KSEB Solar Bill Explained: Import, Export and Banked Units
A KSEB solar bill explained for a Kerala home starts with the same paper many people already know, then adds generation, import, export and banked-unit lines that ordinary domestic bills never show. Once your rooftop plant is net-metered, Regulation 28 of the KSERC Renewable Energy Regulations, 2025 tells KSEB what must appear each billing period and how credits and charges are worked out.
Quick answer: Your prosumer bill must show generation, zone-wise import and export with opening and closing readings, units consumed, the net energy billed or credited, fixed and other charges, and a separate banking statement. Fixed charges, meter rent and duty can still appear even when energy charges fall. Banked units carried to the next month lose 2%; leftover credit at financial-year end is monetised at the applicable APPC or FiT.
How a solar prosumer bill differs from an ordinary KSEB bill
Before solar, a typical LT-I domestic KSEB bill is built around units consumed, energy charges from the tariff slabs, fixed charges, and other lines such as duty or meter rent. After a net-metered rooftop plant is connected, you remain a consumer of the distribution system, but you are also a prosumer whose export and import must be accounted under Chapter III of the KSERC Renewable Energy and Related Matters Regulations, 2025.
Those Chapter III energy-accounting, billing and settlement arrangements take effect from 1 January 2026. From the date your renewable energy generating system is connected to the distribution network, the accounting of electricity you export and import becomes effective under Regulation 28.1.
Keep the last ordinary bill from before commissioning next to the first full prosumer bill. The new lines are easier to spot when you can see what disappeared and what was added, without guessing from memory.
KSEB solar bill explained line by line under Reg 28.3
Regulation 28.2 says KSEB must read both the renewable generation meter and the net meter on the regular billing cycle. Regulation 28.3 then lists what the licensee shall make available on the bill to the prosumer for each billing period.
What Regulation 28.3 requires on a net-metered prosumer bill each billing period.
| Bill item (Reg 28.3) | What it is telling you |
|---|---|
| Generation (RG meter) | Units recorded on the renewable generation meter, with opening and closing readings |
| Export and import (net meter) | Zone-wise export and import, with opening and closing readings |
| Units consumed | Electricity units consumed by you during the billing period |
| Net billed or credited energy | Net quantum to be billed or credited after normalisation or Reg 28.5 adjustment |
| Amount if net billed | Energy charges on net billed units, plus fixed and other charges under Reg 26, after carried-over credits |
| Credit balance | Net credit units this period, carried-over units from earlier, and remaining credit after Reg 26 charges |
| Banking statement | A detailed statement of energy banking transactions (Table 3) or Reg 28.5 adjustment, provided separately |
| RPO accounting note | Renewable generation units the licensee accounts for its RPO compliance |
Scan the bill from the meters outward: generation first, then zone-wise import and export, then the money lines. If a banking statement is attached or shown as a separate section, read it before you dispute only the total amount due.
Import, export and banked units in plain words
For the domestic-scale net-metering classes covered by Regulation 28.4, energy generated is first offset against simultaneous consumption at the premises. Only the surplus is exported and banked for use in other time periods. Export and import are recorded in the net meter under three zone-wise time periods.
Exported energy in each time zone is first adjusted against imported energy in the same time zone. If that same-zone export is fully used, leftover import in that zone is billed at the applicable retail supply tariff. Surplus export after that step can be normalised and banked as Regulation 28.4(v) and Table 3 set out.
Solar hours are 08:00 to 18:00 where ABT, smart or ToD meters are programmed for that window; otherwise solar hours follow Zone 1 from 06:00 to 18:00. Non-solar hours cover the rest of the day. Those windows are why one bill can show separate solar, peak and off-peak import and export columns.
How to read those meter faces is covered in our guide to solar net meter displays. The banking arithmetic is covered in more detail in our solar banking and solar hours guide.
The 2% banking charge and year-end settlement lines
At the end of a billing period, units needed to offset charges under Regulation 26 may be monetised at the applicable APPC or FiT rate decided by the Commission so that a prosumer with surplus energy can reach zero billing for those charges. Any balance units after that step are carried to the next billing period after deducting a monthly banking charge of 2% of the balance units. That banking facility runs till the end of each financial year.
Units still in credit when the financial year closes are monetised at the applicable APPC or FiT as decided by the Commission. The distribution licensee must pay that amount before the 30th day of April of the subsequent financial year, unless you apply to carry the credit amount forward into the next financial year for adjustment.
