The short answer on how to change vendor in PM Surya Ghar: if your installation details have not yet been submitted on the national portal, you can re-select a different registered vendor yourself from your consumer login and put a fresh agreement on record. Once installation details are submitted, the portal offers no self-service switch, and you have to go through a grievance and your DISCOM.
This guide is for both sides of that conversation: the homeowner who wants out of a stalled job, and the installer who is losing or inheriting one. Everything below is as of September 2026. The portal has changed versions more than once, so confirm the current screens on pmsuryaghar.gov.in before you act.
When a vendor change is allowed, and when it isn't
The clearest official statement comes from the national portal's own consumer manual, which repeats this note on the vendor-selection and agreement screens: the vendor can be re-selected by the consumer, and the agreement re-uploaded, until solar installation details are submitted. That single line is the hinge the whole answer turns on.
Worth knowing what is not in the rulebook: the MNRE scheme guidelines describe choosing a vendor, agreeing terms and signing an agreement, but they contain no clause about changing vendor midway. So there is no notified procedure to point at. The portal behaviour above is what you work with, and anything past that point is handled case by case by the DISCOM.
| Where your application is | Can you change vendor? | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Applied, no vendor selected yet | Nothing to change | Compare vendors on the portal, then select one |
| Vendor selected, no agreement on record | Yes, on your own | Re-select a different registered vendor from your consumer login |
| Agreement uploaded, installation details not yet submitted | Yes, on your own | Re-select the vendor and put a fresh signed agreement on record |
| Vendor sitting on the job for months | Yes, same route | Re-select, and raise a grievance so the delay is on record |
| Installation details submitted, inspection pending | Not a self-service option | Raise a grievance on the portal and ask your DISCOM what is possible |
| System installed, commissioned and net-metered | No portal change | Service problems go through grievance; new maintenance contractor is a private arrangement |
| Subsidy redeemed and credited | No | Application is closed; the installing vendor still owes five years of maintenance |
| Your vendor has been deactivated by MNRE | Depends on stage | Deactivated vendors drop off the selection page; ask the DISCOM how your pending application is treated |
How to change vendor in PM Surya Ghar: step by step
- Check your stage first. Open Track Status in your consumer login. If it still shows vendor selected or agreement uploaded, and no installation details have gone in, you are inside the window.
- Line up the replacement before you drop the first vendor. Look at the registered vendor list for your state and district, talk to two or three, and get a written quote from the one you want.
- Tell the outgoing vendor in writing. Email or WhatsApp, with the date. You will want this record if money is involved.
- Re-select the vendor on the portal. Go back to the vendor-selection step and pick the new registered vendor. Label names differ between portal versions, so if you cannot find it, use the grievance option rather than guessing.
- Put a fresh agreement on record. Sign a new vendor-consumer agreement with the incoming installer. Under the process reported in September 2026, the vendor uploads the agreement with the full installed cost including taxes, you get an SMS, email and portal alert, and you approve or reject it from your login. Installation details cannot be filed until you approve.
- Carry on as normal. Installation details, DISCOM inspection, net meter, commissioning and subsidy redemption all continue on the same application. Your application number does not change.
What the DISCOM and the vendors have to approve
Knowing how to change vendor in PM Surya Ghar is mostly a question of who has to sign off. Inside the self-service window, no DISCOM approval is involved. You are changing who you contracted with, not anything the DISCOM has sanctioned. The outgoing vendor does not get a veto either. What the incoming vendor does have to do is accept the job and sign the agreement, and under the 2026 flow you then have to approve that agreement before work can be recorded.
Past that window it flips. Once installation details are in, the record belongs to a specific vendor, and the consumer manual only provides for edit requests against the application, bank details and solar installation data, not a vendor swap. In practice that means a grievance ticket and a conversation with the DISCOM's rooftop solar cell. Grievances can be raised on the portal, through the portal app or on the national call centre number 15555, which MNRE says runs in 12 languages, and the scheme guidelines set a 30-day resolution target with a tracking ID.
What happens to the uploaded vendor-consumer agreement
The agreement on the portal is a copy of a private contract between you and the installer. Replacing it on the portal does not cancel the contract. If you signed a document that commits you to payments or to a cancellation charge, that document still stands on its own terms until the two of you settle it.
The model agreement at Annexure 2 of the scheme guidelines is worth reading before you sign anything with the new vendor. It covers site survey, design, DCR modules, procurement, installation, documentation, net meter and grid connection, a five-year system warranty, five years of comprehensive operation and maintenance, and a performance ratio of 75% at commissioning. Crucially, clause 15 says the plant cost and payment schedule are for the two parties to decide, and expressly allows milestone-based payments written into the agreement.
Advance payments and money already paid
This is where most vendor changes get stuck, and the scheme is blunt about it. Clause 16 of the model agreement says any dispute over supply, installation, maintenance or payment terms must be settled mutually or as per law, and that MNRE and the DISCOM are not liable for and will not be a party to it. The agreement ends with a disclaimer repeating the point.
So a refund of an advance is a civil matter between you and the vendor. Nothing on the portal recovers it, and a grievance ticket is not a recovery mechanism, though it does create an official record and can trigger action against the vendor. Practical steps: put the demand in writing, keep every invoice, bank transfer and message, ask for a written account of work actually done, and take independent advice on your options, including a consumer forum, if it is a serious amount. This article is general information, not legal advice.
If you are the installer: losing or inheriting the job
Vendor changes are part of this market, and the portal does not protect you. What protects you is paperwork.
- Always sign a written agreement before you spend money, using Annexure 2 as the base and adding your own commercial terms: payment milestones, what a cancellation costs, who bears freight and storage, and how long the quote holds.
