Rooftop solar for housing societies in Surat.
Your Surat society's common meter pays for lifts, water pumps, corridor lights and the basement, every month, out of maintenance. A terrace plant cuts those units. We survey the roof, size the plant against the common-area bill, prepare the papers your committee needs, and file net metering with DGVCL or Torrent Power, whichever bills the society.
Get a survey for your society's terrace
Send the common-area bill and the number of floors. An engineer calls the secretary or chairman back and books a terrace survey at a time the committee can attend.
Prefer to talk? +91 63904 05060
The short answer
A Surat housing society can put a rooftop solar plant on its terrace and connect it to the common-area meter that runs lifts, pumps and lighting. Each kilowatt produces 4 to 4.5 units a day here. Under MNRE's PM Surya Ghar operational guidelines (June 2024), Residential Welfare Associations and Group Housing Societies receive ₹18,000 per kW of central support for common facilities. That applies on up to 3 kW per house and 500 kW in all. The plant is net-metered through DGVCL or Torrent Power, depending on which licensee bills the society.
Last reviewed 2 October 2026 · Heaven Green Energy engineering team
What a Surat society's common meter actually pays for
Start with the common-area bill, not the flats. That one connection carries the loads every resident shares, and it is the connection a society-owned terrace plant is built to offset.
Most Surat apartment buildings have two kinds of electricity connection. Each flat has its own meter in the owner's name. The society has one or more common connections in its own name, and those carry the shared building. Maintenance charges pay that bill, so every flat feels it.
The common bill grows with height. A ground-plus-four building in Varachha draws little beyond stair lights and a pump. A fourteen-storey tower along the Adajan or Vesu side runs several lifts, booster pumps, fire pumps, basement ventilation, gate automation and often a clubhouse. Those loads run every day of the year, which is why a society plant rarely sits idle.
The catch is timing. Solar produces between roughly nine and four, while corridor and compound lights burn at night and pumps often run at dawn. Net metering bridges that gap: daytime surplus goes to the grid and is set against the units you draw after dark. We read twelve months of common-area units before suggesting a size, because a plant matched to the bill earns its keep and an oversized one fails feasibility.
Lifts
Lift motors draw in short heavy bursts through the day and evening, with peaks at office and school hours. In a tall tower they are usually the largest line on the common bill. Solar does not run a lift directly; it reduces the net units the lift account consumes across the month.
Water pumps
Transfer pumps fill overhead tanks from the underground sump, and booster pumps hold pressure on upper floors. Many committees can shift filling to late morning with a timer, which moves that load into solar hours and leaves less surplus to bank against night consumption.
Common lighting
Staircase, corridor, parking, compound and signage lights burn from dusk to dawn. This is the load solar cannot meet in real time, so it is carried by the export credits the plant earns at midday. Switching old fittings to LED before sizing often trims the plant you need.
Basement, clubhouse and EV points
Basement exhaust fans, the gym, a clubhouse air conditioner and new EV charging points all sit on common meters in newer Surat towers. EV charging is growing fastest. Tell us what the committee plans to add over five years, because sizing for tomorrow's load is cheaper than a second plant.
How the numbers work for a society, in units
Judge a society plant by the units it removes from the common bill. Rupee savings depend on the tariff category printed on that bill, so we work them out with your treasurer from the actual bill, not on this page.
Count units, then convert. A 25 kW terrace plant in Surat generates about 100 to 112 units a day, or roughly 36,500 to 41,000 units a year. A 10 kW plant gives about 1,200 to 1,350 units a month. Put those beside the units on twelve common-area bills and you know what share of the shared load the terrace can carry. The treasurer converts that to money using the society's own tariff, which we will not guess.
Sanctioned load caps the size. The licensee checks the proposed plant against the common connection's sanctioned load. If the society's connection is small and the bill is large, the load may need revising before a bigger plant is approved. Matching daytime use matters too, because units used directly on site are worth the full tariff, while banked exports are settled under the GERC framework.
Tax works differently from a business. A company claims 40% accelerated depreciation on solar generating systems under Appendix I of the Income Tax Rules. Most cooperative housing societies have little taxable income, so that benefit is usually small; ask the society's auditor. GST applies in full: 5% on solar equipment and 18% on the 30% service share of a supply-and-install contract, about 8.9% blended since 22 Sep 2025. A society normally cannot claim input credit, so treat the GST-inclusive figure as the real cost.
Central support has its own rules for societies. MNRE's PM Surya Ghar operational guidelines (June 2024) set ₹18,000 per kW for a Group Housing Society or Residential Welfare Association plant serving common facilities, EV charging included. The money goes to the resident body that looks after the common areas, such as an apartment owners' association or a cooperative housing society, not to a member. The supported connection must feed common facilities only and cannot supply the flats. The modules must be DCR, made in India from Indian cells, or the plant loses the support entirely.
| Plant size | Units a year |
|---|---|
| 25 kW | 36,500 – 41,063 |
| 50 kW | 73,000 – 82,125 |
| 100 kW | 1,46,000 – 1,64,250 |
| 250 kW | 3,65,000 – 4,10,625 |
| 500 kW | 7,30,000 – 8,21,250 |
Indicative installed cost at 25 kW: ₹10.75–13.50 lakh (market range, not a quotation). Larger plants are priced after a load study of your bills and roof.
This is what we actually build.
Heaven Green Energy installations across India. Not stock photography, and not renders.
Terrace and building constraints in Surat high-rises
A high-rise terrace is crowded, windy and shared. The usable area is what remains after tanks, lift rooms, access paths and fire routes, and the survey measures exactly that.
Usable terrace area
Overhead water tanks, lift machine rooms, staircase heads, dish antennae and telecom equipment all cast shadows and take floor space. Parapets shade the outer edge in winter. We map the shadow-free area by season, then decide between a flat layout and an elevated structure that lifts modules clear of tanks and parapets.
