Most addresses
Dominion Energy Virginia
- Average home rate (2024)
- 14.09¢/kWh
- Paid for exported solar
- credited one-for-one at retail against your own annual usage
- Net-metered home solar, utility-wide
- 53,368
Commercial solar · Sterling, VA
Commercial solar in Sterling, VA
Commercial solar in Sterling is sized to daytime load: a business on Dominion Energy at an average 14.1¢ per kWh uses most of its output on site, which is where the value is.
Why the numbers favour business · as of August 2026
Dominion Energy Virginia credits exported power at credited one-for-one at retail against your own annual usage against the applicable residential retail rate, confirmed against your own bill rate, so the value sits in consuming your own production. A Sterling business that runs through daylight hours self-consumes most of what it generates, which is exactly what the current net energy metering under §56-594 structure rewards. That is a structural advantage over a typical home.
Looking for a solar company in Sterling? See solar companies in Sterling: our local team, costs and a free assessment.
Free roof and bill assessment
Takes under a minute. No pressure, and no guaranteed-savings math.
30+ yrscombined team experience
~450combined experienced installs
Lifetimefull-system + roof-penetration warranty
StatewideSC-based crews, callbacks within the hour
Local commercial reality
The commercial picture in Sterling
Sterling has more light industrial and flex space than the rest of Loudoun, and that stock is well suited to solar: large low-slope roofs, predictable structure, and the electrical service as the usual constraint rather than the roof.
The 100 kW non-residential net metering cap is the number that shapes most designs here. Under retail crediting a building captures full value whether it consumes its own production or exports it, so the analysis turns on demand charges and peak coincidence rather than on self-consumption.
Written for Sterling specifically.
How we work
Engineering first for Sterling buildings
We start from interval data and the Dominion Energy tariff, then check roof structure and service capacity before quoting a size.
How we scope a building
Engineering first, sales second
- 01
Load profile and bill analysis
Your Dominion Energy Virginia interval data and tariff, read before anything is sized.
- 02
Roof, structure and electrical review
Low-slope membrane, standing-seam metal or ballasted, plus service capacity and switchgear. Inland Mid-Atlantic. No salt exposure, snow loading a real racking input, and a housing stock spanning several decades so roof age varies more here than in the master-planned communities.
- 03
Permits and interconnection
Building and electrical permits with plan review, structural sign-off, and Dominion Energy Virginia interconnection.
- 04
Install, commission, monitor
Sequenced around your operations, then Loudoun County inspection and monitoring handover.
Commercial systems carry our lifetime full-system and roof-penetration warranty alongside manufacturer coverage, so one contractor stands behind the roof and the array.
Sterling specifics
What commercial work involves here
The constraints that actually shape a Sterling commercial design.
- 01
Structural review
Inland Mid-Atlantic. No salt exposure, snow loading a real racking input, and a housing stock spanning several decades so roof age varies more here than in the master-planned communities.
- 02
Interconnection timing
Dominion Energy Virginia approval precedes energising, and the queue rather than the install usually sets your date.
- 03
Architectural review
Loudoun County has adopted a solar equipment tax exemption, and the terms are worth knowing before you apply: the amount and duration are tied to the system’s nameplate capacity in DC watts, the equipment must be certified by the county as used primarily for collecting or generating energy, and the county will not process an application until the system is operating and has passed all required permits. Under SB 504 a Virginia association may impose only reasonable restrictions on rooftop solar, unreasonable being a cost increase above 5% or a generation loss above 10%.
Tax
Where we stop and your CPA starts
We build and document a Sterling system for your CPA; Virginia commercial tax treatment depends on your entity, so it is theirs to call.
Permits and approvals
What approval takes in Sterling
6 approvals for a Sterling system. We file every one.
- 01A building permit and a separate electrical permit from Loudoun County, or from the town where the address sits inside one
- 02An interconnection application to whichever utility serves your meter, Dominion Energy Virginia or NOVEC, on that utility’s own forms
- 03Written confirmation of the standby-charge position for any system above 15 kW AC
- 04HOA architectural review, which applies across most of the county’s master-planned communities, subject to the SB 504 limits
- 05An additional electrical permit where battery storage is included
- 06A county application for the solar equipment tax exemption once the system is operating and fully permitted
Standing monthly charge:about $1 a month for customers connecting under NEM 2.0, included in our payback figures.
Local factors
What shapes commercial solar in Sterling
- 01
Shade around Sterling sites
A mix of established neighbourhoods with mature trees and newer open development, decided street by street rather than across the whole area.
- 02
Who has to approve it
Loudoun County has adopted a solar equipment tax exemption, and the terms are worth knowing before you apply: the amount and duration are tied to the system’s nameplate capacity in DC watts, the equipment must be certified by the county as used primarily for collecting or generating energy, and the county will not process an application until the system is operating and has passed all required permits. Under SB 504 a Virginia association may impose only reasonable restrictions on rooftop solar, unreasonable being a cost increase above 5% or a generation loss above 10%.
