Solar Incentives in Virginia (2026)
Virginia pairs full-retail net metering with a growing SREC market, improving an already-solid Mid-Atlantic payback. Here are Virginia's 2026 solar incentives, electricity rates, net metering rules and typical payback — plus tools to run your own numbers.
Virginia solar at a glance
- Avg electricity rate~14¢/kWh
- Typical payback9–12 years
- SunshineGood
- Net meteringNet metering (full retail)
- Federal tax credit30% (2026)
- 7 kW net cost*~$14,700
*National-average $3.00/W system after the 30% federal credit, before Virginia state incentives.
Is solar worth it in Virginia?
Virginia pairs full-retail net metering with a growing SREC market, improving an already-solid Mid-Atlantic payback. At an average residential rate of about ~14¢/kWh, every kilowatt-hour your panels produce is a kilowatt-hour you don't buy from the utility — and that avoided cost is what drives your payback. Combined with good sunshine, a standard 7 kW system in Virginia generally pays for itself in 9–12 years after the 30% federal credit, then delivers a decade or more of nearly free power.
To see your own number rather than this state average, plug your actual electric bill into the Solar Payback Calculator. If you're weighing how to pay, the Financing Calculator compares cash, loan and lease side by side.
Virginia solar incentives in 2026
Beyond the federal 30% Residential Clean Energy Credit, which applies everywhere, Virginia offers:
- Full-retail net metering through Dominion and Appalachian Power
- Virginia SREC market for selling solar certificates
- Property tax exemption on solar (locality-dependent)
State programs change frequently. Always confirm current details and eligibility on the DSIRE database and with a licensed local installer before you sign anything.
Net metering in Virginia
Virginia uses Net metering (full retail). Net metering is the second-biggest factor in your solar economics after your electricity rate, because it determines how much credit you earn for the excess power your panels send back to the grid. Generous, full-retail net metering shortens payback; reduced export rates lengthen it and increase the value of pairing your system with a home battery.