Grid & off-grid

Net metering calculator, Virginia

Model your solar bill under Virginia's full retail net metering, preserved by regulators after both Dominion and APCo tried, and failed, to cut it.

Your numbers

1 Project details Optional
Shown on your exported report. Leave blank to skip.
2 Your usage and system
Find this on a recent utility bill, usually labeled kWh used.
Use your quoted or planned system size. Panel count times panel wattage divided by 1,000 gives a rough figure.
Solar production swings seasonally; pick a specific month type to see how your bill shifts.
Most utilities charge a flat customer or connection fee regardless of usage.
3 Your location and rate
Defaulted to Virginia's average peak sun hours. Adjust if you know your local figure.
Defaulted to Virginia's current average residential rate. Your utility's actual rate may differ.
Virginia typically credits exports around 100% of retail. Full retail net metering up to 25 kW residential for Dominion and Appalachian Power customers.
Some utilities charge progressively higher per-kWh rates as monthly usage climbs into higher tiers.
Accounts for inverter loss, wiring loss, dust, and temperature derate combined.
Informational only. A monthly cycle means unused export credit does not carry to the next bill; annual and rolling cycles do.

How it works

Three steps to your Virginia solar bill estimate

Step 1

Enter your usage, system size, and season

Pull your monthly kWh from a recent bill and enter your planned or quoted system size in kW. Dominion customers with systems above 15 kW AC should also budget for standby charges, which this calculator doesn't model directly. Select a season to model a specific month rather than only an annual average.

Step 2

Confirm your rate, tier, and export credit

A typical Virginia residential rate and full retail export credit are filled in by default, matching the structure both APCo and Dominion customers still keep. Swap in your own tariff numbers and fixed monthly fee if you have a recent bill showing them.

Step 3

Compare the result to a full retail scenario

Since Virginia already credits exports at full retail, the net billing vs net metering comparison tool is most useful here for seeing what you'd give up under the lower-credit structure regulators rejected.

How net metering works in Virginia

Both major utilities recently tried, and failed, to cut net metering deeply

Under a schedule set by the Virginia Clean Economy Act, the State Corporation Commission directed Appalachian Power (APCo) and Dominion Energy to propose updated net metering compensation. APCo proposed cutting its rate by roughly 70%, and Dominion proposed converting excess production into dollars at the end of every 30-minute interval rather than netting it against usage over a full 12-month cycle, a change that would have sharply cut what most solar owners recover in practice. Following record public opposition, the SCC rejected the core of both proposals in separate rulings, APCo's in 2025 and Dominion's in a final order dated April 30, 2026, preserving full retail credit over the existing 12-month annual cycle for both utilities. New Dominion customers under the resulting tariff do pay a modest $1 monthly administrative fee. Virginia's net metering rules are also summarized in the national DSIRE listing, which tracks the program state by state.

What did change: a new rate for excess beyond your own usage

While the SCC preserved full retail credit for generation that offsets your own usage within the 12-month period, it did approve a separate, lower avoided-cost rate specifically for net excess generation, the portion your system produces beyond what your household uses over the full year. This distinction matters more for larger systems that regularly overproduce than for one sized to closely match annual usage. The avoided cost rate calculator shows what components typically go into a rate like this one.

Larger systems face standby charges at Dominion, not at APCo

The Virginia State Corporation Commission confirms Dominion Energy applies standby charges to residential systems larger than 15 kW AC, with the amount depending on peak power demand used on-site; systems between 15 and 25 kW face additional transmission and distribution standby charges specifically. Appalachian Power and electric cooperative customers aren't subject to these demand charges at all, a real difference depending on which utility serves you.

Farmers have access to a unique aggregate net metering option

Virginia allows agricultural producers to participate in aggregate net metering, where excess solar production from one meter or building can be credited to another meter on the same farm operation, an arrangement not widely available in other states covered on this site, and the agricultural solar sizing calculator is built specifically around that kind of multi-meter farm setup.

Interconnection and the off-grid comparison

Regardless of utility, connecting a system still requires a standard interconnection application under Virginia Code section 56-594; the grid interconnection cost estimator covers what to expect there, and the tax credit and rebate estimator for Virginia can total up what incentives apply on top of net metering. And with full retail net metering preserved for on-site usage, staying grid-tied remains far cheaper than going fully off-grid in Virginia; the grid tie vs off grid comparison tool shows exactly how much cheaper.

Questions

Frequently asked

Virginia utilities credit exports at full retail over a 12-month annual cycle. Both APCo and Dominion tried to cut this significantly, APCo with a roughly 70% rate cut and Dominion with a shift to 30-minute interval netting, but the State Corporation Commission rejected the core of both proposals, APCo's in 2025 and Dominion's in April 2026, preserving full retail credit.

The average residential rate in Virginia was about 17.2 cents per kWh as of mid-2026, per EIA data, up sharply from around 14.2 cents a year earlier. Full retail net metering is preserved for on-site usage over a 12-month annual cycle after the SCC rejected utility proposals to cut it deeply.

No, largely not. APCo proposed a roughly 70% rate cut, and Dominion proposed converting credits to dollars every 30 minutes instead of netting them over the full year. Following record public opposition, the State Corporation Commission rejected the core of both proposals, preserving full retail credit for on-site usage over the existing 12-month annual cycle.

No. Only Dominion Energy applies standby charges, and only to residential systems larger than 15 kW AC, with systems between 15 and 25 kW facing additional transmission and distribution charges. Appalachian Power and electric cooperative customers aren't subject to these demand charges.

Related tools

Compare Virginia's policy to other structures

Grid tie vs off grid comparison Net billing vs net metering Buy all sell all vs net metering Avoided cost rate calculator Grid export cap calculator Grid interconnection cost estimator Grid tie with battery backup comparison All grid and off-grid tools