programme Implementation Agency); where a state has several DISCOMs, MNRE’s guidelines have one nodal DISCOM or agency register vendors for all of them. Confirm the vendor shows under your state, and ideally has completed installations in your DISCOM’s area.

Step 6, Note the empanelment date. Vendors empanelled before mid-2024 have had time to clear the initial audit cycle. Vendors empanelled in the last six months are technically valid but unproven on volume. For a first-time PM Suryaghar applicant, prefer vendors empanelled for 12+ months, the workflow knowledge matters.

Step 7, Save a screenshot. Take a dated screenshot of the portal entry showing the vendor’s “Active” status. This is your evidence if anything goes wrong later, both for an MNRE escalation and for a consumer-court filing.

For homeowners who want to understand how the full subsidy application stacks on top of vendor selection, our PM Suryaghar complete guide maps the end-to-end process.

Verifying ALMM Panel and BIS Inverter Brands

Panels and inverters are 70% of the equipment cost and 100% of the long-term performance risk. Verifying them is technical, but the two government registers make it straightforward if you know where to look.

Verifying the ALMM Panel List

The Approved List of Models and Manufacturers is published by MNRE on the official ALMM page. List-I covers solar modules (List-II covers cells). Each module entry has:

• Manufacturer name (Adani Solar, Waaree Energies, Tata Power Solar, Vikram Solar, Premier Energies, Goldi Solar, etc.)
• Model number (down to the exact wattage variant, e.g., WSMD-540, ADS-545M)
• Wattage and cell technology (monocrystalline PERC, TOPCon, n-type)
• Date of approval and validity end-date

How to verify a panel quote against the list. Open the vendor’s quote and find the exact panel model number. Open the ALMM PDF (the list is a downloadable PDF, revised periodically). Use Ctrl+F to search the model number. A match, with valid date range, confirms the panel is ALMM-listed; then confirm in writing that it is a DCR module built with Indian-made cells. A non-listed or non-DCR panel is not eligible, and your subsidy will not release.

Common substitution scam. A vendor quotes “Waaree 540W” but installs a Waaree-branded module that is not the specific approved variant. The DISCOM inspector checks the panel serial against the ALMM model number, if the variant differs, the entire batch is rejected. Always ask the vendor to write the specific ALMM-approved variant code on the contract, and verify the serial-to-model mapping during commissioning.

Manufacturer strength within ALMM. ALMM has no tiers: a listed DCR module is eligible whoever makes it. Within the list, manufacturers with strong balance sheets and a long supply record are the safer bet for a 25-year warranty, so check the manufacturer’s financial standing and warranty terms, not just the listing.

Verifying the BIS Inverter Certification

Solar inverters in India must comply with two Indian Standards:

• IS 16221: general safety requirements for power converters used in photovoltaic systems.
• IS 16169: utility-interactive PV inverters, defines grid-connection behaviour, anti-islanding, voltage and frequency response.

The Bureau of Indian Standards issues an R-number (registration number) to each model that passes the type-test. Cross-check the inverter model on the BIS portal under “Product Certification, Compulsory Registration Scheme”. The R-number on the vendor’s datasheet must match the BIS register.

Trusted inverter brands in 2026. Sungrow, Solis, Growatt, Microtek, Delta, Polycab, and Havells are common in the Indian residential market, but certification is model-specific, so check the exact model’s BIS registration rather than the brand. Avoid no-name imports, even if cheaper; an inverter without valid BIS registration fails verification and the DISCOM will refuse grid connection.

Single-phase vs three-phase. Systems up to 3 kW typically use single-phase inverters; 3 to 10 kW residential systems are usually three-phase. The inverter on your quote must match your DISCOM’s connection type. A single-phase inverter on a three-phase home is a common substitution error that creates billing chaos.

For a side-by-side breakdown of common substitution scams in vendor quotes, see our analysis of red flags in solar quotes.

