Rooftop Solar on a Delhi House in 2026: The Subsidies Now on Offer, and the Terrace Work to Finish Before the Panels Go Up

Two subsidies now stack on a Delhi rooftop. The Centre's PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana pays up to ₹78,000 towards a residential system of 3 kW or more, and on 1 September 2026 the Delhi Cabinet approved a second amendment to the state's solar policy under which households consuming up to 400 units a month are to get a plant of up to 3 kW at no upfront cost, with the state matching the Centre's ₹78,000 and covering the gap. That has put solar on the autumn list of a great many Delhi households, and it has put a construction question ahead of the electrical one: is the terrace ready to carry it? Nirman Ved does not sell or install solar systems. What we do is the terrace: the waterproofing that must go down before the mounting structure, the structural check an old slab needs, the parapet and pedestal work, and the timing so that it is done before GRAP stops outdoor work in November. This guide covers both halves, the money and the terrace, with the subsidy figures taken from the government's own releases and the Delhi Solar Portal as they stood on 23 September 2026.

What Does the Central PM Surya Ghar Subsidy Pay?

The Union Cabinet approved the scheme on 29 February 2024 with an outlay of ₹75,021 crore, and the Cabinet release sets the central financial assistance: 60 percent of the system cost for systems up to 2 kW and 40 percent of the additional cost between 2 and 3 kW, capped at 3 kW, which at the benchmark prices means ₹30,000 for a 1 kW system, ₹60,000 for 2 kW and ₹78,000 for 3 kW or higher. Households apply through the national portal and choose a vendor there; the release says a 3 kW system will generate more than 300 units a month on average for a household. The ministry's December 2024 update matches consumption to size: up to 150 units a month suits 1 to 2 kW with ₹30,000 to ₹60,000 of subsidy, 150 to 300 units suits 2 to 3 kW with ₹60,000 to ₹78,000, and above 300 units suits more than 3 kW with the subsidy capped at ₹78,000. The Delhi Solar Portal's policy page adds that group housing societies and RWAs receive ₹18,000 per kW for common facilities, including EV charging, up to 500 kW.

What Does the Delhi Government Add?

The Delhi Solar Energy Policy 2023 was notified on 14 March 2024. As the Delhi Solar Portal describes it, the policy gave residential consumers a state capital subsidy of ₹2,000 per kW up to ₹10,000, credited through the first electricity bill after commissioning, and a generation-based incentive paid for five years from commissioning: ₹3 per unit for residential systems up to 3 kW, ₹2 per unit from 3 to 10 kW, and ₹2 per unit for group housing societies up to 500 kW. The Department of Power's standard operating procedure of 11 October 2024 says the incentive is adjusted against the electricity bill and any excess is paid into the consumer's bank account monthly. Then came the amendment. On 1 September 2026 the Delhi Cabinet approved the second amendment to the policy, under which, as India TV reported from the Chief Minister's press conference, households consuming up to 400 units a month become eligible for a solar plant installed free of cost, the Centre provides ₹78,000 for a 3 kW system and the Delhi government an additional ₹78,000, the incentive is paid upfront rather than after five years, and the government takes responsibility for maintenance. Saur Energy's analysis adds that the offer is subject to technical feasibility, that a further state top-up is to cover any gap between the combined subsidy and the tendered cost, and that the stated target is 2.3 lakh households and 500 MW by March 2027. The portal's own scheme overview confirms the amendment, says the benefit extends to group housing societies, and explains that vendors are being empanelled to install plants of up to 3 kW under a utility-led model in which the selected vendor visits after you give consent on the portal. One caution: when we checked on 23 September 2026 the portal's policy page still carried the earlier ₹2,000 per kW figure, so confirm the terms on the portal, and with your DISCOM, before you sign anything.