- Quote itemised. A quote that lists modules, inverter, structure, cables, meter, civil work, taxes and exclusions is far harder to walk away from than a lump sum, and it makes an inherited job easy to price. Our solar quotation format guide has the layout.
- Tie procurement to milestones. Do not buy modules for a consumer who has not paid the delivery milestone. Material bought against a verbal go-ahead is the single most common loss.
- Document the handover if you exit. A short signed note listing what was supplied, what is installed, what was paid and what is returned saves months of argument, and it is what the DISCOM will ask for if a grievance follows.
- When you inherit a job, inspect before you commit. Check what is physically on the roof, who owns it, whether module and inverter serial numbers are already recorded, and whether the consumer has settled with the previous vendor. You will carry the five-year maintenance and the 75% performance ratio on whatever you commission.
- Do not hoard applications. In August 2026 MNRE advised vendors not to hold consumer applications beyond 60 days without valid reason, and deactivated a batch of vendors whose pending agreement-uploaded counts far exceeded their installation capacity. Deactivated vendors disappear from the consumer selection page. Our guide to PM Surya Ghar vendor registration covers the deactivation SOP in detail.
Vendor login and the registered vendor list
Two related things people search for alongside vendor change. Installers log in and register at vendor.pmsuryaghar.gov.in, where they manage their profile, operational districts, product rates, mapped applications and agreements. Consumers look up the registered vendor list on the national portal's Registered Vendors page, filtered by state and district, with contact details and vendor rating. The portal also publishes a list of deactivated vendors, which is worth checking before you sign with anyone.
How to avoid the situation in the first place
The best answer to how to change vendor in PM Surya Ghar is not having to. Most vendor changes are not caused by price or by bad workmanship. They are caused by silence: a survey, a deposit, then weeks of nothing. Both sides can prevent that.
- Agree a schedule in writing with dates for material delivery, installation, inspection request and commissioning, and note that DISCOM-side steps depend on the utility.
- Set a simple service standard you can actually keep, such as replying to messages within one working day and sending a status update every week whether or not anything moved.
- Give the consumer a status page. A shared link showing which stage the job is at, what is pending and with whom removes most of the anxiety that triggers a switch. Installers using tools like PitchSun can send a proposal and a live status link on WhatsApp, so the customer never has to guess.
- Be honest about the subsidy. Explain that the central assistance is credited after DISCOM commissioning and approval, within 15 days of that approval under the guidelines. Our free subsidy and savings calculator gives the number quickly, and the PM Surya Ghar subsidy guide explains eligibility.
- Consumers: check before you commit. Confirm the vendor is registered for your state, ask for reference installations nearby, and get the quote itemised before paying anything.
Frequently asked questions
Can I change my vendor after applying on PM Surya Ghar?
Yes, up to a point. The national portal's own consumer manual says the vendor can be re-selected by the consumer, and the agreement re-uploaded, until solar installation details are submitted. Once installation details are in, the portal does not publish a self-service change option, so you have to raise a grievance and involve your DISCOM.
How do I change vendor in PM Surya Ghar after the agreement is uploaded?
Log in to the consumer portal, go back to vendor selection, choose another registered vendor and put a fresh signed agreement on record. Under the agreement-approval process reported in September 2026, the new vendor uploads the agreement and you approve or reject it from your login. This route only works before installation details are submitted.
What happens to the advance I already paid my first vendor?
The portal does not handle money at all. Under MNRE's model vendor-consumer agreement, cost and payment schedule are decided mutually between you and the vendor, and any dispute has to be settled between the two parties or as per law, with MNRE and the DISCOM explicitly not a party. Keep your invoices and bank records. This is general information, not legal advice.
Can I change vendor after installation or after the subsidy is credited?
There is no published portal route for that. The vendor who installed the system carries the five-year comprehensive maintenance obligation under the model agreement. If service is poor, raise a grievance on the portal; under MNRE's 2026 SOP that can lead to the vendor being deactivated. Hiring someone else for maintenance is a private arrangement and may affect your warranty.
Where is the PM Surya Ghar vendor login and the registered vendor list?
Installers log in at vendor.pmsuryaghar.gov.in. Consumers can see registered vendors by state and district on the national portal's Registered Vendors page, and the portal also publishes a list of deactivated vendors.
How long does a PM Surya Ghar vendor change take?
When you re-select the vendor yourself, it is your own action on the portal, so the delay is only in signing and uploading a new agreement. Where the DISCOM has to intervene there is no published timeline, but the scheme guidelines require grievances raised on the portal to be resolved within 30 days.
Sources
- PM Surya Ghar National Portal — Master Manual for RTS ver 1.1, July 2024 (vendor re-selection note, edit requests, track status)
- MNRE — Guidelines for PM-Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana, CFA to Residential Consumers (choice of vendor, CFA within 15 days, 30-day grievance redressal, Annexure 2 model agreement)
- PM Surya Ghar National Portal — Annexure 2, Model Draft Agreement between Consumer & Vendor (payment terms, dispute clause, disclaimer)
- MNRE circular dated 11 February 2025 — trainings for the new version of the National Portal
- PIB — PM Surya Ghar Yojana progress release (call centre 15555 operational in 12 languages)
- PM Surya Ghar National Portal — Registered Vendors, state and district wise
- PM Surya Ghar — Vendor login and registration portal
- PM Surya Ghar National Portal — List of Deactivated Vendors
- PM Surya Ghar National Portal — What's New (vendor advisories and notices)
- Energetica India — MNRE advises PM Surya Ghar vendors to clear applications within 60 days (August 2026 reporting)
- Saur Energy — MNRE introduces mandatory consumer approval for rooftop solar agreements (September 2026 reporting)
