In short: Portsmouth has about 96,500 people and sits in Portsmouth County. Virginia Electric & Power Co serves the county, averaging 14.09¢ per kWh for homes in 2024 (EIA). Rooftop solar here makes roughly 1,270 kWh a year per kW of panels by our estimate, which is good for solar.
This page covers what is local to Portsmouth: its utility, outage records, sunshine, weather risks and charging. Statewide rules such as net metering, incentives and electrician licensing are in our Virginia energy guide.
Portsmouth at a glance
- Place: Portsmouth, Portsmouth County, Virginia; about 96,482 residents (Census Bureau estimate, July 2024).
- Utility: Virginia Electric & Power Co (investor-owned). Homes paid an average 14.09¢ per kWh in 2024 (EIA-861); the average customer lost 131 minutes of power on normal days and 172 counting major storms, with 1.2 interruptions a year (utility-wide, not just Portsmouth).
- Sun: 4.35 kWh per square meter per day on average, from 2.18 in December to 6.37 in June (NASA POWER). Our rough estimate: about 1,270 kWh a year per kW of panels.
- Climate: about 1,670 cooling degree-days and 3,390 heating degree-days a year (base 65°F, NASA POWER), so heating and cooling both matter.
- Top hazards in Portsmouth County: hurricanes “relatively moderate”, winter weather “relatively moderate” and lightning “relatively moderate” (FEMA National Risk Index; overall county risk rated “relatively low”).
- Public charging: 26 ports at 7 locations in Portsmouth, 8 of them DC fast (AFDC, October 20, 2026).
Your utility and what it means
Virginia Electric & Power Co is an investor-owned utility and served about 2,383,548 home customers in 2024; its 14.09¢ average was below the 17.55¢ statewide average for July 2026. Those are utility-wide averages, not a quote for your address; your own bill is the real number.
For reliability, Virginia Electric & Power Co reported 131 minutes per customer without major storms in 2024, less than the statewide figure of 166 (EIA-861). Utility-wide numbers hide a lot: a home at the end of a long rural line usually has more outages than the average.
Net metering, export rates and incentives are set at state level and by each utility. Start with the Virginia guide and then ask your utility for its current interconnection steps before you sign anything.
Backup power in Portsmouth
- Hurricanes (relatively moderate): Hurricanes can mean a week without power. A standby generator on natural gas or propane, or a battery with solar, beats a stack of gas cans; check flood height before you site equipment.
- Winter weather (relatively moderate): Winter storms and cold snaps combine outages with heating demand. Plan for the furnace blower or heat pump, not just lights, and keep a fuel supply you can reach in snow.
- Short outages: a portable power station covers phones, Wi-Fi, a CPAP and lights; a home battery switches over automatically.
Size your setup with the generator sizing tool and the battery backup calculator, and compare options in backup power. Generator safety (CPSC): outdoors only, at least 20 feet from the house, exhaust away from doors and windows, never in a garage, and battery-powered carbon monoxide alarms inside. A licensed electrician should install any transfer switch, with a permit; see generator installation.
Solar in Portsmouth
By our rough estimate each kW of panels makes about 1,270 kWh a year in Portsmouth (NASA sunshine data times 365 days times 0.80 for system losses). Valued at Virginia Electric & Power Co’s 2024 average of 14.09¢, that is about $179 a year per kW if all of it offsets your own use (an estimate, not a promise). Production swings with the seasons: June is the sunniest month at 6.37 and December the dimmest at 2.18, a 2.9-to-1 gap.
Check your own roof with the solar potential tool, see solar costs and net metering vs net billing, and read the steps in solar installation.
Batteries and EV charging
A home battery earns its place when outages are frequent, when your utility pays little for exported solar, or when evening prices are high; compare in home batteries and battery costs. Portsmouth has 26 public charging ports in the federal station list including 8 DC fast, but home charging is cheaper and easier: see the EV charging cost calculator and EV charger installation.
Drive on another fuel? See every alternative fuel station in Portsmouth: hydrogen, propane, natural gas, E85 ethanol, biodiesel and renewable diesel.
Permits and inspections
Solar, generator transfer switches and EV chargers normally need an electrical permit from the Portsmouth building or permitting department, or from Portsmouth County if you live outside city limits, and often a utility interconnection approval. We have not verified a local permit page for Portsmouth, so check the city and county websites or ask your electrician, who will know the process. Hire only a licensed electrician or installer; the Virginia guide lists the state licensing rules.
Nearby guides
More local guides: Norfolk, Chesapeake, Newport News and Virginia Beach, or the whole Virginia energy guide.
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Portsmouth energy FAQ
Who is my electric company in Portsmouth?
Federal data lists Virginia Electric & Power Co as the main utility serving Portsmouth County. Small areas can be served by a different company or a co-op, so confirm on your bill.
How much power will solar make in Portsmouth?
About 1,270 kWh a year per kW of panels by our estimate, so a 6 kW system would make roughly 7,620 kWh. Shade, roof direction and tilt change this; run your address through the solar potential tool for a better number.
Do I need a permit for solar or a generator in Portsmouth?
Almost always an electrical permit for a transfer switch, solar or an EV charger, issued by the city or county where you live. Your licensed electrician or installer normally pulls it. Never connect a generator to your house wiring without a transfer switch.
Sources: EIA Form 861 (2024) for utility prices and outages; NASA POWER climatology (2001 to 2025) for sun and degree-days; FEMA National Risk Index for county hazards; AFDC station locator for public charging; Census Bureau for population. Estimates are ours and are not promises; see our editorial policy. Prices and programs change, so check each program page.