Most addresses
City of Manassas Utilities
- Average home rate (2024)
- 11.63¢/kWh
- Paid for exported solar
- Set by the city; we confirm it per account
- Net-metered home solar, utility-wide
- Not reported
An honest answer · Manassas, VA
Is solar worth it in Manassas, VA?
Is solar worth it in Manassas? For a 9.5 kW system at about $27,550 making about 12,080 kWh a year on City of Manassas Utilities at an average 11.6¢ per kWh, it depends on how much you use at home.
The honest answer · as of August 2026
For some Manassas homes yes, for others no. City of Manassas Utilities credits exports at a rate set by the city under its own net metering policy, so the deciding number is how much of the 12,080 kWh a 9.5 kW system makes here you use yourself. Half of Manassas homes are more than 41 years old, so the roof check matters here: a roof with under ten years left should be replaced before solar goes on, or at the same time.
Looking for a solar company in Manassas? See solar companies in Manassas: our local team, costs and a free assessment.
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Local verdict
The honest read on Manassas
Manassas is a market where the honest answer genuinely depends on an unpublished number, and we would rather say so than manufacture certainty. If the city’s netting is close to retail, a conventionally sized system works here the way it does in the surrounding Dominion territory. If it is materially below retail, the design shifts toward daytime consumption and storage.
What we can assess without that number is your roof. Mature canopy near the historic centre is the main constraint and it is a real one; the newer development around the city is open and straightforward. Northern Virginia produces less per kilowatt than the Carolinas, so shade costs proportionally more here than it would further south.
Written for Manassas specifically.
What changed
What changed in 2026, and what it does to payback
The federal homeowner credit ended on December 31, 2025. Virginia has no state credit, so the export terms carry the case.
What decides it
Four things decide whether solar pays in Manassas
What City of Manassas Utilities credits for exports, how much of your 12,080 kWh you use at home, your roof (the median Manassas home was built in 1985) and shade, and how long you will stay.
Two lists
Who solar suits in Manassas, and who it doesn't
Solar usually makes sense for your Manassas home if
- Your bill is at or above roughly $115 a month, what a 9.5 kW system here offsets at City of Manassas Utilities's average rate.
- Half of Manassas homes are more than 41 years old, so the roof check matters here: a roof with under ten years left should be replaced before solar goes on, or at the same time.
- Your best roof planes clear the shade: older streets near the historic centre carry mature canopy; the newer development around the city is more open.
- You use power in daylight, when a 9.5 kW system here makes up to about 1,233 kWh a month.
- You plan to stay long enough to reach payback.
Solar is probably not right for you if
- The city’s net metering terms turn out not to support the size you had in mind. On a municipal utility there is no Commission tariff to fall back on, so we establish this before designing.
- You are outside the city on NOVEC and were quoted against city terms, or the reverse.
- Mature canopy near the historic centre shades your best roof planes for much of the day.
- Your roof needs replacing within about five years.
- You are being sold on a 30% federal credit: that quote is wrong.
Getting to a real answer
What a free assessment actually settles
For a Manassas address on City of Manassas Utilities, in City of Manassas (independent city).
- Your actual utility and rateAround Manassas, NOVEC serves addresses immediately outside the city, and the terms differ. This is not guesswork we can do from a map.
- Your real usage shapeFrom 12 months of City of Manassas Utilities bills, against the 12,080 kWh a typical system here makes.
- Roof condition and remaining lifeHalf of Manassas homes are more than 41 years old, so the roof check matters here: a roof with under ten years left should be replaced before solar goes on, or at the same time.
- Shade, measuredOlder streets near the historic centre carry mature canopy; the newer development around the city is more open.
- A right-sized designOur combined experience averages about 9.5 kW, against the 14.48 kW national calculators assume for this market.
- An honest recommendation, including noYou are outside the city on NOVEC and were quoted against city terms, or the reverse.
Resale
Does solar add to a Manassas home's value?
The median owner-occupied home here is valued at about $435k. Owned systems generally help resale; leased ones need the buyer to take over the agreement.