Regulation 28.6 records settlement rates of ₹3.08 per kWh for existing prosumers and ₹2.79 per kWh for new solar prosumers (₹2.87 per kWh for wind). Regulation 28.4 also points to the applicable APPC or FiT as decided by the Commission, so always read the rupee figure printed on your own settlement advice or later Commission order that applies to your case.
Fixed charges, meter rent and duty that still appear
Regulation 26 says prosumers and captive consumers must pay the fixed or demand charges, meter rent and other charges approved by the Commission from time to time, along with duty and surcharge prescribed by the State Government. Energy charges, grid support charges, reactive energy charges and other charges follow the metering and billing system that applies to your plant.
For domestic solar prosumers, KSERC's order dated 22 September 2025 in OP No. 43/2025 keeps two fixed-charge paths till further orders. Option-1: remit fixed charges for total consumption in the billing period as per the Tariff Order dated 5 December 2024. Option-2: remit fixed charge at ₹47 per kW per month for the total connected load. Anyone wanting Option-2 must write to KSEB or the concerned licensee at least one month before the date they want it to start.
If the payable total looks higher than you expected after a sunny month, separate the energy-charge block from the fixed-charge, meter-rent and duty lines before you call the section. A lower energy line does not cancel those other ongoing charge items.
Grid support charges: a separate line from banking
Grid support charges are a separate line from banking. Under Regulation 28.7 they are collected on energy you draw from the grid during non-solar hours, up to the quantum adjusted against your banked energy. The regulation's own example: if 400 units are drawn in non-solar hours and 300 banked units are available after normalisation, grid support charges apply to 300 units only.
Until the Commission determines category-wise rates in a tariff petition, interim rates are 50 paise per kWh for the first 300 units and ₹1 per kWh for the balance. Existing and new domestic prosumers with plants up to and including 10 kW are exempt, with this proviso: plants seeking feasibility from 1 April 2027 with capacity above 5 kW must remit grid support charges under that interim clause.
If your plant sits inside the domestic exemption band, you may never see a grid-support line. If you are planning a larger plant or a later feasibility date, ask the section which exemption row applies before you treat a new charge as a billing error. The rate and exemption rows are also summarised in our grid support charges guide.
Check this against your bill
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why is my KSEB bill not zero after installing solar?
Regulation 26 still requires fixed or demand charges, meter rent and other approved charges, plus any duty or surcharge. Energy charges fall only after the Reg 28 accounting of import, export and credits. A sunny month can cut the energy line without removing every other line.
What do import and export mean on a solar bill?
Import is electricity drawn from the KSEB grid. Export is surplus electricity sent to the grid from your plant. Regulation 28.3 requires zone-wise export and import, with opening and closing readings, on the prosumer bill each billing period.
Does the 2% banking charge cut every unit I generate?
No. Regulation 28.4(vi) applies the 2% monthly banking charge only to balance units carried into the next billing period after the steps that offset Regulation 26 charges. Generation used in the same month is not reduced by that 2% line.
When does leftover banked energy become a cash credit?
Regulation 28.4(viii) monetises credit remaining at financial-year end at the applicable APPC or FiT. Payment is due before 30 April of the next year unless you ask to carry the credit amount forward.
Do I still pay fixed charges if I export more than I import?
Yes, fixed or demand charges remain payable under Regulation 26. For domestic solar prosumers, OP No. 43/2025 keeps Option-1 (tariff-order charges on total consumption) or Option-2 (₹47 per kW per month on connected load) till further orders.
Official Sources and Accuracy Note
- 01KSERC (Renewable Energy and Related Matters) Regulations, 2025 (gazette PDF)
Prosumer energy accounting, dual meter reading, mandatory bill lines, 2% banking charge, year-end settlement and grid support (Reg 26, 27, 28).
govt source · opened 2026-10-14 - 02KSERC Order dated 22.09.2025 in OP No. 43/2025
Domestic solar prosumer fixed-charge Option-1 (tariff-order consumption) and Option-2 (₹47 per kW per month on connected load) till further orders.
govt source · opened 2026-10-14
Accuracy note: This guide is built from government pages, regulator orders, and news sources on the web. Rules and amounts change. Some details may be outdated or wrong. Check the official links below before you pay, apply, or complain to KSEB.