Is Your Terrace Ready? Five Checks Before Any Vendor Visits

First, the waterproofing. Panels sit on a mounting structure, and the structure is either anchored into the slab or stands on pedestals cast on it; either way, the terrace surface under it becomes very hard to treat afterwards. If the existing coating is old, cracked or already leaking, waterproof first, because drilling anchors through a tired membrane opens the leaks you were about to fix, and re-waterproofing under an installed array means dismantling it. Our published terrace waterproofing rates run from ₹45 per sqft for a cementitious coating to ₹150 per sqft for a polyurethane system, and our waterproofing guide compares the systems. Second, the slab. Look for spalling concrete on the underside, exposed rusting bars, a visible sag, or cracks that follow the beams; any of these means a structural engineer looks before anyone adds a structure and its wind load, and the ten warning signs tell you what to look for. Third, the parapet and the mumty. An elevated structure that lets the terrace stay usable puts its legs near the parapet and transfers wind uplift there; a loose, cracked or low parapet is repaired first. Fourth, drainage. The terrace slopes, the khurras and the downpipes must stay clear after the array goes in, and if the house has rainwater harvesting, the mounting feet must not sit over its inlets. Fifth, shade and access: the overhead tank, the mumty, the neighbour's higher floor and the trees decide how much of the terrace is worth covering, and there has to be a ladder or hatch for cleaning.

How Should the Mounting Structure Sit on the Slab?

There are three common ways, and the terrace decides which. Pedestal footings cast on the slab, with the waterproofing membrane turned up and lapped over each pedestal so the joint sheds water; this is the detail we prefer on a terrace being waterproofed at the same time. Anchors drilled into the slab and sealed, acceptable on a sound slab with a membrane that can be dressed around each anchor, and the wrong choice on an old or thin slab. Ballasted frames that rely on weight rather than fixings, which spread load but add dead load the engineer must check. Delhi's bye-laws require a building's structural design to take wind loads from IS 875 Part 3, and an array is a sail; the vendor's structure drawing should state the wind speed it is designed for and the fixing it assumes, and that is what the engineer checks against the slab. Leave walkways between rows for cleaning, route the conduits so they do not trap water against the parapet, and keep the earthing pit and the inverter wall within the vendor's electrical scope. The division of work should be written down: the terrace, the pedestals, the parapet and the waterproofing are civil work; the structure, panels, inverter, earthing and the DISCOM's net-metering process are the vendor's.

When Should the Terrace Work Be Done?

Now, meaning late September to October. The monsoon has just finished, so the slab shows every leak and then dries enough for treatment, which is why terrace work sits at the top of our post-monsoon repair checklist. And under GRAP Stage III, which last winter began on 12 November 2025, the ban list includes painting, plaster and other coatings except minor indoor repairs, tile and stone cutting and grinding, and major welding and gas cutting, which is most of what a terrace waterproofing job and a steel mounting structure involve; our GRAP guide has the list. A vendor booked for December who finds the terrace untreated will either install over a bad surface or wait until January. Delhi's winter fog also cuts generation, so a system commissioned in autumn earns its first clear months before it.

What About Housing Societies?

Group housing societies are eligible under both the central scheme and the Delhi amendment, and their terraces carry the same questions at larger scale: a block-wide waterproofing programme, a structural audit of older blocks before a common array goes up, parapet repairs, and lightning and access arrangements agreed with the vendor. Societies that already hold a maintenance contract can fold the terrace preparation into it; our building maintenance AMC starts from ₹2 per sqft per month and includes waterproofing inspection, and the AMC cost guide explains the tiers.

What Does the Terrace Side Cost?

The solar system's price is set by the tender or the vendor, and with the subsidy stack described above it is the portal and the DISCOM, not a contractor, who can tell you the net figure. The civil side is on our rate card. Terrace waterproofing at ₹45 to ₹150 per sqft puts a 1,000 sqft terrace at ₹45,000 to ₹1,50,000 depending on the system chosen. Wall and parapet crack repair starts from ₹200 per running foot under our civil repair service. Pedestal footings and a parapet rebuild are priced after a visit, because they depend on how many legs the vendor's structure has and what the parapet is made of. A structural engineer's assessment of an old slab is the engineer's fee, separate from ours.

Nirman Ved prepares terraces for rooftop solar across Delhi NCR: waterproofing, slab and parapet repairs, pedestal footings to the vendor's structure drawing, and the maintenance contract that keeps the terrace tight afterwards. We are trusted by DAV Pitampura and DPS Dwarka for campus civil repairs and maintenance. To have a terrace inspected before the vendor's visit, call +91-7838355055 or book a free site visit.