When you reach the vendor-selection step on the PM Suryaghar portal in 2026, you’ll see a list of portal-registered installers in your DISCOM area, and next to rated vendors, a rating. Most homeowners scroll past it. That’s the most expensive mistake in the entire ₹78,000 subsidy journey. Your installer’s PM Suryaghar vendor rating isn’t a vanity score; it’s the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy’s (MNRE) signal of which installers customers and inspectors rate well and which ones leave applications stranded. A well-rated vendor makes a clean journey from application to bank credit far more likely. A poorly rated or untested vendor raises the risk of months of rework, inspection failures, and sometimes a forfeited subsidy.
This guide explains how MNRE calculates the Suryaghar vendor rating, what factors move the score up or down, what specifically happens when you pick a low-rank installer, and how to verify rank before you sign anything. We’ve drawn on data from our own installations across 25+ cities and the public vendor performance data published on the national PM Suryaghar portal.
Direct answer. PM Suryaghar vendor ratings come from MNRE’s Vendor Rating Programme framework: vendors registered on the national portal are rated once they have at least 50 portal installations, on consumer feedback and, for larger vendors, site quality inspections (which check compliance with standards such as ALMM panels) and a techno-financial assessment. Top-ranked installers like Heaven Green Energy, currently #1 on the national portal, tend to get the ₹78,000 subsidy disbursed faster and with fewer rejections than low-rank vendors.
If you’re at the vendor selection screen right now and trying to decide between three or four installers, the vendor rating is the most useful number on the page. The rest of this guide tells you why.
What Is the PM Suryaghar Vendor Rank?
The PM Suryaghar vendor rating is the score MNRE’s Vendor Rating Programme framework (24 July 2024) gives vendors registered on the national portal once they have at least 50 installations through it. It’s published openly: under the framework, the rating appears on the vendor’s profile and in the vendor list you see when you log in, select your state, select your DISCOM (Distribution Company), and reach the vendor-selection page. Equipment rules such as ALMM (Approved List of Models and Manufacturers) compliance apply to every installation, whatever the vendor’s rating.
The rating is built from up to three scores. Every rated vendor gets a consumer feedback score, a simple average of the ratings customers give through the portal and the National Call Centre, including a follow-up two to six months after installation, with weight for how the vendor resolves grievances. Vendors with more than 250 portal installations also get a quality assessment score, from physical inspection of randomly selected sites, and a techno-financial assessment of their capacity, manpower and finances. The overall rating is a simple average of the applicable scores.
MNRE introduced the system because, as its framework puts it, the rooftop vendor ecosystem is unorganised, there are no standardised ratings in the market, and consumers need help “to differentiate between them on the basis of their credibility and performance”. Making vendor performance visible on the portal is the response. For the full context on how the scheme works end-to-end, our PM Suryaghar complete guide walks through the policy backbone.
The practical implication for you: the rating is a public signal of execution quality that does not depend on the vendor’s word. It reflects feedback from real homeowners and, for larger vendors, independent site inspections. Treat it the way you’d treat a credit score on a loan, not the only factor, but a strong predictor of how the next 90 days will go.
The 5-Factor Suryaghar Vendor Rank Score
We call this the 5-Factor Suryaghar Vendor Rank Score: five dimensions we use to judge any installer. Installation count, grievances and equipment compliance feed into MNRE’s official rating; inspection pass rate and subsidy success are questions to put to the vendor directly. Each has a direct relationship to whether your subsidy lands in your bank account on time.
Factor 1: Installations Completed. The raw count of commissioned systems a vendor has delivered through the national portal. MNRE’s framework uses it to set the vendor’s tier: fewer than 50 is unrated, 50 to 250 is Tier III, more than 250 is Tier II and more than 1,500 is Tier I. New registered vendors start at zero; established installers like Heaven Green Energy have multi-thousand counts. Low counts don’t automatically mean poor work, but they create variance, a vendor with 20 installations could have a 100% success rate or a 50% one, and the small sample tells you little. Vendors with 1,000+ completed installations show statistically reliable performance.
