Cost of Solar Panels in Virginia (2026)

How much do solar panels cost in Virginia?

With professional installation, a typical 8-kilowatt residential solar panel system in Virginia costs $22,338. That price drops to $15,636 after the full federal solar investment tax credit (ITC). On the high end, Isaac in Arlington told us he spent about $45,000 going solar.

The size of your system is a big factor in your overall solar costs. A typical Virginia household needs a 6.9 kW (kilowatts) system to offset their electrical needs. Depending on your household energy usage, you might need a smaller or larger system. Please note, the table below doesn’t include the cost of a solar storage battery, which sometimes costs as much as the panels.

Average solar panel costs by system size in Virginia

Are solar panels worth it in Virginia?

Many homeowners we’ve talked to say solar panels are worth it in Virginia. For example, it made sense financially for Dustin in Jarrell. “So far, I only pay $200 a month for my solar loan versus paying over $300 a month for electricity. I'd tell my friends that if they're interested in it, they should do it,” Dustin told us.

Homeowners with solar panels typically save $20,000 to $90,000 over 25 years.

“It's also nice not seeing the utility bill other than the grid access fee,” Paul in Arlington told us. “The fact that I will only be paying $38 a month no matter how much electricity I use is going to be a big impact as the time goes on.”

But it doesn’t work out for everyone. Deborah in Buchanan told us she regretted the decision. Their solar batteries stopped working, making their panels effectively useless, and the company did not help find a solution. Though Deborah’s experience appears to be an outlier, it emphasizes the importance of working with a reputable solar installer.

Payback period and return on investment

Solar panels tend to pay for themselves in about six to 12 years. The average payback period is 12.86 years. On average, Virginia homeowners with solar panels avoid an estimated $41,992 in total utility costs over 25 years. If you also have an electric vehicle, solar panels will save you even more.

If your house is a good candidate, solar is worth considering if you like the idea of lower monthly utility bills and more energy independence. We suggest using the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's PVWatts Calculator to estimate how much electricity a solar panel can produce over a year at your house. Project Sunroof is a free solar savings estimator powered by Google Earth imagery.

» STILL NOT SURE? Solar energy pros and cons

Solar cost factors in Virginia

The equipment — solar panels, inverters, mounting hardware and other electrical accessories — is typically the largest portion of your overall total costs (approximately 25% to 50%). Labor, which includes planning, preparing and connecting your system to the grid, accounts for 10% to 30%. Local permits and fees are a small part of your overall costs.

Solar panels

Monocrystalline panels are generally considered the best bang for your buck. Cheaper solar panels are typically polycrystalline. The difference between polycrystalline and monocrystalline panels comes down to efficiency and materials: Monocrystalline panels are made from pure, single silicon crystals; various silicon fragments melted together are used to make polycrystalline panels.

Additional solar equipment costs

Beyond the costs of the panels themselves, there is some extra equipment that can add to the price of your system. Solar arrays contain mounting equipment, wiring and other devices, such as inverters, batteries or a monitoring system.

• Solar batteries: Battery storage lets you save energy for later use. Solar battery prices depend on the battery’s capacity, life span, brand and other factors. Expect to pay between $7,000 and $18,000, though some cost $30,000 or more.
• Solar inverter: Inverters convert the electricity generated by your solar panels from direct current (DC) to alternating current (AC). Inverter costs usually range from $1,000 to $3,000.
• Monitoring system: Some companies include a solar monitoring system to track how much energy your system produces and if there are any problems. If not, a standalone system costs $80 to $400.

Condition of your roof

Quality solar panels should last 25 to 30 years, and your roof needs to last just as long. ConsumerAffairs often hears from disgruntled solar customers who felt blindsided by expensive roof repairs needed after their solar panel installation was complete. This is a frustrating and expensive process you should avoid if you can. Get your roof inspected, fixed or replaced before you go solar.

Other cost factors

• Permits and fees: Permits and interconnection fees, though relatively cheap, are worth mentioning. Before you can get solar installed, you’ll probably need to obtain a permit. The fees for these vary depending on where you live in Virginia, but they average around $300.
• Maintenance: Clean energy systems require maintenance and occasional repairs or replacements, which add to your overall cost. You may also need to hire someone to clean your panels periodiocally.

Pro tip

Before going solar, it’s smart to upgrade any old appliances. For example, replacing an old refrigerator with a more eco-friendly one reduces your electric load, which also helps lower your energy bills. If you use less electricity, you need fewer solar panels, making the whole system cheaper.

Solar incentives, tax credits and rebates in Virginia

Solar incentives in Virginia include a statewide property tax exemption on solar equipment and a green building incentive program in Arlington County. For most homeowners, the federal solar investment tax credit (ITC) is still the best financial incentive for going solar in Virginia.

However, the ITC is now set to expire at the end of the year, much earlier than previously scheduled. The credit was expected to drop gradually, then fully expire in 2035 — but those future step-downs have been eliminated under the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” signed in July of 2025. This means you have until Dec. 31, 2025, to install and pay for a system to qualify for the 30% credit.

Net metering in Virginia

You can sell any excess electricity your system produces back to the electric company, which will come as a credit on your electric bill. This is called net metering. The goal of net metering is to let you produce enough renewable electricity for your own home's needs, but not drastically more than what you use.

Residential systems up to 25 kilowatts (kW) can participate in net metering.

If you end up with a credit on your electric bill, you can carry it over to the next year as long as it doesn't exceed the amount you bought from the electric company. Any credits that are more than a year old will expire.

How can I pay for solar panels in Virginia?

Affordable financing options make the upfront costs of solar more manageable. For instance, most leases let you start saving from day one with little or no money down.

Loans and Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) financing

A solar loan works like any other type of home improvement loan — there’s an application and approval process, and you pay it back over time (with interest) each month. In an ideal financing scenario, your system generates enough extra power to pay off the loan. Solar loan terms typically last eight to 20 years.

Virginia has additional solar loan options, including a PACE program. Through this program, your solar is 100% paid for. The loan is paid off through an addition to your property taxes. These loans are usually paid off in 10 to 20 years.

Leases and power purchase agreements (PPAs)

A solar lease is an agreement where a homeowner allows a solar company to install panels on their roof and pays a fixed monthly fee to use the electricity they produce (similar to renting the system). The company owns, maintains and monitors the panels, while the homeowner benefits from potentially lower electricity bills without paying upfront costs. A potential downside is that you are not eligible for the same tax incentives.

A solar PPA is similar to leasing. A solar developer buys, installs and maintains solar panels on your property. You buy the power generated by the system on a per kilowatt-hour (kWh) basis. It’s a fixed price, and the cents/kWh is usually cheaper than the utility’s rate for the same amount of electricity.

» SOLAR PANELS: Lease vs. buy

Compare solar installation companies in Virginia

We compared ratings and reviews, equipment options, warranties, availability and other factors to pick the top solar companies in top solar companies in Virginia.

FAQ

Bottom line

Installing solar panels leads to big long-term savings on electricity bills for Virginia homeowners. On average, you’ll spend $9,773 to $27,922 for panels that last about 25 years. Over that same time period, you’d avoid approximately $57,553 in total utility costs.

Solar costs vs. savings: Virginia and nearby states