In short: In Northern Virginia your utility matters more than your city. NOVEC, the co-op serving much of Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William, averaged 11.57¢ per kWh for homes in 2024 and about 95 minutes of outages. Dominion Energy averaged 14.09¢ and about 172 minutes. Manassas runs its own utility at 11.63¢.
This page covers Arlington, Alexandria, Fairfax, Ashburn, Leesburg, Manassas and Woodbridge. Statewide rules (net metering after the 2026 SCC order, the solar property tax exemption, the 2027 plug-in solar law, contractor licensing) are on our Virginia energy guide.
Northern Virginia at a glance
- Dominion Energy Virginia (all of Arlington and Alexandria, and parts of every other county): 14.09¢/kWh average for homes in 2024; outages 172 minutes per customer with major events, 131 without (Virginia-wide figures).
- NOVEC (Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative; parts of Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William counties and Manassas Park): 11.57¢/kWh; 95 minutes with major events, 62 without.
- City of Manassas (city-owned): 11.63¢/kWh; 56 minutes with major events, 28 without.
- Sun: about 4.12 kWh per square meter per day at Fairfax and 3.98 at Ashburn (NASA POWER, 2001 to 2020). Our rough estimate: about 1,200 kWh a year per kW of panels.
- Top hazards (FEMA National Risk Index): Fairfax County’s overall risk is “Relatively High”, with lightning and winter weather rated “Very High” and hail, heat waves, inland flooding and strong wind “Relatively High”. Loudoun and Prince William: lightning, strong wind and winter weather “Relatively High”.
- Public charging: 645 ports in Arlington, 236 in Alexandria, 182 in Ashburn, 150 in Fairfax, 148 in Woodbridge, 72 in Leesburg and 44 in Manassas, about 1,480 in all (AFDC, October 3, 2026).
Prices are 2024 averages from EIA-861 (home revenue divided by home sales), so they include fixed charges. The statewide price has since risen (17.55¢ in July 2026), so use them to compare utilities. Outage minutes are utility-wide, and Dominion reports them under a different standard.
Your utility and what it means
Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William counties are split between Dominion and NOVEC, so neighbors a few streets apart can have different rates and rules. Check the name on your bill before you compare solar or charger offers.
- Dominion Energy Virginia: net metering follows the SCC rules on our state page; Dominion had about 53,400 net-metered home solar systems in Virginia at the end of 2024 (EIA). For EV owners, Dominion’s EV Charger Rewards program pays $125 for a qualifying Level 2 charger and $40 a year if you let Dominion briefly adjust charging during peak events (single-family homes on a standard rate, not the Off-Peak Plan). Check the program page; terms change.
- NOVEC: has offered net metering since 2003; unused solar energy is credited against future bills, and NOVEC supplies the net meter. Your installer contacts NOVEC’s metering department after you choose them. NOVEC also has a voluntary EV-1 whole-home rate for members with an EV: power from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. costs about half the daytime price, while daytime power costs a little more than the standard rate. NOVEC had about 3,600 net-metered home solar systems at the end of 2024 (EIA).
- City of Manassas: Manassas Electric reviews your solar application first (one-line diagram, riser diagram, equipment specs) and gives conditional approval; only then do you get permits from the City’s Inspections Department. After a passed electrical inspection, the City sets the meter and puts you on its net-metering rate, crediting what you export.
Backup power in Northern Virginia
Outages here are shorter than in most of Virginia: about one and a half to three hours a year for a typical customer in 2024, depending on the utility. The risk is the occasional big one. FEMA rates Fairfax County “Very High” for winter weather and lightning, and strong wind is “Relatively High” across Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William, the storms that bring down lines in leafy neighborhoods.
- Condos, apartments and townhomes: a portable power station keeps phones, Wi-Fi, a CPAP and a fridge going through a short outage. Shared walls often rule out a fuel generator.
- Single-family homes: a home battery covers most outages here silently and pairs with solar; a standby generator on natural gas suits homes that cannot go without heat or a sump pump in a multi-day ice storm.
- Safety: portable generators outdoors only, 20 feet or more from the house, exhaust away from doors and windows, never in a garage (CPSC); carbon monoxide alarms on every level; a transfer switch or interlock installed by a licensed electrician with a permit.
Size your system with the battery backup calculator or the generator sizing calculator, and see our backup power guide and generator installation.
Solar in Northern Virginia
A rough estimate: a 7 kW system at about 1,200 kWh per kW makes roughly 8,400 kWh a year. At Dominion’s 2024 average of 14.09¢ that is worth about $1,190 a year; at NOVEC’s or Manassas’s lower prices, about $975 to $980. Retail net metering means exported energy keeps close to full value over the year, so the utility you are on, more than how much you use at midday, sets the payback.
