Virginia · Net metering · Deep-stack program
VA Net Metering
Sets the billing terms for excess solar generation sent back to the grid by residential customers in Virginia -- see the credit rate and how it shapes payback below.
- Full retail rate credit
- stated benefit
- Residential
- eligible customers
- 15 yr
- Virginia baseline payback
- 3
- other Virginia programs
Deep-stack program · mid directory
Virginia runs a 4-program DSIRE stack; this net metering is one layer on a 15-year modeled baseline, not the whole story.
- Stack4 programs
- In-state #2/3
- Type #41/46
- Baseline15 yr
In-state directory place #2 of 3 (mid alphabet). National net metering directory #41 of 46. Amounts and eligibility change; verify with the official program page before relying on a dollar figure. Informational only - not financial advice. See our disclaimer.
Program description
Virginia requires Dominion Energy and APCo to offer full retail net metering for residential systems.
Program at a glance
- Program type
- Net metering
- Eligible customers
- Residential
- Stated benefit
- Full retail rate credit
- State electricity rate
- 13.8¢/kWh
- Virginia solar score
- 27/100
Solar's trajectory in Virginia
The market this incentive operates in: total installed solar capacity in Virginia reported to the EIA.
Virginia's solar incentive stack
How this net metering sits among Virginia's 3 tracked programs, by type
- Tax exemption
Tax exemption
1 programs
- Net metering
Net metering
1 programs
- Rebate
Rebate
1 programs
What this shows Virginia tracks 3 incentive types; net metering (1 program) governs the billing side, while the state's other tracked types handle upfront cost or ongoing payments.
How this net metering layers inside Virginia's deep stack
The VA Net Metering governs how Virginia credits excess solar generation sent back to the grid, one of the state's DSIRE-tracked solar policies. Eligibility is scoped to residential customers, with a stated benefit of Full retail rate credit. DSIRE lists no scheduled sunset, though enabling legislation and appropriations can still be revised year to year.
That baseline is slower than most states, which raises the stakes for every incentive on the table. Virginia averages 4.8 kWh/m²/day of usable sunlight and residential rates of 13.8¢/kWh, producing an estimated 8,410 kWh/year and $1,161 of annual utility offset on a typical 6 kW system costing $17,400. That baseline already implies a 15-year simple payback and a 25-year modeled net of roughly $11,625 before this incentive - every dollar this net metering delivers compresses that payback further.
Virginia bundles a deep incentive stack, so this program rarely stands alone. Virginia has 4 solar incentive programs indexed in DSIRE, including adjacent options like VA Solar Property Tax Exemption, Dominion Energy VA Community Solar. The state's net-metering policy is classified as full, which governs how excess generation is credited and often decides whether a given program is worth claiming for a specific household.
Other Virginia incentives
Frequently asked questions
Where does the VA Net Metering sit in Virginia's deep program stack?
How does this net metering work beside Virginia's other programs?
Who is eligible for the VA Net Metering?
How does this incentive affect solar ROI in Virginia?
Which other Virginia programs stack with this one?
Incentive data from the DSIRE (Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency); state solar economics from NREL and the U.S. EIA. See our methodology · Virginia solar data · ROI calculator · All incentives.