Factor 2: On-Time DISCOM Inspection Pass Rate. Percentage of installations where the DISCOM net meter inspection passed on the first attempt. Failed inspections trigger rework, re-earthing, panel repositioning, structure modifications, and add weeks to the timeline. This is not a published input to MNRE’s rating (the closest is the site quality assessment for Tier I and II vendors), so ask the vendor for the figure.
Factor 3: Subsidy DBT Success Rate. Of completed installations, what fraction had the central subsidy successfully credited to the consumer’s bank account (or loan account, if financed) without rejection after DISCOM approval? This catches end-to-end execution quality. A vendor who finishes installation but submits sloppy commissioning documentation triggers DBT rejections that bounce back to the homeowner. MNRE does not publish this per vendor either, so ask.
Factor 4: Customer Complaint Ratio. Grievances raised against the vendor on the national portal, relative to its installations. Complaints cluster around abandoned projects, hidden charges, post-installation defects, and warranty disputes. MNRE’s framework scores grievance handling inside the consumer feedback score, on resolution time and on the customer’s feedback about the outcome.
Factor 5: ALMM Panel Adherence. Whether the vendor exclusively uses ALMM-listed (Approved List of Models and Manufacturers) tier-1 panels, Adani, Waaree, Tata, Vikram, and similar, across all installations. Non-ALMM panels disqualify the subsidy outright. Site quality assessments under MNRE’s rating check compliance with relevant standards and the quality of materials. For context on how to spot ALMM compliance, our Suryaghar vendor list verification walks through the lookup.
The framework matters because it tells you what to ask a vendor before signing: “What’s your DISCOM inspection pass rate?” and “What’s your DBT success rate?” are the two questions that map directly to factors 2 and 3, and any installer who can’t answer them in numbers isn’t a top-ranked installer regardless of what their salesperson says.
How MNRE Calculates and Publishes Vendor Ranks
The mechanics matter because they tell you how reliable the number is. MNRE set them out in its Framework for Vendor Rating Programme (24 July 2024), and the National Programme Implementation Agency (NPIA) runs the programme on the national portal.
Consumer feedback is collected through the portal and the National Call Centre, including a call two to six months after installation about post-installation service. Site quality assessments are done by Approved System Assessors on sites the portal picks at random, 5% of a Tier II vendor’s installations and 2% of a Tier I vendor’s, with 10% of those re-checked by a supervisory assessor. The techno-financial assessment is done by the NPIA from documents the vendor uploads on a self-declaration basis, so it is the one input that rests on the vendor’s own paperwork.
There is a single rating per vendor, shown on the vendor’s profile and in the vendor list, with the component scores and state-level scores shown alongside. An installer who runs a tight operation in their home state but extends weakly to a new state will see that gap in the state-level score, so check the score for your own state, not just the headline number.
| Tier | Portal installations | Rating built from |
|---|---|---|
| Unrated | Fewer than 50 | No rating |
| Tier III | 50 to 250 | Consumer feedback on quality and service |
| Tier II | More than 250, up to 1,500 | Consumer feedback, quality assessment, techno-financial assessment |
| Tier I | More than 1,500 | Consumer feedback, quality assessment, techno-financial assessment |
Source: MNRE, Framework for Vendor Rating Programme under PM-Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana, 24 July 2024. Tier III ratings are automatic; Tier II and Tier I need the vendor to apply and pay a rating fee. Tier I vendors at the 90th percentile of their tier are encouraged to become “Champion Vendors”.
What Happens When You Choose a Low-Ranked Vendor
This is the part most homeowners discover after they’ve already signed and paid an advance. The consequences of picking a low-rank installer aren’t theoretical, they show up at specific stages of the application, each with a measurable cost in time, money, or lost subsidy. Across hundreds of recovery cases we’ve handled for homeowners who came to us after a failed first attempt with another vendor, six failure patterns repeat.
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1
Application stalls at DISCOM feasibility. Low-rank vendors often submit incomplete or incorrectly formatted feasibility documents. The DISCOM returns the application; the vendor doesn't respond within the 15-day window; the application auto-closes and you restart from scratch.
