Springfield Connection

Have you ever considered going into the energy business?  Starting your own production facility and selling energy through a contracted broker? In today’s clean energy reality, it no longer requires sitting on a fossil fuel deposit and an oil derrick. Producing your own energy for sale, albeit on a small scale, is possible in Virginia. Or it’s possible merely to produce all your own energy for personal use, and virtually eliminate your electricity bill. Solar energy production, without reliance on the grid, is now within many homeowners’ reach. If your goal is only to protect the planet by lessening the impact of fossil fuel use and carbon release, going solar is an achievable residential project.

Do you recall the extended period of power outage after the Derecho storm in June 2012? It was multiple days without electricity for large numbers of us. When food in the refrigerator was in danger of spoiling and summer’s high temperatures drove us all to wonder how long the power would be out. 

Anticipation of more frequent and stronger storms in years to come due to climate change motivated me to look into possible temporary power solutions including whole home generators and solar energy. Back then, siting and the required monthly testing protocol of a large generator, though less costly, seemed too intimidating to me. And being in a modest-sized single family home, heated with natural gas, with a low electricity usage history, I was not considered a prime candidate for solar energy by most potential installers. At that time, a single solar battery would not handle all of my house systems; a further drawback to making a major change and investment. 

Incentives to Going Solar

Fast forward, now ten plus years to conditions today. While Dominion rates had remained fairly constant since 1992, the utility recently asked state regulators for an increase in their fuel and base rates. That would raise customer power bills by about 15 percent over the next two years, beginning in July 2025 for the fuel rate, and January 2026 for the base rates. Higher temperatures and more violent storms are commonplace.  Added are fears that high energy users, such as data centers, could overburden Dominion’s systems, leading to rolling energy black-outs. 

On the plus side, home solar energy has gotten less expensive; down about 31 percent, according to Energy Sage, a marketplace link between potential solar energy users and vetted installers. Federal tax credits of 30 percent are in place for solar equipment and Fairfax County offers property tax exemptions for solar. Another improvement: solar back-up batteries have evolved with improved efficiency to handle more home systems. Virginia has banned most HOA solar panel restrictions, codified residential net metering, and selling Solar Renewable Energy Credits (SRECs) is easy, though moderately profitable. Self-sufficiency provides protection from utility rate increases. And, a big motivator for me, reducing my carbon footprint, remains possible. I was ready to reconsider solar energy.

I began researching system information and gathering estimates in July 2024. My system was installed in late February 2025. March became my first month of total self sufficiency, with no electricity usage from the grid. I’m able to anticipate my first sales from sending my excess power back into the grid system. In March, my 5.8kW system with 14 solar panels, sized at 136 percent of my historic usage, produced 577 kWh, 722kWh YTD, and reduced CO2 emissions 923.1 lbs; the equivalent offset of seven trees. 

Make no mistake — this is still a time consuming and expensive change to make. The cost of home systems in Virginia averages just over $37K, according to Energy Sage; or about $2.84 per watt. The size of your system of course impacts the cost. The cost of the solar panels themselves is only about a third of the total cost. Other component costs to add in include solar inverters, racking equipment, electrical wiring, and design and installation labor. Further, to become fully energy self-sufficient, though net metering helps, requires a back-up battery to store energy for periods when the sun is not shining. A single back-up battery costs around $13,500 on average, according to Solar.com; significantly adding to the total cost of the system. 

Finally, Dominion Energy’s agreement with Virginia to allow net metering, has a capacity cap. “A Net Metering Customer shall be allowed to install a Renewable Fuel Generator, which is capable of generating no more than 150 percent of the Net Metering Customer’s previous 12 months of usage history.” (https://www.dominionenergy.com/-/media/pdfs/virginia/terms-and-conditions/vatc25ra.pdf) 

Prospective system owners must apply to Dominion Energy for system design approval to assure limit compliance. Net metering can assist Dominion by helping them avoid facility upgrades as energy demands increase. The State-wide net metering allowance for Dominion is six percent of their peak load from the prior year. Home solar systems will help Dominion meet its requirement under Virginia’s 2020 Clean Economy Act to supply 30 percent of power from renewables by 2045, but without toppling Dominion’s place as the public utility provider.

Solar is viewed as a home upgrade. Just like other home improvements, such as kitchen or bath remodels, owners are unlikely to achieve a 1:1 increase in home resale value. As solar panels have improved in efficiency and become smaller and more lightweight, their aesthetic appeal has improved and is considered more attractive to buyers than when initially available. Real estate professionals estimate an $8-10K increase in home value with solar, depending on home location and visibility of roof placement. Installment expenses typically may take 7 to 20 years to recoup in electricity savings. Installers typically offer financing plans.

Prep and Getting Started on Your Project

Before you take any major steps, you can use a solar generation calculator to check your home’s site position and energy generation potential, given shading and sunlight hours. A south facing orientation is best, but east and west-facing can also work. To see your roof’s potential, see:  https://sunroof.withgoogle.com/; https://pvwatts.nrel.gov/index.php; Northern Virginia Solar Map  https://www.novasolarmap.com/; or Maps in satellite view to check for shading and obstructions.   

Before you start your solar project, experts recommend you check the condition of your roof. You don’t want to need to remove your new solar panels to replace your roof anytime soon. You might need to consider roof replacement. 