Red Flags in PM Suryaghar Vendor Quotes

The eight signals below show up in roughly 80% of the bad quotes we audit. Any one of them is a yellow flag; two or more is a hard stop.

1. 1
   Quote does not name the exact panel model. "540W mono panel" without a manufacturer name and model number is a placeholder, not a commitment. Insist on the exact ALMM-listed variant code in writing before paying any advance.
2. 2
   Inverter brand listed as "premium" or "imported" with no model. The BIS R-number is the only proof of grid eligibility. No model means no R-number means no DISCOM approval.
3. 3
   Total quote is 20%+ below the next-lowest competitor. The 2026 floor cost for a quality 3 kW system is around ₹1.55 lakh before subsidy. Anything sub-₹1.30 lakh is cutting corners on panel grade, mounting steel thickness, or wiring gauge.
4. 4
   Vendor asks for 50%+ advance before DISCOM feasibility approval. Standard practice is 20 to 30% on order, 50% on material delivery, 20% on commissioning. Heavy front-loading is the disappearance pattern.
5. 5
   Warranty is verbal or written without manufacturer endorsement. Panel and inverter warranties must be issued by the manufacturer, with the vendor as the facilitator. A vendor-issued "lifetime warranty" is worth nothing once the vendor closes.
6. 6
   No mention of net meter cost or DISCOM application fee. Genuine vendors itemise these. Hidden charges of ₹6,000–₹10,000 surface at commissioning if the original quote was silent.
7. 7
   Vendor pressures you to sign the same day. Real installers know you need 2 to 3 days to compare quotes. Same-day urgency is a sales pattern targeting first-time buyers.
8. 8
   Vendor refuses a site survey before quoting. Any installer who quotes from a phone call alone is sizing the system blind. Roof orientation, shading, structure type, and cable run length all affect the price, a real quote requires a physical visit.

For a longer set of probing questions to use during the site survey, our questions to ask a solar installer playbook gives you the exact phrasing.

What a Genuine Suryaghar Vendor Contract Looks Like

The contract is where verbal promises become legally binding obligations. A well-drafted PM Suryaghar contract has eleven clauses minimum. Walk through this checklist before signing.

If any of these clauses is missing or vague, request a revision before signing. Genuine vendors accept this kind of detail, it is in their interest to be specific, because it protects them from frivolous claims too.

Mid-article check-in. If you have already received two or three quotes and you want a free, no-obligation audit against this 9-point scorecard, send us the PDFs. We will score each vendor in 24 hours and flag the specific weaknesses, at no charge, even if you choose a different installer. Get your free quote and audit →

A separate guidance note: the contract must reference the relevant Goods and Services Tax rate (5% on solar power generating systems and modules since 22 September 2025; where supply and installation are billed together as a works contract, the 70:30 deemed split works out to about 8.9% overall) and your GST treatment as a residential consumer (you cannot claim input credit, so the GST is a final cost to you). Some vendors omit the GST breakup to make their quote look cheaper, always reconcile pre-GST and post-GST line items.

The 4-Quote Verification Method

Comparing one or two quotes is too small a sample to detect outliers. The 4-quote method is the minimum we recommend to any homeowner serious about getting the right system at a fair price. Here is how it works.

Step 1, Source the four quotes from different vendor categories. One large national installer (we are biased, Heaven Green qualifies, but so do a handful of others), one regional installer with strong local references, one DISCOM-recommended vendor from the PM Suryaghar portal list, and one homeowner-referral installer (someone a friend has used and rates highly). The diversity of sources surfaces different blind spots.

Step 2, Standardise the spec sheet. Send each vendor the same one-page brief: target capacity, monthly bill, roof type and area, sanctioned load, and a request that the quote specifies exact ALMM panel model, BIS inverter model, mounting structure type, and warranty schedule. Without this standardisation, you are comparing apples to oranges and the cheap-looking quotes are usually the lower-spec ones.

