Most homeowners assume no usable roof means no solar. That's no longer the full picture.
A good chunk of Bengaluru homes get ruled out of rooftop solar for reasons that have nothing to do with intent to go solar — a north-facing roof with poor sun hours, a neighbouring building or tree line that shades the terrace most of the day, a rented house where the landlord won't sign off on panels, or an apartment owner with no roof access at all. Until recently, the answer was some version of "you can't, or you'll get a system too small to matter." KERC's latest tariff order for BESCOM changes that by formally allowing Virtual Net Metering (VNM) and Group Net Metering (GNM) — a regulatory mechanism, not a workaround, for crediting solar generated at one site against a bill at another.
What virtual and group net metering actually allow.
The basic idea: a solar plant is installed at one location, but the generation is credited against the electricity bill of a different connection — or several connections — instead of the meter it's physically wired to. The two mechanisms differ in who they're built for.
| Mechanism | Where the panels sit | Whose bill it reduces |
|---|---|---|
| Standard net metering | Your own roof | Your own connection, same site |
| Virtual net metering (VNM) | Any eligible site you control or co-own | A different domestic connection you hold, same category, same distribution area |
| Group net metering (GNM) | A shared location — society terrace, clubhouse roof, common area | Multiple individual connections under the group, split by agreed share |
In practice, this is what opens the door for a homeowner whose own roof can't take panels but who owns or can access a second BESCOM-connected property — a family plot, a relative's terrace, a second home — to install there and still cut the bill on the connection that actually matters. And it's what lets a group housing society put one plant on a shared roof and split the credit across member flats, instead of every flat needing its own separate rooftop arrangement.
The mechanics that determine whether it's actually worth it.
This isn't identical to owning a rooftop system on your own meter, and the differences matter for the economics:
- Smart meter cost sits with the consumer. VNM and GNM connections require one, and BESCOM doesn't absorb that cost — budget for it separately from the panel and inverter quote.
- BESCOM has a set window to process the agreement. Discoms are expected to finalise VNM/GNM paperwork within a fixed number of days of a complete application — worth holding your installer to, since these arrangements are newer and less standardised than a plain rooftop connection.
- Grid proximity affects the charges you pay. Waivers on certain open-access charges typically apply only when the generating site and the consuming connection sit close together on the local grid — broadly, the same feeder or transformer. Sites further apart electrically can attract charges a same-feeder pair wouldn't.
- Unmatched surplus doesn't settle at full retail value. Same principle as ordinary net metering — power the linked connection doesn't absorb gets bought back at a fraction of the applicable tariff. Size the plant against combined actual usage, not the maximum the site can hold.
Who this is genuinely useful for in Bengaluru right now.
- Homeowners with a shaded or badly-oriented primary roof but a second BESCOM connection they control — a family property, a rented-out unit, a relative's terrace with better sun.
- Group housing societies and RWAs that want one well-placed plant on a common terrace rather than negotiating separate installs flat by flat.
- Charitable institutions and similar bodies with multiple connections under one umbrella, which the order specifically includes as an eligible category alongside domestic consumers.
Consider a homeowner in Basavanagudi whose terrace is shaded most of the day by an adjoining three-storey building — a roof that would never have supported a system worth the money under ordinary rooftop rules. If that same household also holds the connection on a family property nearby with clear south-facing roof access, VNM is the mechanism that lets a plant on that second roof offset the Basavanagudi bill instead of sitting unused as an option nobody could act on. That's the practical shift this order makes — not a bigger subsidy or a better tariff, but a workable path for sites that rooftop-only rules used to write off entirely.
Not sure if virtual or group net metering applies to your situation? Let's check.
Tell us what connections you hold and what roof access you actually have — your own, a family property, or a shared society terrace — and we'll tell you honestly whether VNM or GNM gets you a workable system, and what it would cost beyond the panels. No cost, no obligation.
Book free site survey →