- 03
Weather and outages
Four genuine seasons, with summer cooling peaks aligned to peak production and lower winter output. Retail net metering smooths that across the year in a way an export-credit state cannot, which is the main reason a Loudoun system behaves better than its latitude suggests.
Your utility decides payback
Commercial solar in Sterling: what your utility pays
Dominion Energy Virginia and NOVEC split Sterling street by street. We read yours off your bill first.
Some addresses
NOVEC
- Average home rate (2024)
- 11.57¢/kWh
- Paid for exported solar
- Set by the co-op; we confirm it per account
- Net-metered home solar, utility-wide
- 3,602
For comparison: Virginia average 14.41¢ · U.S. average 16.48¢. Virginia had 69,553 net-metered home solar systems at the end of 2024.
Rates: US EIA Form EIA-861, 2024 averages incl. fixed charges, not tariffs. Export terms as of August 2026.
Sterling sun, month by month
Commercial solar in Sterling, month by month
About 11,600 kWh a year from a south-facing roof with no shade. July is the strongest month at about 1,226 kWh and December the weakest at about 593 kWh.
Your roof will differ. A mix of established neighbourhoods with mature trees and newer open development, decided street by street rather than across the whole area.
Estimate: NASA POWER sun data for Sterling, PVWatts model, south-facing, no shade.
Our work
Real systems our crews have installed
Our own job photos, not stock or renders. Inland Mid-Atlantic.
ResidentialStanding-seam metal roofLakeside multi-facet install
ResidentialDetached garage arrayFarmhouse-style home
ResidentialShingle rooftop arrayBackyard-facing slope
CommercialDowntown flat roofLow-slope membrane rooftop
ResidentialClean rooftop layoutBlack-framed panels
ResidentialMulti-facet metal roofWooded aerial view
Photo locations are not published.
Free assessment · Sterling, VA
Get a straight answer for your Sterling roof
We read your bill, confirm your Dominion Energy Virginia export terms, and tell you what your roof in Loudoun County will actually carry, and say so if it will not pay.
- Most addresses here are on Dominion Energy Virginia, but NOVEC serves some Loudoun County addresses. We confirm yours from your bill before we quote anything
- A building permit and a separate electrical permit from Loudoun County, or from the town where the address sits inside one: we pull it and manage the inspections
- Loudoun County has adopted a solar equipment tax exemption, and the terms are worth knowing before you apply: the amount and duration are tied to the system’s nameplate capacity in DC watts, the equipment must be certified by the county as used primarily for collecting or generating energy, and the county will not process an application until the system is operating and has passed all required permits.
Prefer to talk? (843) 310-1128
Sterling commercial solar FAQ
Questions from Sterling business owners
Does commercial solar make more sense than residential in Sterling?
Often yes, for a structural reason. Dominion Energy Virginia credits exported power at credited one-for-one at retail against your own annual usage against the applicable residential retail rate, confirmed against your own bill, so the value is in consuming your own production. A business that operates through daylight hours self-consumes most of what it generates, which is precisely what the current net energy metering under §56-594 structure rewards.
What permits does a commercial system need in Loudoun County?
A building permit and an electrical permit, with standard plan review for systems of roughly 10 kW and above, which covers essentially all commercial work. Inland Mid-Atlantic. No salt exposure, snow loading a real racking input, and a housing stock spanning several decades so roof age varies more here than in the master-planned communities. Dominion Energy Virginia interconnection approval is required before energising.
How big is a typical commercial solar system in Sterling?
It is sized to the building's daytime load rather than to the roof. Each kW here makes about 1,221 kWh a year unshaded, so a 50 kW array makes roughly 61,100 kWh. Dominion Energy households paid about 14.1¢ per kWh on average in 2024.
Does commercial solar in Sterling need its own permits?
Yes. A building permit and a separate electrical permit from Loudoun County, or from the town where the address sits inside one; An interconnection application to whichever utility serves your meter, Dominion Energy Virginia or NOVEC, on that utility’s own forms. We pull all of it through Loudoun County.
What does commercial solar in Sterling pay on Dominion Energy?
Dominion Energy households paid about 14.1¢ per kWh on average in 2024. A 100 kW array in Sterling makes roughly 122,000 kWh a year; the share used on site is worth the retail rate, exports earn credited one-for-one at retail against your own annual usage.
Nearby
Commercial solar near Sterling
Free, no-pressure assessment
Find out what your Sterling building can carry
We will read your interval data and tariff, review your roof structure and service capacity, and give you an honest scope, with no guaranteed-savings math.
Mon–Sat, 10am–6:30pm ET · We typically follow up within the hour.