Step 3, Score each quote on the 9-point scorecard. Open a spreadsheet, put the criteria as rows and the vendors as columns, and fill in pass/fail. Highlight the failed cells in red. A vendor scoring 9/9 is rare and worth a premium; 7/9 is acceptable; 5/9 or below is a reject.

Step 4, Normalise the price. Compute ₹ per kW for each vendor after backing out the panel and inverter wattage differences. A 3 kW system with 545W panels (5 panels + 50W headroom) is not directly comparable to a 3 kW system with 540W panels (5 panels + 100W headroom) until you adjust for the actual DC capacity installed.

Step 5, Test the warranty claim. Call the panel manufacturer’s customer-service number (printed on the panel datasheet) and ask whether the vendor is an authorised channel partner. Manufacturers usually answer this in two minutes. An “unknown” vendor cannot pass on the manufacturer warranty.

Step 6, Verify two reference installations. From the prior-installations list, call two random homeowners. Ask three questions: how long did the full process take, are you getting the generation the vendor promised, and would you use them again. Three out of three positive answers is a clean pass.

Step 7, Negotiate from the middle, not the bottom. The cheapest quote is almost never the best signal of fair price. Anchor on the median of the four, and negotiate the top two vendors down. Saving ₹5,000 on a system that will run for 25 years is meaningful; saving ₹25,000 by switching to the cheapest vendor is almost always a downgrade in panel grade, mounting steel, or warranty.

Pros and cons of DIY vendor search vs the PM Suryaghar empanelled list

The combination wins: start from the empanelled list to satisfy criterion 1, then apply the remaining eight criteria yourself. Pure DIY without the empanelled-list filter is the highest-risk path; relying on the empanelled list alone, without the other eight checks, is the most common mistake. The hybrid model is what the 9-point scorecard is built for.

Verdict. The PM Suryaghar empanelled list is the necessary entry filter, but it is not the sufficient guarantee. Combine portal verification with the eight technical, contractual, and financial checks in the scorecard. The 30 to 45 minutes of work eliminates 95% of the avoidable vendor failure cases.

For a complementary view on the rejection mechanics, including what happens after a bad vendor’s application fails DISCOM review, see PM Suryaghar rejection reasons.

How Heaven Green Energy Helps with Vendor Verification

Heaven Green Energy is MNRE-empanelled across 25+ Indian cities and has been ranked the #1 PM Suryaghar installer on the national portal. We have completed 10,000+ installations and run a 120+ member team. Every one of the 9 scorecard criteria is a clean pass on our side, and we are happy to be audited against any competing vendor on the same yardstick.

For homeowners who want help verifying competing quotes, not necessarily switching to us, our advisory team offers a free quote-audit service: send us the quotes you have received, and within 24 hours we score each vendor on the 9-point scorecard and call out the specific gaps. There is no obligation to use Heaven Green afterwards; the audit is part of how we build the PM Suryaghar consumer base toward higher diligence overall.

Explore the services that match your project scope:

• Residential Solar: 1 to 10 kW PM Suryaghar systems with all 9 scorecard criteria documented, end-to-end DISCOM workflow handled, and 25-year performance guarantee.
• Solar EPC Services: turnkey delivery for housing societies, commercial premises, and industrial rooftops with the same vendor-grade documentation extended to every layer of the supply chain.
• About Heaven Green: our company story, certifications, and office locations.
• Contact: request a quote audit, a site survey, or a written response to any of the 9 scorecard criteria.

If you are within 30 days of signing with a vendor and you have not yet completed the 9-point scorecard, please pause. The check is free, fast, and the downside of skipping it is years of degraded system performance you will not be able to fix afterwards.

For installers: you can also become a Heaven Green channel partner.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many vendors are empanelled on the PM Suryaghar portal?

