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Solar cancels your most expensive units first. Understanding slabs shows why.
Image: Gainesville ButlerPlaza Aerial by William M, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
People often ask how much they will save with solar in Raipur and expect one number. The honest answer depends on your tariff slabs, because solar removes your most expensive units first. This guide explains slabs in plain words and shows why high-consumption homes often see faster paybacks.
Quick answer: units you avoid are valued at your highest slab rates; fixed charges remain; tariff increases improve the case. Use current tariffs from your bill, not remembered figures.
In a slab tariff, the first block of units costs less per unit, the next block costs more and so on. Your bill adds the charge for each block. When solar reduces net units, the units removed come off the top, the most expensive block.
| Illustration (rates are assumptions) | Before solar | After solar |
|---|---|---|
| Units billed | 400 | 100 |
| First 100 units at Rs 4 | Rs 400 | Rs 400 |
| Next 100 units at Rs 6 | Rs 600 | - |
| Next 200 units at Rs 7.5 | Rs 1,500 | - |
| Energy charge total | Rs 2,500 | Rs 400 |
| Saving on energy charge | - | Rs 2,100 for 300 units, about Rs 7 per unit |
The numbers above are illustrative and not the actual tariff. The pattern is what matters: the 300 units avoided saved an average of about Rs 7 each, more than the average rate on the whole bill.
If tariffs rise, solar saves more per unit; if they fall, less. Calculate payback at today's tariff and treat increases as upside. See how to calculate solar payback and net metering bill example.
A family uses 220 units in winter, 350 in monsoon and 520 in summer. Their annual average is about 360. A 3 kW system generates about 375 units a month on average but more in spring and less in July. In summer, imports remain positive and high slab units are offset; in winter, the system exports surplus, building credit that offsets later months. The result is that the family pays mostly fixed charges in most months and a modest net bill in the hottest months, even though total annual use is unchanged.
| Assumed value per saved unit | Annual saving (4,300 units) | Payback on Rs 1.0 lakh net cost |
|---|---|---|
| Rs 5 | Rs 21,500 | About 4.7 years |
| Rs 6 | Rs 25,800 | About 3.9 years |
| Rs 7 | Rs 30,100 | About 3.3 years |
| Rs 8 | Rs 34,400 | About 2.9 years |
The table shows how payback moves with the value of a saved unit. If your installer's estimate uses a very high value per unit, ask for the basis.
Households differ in consumption pattern, slab position, shade, system size and how much power is used by day. A family at home all day uses solar directly; a family away at work exports more and relies on net-metered credit. Both save, but the numbers differ. This is why estimates need your own bills.
Use your own bill's slabs, not averages. The next step is a free survey. Speak to a solar company in Raipur about solar installation in Raipur, ask how solar subsidy in Raipur is processed and read the best solar company in Raipur checklist first. Background reading: solar in Raipur, the solar Raipur area guide and PM Surya Ghar Yojna in Raipur. Everything else is on the solar blog.
Domestic tariffs rise with consumption, and solar offsets the most expensive units first under net metering.
Yes. Each unit avoided becomes more valuable if tariffs rise.
No. They remain even with solar.
On your bill or the distribution company's tariff order; use the current ones.
Rules vary; ask CSPDCL what applies to your category.
Visit C-29, Sector 3, Devendra Nagar, Raipur, Chhattisgarh 492001, call 083051 31420 or send your details online for a free survey and a written quotation, with the subsidy worked out. Our solar installation in Raipur team replies the same working day.
A good solar company in Raipur survey comes first. Read about solar in Raipur, compare firms with our best solar company in Raipur questions and see how solar installation in Raipur works in your solar Raipur neighbourhood. Want help with solar subsidy in Raipur or PM Surya Ghar Yojna in Raipur? Our team handles the whole file. Quick links: best solar company in Chhattisgarh, best solar company in Raipur, rooftop solar in Raipur, solar water heater in Raipur and solar installation in Raipur. Browse every article on the solar blog, or see our solar services.
Bill review and a written saving estimate.