Skip to content
عربي

Free guide and calculator

Solar on your roof: what has changed, and what it saves

On 12 October 2026 the Saudi Electricity Regulatory Authority published a draft unified regulation for renewable energy for self-consumption. We explain it in plain words and work out, from your bill, the system that fits, its cost, its savings and its payback.

  • The draft Draft for public comment, not yet adopted
Work it out from your bill

Work it out from your bill

Four fields, an answer at once. A first estimate to help you decide before a roof survey.

Meter type
Saves a year
⁦⃁ 4,450⁩about 36% of your bill
Pays back in
9.8 to 15.3 years
Rough cost
⁦⃁ 43,500⁩–⁦⃁ 68,000⁩
Makes a year
26,300kWh
Used in the building
19,000kWh
Sent to the grid
7,300kWh

Weak for now: more than 12 years on average. Cutting AC use saves faster.

  • Above 11 kW: the draft sets connection charges from SAR 700.
  • Needs about 95 m² of roof.
Get your home solar report

The report measures your roof, meter and load and gives you a figure to rely on.

How we worked it out
  • Sunshine for each city from NASA POWER, the 2001–2025 average.
  • We assume the system turns 80% of the sunshine into power after heat, dust and losses.
  • We assume 40% to 90% of the output is used in the building by day, less as the system grows.
  • Cost of SAR 3,000 to 4,700 per kW installed, from Saudi studies and installers.
  • Saudi Electricity's current tariff with 15% VAT, and the export credit from the draft.
  • A first estimate; it does not replace a survey of the roof, meter and load.

The draft

What is in the draft of 12 October 2026?

One regulation for small and large systems. Not adopted yet, and it may change after public comment.

Largest system
Up to 50 MW per premises, against 2 MW for small systems today.
Categories
Four, from 1 kW to 50 MW.
Connection charges
None for category 1 (up to 11 kW); SAR 700 to 35,000 for the larger categories.
Exported surplus
7 halalas per kWh for homes and 5 for others, as a credit on the bill.
Credit lifetime
12 months, then it lapses.
Batteries
Allowed up to the system's own capacity; more needs approval after a technical study.
Who installs
A contractor or consultant qualified by the Ministry of Energy's committee, for systems up to 2 MW.
Complaints
The service provider resolves them in 7 days; you can escalate to the authority.
Technologies
Solar, wind, waste-to-energy and biofuel.

In force today: small systems of 1 kW to 2 MW, no larger than the contracted load, on net billing with a two-way meter.

What it means for you

Save on what you use, not on what you sell

Homes

A kWh you use from your panels is worth 18 or 30 halalas; one you export, only 7. Size the system to your daytime load, not to sell to the grid.

Businesses

Commercial tariffs are 22 and 32 halalas and use is daytime, so the case is stronger. The draft raises the cap to 50 MW and allows storage.

Farms

Farm tariffs are 18 and 22 halalas. A farm on diesel compares with its price: SAR 1.79 a litre since January 2026.

The steps

From the idea to the two-way meter

  1. Check the case

    Work it out here, then get a study of your roof and meter.

  2. Choose a qualified contractor

    Only contractors and consultants qualified by the Ministry of Energy design, install and connect.

  3. Design and approvals

    A single-line diagram, a structural check of the roof, the municipality's approval and equipment from the approved list.

  4. Apply to connect

    The contractor files it on Saudi Electricity's portal for small systems.

  5. Install and inspect

    Installation takes a few days, then the utility inspects and fits the two-way meter.

  6. Switch on

    The surplus shows as a credit on your bill, valid for 12 months.

Some installers put the whole process at 30 to 60 days.

How we help

Before you sign with a contractor

We neither sell nor install panels. We work out the case impartially, compare the quotes and follow up with you until it runs.

Home solar reportRooftop check for your businessCall with an expert

Sources

  1. Alyaum: draft renewable energy for self-consumption regulation (12 October 2026)
  2. SMM: Saudi Arabia proposes self-consumption solar framework (20 October 2026)
  3. SERA at ERRA: support schemes and small-scale PV (November 2024)
  4. Saudi Electricity: consumption tariffs
  5. NASA POWER: solar climatology 2001–2025
  6. Energies (MDPI, 2025): two villa systems in Jeddah
  7. Raghdan: villa solar costs (December 2025)
  8. Deye/AGS: net metering steps in Saudi Arabia (May 2026)
  9. AGBI: Aramco raises the diesel price (January 2026)

Last updated 23 October 2026