Northern Virginia’s sun is a little weaker than in Richmond or Hampton Roads, and tree cover often matters more than latitude, so get a shade check. Try our solar potential tool, then read solar panel cost and solar installation.
Batteries
With retail net metering, a battery here earns little by shifting solar to the evening; it is mostly backup. That fits the local pattern of short, occasional outages. Ask your utility how it wants the battery shown on your interconnection application; Manassas’s form asks directly whether the system has battery backup. See home battery installation, home battery cost and solar battery storage.
EV charging
Northern Virginia has more public charging than anywhere else in the state: Arlington alone has 645 ports. At home, a labelled estimate at about 30 kWh per 100 miles and 2024 average prices: about $4.23 per 100 miles on Dominion (roughly $510 a year for 12,000 miles), $3.47 on NOVEC (about $420) and $3.49 in Manassas (about $420). NOVEC’s EV-1 overnight rate or Dominion’s charger rewards can lower that.
Drive on another fuel? See every alternative fuel station in Fairfax: hydrogen, propane, natural gas, E85 ethanol, biodiesel and renewable diesel.
A Level 2 charger needs an electrical permit from your county or city and a licensed electrician; townhome and condo owners should check HOA or condo rules first. The federal charger credit ended for chargers placed in service after June 30, 2026. See EV charger installation and our EV charging cost calculator.
Permits and inspections
- Fairfax County: Land Development Services requires a residential solar permit for roof-mounted and free-standing systems, and the County says it waives the permit fee for solar applications. Homes in the towns of Clifton and Vienna also need the town’s approval.
- Arlington County: home and townhome solar needs both an electrical and a building permit (Arlington solar permit page). On townhomes, no part of the array may sit within 4 feet of a firewall that lacks a 30-inch parapet, with limited exceptions.
- Loudoun County (Ashburn, Leesburg area): building and electrical permits through LandMARC; the County lists $230 for the building permit and $70 for the electrical permit on homes, plus $165 zoning for ground-mounted systems (Loudoun solar permits). Inside the Town of Leesburg, ask the Town too.
- Prince William County (Woodbridge): building and electrical permits, a residential solar fee reduction for applications since September 2023, and about 10 days of plan review, roughly half that with the County’s typical plan details (Prince William residential solar).
- Alexandria, Fairfax City and Manassas: ask the city’s permit office; in Manassas, get Manassas Electric’s conditional approval first.
- Who does the work: a DPOR-licensed contractor and electrician (look them up through our state page), a licensed gas fitter for generator gas lines, and HOA approval first where you have one.
Cities we cover
- Arlington
- Alexandria
- Fairfax
- Ashburn
- Leesburg
- Manassas
- Woodbridge
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Northern Virginia energy FAQ
Am I on Dominion or NOVEC?
Arlington and Alexandria are Dominion only. Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William counties are split between Dominion and NOVEC, and the City of Manassas runs its own utility (EIA, 2024). Your bill shows which you have; the difference was about 2.5¢ per kWh in 2024.
Is solar worth it on NOVEC’s lower rates?
It can be, but it pays back more slowly. Our rough estimate for a 7 kW system is about $975 a year at NOVEC’s 2024 average price, against about $1,190 on Dominion. Rates have risen since 2024, which helps. Get quotes priced against your actual bill.
Does Fairfax County charge for a solar permit?
Fairfax County says Land Development Services waives the permit fee for solar applications. You still need the residential solar permit and your utility’s interconnection approval, and homes in Clifton or Vienna need the town’s approval as well.
Can I charge my EV cheaply overnight in Northern Virginia?
If you are a NOVEC member, its EV-1 whole-home rate prices power from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. at about half the daytime rate. Dominion customers can instead join EV Charger Rewards ($125 for a qualifying charger, $40 a year) or look at Dominion’s Off-Peak Plan, but not both.
Do data centers change anything for my home?
Loudoun County calls itself home to the world’s largest concentration of data centers. We found no official figures tying them to home bills, so we do not guess; for a home project, your own utility, rate and roof are what count.
Sources
Utility areas, prices, outages and home solar counts: EIA-861, 2024 data. Utility programs: NOVEC (net metering, EV-1), City of Manassas net metering guide, Dominion EV Charger Rewards program site. Hazards: FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025. Sun: NASA POWER, 2001 to 2020. Charging ports: AFDC Station Locator, October 3, 2026. Permits: Fairfax, Arlington, Loudoun and Prince William counties. Data centers: Loudoun County. Generator safety: CPSC. Checked October 3, 2026.