A question we hear almost every week from residents across South Haryana: "I'm in a flat, not an independent house — can I still put up solar and get the subsidy?"
The honest answer is that it depends entirely on your roof situation and your DHBVN connection. Here's how each scenario plays out.
Why Flats Are a Special Case
The PM Surya Ghar subsidy is built around rooftop installations tied to a metered connection. To claim it you need three things lined up:
- A valid DHBVN electricity connection
- A roof you're entitled to use for panels
- Net metering approved by DHBVN
In an apartment, the catch is usually the roof. The terrace is shared common property controlled by your society or RWA, not something an individual flat owner owns outright. That gap between the resident who wants solar and the way the subsidy is structured is exactly what the scenarios below address.
Scenario 1: The Society Installs on the Common Roof
For apartment complexes in Faridabad, Palwal and Gurugram, this is by far the most workable route.
How it works
- The society puts panels on the shared terrace
- The system is wired to the society's common DHBVN meter
- Solar offsets common-area loads — lifts, water pumps, corridor and stair lighting, security cabins
- Net metering is set up on the society's DHBVN connection
Subsidy eligibility
Yes, societies qualify. The PM Surya Ghar subsidy is granted per electricity connection, and the society's common meter counts as one. A 3 kW system on the common connection can draw up to ₹78,000 in central subsidy, same as any residential install.
What the society needs
- A formal RWA resolution / NOC approving the installation
- The society's common DHBVN bill
- Authorised-signatory documents — society registration plus president/secretary authorisation
- Shadow-free terrace space
Why it's worth it
- Common-area bills can fall by 50-80%
- Every flat owner benefits through lower monthly maintenance charges
- A single centralised system is far simpler to maintain than scattered units
Scenario 2: A Flat Owner with Dedicated Terrace Access
In some buildings — typically top-floor flats — an individual owner has rights to a specific patch of terrace.
How it works
- You install on your allotted roof area
- The system ties into your own DHBVN meter
- Net metering is approved on your personal connection
- You claim the central subsidy directly
Subsidy eligibility
Fully eligible, just like an independent house — up to ₹78,000 under PM Surya Ghar for a 3 kW system.
What you need
- Your DHBVN electricity bill
- An NOC from the housing society — DHBVN will ask for this
- Proof of roof-use rights (allotment letter, society NOC or builder agreement)
- Standard documents — Aadhaar, bank details, ownership proof
The NOC hurdle
This is usually the sticking point. Even with terrace rights, DHBVN requires a society NOC before it will sanction net metering. Societies sometimes drag their feet over worries about roof waterproofing, building appearance, or simply not knowing how solar works.
Tip: Come to the committee with the numbers — the subsidy, the bill savings, and the way rooftop solar lifts the building's value. Most RWAs warm up quickly once the financial case is on the table.
Scenario 3: A Group of Owners Going In Together
If the society won't do a common-area install, a cluster of interested flat owners can jointly request terrace allocation.
How it works
- Several owners pool funds for one larger system
- Each gets a proportional share of the generation
- The system feeds a single meter (often common) or individual meters where the wiring allows
- Costs and savings are split by share
This tends to work because larger systems have better per-kW economics, and a group request is harder for a committee to dismiss than a single resident's.
If None of That Is Possible
Where rooftop access is genuinely off the table, you still have smaller options:
Balcony solar panels
Compact 100-300W panels can sit on balcony railings or an outer wall. These are:
- Not subsidy-eligible (there's no net metering)
- Handy for charging devices and running small loads
- Inexpensive (roughly ₹5,000-15,000)
- Usually permission-free
Keep an eye on community solar
Haryana, like much of India, is moving towards virtual net metering and community-solar models that would let flat residents subscribe to a shared solar plant and earn credits on their own DHBVN bills without needing roof access. It isn't mainstream yet, but it's worth tracking.
What We'd Recommend
For most apartment residents in South Haryana, the order of preference is:
- First choice: get the society to install on the common roof — we'll present to your RWA and run the whole project.
- Second choice: if you hold top-floor terrace rights, install on your own connection with a society NOC.
- Third choice: rally a group of neighbours and approach the committee together.
How We Support Housing Societies
We work regularly with RWAs and societies across Faridabad, Palwal and Gurugram. What that looks like:
- Free rooftop survey of the building
- A ready-to-present proposal for the RWA meeting, with ROI worked out
- End-to-end installation, including DHBVN paperwork and the subsidy application
- 5 years of free maintenance
- One point of contact for the society, so there's no coordination headache
Living in a flat and curious about your solar options? Contact us for a free consultation — we'll assess your building and recommend the right approach.