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2
Non-ALMM panels installed. The vendor quoted cheap by sourcing off-list Chinese-origin panels. DISCOM inspection fails. You either rip out the panels (vendor refuses) or forfeit the ₹78,000 subsidy entirely.
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3
Inspection failure on earthing or structure. Cheap structures rust; under-spec earthing fails the IS 3043 audit. Rework adds 30 to 45 days and the DBT clock restarts from the new commissioning date.
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4
Commissioning documentation rejected. Photos missing, serial numbers mismatched, single-line diagram incorrect. MNRE rejects the DBT request and the subsidy bounces back to PFMS. Recovery requires re-submission and 30 to 60 more days.
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5
Mid-project abandonment. The vendor disappears after collecting 50 to 70% advance. No installation completed, no refund, no recourse beyond a grievance on the national portal.
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6
No warranty fulfilment. Inverter fails in year 2; the vendor doesn't respond to service requests. The 5 to 25 year warranty exists on paper but is unenforceable when the installer has gone dark.
The numbers behind these patterns matter. Across our tracked cohort, Heaven Green Energy’s application rejection rate sits at roughly 6%, largely because we screen for the failure modes above before submission. For a deeper read on rejection causes and how to recover from them, see our PM Suryaghar rejection reasons guide.
How to Check a Vendor’s Rank on the National Portal
Verifying rank takes less than three minutes and doesn’t require any registration if you already have your DISCOM consumer number. Here’s the exact sequence.
Two additional verification steps add confidence. First, ask for two or three recent installations near you that you can call or visit. Second, ask the vendor to share their portal profile screenshot in a WhatsApp message; a legitimate top-ranked vendor will send it within minutes because it’s a marketing asset for them. Hesitation or “we’ll send it tomorrow” is a red flag, see our red flags in solar quotes guide for the broader checklist.
If you’re comparing two vendors with similar ranks but very different quotes, the rank breaks the tie heavily in favour of the higher-ranked one even if their price is 5 to 8% more. The expected value of a subsidy collected on time exceeds the marginal cost difference, almost always. For a fuller framework on installer selection beyond rank, see how to choose a solar installer.
High-Rank vs New Vendor, When Each Makes Sense
The default advice is “always pick a top-ranked installer,” and for most homeowners that’s correct. But there are edge cases where a newer empanelled vendor could be reasonable, small towns where top-rated vendors have no presence, niche project types (off-grid hybrid, very small RWA common-area systems) where specialisation matters, or budget constraints where a 5 to 10% price difference genuinely changes affordability. The trade-offs are real and worth laying out clearly.
- + Higher DISCOM inspection first-pass rate
- + Subsidy paperwork usually right first time
- + ALMM tier-1 panels by default
- + Multi-city service network for warranty
- + Document pre-check eliminates rejections
- − Quote typically 5 to 10% above market floor
- − Waitlist of 2 to 4 weeks during peak season
- + Lower headline price (5 to 15% under market)
- + Immediate start, no waitlist
- + May serve micro-towns top vendors skip
- − Lower inspection first-pass rate
- − Subsidy often delayed by paperwork errors
- − Higher abandonment risk mid-project
- − Warranty enforcement uncertain
The honest reading: a newer vendor can work if you’re a contracting professional who can audit panel BOM yourself, manage DISCOM paperwork independently, and accept the longer DBT timeline as a known cost. For the typical residential homeowner who wants the system installed and the subsidy in the bank without becoming a project manager, a top-ranked installer is a structurally better choice. The price gap is usually narrower than it looks, top-ranked vendors save you the rework, document re-submission, and inspection re-scheduling that low-rank quotes hide.
A practical heuristic: if the lowest-priced quote you’ve received is more than 12% under the top-ranked vendor’s quote in your DISCOM, treat it as a warning sign rather than a bargain. The math behind the discount almost always traces to a cost cut that affects rank, non-ALMM panels, lighter structure, skipped earthing depth, or unverified inverter sourcing.
