Virginia is one of the few states where rooftop solar policy got better in 2026. This brief covers the utilities, the newly approved net-metering rules, the rate outlook, and the incentives that actually exist — researched September 2026.
New to the basics? Start with our Virginia solar guide, then come back — this page is the market layer underneath it.
The Utilities That Shape Your Bill
Dominion Energy Virginia serves most of the state's population centers; Appalachian Power covers the west. Electric cooperatives — including NOVEC and Rappahannock Electric Cooperative — serve large suburban and rural areas with their own rate structures, so your exact terms depend on your provider.
What Happens to Your Surplus Power
On April 30, 2026, the State Corporation Commission approved NEM 2.0 for Dominion territory: your exports offset your bill at the retail rate within the billing period, kilowatt-hour credits roll forward for 12 months, and only true year-end surplus is cashed out — at 5.829¢/kWh. The Commission rejected Dominion's proposal to move to 30-minute-interval buy-sell crediting, and allowed a $1/month administrative charge for net-metered customers.
This is strong, protected net metering — increasingly rare nationally. One design note: sizing far beyond your own load is less attractive under these rules, since only the year-end surplus gets the low cash-out rate.
Where Virginia Rates Are Headed
The SCC approved Dominion's first base-rate increase since 1992: about +$11.24/month in 2026 and +$2.36 in 2027 for the average residential customer. The bigger story is demand: data-center load is forecast to double in 10 years, regulators created a new rate class for high-energy users, and infrastructure spending is the trend to watch.
Incentives on the Table in 2026
The federal picture changed at the end of 2025, and any honest 2026 market brief has to start here: the 30% residential clean-energy credit (Section 25D) expired for homeowner-owned systems placed in service after December 31, 2025. The direct federal credit for a purchased residential system in 2026 is 0% unless Congress enacts new legislation. Third-party-owned systems — leases and power-purchase agreements — may still qualify under Section 48E through 2027, but the installer or lessor must pass that value through to you, so read any lease or PPA contract carefully.
This is general information, not tax advice. Talk with a tax professional about your situation.
At the state level: the property-tax exemption for solar equipment is local-option — it varies by county and city, so we do not promise it; check your locality. SRECs (Solar Renewable Energy Certificates) exist in Virginia but trade around $22.50/MWh — modest for a single home, not a second income. Group-buy programs such as Solarize Virginia have offered meaningful discounts, and some localities waive solar permit fees. Third-party PPAs are legal statewide.
Why Now, Honestly
- Regulators just protected net metering. The April 2026 NEM 2.0 decision gives Virginia retail-rate netting at a moment when most states have cut it — the centerpiece of 2026 solar economics here.
- The first base-rate hike since 1992 is now on bills — with data-center-driven infrastructure spending ahead, the direction of rates is not mysterious.
- Context, not a promise: a proposed $67 billion acquisition of Dominion Energy by NextEra was filed for state review in July 2026. Solar advocates have raised concerns about future distributed-solar policy — but the deal is not approved, and any effect on rooftop solar is unknown. Favorable rules today are worth something regardless.
Virginia in 2026 pairs protected net metering with rising rates — about as clean a setup as residential solar gets. We will size your system to live inside the retail-offset window.
How We Design for Virginia
We size Virginia systems to your actual load so exports stay inside the retail-offset window, track your locality's property-tax treatment, and flag group-buy opportunities where they exist.
Our Virginia Service Areas
Bright Solar serves homeowners and businesses across Virginia, including Virginia Beach, Richmond, Arlington, and Norfolk. These are areas we serve — our office is in Houston, Texas, and we do not claim offices in any of these cities. Reach us at (888) 996-1308.