Fairfax County is leading solar panel installations and signups from a solar program backed by Virginia’s governor as homeowners look for ways to address rising electricity costs.
Switch Together, a bulk purchasing initiative to connect residents to solar installers, was recently expanded from Northern Virginia to other parts of the state. It was previously only open in Fairfax and Arlington counties, with Alexandria joining the roster last summer.
The program is now available in more than 100 Virginia localities, and there are plans to expand statewide. Since Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) announced the expansion of the program statewide in mid-July, 3,538 Virginians have signed up for the Switch Together program.
Fairfax County is first in the state with 181 solar installs of 348 across Virginia through Switch Together. To date, 680 Fairfax County residents have registered, and 51 have paid deposits to move forward with installations.
Arlington County came in second with 117 installs, and there have been a handful in Alexandria, Richmond and other parts of Virginia as well.
“It was open to just folks in Northern Virginia. By having it statewide, we’re giving folks across the state the opportunity to explore competitive solar options as well as battery backup and heat pump options,” Sukrit Mishra, the Switch Together partner director in the Capital Region, told FFXnow.
According to Mishra, the bulk purchasing method can help residents leverage discounts for solar installations between 15 and 25% compared to the market rate.
“I call it the Costco model,” Mishra said. “It’s basically a bulk purchase model where we are aggregating folks in this one group, and by consolidating all of them together, we are leveraging that group for a discounted group rate when we are running these auctions and picking an installer.”
The solar push comes as Virginians have shared concerns about rising electricity bills. Homeowners with solar panels have a billing arrangement called net metering, which gives a credit for unused energy from the panels sent to the electric grid. That can help lower electric bills and ease the pressure of rates during high-demand times for the grid.
“I don’t think this issue is exclusive to just folks in Virginia, but with the advent of data centers, with the continuing escalator rates when it comes to utility rates, folks need something to be immune to these prices,” Mishra said.
Molly Roy, a Northern Virginia resident, said solar panels got installed at her home several years ago.
“We have the net metering, so any electricity that we’re producing through our solar panels, we don’t have to pay for through Dominion [Energy],” Roy said. “So we pay less for our electricity in that way, and then we are also selling our solar renewable energy credits on the voluntary market, credit market, and so whenever we hit one megawatt hour, we get 30 bucks, every time we produce something like that because they sell it on the market.”
The program is open to single-family homeowners and small business owners, while Mishra recommends townhouse owners check that their homeowners association policies allow solar panels. Owners needing larger solar projects — commercial building and multifamily building owners — are referred to a different program for a consultation.
Nonprofit partners like Solar United Neighbors provide a help desk to walk residents through the contract and installation process. When signing up for the first time, residents will provide their ZIP code and details like their property height, roof slope and material, and average utility bills.
They will receive a rough cost estimate on the solar panels, and if they choose to move forward, they will pay a deposit. Installers only pursue leads for applicants that have paid deposits, according to Mishra.
The initiative also piloted a heat pump group purchasing program in the spring and has seen 63 registrations in Alexandria.
For homes with older roofs, staff recommend lining up solar installations with their new roof installation, since the panels will be in place for about 25 years. The solar installations have an average payback period of six to eight years.
Virginia residents can sign up for the program through October 15.