Mid-decision pause. If you’re already comparing quotes and the rank gap is making the decision harder, send all the quotes to our team. We’ll cross-check rank, panel BOM, and pricing benchmarks against our installation database and give you a no-cost second opinion within 24 hours. Talk to Heaven Green Energy →
How Heaven Green Energy Reached #1 Rank
We didn’t start at the top. When PM Suryaghar launched in 2024, Heaven Green Energy was one of many registered installers across India, and our initial rank reflected the lack of installation count in the scheme’s first quarter. The climb to #1 over the next eighteen months came from a few deliberate operating choices that map onto the 5-Factor Suryaghar Vendor Rank Score described earlier.
On Factor 1 (installations completed), we scaled deliberately rather than chasing volume, adding cities (25+) and installers (120+ team members) only when the local DISCOM relationships and supply chain were ready. This kept inspection pass rates stable as we grew. On Factor 2 (inspection first-pass), we built a pre-commissioning audit step that runs before the DISCOM inspector arrives: site engineer photographs every connection point, validates serial numbers against the application, and uses an internal checklist mapped to IS 3043 earthing and inspection-pass requirements. This pushed our first-pass rate to 91%.
On Factor 3 (DBT success), we instituted a documentation review at the time of commissioning upload, catching the small errors (mismatched serials, missing photos, incorrect single-line diagrams) that cause most DBT rejections. The result: our DBT success rate sits at 94%. On Factor 4 (complaint ratio), we run a post-installation follow-up at 30, 90, and 180 days, small generation issues get caught before they escalate into formal complaints. Our complaint ratio is under 0.8%.
On Factor 5 (ALMM adherence), we made a structural decision early: only ALMM-listed Adani Solar panels across every project, with no off-list sourcing under any commercial pressure. Combined with BIS-certified QBits inverters, this gave us 100% ALMM compliance across 10,000+ installations.
The rank is the public output of these choices. We don’t treat it as a marketing badge; we treat it as a forecast obligation. Every time the rating updates, we’re effectively telling the next batch of PM Suryaghar applicants what to expect from us. The bar to stay at #1 is higher than the bar to reach it, and the operational discipline that gets you there is the only thing that keeps you there. Our About page carries the full company story for context.
How Heaven Green Energy Helps
If you’re at the vendor-selection stage of PM Suryaghar, or earlier, just thinking about going solar, Heaven Green Energy is empanelled across every major DISCOM in our coverage area. Our team handles the entire workflow end-to-end, with rank-grade execution at every step.
What you get with an HGE installation:
- Pre-application document audit: we catch the Aadhaar, ownership, and bill-format errors that cause 80% of first-attempt rejections, before you submit on the portal.
- DISCOM feasibility coordination: direct relationships with feasibility cells at JVVNL, BSES, MSEDCL, and other major DISCOMs cut typical response times.
- ALMM-listed Adani Solar panels only: as an authorised Channel Partner of Adani Green Energy, with full BOM disclosure on every quote. No off-list sourcing.
- BIS-certified QBits inverters: warranty claims handled directly by HGE, not the manufacturer; ask for the written warranty terms.
- Pre-inspection audit: our internal checklist catches earthing, structure, and labelling issues before the DISCOM inspector arrives, holding first-pass rate at 91%.
- DBT documentation review: commissioning uploads are reviewed by a documentation specialist before submission, holding DBT success at 94%.
- 25-year performance support: backed by structured O&M contracts and a multi-city service network.
Explore the services that match your project:
- Residential Solar: 1 to 10 kW rooftop systems with the full PM Suryaghar workflow handled end-to-end.
- Solar EPC Services: turnkey delivery for larger projects with performance guarantees.
- About Heaven Green Energy: our installation track record, team, and operating principles.
- Contact our team: free quote within 24 hours including rank-verified vendor comparison.
For a deeper look at how to evaluate any solar installer against the broader checklist of operational signals, not just PM Suryaghar rank, see our solar installer selection guide. And if you’ve already received a quote you want a second opinion on, our team will benchmark the BOM, structure spec, inverter sourcing, and EPC (Engineering, Procurement, Construction) terms against our installation database and tell you whether the price is fair, the panel brand is genuinely tier-1, and the warranty terms are enforceable. No obligation, 24-hour turnaround.
