KSEB Solar Fixed Charge: ₹47 per kW Option Explained
KSEB solar fixed charge for a domestic rooftop plant can follow two paths. You can stay on the normal domestic slabs based on total units used in the billing period, or you can choose a flat ₹47 per kW per month on your connected load. That choice comes from KSERC's order dated 22 September 2025 in OP No. 43/2025. The Appellate Tribunal for Electricity later left the same option in place.
Quick answer: Yes — two options exist for domestic solar prosumers. Option-1 uses fixed charges from the tariff order on total consumption in the billing period. Option-2 is ₹47 per kW per month on total connected load. To move to Option-2 you must write to KSEB at least one month before the date you want it to start. The arrangement continues till further orders.
What KSERC decided on solar fixed charges
On 22 September 2025, KSERC, the state's electricity regulator, disposed of OP No. 43/2025 filed by six domestic rooftop solar prosumers. They had challenged KSEB's practice of levying fixed charges on total electricity consumption, including units generated and used from their own solar plant. The Commission held there is no illegality in that practice under the net-metering system.
At the same time, the Commission approved two ways for domestic solar prosumers to pay fixed charges from then on. Option-1 keeps the tariff-order method based on total consumption in the billing period. Option-2 is a flat ₹47 per kW per month on the prosumer's total connected load with the licensee, till further orders.
Fixed charge here means the monthly amount on your bill that recovers network costs. It is separate from the energy charge for units of electricity.
KSEB solar fixed charge: the two options in plain words
| Option | How the charge is worked out | What you must do |
|---|---|---|
| Option-1 | Fixed charge from the LT-I domestic tariff slabs on total consumption in the billing period | Default path if you do nothing |
| Option-2 | ₹47 per kW per month × total connected load with the licensee | Write to KSEB at least one month before the date you want to switch |
Under Option-1, "total consumption" means the units you used in the billing period for the purpose of the domestic fixed-charge slab, as applied under the Tariff Order dated 5 December 2024. That is the path KSEB was already using when the petition was filed. Under Option-2, the rupee amount does not move with how many units you import or export that month. It moves only if your connected load on record changes.
The Commission arrived at ₹47 per kW per month from the average fixed-charge recovery implied by the then-prevailing domestic tariff for 2025–26. It is an interim option. APTEL later recorded that KSERC should finish a lasting method based on connected load or recorded maximum demand with utmost expedition.
Option-1 slabs from the current domestic tariff
If you stay on Option-1, your fixed charge follows the LT-I Domestic schedule in the Tariff Order dated 5 December 2024 for the period from 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2027. The table below shows the fixed-charge column for that period. Energy charges are listed only so you can see which slab you are in; this page is about the fixed-charge line.
| Monthly consumption slab | Fixed charge single-phase (₹) | Fixed charge three-phase (₹) | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0–40 units (BPL, load ≤1000 W) | Nil | Nil | Special |
| 0–50 units | 50 | 130 | Telescopic |
| 51–100 units | 85 | 175 | Telescopic |
| 101–150 units | 105 | 205 | Telescopic |
| 151–200 units | 140 | 215 | Telescopic |
| 201–250 units | 160 | 235 | Telescopic |
| 0–300 units | 220 | 240 | Non-telescopic |
| 0–350 units | 240 | 250 | Non-telescopic |
| 0–400 units | 260 | 260 | Non-telescopic |
| 0–500 units | 285 | 285 | Non-telescopic |
| Above 500 units | 310 | 310 | Non-telescopic |
On Option-1, a higher total-consumption slab can mean a higher fixed charge even when most of those units came from your own panels.
How to compare Option-2 with your present bill
Under Option-2 the monthly fixed charge is ₹47 multiplied by your total connected load in kilowatts, as recorded with KSEB. For example, a home with 5 kW connected load would see a fixed-charge line of 5 × 47 = ₹235 per month under Option-2, until further orders. That figure does not change with how sunny the month was.
Compare that with Option-1 on your own bills. If your total-consumption slab already puts the fixed charge near or above the Option-2 amount most months, the flat rate may be simpler. If your total consumption usually stays in a lower slab, Option-1 may stay cheaper. The order does not force every prosumer onto Option-2.
- Read the connected load (kW) on your KSEB agreement or latest bill.
- Multiply that load by ₹47 for the Option-2 monthly fixed charge.
- Look at the fixed-charge line on three or four recent bills under Option-1.
- If you want Option-2, send a written request at least one month before the start date you want.
What APTEL said in February 2026
Some of the same prosumers took the matter to the Appellate Tribunal for Electricity. In APL No. 384 of 2025, decided on 16 February 2026, APTEL dismissed the appeal. It refused to disturb the interim Option-2 arrangement at that stage. The Tribunal also said there was considerable force in asking KSERC to finish the lasting connected-load or recorded-maximum-demand method quickly.
So as of the check date on this page, the two options in OP No. 43/2025 still describe how a domestic solar prosumer may remit fixed charges, unless a later KSERC order replaces them.
What this does not change on your bill
Choosing Option-1 or Option-2 changes only the fixed-charge method for domestic solar prosumers. It does not by itself change your energy charge, fuel surcharge, meter rent, or net-metering banking rules. Security deposit reviews are a separate duty of KSEB under the Supply Code and were also directed in the same OP 43/2025 order.
- Energy charge still follows the tariff order and your net billing.
- Fuel surcharge still follows KSEB's monthly certificate when applicable.
- Net-meter export and banking still follow the renewable-energy regulations.
- A security deposit refund or top-up, if any, follows the Supply Code review rules.
Check this against your bill
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the ₹47 per kW solar fixed charge in Kerala?
It is Option-2 under KSERC's order dated 22 September 2025 in OP No. 43/2025. A domestic solar prosumer who opts in pays ₹47 per kW per month on total connected load, till further orders. You must give KSEB at least one month's written notice before the switch date.
Do I have to switch to the ₹47 per kW option?
No. Option-1 remains available. Under Option-1 you continue to pay domestic fixed charges based on total consumption in the billing period as per the Tariff Order dated 5 December 2024. The Commission approved both paths.
Did the court cancel the fixed charge for solar homes?
No. KSERC held that levying fixed charges on total consumption is not illegal for domestic net-metered prosumers. APTEL later dismissed the appeal against that order on 16 February 2026 and left the two options in place.
How do I tell KSEB I want Option-2?
The order says you must communicate to KSEB or the concerned distribution licensee at least one month before the intended date of exercising Option-2. Keep a dated copy of what you send. Ask your section office which office records the option.
Is ₹47 per kW a permanent rate?
No. The order marks Option-2 as till further orders. APTEL also asked KSERC to finish a lasting method based on connected load or recorded maximum demand. Watch for a later tariff or miscellaneous order that replaces the interim rate.
Official Sources and Accuracy Note
- 01KSERC Order dated 22.09.2025 in OP No. 43/2025 (fixed charges and security deposit of domestic solar prosumers)
Order of the Commission, para 65: Option-1 and Option-2 fixed charges; one-month prior notice to switch.
govt source · opened 2026-09-26 - 02KSERC Tariff Order dated 05.12.2024 (OP No. 18/2023), tariff schedule and ToD annexures
LT-I Domestic fixed-charge slabs w.e.f. 01.04.2025 to 31.03.2027.
govt source · opened 2026-09-26 - 03APTEL Order dated 16.02.2026 in APL No. 384 of 2025 & IA No. 1662 of 2025
Appeal dismissed; Option-2 left undisturbed; KSERC to expedite final connected-load/RMD methodology.
govt source · opened 2026-09-26
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.