Thousands of installers are empanelled nationally, registered at state level through the state DISCOM or nodal agency or nationally through the National Programme Implementation Agency. The number changes as new vendors are added and others are de-registered, and the state-level distribution is uneven. Always verify the empanelment status for your state, and ask for installations in your DISCOM’s area.

Can a vendor claim PM Suryaghar subsidy without being on the empanelled list?

No. MNRE’s guidelines say the scheme is implemented only through vendors registered on the national portal, and you must choose a registered vendor to receive the ₹78,000 subsidy. You apply and track the application from your own consumer login, but an installation by a non-empanelled installer does not qualify. Any vendor who claims otherwise, typically by saying “we will use our partner’s portal access”, must still be verified through that partner’s empanelment record, which you should check independently on pmsuryaghar.gov.in.

What is the difference between ALMM List-I and List-II?

List-I covers solar modules and is the listing threshold for PM Suryaghar and most central-government solar schemes. List-II covers solar cells. It matters to homeowners too: PM Surya Ghar already requires DCR modules made from Indian-made cells, and MNRE’s O.M. of 18 July 2026 applies ALMM List-II to net-metering projects commissioned from 1 June 2026, with an exemption window for such projects only until 31 December 2026. As a homeowner, check both: the module model on your vendor’s quote must appear on the current List-I published at mnre.gov.in, and the vendor should confirm in writing that its cells are domestic (DCR).

How do I verify a BIS R-number for an inverter?

Open the Bureau of Indian Standards portal and navigate to “Product Certification” or “Compulsory Registration Scheme (CRS)” search. Enter the R-number printed on the inverter datasheet, a valid R-number returns the manufacturer name, model number, IS standard (IS 16221 or IS 16169), and validity dates. If the search returns no match, the inverter is not BIS-certified for India, will not pass DISCOM inspection, and must not be installed.

What should I do if my vendor disappears mid-installation?

First, file a written complaint on the PM Suryaghar portal under your application reference number, this creates an MNRE audit trail. Second, contact your DISCOM’s renewable energy cell and explain the situation. The DISCOM can pause the application and allow a vendor switch without restarting the workflow, provided the new vendor is also empanelled. Third, contact an established vendor registered on the PM Surya Ghar national portal (Heaven Green Energy will take such cases) to assess what has been installed and what remains. Fourth, for any advance you have paid the disappeared vendor, file a consumer-court complaint under the Consumer Protection Act 2019.

How much should a 3 kW PM Suryaghar system cost in 2026?

The all-in 2026 cost for a quality 3 kW residential system using ALMM-listed tier-1 panels and BIS-certified inverters runs ₹1.55–₹1.85 lakh before subsidy. After the ₹78,000 PM Suryaghar central subsidy and any applicable state top-up, the consumer’s out-of-pocket cost lands at ₹77,000–₹1.07 lakh depending on the panel grade, inverter brand, mounting structure, and city. Anything under ₹1.30 lakh before subsidy is almost certainly cutting corners on equipment grade, verify the exact panel and inverter models against the ALMM and BIS registers before signing.

Is a vendor with a five-star Google rating automatically trustworthy?

No. Google reviews are easy to manipulate and reflect mostly the sales experience, not the post-installation reality at year 2 or 3. Treat Google ratings as a weak positive signal and run the 9-point scorecard regardless. A vendor with a 4.2 rating on 600 genuine reviews is a stronger signal than a vendor with a 5.0 rating on 40 reviews. Cross-check with reference calls to actual installed homeowners, that is the highest-signal proof of post-installation performance.

Does Heaven Green Energy operate in my state?

Heaven Green Energy is MNRE-empanelled across 25+ Indian cities and handles PM Suryaghar applications end-to-end in Rajasthan (JVVNL, JdVVNL, AVVNL), Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi NCR, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu among others. Send us your DISCOM name and we will confirm coverage within the same day, share our empanelment certificate for that DISCOM, and schedule a free site survey if you wish to proceed.