Permits and approvals
What approval takes in Manassas
4 approvals for a Manassas system. We file every one.
- 01A building permit and a separate electrical permit from the City of Manassas
- 02An interconnection application under the city’s own net metering policy, not under a Dominion or SCC process
- 03HOA architectural review where the community has one, subject to the SB 504 limits
- 04An additional electrical permit where battery storage is included
Your utility decides payback
Is solar worth it in Manassas? Start with your utility
City of Manassas Utilities and NOVEC split Manassas 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.
Manassas sun, month by month
Is solar worth it in Manassas? What the panels make
About 12,080 kWh a year from a south-facing roof with no shade. July is the strongest month at about 1,233 kWh and December the weakest at about 658 kWh.
Your roof will differ. Older streets near the historic centre carry mature canopy; the newer development around the city is more open.
Estimate: NASA POWER sun data for Manassas, 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.
ResidentialClean rooftop layoutBlack-framed panels
ResidentialMulti-facet metal roofWooded aerial view
ResidentialFull black-on-blackPoolside single-story home
ResidentialStanding-seam metal roofLakeside multi-facet install
ResidentialDetached garage arrayFarmhouse-style home
ResidentialShingle rooftop arrayBackyard-facing slope
Photo locations are not published.
Free assessment · Manassas, VA
Get a straight answer for your Manassas roof
We read your bill, confirm your City of Manassas Utilities export terms, and tell you what your roof in City of Manassas (independent city) will actually carry, and say so if it will not pay.
- Most addresses here are on City of Manassas Utilities, but NOVEC serves addresses immediately outside the city. We confirm yours from your bill before we quote anything
- A building permit and a separate electrical permit from the City of Manassas: we pull it and manage the inspections
- Manassas is an independent city running its own electric utility as well as its own permitting, so both the interconnection and the permit are city matters rather than county or Commission ones.
Prefer to talk? (843) 310-1128
Manassas worth-it FAQ
The questions people actually ask us
Is solar worth it in Manassas, VA in 2026?
For some Manassas homes, yes. A 9.5 kW system here costs about $27,550 and makes about 12,080 kWh a year, worth roughly $115 a month of City of Manassas Utilities power at its average rate. The city’s net metering terms turn out not to support the size you had in mind. On a municipal utility there is no Commission tariff to fall back on, so we establish this before designing.
Did solar get worse in Manassas after 2025?
Yes. The 30% federal homeowner credit ended on December 31, 2025. City of Manassas Utilities is a municipal utility that sets its own export credit, which we confirm against your account before modelling anything.
What electricity bill makes solar worth considering in Manassas?
A 9.5 kW system in Manassas offsets roughly $115 a month of City of Manassas Utilities power at its 11.6¢ average rate, if you use it all at home. A bill well under that leaves too little to offset; a bill above it, with daytime use, is worth modelling properly.
Is solar worth it in Manassas on City of Manassas Utilities?
City of Manassas Utilities is a municipal utility that sets its own export credit, which we confirm against your account before modelling anything. City of Manassas Utilities households paid about 11.6¢ per kWh on average in 2024. The more of your 12,080 kWh a year you use at home, the better it pays.
Is solar worth it in Manassas if my roof is old?
Half of Manassas homes are more than 41 years old, so the roof check matters here: a roof with under ten years left should be replaced before solar goes on, or at the same time. Doing the roof first, or both together, avoids paying to remove and reinstall the panels later.
Is solar worth it in Manassas for a 9.5 kW system?
It costs about $27,550 and makes about 12,080 kWh a year here unshaded. City of Manassas Utilities households paid about 11.6¢ per kWh on average in 2024.
Nearby
The same question near Manassas
Free, no-pressure assessment
Get a straight answer for your Manassas home
We will confirm your utility, read your real usage, measure your shade and check your roof, then tell you honestly whether solar is worth it at your address. Including if the answer is no.
Mon–Sat, 10am–6:30pm ET · We typically follow up within the hour.