A final note on rank as a tool: the number itself is useful, but the operating discipline behind it is what actually moves your subsidy into your bank account. When you talk to any installer, Heaven Green Energy or otherwise, ask them to walk you through their pre-commissioning audit, their DBT documentation review process, and their ALMM panel sourcing policy. The answers will tell you more than any sales pitch. Rank is a snapshot; process is the engine that produces the rank month after month.
For installers: see how installers can partner with Heaven Green.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the PM Suryaghar vendor rank actually measure?
Under MNRE’s Vendor Rating Programme framework (July 2024), the rating measures consumer feedback on quality and service for every rated vendor, including how grievances were handled, plus a site quality assessment and a techno-financial assessment for vendors with more than 250 portal installations. Vendors need at least 50 portal installations to be rated. The overall rating is a simple average of the applicable scores and is shown on the portal with its component scores and state-level scores.
How often does MNRE update PM Suryaghar vendor ranks?
MNRE’s framework does not publish a fixed refresh schedule. Consumer feedback is collected through the portal and the National Call Centre, including a follow-up two to six months after installation, so a vendor’s rating moves as new feedback comes in. Check the rating close to the day you sign rather than relying on an old screenshot.
Is Heaven Green Energy really ranked #1 nationally on PM Suryaghar?
Yes, as of 2026, Heaven Green Energy holds the #1 rank on the national PM Suryaghar portal among empanelled installers, with 10,000+ completed installations across 25+ cities. The rank is visible to any applicant who reaches the vendor-selection step on pmsuryaghar.gov.in. You can verify by logging in, selecting your state and DISCOM, and viewing the vendor list, HGE appears at the top of the sorted list in our coverage states.
What is the difference between portal registration and PM Suryaghar rank?
Registration is a binary status: a vendor is either registered on the PM Suryaghar national portal or not. Registration requires basic documentation, GST registration, technical qualifications, and a startup track record. The rating is the ongoing performance score among registered vendors. An installer can be registered but unrated (fewer than 50 portal installations) or poorly rated because of poor execution. Always check both: registration confirms eligibility to install under PM Suryaghar; the rating shows whether they actually execute well.
Can a low-ranked vendor still get me the ₹78,000 subsidy?
In principle, yes, the subsidy is determined by your system size and DISCOM commissioning, not by the vendor’s rank. In practice, low-ranked vendors fail the steps that trigger the subsidy: their applications get rejected at feasibility, their installations fail DISCOM inspection, or their commissioning documentation gets rejected by MNRE. Across our recovery cohort of homeowners who first attempted with low-rank vendors, roughly 25 to 30% lost the subsidy entirely or faced 6+ month delays.
How do I verify a vendor’s rank before signing the contract?
Log into pmsuryaghar.gov.in, select your state and DISCOM, navigate to the vendor selection screen, and check the vendor’s rating. Take a screenshot dated to the day you decide. Cross-check the vendor’s registration in the portal’s vendor list. Ask the vendor to send you their portal profile screenshot, a top-ranked installer will share it within minutes. If the vendor hesitates or claims rank is “not relevant,” treat that as a warning sign.
Does PM Suryaghar rank affect the subsidy amount I receive?
No, the central subsidy amount is fixed by MNRE based on system size: ₹30,000 for 1 kW, ₹60,000 for 2 kW, ₹78,000 for 3 kW and above. Rank affects only the probability and speed of receiving the subsidy. A top-ranked vendor doesn’t get you more money; they get you the money faster and with higher reliability. The financial value of high rank is in reduced delay risk and zero forfeiture risk, not in a larger subsidy.
What should I do if my installer’s rank drops after I’ve signed?
Ratings change as new feedback comes in, and a dip after you sign isn’t automatically a problem, the operational execution on your specific project is what matters. Hold the vendor to the original SLA on the contract. If you see warning signs (missed timelines, document errors, slow communication), escalate via the PM Suryaghar grievance portal. For severe cases, you can switch vendors mid-application; the PM Suryaghar complete guide walks through the switch process.