Trimming or removing trees can help optimize solar collection. Selective panel placement on the available roof surface is another optimization strategy. Your electric systems panel must be at least 200 amperes or might require upgrading or supplementing. Your installer will inspect the roof for structural integrity and your electric panel capacity as part of their virtual and on-site inspections before the system design is finalized. Solar panels have a life expectancy of 25 - 30 years.

Selecting An Installer

Likely your most important decision will be one of your first, selection of your installer. Your contractor can handle most of the steps in the project for you, including equipment purchase and permit applications; even filing for county tax exemptions. An internet search will identify dozens of experienced installers servicing northern Virginia. Determine if you need a contractor who installs panels alone or who also installs backup batteries.  As you collect multiple estimates, you can expect to see a variety of possible designs for panels on your available roof space, with varying size and wattage of the panels; along with varying panel and  battery brands.  Installers typically work with their preferred equipment manufacturers. Solar energy interest groups and federal and county governments provide information to help you make sense of all the options, putting you in a better position to evaluate potential contractor suggestions and make your installer selection. See https://solarunitedneighbors.org/locations/virginia/; and

https://switchtogether.com/en/solar/fairfaxcounty/info/how-does-it-work-acceptation; and 

https://www.energy.gov/eere/solar/homeowners-guide-going-solar?nrg_redirect=364432 

The industry suggests planning on a six-month project period. After selecting your installer and working together on the design elements, much of which can be done virtually, your contractor will seek the utility’s initial approval of the design. Before actual work begins, you’ll need a county building permit, followed later by their installation inspection. Then you’ll need final okay from your energy provider before you are allowed to turn on and begin operation of the system. The installer will require a percentage payment of the total system cost at stages along the process.  A few things extended the time for completion of my project to seven months: the multiple permission requirements, with their extended process times, plus my intention to keep installers off my steep roof in summer’s very high temperatures, a battery equipment supply interruption, and multiple icy weather reschedulings.  

Solar Renewable Energy Certificate 

A state-supported incentive program provides an additional way to get paid for going solar. A Solar Renewable Energy Certificate provides proof of how much renewable energy is produced by a system. System owners work with an aggregator or broker to trade the value of their renewable energy production commodity. 

SRECs are sold separately from electricity and may be bought by energy suppliers to meet their requirements to secure a portion of their electricity from solar generators.

One SREC is equal to 1,000 kilowatt -hours. Virginia’s SREC market price over the last six months was about $40. A 10kW system is estimated to produce about 12 SRECS annually.

Help Available from County Government

Fairfax County has two initiatives to assist residents in going solar: Switch Together and Solarize Virginia. See https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/environment-energy-coordination/more-opportunities-fairfax-county-residents-go-solar These programs include free assessments, bulk discounts, and access to the winning installer of a reverse auction process. Registrants can compare the group discounts available to other individual installer estimates. Current registration for Switch Together ends June 4th; and for Solarize Virginia ends July 15th.

The county’s Office of Environmental and Energy Coordination, OEEC, indicates Solarize Virginia, now in its eleventh year, haș supported 450 installations in the county since 2014; 23 installations in 2024. According to the Department of Tax Administration, there are currently 1,057 property owners in Fairfax County taking advantage of the real property tax credit.  This is a five-year tax exemption [based on the installation cost] so these thousand-plus systems were placed in service over the past five years. The value of the current solar credits equates to $36.7 million in assessed value. 

"We are pleased to see an increasing number of residents installing solar energy on their homes," said OEEC director, John Morrill. "Every new solar installation helps lower a resident’s utility costs, eases the strain on the electricity grid, and brings our community closer to achieving our goal of a carbon-neutral Fairfax County by 2050.”

Fairfax County residents can learn more about the benefits of solar, including the tax exemptions on solar equipment, by visiting Going Solar in Fairfax County.

Once your system is up and running, apps for the components allow you to easily track production, storage, and usage, allowing you to become more conscious of your home energy use. The apps allow you to control the system from your cell phone or computer. Those with battery back-up can use the system to set the amount of energy returned to the grid versus stored, thus preparing for rainy days and possible storm-related grid outages. 

If you are motivated to find energy savings without the expense of going solar, visit the county’s new Sustain Fairfax Challenge. The online site suggests many actions to become more sustainable and save money. The site outlines easy actions and provides helpful resources, including rebates and how-to guides.  Visit sustainchallenge.fairfaxcounty.gov.

Those going solar take advantage of the pioneering work of immigrant Hungarian-American Maria Telkes, dubbed the “Sun Queen.” Telkes gained entry into the National Inventors Hall of Fame for her groundbreaking work in solar heating, ovens, and use of solar power in water distillation. She built the first solar powered house in the 1940s, called the Dover Sun House.  While we think of solar technology as a relatively new science, it has, in fact, been around longer than most are aware.  

Note: This article describes the author’s personal journey into going solar. The writer is a homeowner, not a solar energy expert. Not affiliated with the renewable energy industry beyond described residential net metering and SREC sales, she often writes on environmental subjects.

What Is Net Metering?

Net metering is a policy that allows homeowners with solar energy systems to receive credit on their electric bills for excess energy they generate and feed back into the grid. In Virginia, regulated under VA Code §56-594. Capacity limit for residential: up to 25kW, with no more than 150% of customer’s previous 12 month usage history. Homeowners now are credited at the full retail rate for the solar energy they send to the grid. Utilities have proposed to decrease the credit rate.