Wind, waterproofing and fire access
Wind pressure rises with height, so a fourteenth-floor array needs a structure designed for that exposure, not a ground-floor kit. We anchor without breaking the waterproofing where possible and seal every penetration. Fire escape routes, the terrace door and any refuge area stay clear, because the building's fire compliance depends on them.
Cabling, metering and approvals
Cable runs from the terrace down a shaft to the common-meter room, often ten or more floors. We size conductors for that distance, add surge protection and earthing, and fit isolators the licensee can inspect. The plant connects only to the society's common connection, never to an individual flat's meter.
Approvals: who does what.
Two approvals matter: the society's own decision, then the licensee's. We prepare papers for both, but the committee resolution must exist before the licensee will look at the file.
Society resolution and documents
We draft the proposal, layout and Bill of Materials the committee tables. The society passes its resolution and authorises a signatory. We then collect the common-area bill, registration certificate and resolution copy for the application.
UsApplication and feasibility
We file in the society's name with the licensee named on the common bill. The licensee checks the plant against the connection's sanctioned load and the local transformer, then releases feasibility or asks for a load revision.
Us, then DGVCL or Torrent PowerInstallation and inspection
We install after feasibility, never before. The licensee inspects protection, earthing, isolation and metering on the terrace and in the meter room before the plant is energised.
Us, then DGVCL or Torrent PowerBidirectional meter and credits
The licensee fits a bidirectional meter on the common connection and the commissioning record issues. Export credits on the common account start from that date, not from the day installation finished.
DGVCL or Torrent PowerThree ways to fund the plant.
Societies pay for solar in three ways, and the committee usually picks one at the general body meeting. Each needs a clear resolution recorded in the minutes.
From the sinking or repair fund
Many Surat societies hold a sinking fund for major repairs. Using part of it for a terrace plant needs a resolution and, depending on your bylaws, general body approval. The advantage is speed: no collection drive, no loan, and the lower common bill starts helping every flat from the first month.
A one-time contribution per flat
The committee divides the cost across flats, usually equally or by flat area, as the bylaws direct. This keeps the sinking fund intact for lifts and waterproofing. It works best when the proposal shows each owner the units the plant removes from the common bill they already share.
Instalments through a finance partner
Where the fund is thin and owners resist a lump sum, the plant can be financed and repaid in instalments from maintenance collections. We introduce our finance partner and give you the paperwork. Read the repayment terms against the common-bill reduction before the committee signs anything.
How the project runs.
Five steps from the first call to export credits on the society's common account.
Where we work from
Surat is our head office city. Heaven Green Energy works from Mota Varachha. The engineers who survey your society's terrace, supervise installation and meet DGVCL or Torrent Power inspectors are our own Surat team. Most of the city's housing societies are a short drive away.
Terrace survey · Day 1 to 3
An engineer measures shadow-free terrace area, checks tanks, parapets and access, reads the common connection's sanctioned load and collects twelve months of common-area bills.
Committee proposal · Day 4 to 7
You get a written layout, plant size, Bill of Materials, annual unit estimate and price, plus a one-page summary the secretary can circulate to every flat owner.
Society decision · Set by the society
The committee or general body approves the plant and the funding route. We attend the meeting if asked and answer owners' questions on roof safety and waterproofing.
Filing and installation · After feasibility
We file with DGVCL or Torrent Power, wait for feasibility, then install. A society terrace usually takes several working days, scheduled around residents and lift use.
Inspection and meter · Set by the licensee
The licensee inspects and fits the bidirectional meter. We hand over monitoring access, warranties and the maintenance schedule to the committee, not to one resident.
What businesses say after a year.
These are Heaven Green residential customers, shown with the city each system was installed in. Society plants follow the same survey, filing and licensee inspection steps described above.
My electricity bill dropped from ₹7,800 to less than ₹400 in two months. PM Suryaghar paperwork, DISCOM approval, net meter, they handled everything.
Residential · Surat · 5 kW
Booked the site visit on Friday, got a full proposal with shadow analysis on Monday. The drone survey caught a chimney shadow our previous quote missed.
Residential · Surat · 4 kW
Got the full ₹78,000 PM Suryaghar subsidy credited within 30 days of commissioning. Not one extra trip needed, they did all the follow-up.
Residential · Vadodara · 6 kW
Six things to check with any vendor.
- A society plant connects to the common-area meter that runs lifts, pumps and lighting, not to individual flats.
- Surat is split between DGVCL and Torrent Power, so the licensee named on the common bill is the one you apply to.
- Each kilowatt in Surat generates 4 to 4.5 units a day; a 25 kW plant gives about 36,500 to 41,000 units a year.
- MNRE's PM Surya Ghar operational guidelines (June 2024) give an RWA or Group Housing Society ₹18,000 per kW for common facilities. The cap is up to 3 kW per house and 500 kW overall.
- Usable terrace area is what is left after tanks, lift rooms, parapet shadows and fire routes.
- The committee needs a recorded resolution and a funding route, whether sinking fund, per-flat contribution or instalments.
Housing society solar in Surat, answered.
Cost & output
How much does a solar plant for a Surat housing society cost?
How many units will our society's plant produce?
Will solar run our lifts during a power cut?
Licensee & approvals
How do we know whether DGVCL or Torrent Power serves our society?
Who signs the net-metering application for a society?
Can individual flat owners claim PM Surya Ghar on the same terrace?
Roof & engineering
Is our terrace big enough?
Will panels damage our terrace waterproofing?
Can modules go on a fourteen-storey terrace safely?
Finance & tax
What GST does a society pay on a solar plant?
Can a society claim accelerated depreciation?
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