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
Solar in Sterling & eastern Loudoun · VA
Solar panel installation in Sterling, VA
Comparing solar companies in Sterling? We handle solar panel installation in Sterling from your first Dominion Energy bill review to switch-on. Sterling spans several decades of housing, so roof age varies more here than in the master-planned communities and it changes the sequence of the job.
- $27,550 typical installed cost (9.5 kW), with retail net metering
- Lifetime full-system and roof-penetration warranty
- Our own crews, owner-run, callbacks within the hour
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
- Daniel Island, SC Our office: 500 Seven Farms Drive, #301, Daniel Island, SC 29492
Solar in Sterling · as of October 2026
Key takeaways
- A typical 9.5 kW system in Sterling costs about $27,550 installed and makes about 11,600 kWh a year here.
- The federal homeowner credit ended on December 31, 2025, and Virginia has no state credit to replace it.
- Virginia still credits exported power one-for-one at retail against your annual usage; the State Corporation Commission preserved that for Dominion Energy Virginia customers in its 30 April 2026 NEM 2.0 ruling.
- Permits, HOAs and structural review shape the design. We handle the paperwork for all of it.
Bill-to-size
What size system does your Sterling bill need?
Enter up to three recent bills. We average them, convert to kilowatt-hours at your own rate, and show the size band that covers your usage. Nothing is sent anywhere until you choose to send it.
Your size band will appear here.
Add one bill and your rate to start.
- Yearly usage
- —
- System size
- —
- Likely production
- —
- Installed price band
- —
- State credit
- None. There is no state solar income-tax credit in Virginia.
Your figures travel with the form, so you do not retype them.
An estimate for planning, not a quote. Real sizing depends on the roof planes, shade and the panel we can actually get, and we confirm it on site. The price band uses $2.90 per watt, a statewide figure. Tax treatment depends on your own liability. We are not tax advisers.
Solar in Sterling
Solar companies in Sterling: what is different here
Sterling sits in eastern Loudoun, served mainly by Dominion Energy Virginia with NOVEC on some addresses, and benefits from the same one-for-one retail net metering the State Corporation Commission preserved in April 2026. What makes it different from Ashburn or Brambleton is that it was not built all at once. The housing spans several decades, which means roof age, framing and shading all vary street by street rather than being uniform across a community.
The practical consequence is that the survey matters more here. Where a roof has under a decade left, the sensible sequence is the roof first or both together, because removing and resetting an array later is a cost paid twice. Established neighbourhoods carry mature trees while the newer development is open, so we survey rather than assume. Loudoun County permits the work outside any town limits and has adopted a solar equipment tax exemption, processed once the system is operating and fully permitted.
Homes in Sterling
What Sterling's homes mean for solar
- 7,290owner-occupied homes (75% of 9,684)
- 1981median year homes were built
- 51%of homes are single-family detached
- $508kmedian owner-occupied home value
- Half of Sterling homes are more than 45 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.
- Only 51% of homes are single-family detached. In townhomes and condos the association or shared roof decides first, so we check governing documents before anything else.
- 7,290 Sterling households own their home, the ones who can install and claim the system as an asset.
Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2023 5-year estimates for Sterling CDP. Estimates, rounded.
Honest numbers
Solar panel cost in Sterling, and what you can claim
$2.90 per watt Virginia benchmark, August 2026. Worked examples, not a quote.
| System size | Before incentives |
|---|---|
| 6 kW | $17,400 |
| 9.5 kWClosest to our ~9.5 kW average system | $27,550 |
| 12 kW | $34,800 |
- EndedFederal 30% homeowner creditEnded December 31, 2025 (IRS).
- NoneVirginia solar tax creditNothing to subtract from $27,550.
- AvailableProperty taxResidential solar of 25 kW or less is exempt from state and local property tax under §58.1-3661 as amended by SB 686, and many localities have adopted further exemptions by ordinance.
- NoneDominion Energy cash rebateNone from Dominion Energy Virginia.
Buying or leasing: what changes in 2026
| You own it (cash or loan) | Lease or PPA | |
|---|---|---|
| Who owns the panels | You do | The provider does |
| Upfront cost | Cash, or a loan from $0 down | Usually none |
| When you sell the house | The system is part of the home | The buyer must take over the agreement |
| Price over time | Fixed once paid off | Check for a yearly escalator |
Virginia still credits exported power one-for-one at retail against your annual usage; the State Corporation Commission preserved that for Dominion Energy Virginia customers in its 30 April 2026 NEM 2.0 ruling. Solar panel cost in Sterling: the full breakdown · Sterling solar incentives · Financing options
Your utility decides payback
Two utilities serve Sterling. They do not pay the same.
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
What a 9.5 kW system makes in Sterling
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.
Sterling specifics
What installing in Sterling actually involves
Six things shape a Sterling design. Getting them right is most of the job.
- 01
Your utility, confirmed per address
Most of Sterling is on Dominion Energy Virginia, but NOVEC serves some Loudoun County addresses. Your utility sets what you are paid for exported power.
- 02
What shades your roof here
A mix of established neighbourhoods with mature trees and newer open development, decided street by street rather than across the whole area.
- 03
Mounting and 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.
- 04
Architectural review and HOAs
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%.
- 05
Outages and climate
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.
- 06
Permits in Loudoun County
A building permit and a separate electrical permit from Loudoun County, or from the town where the address sits inside one. We pull all of it and manage the inspection sequence.
Before you sign
How to choose a solar company in Sterling
- 1
The licence covers the work
Look the business up with Virginia DPOR (Board for Contractors) before you sign, and ask which licence covers the electrical work in Loudoun County.
- 2
Who is on the roof
Ask who installs and who services the system in Sterling. Our own crews do both, travelling from South Carolina.
- 3
About 11,600 kWh a year, in writing
That is the unshaded ceiling for a 9.5 kW system in Sterling. A quote far above it, or one with no kWh figure, is guessing.
- 4
Dominion Energy, by name
The quote should assume Dominion Energy's retail crediting, or the terms of whichever utility your bill names, not a national average.
- 5
The 6 Loudoun County approvals
A quote should say who files each one, starting with: a building permit and a separate electrical permit from loudoun county, or from the town where the address sits inside one.
How it works
From your bill to switch-on, and you file nothing
- 1
Free assessment
We read 12 months of your Dominion Energy bills (or whichever utility your bill names) and check roof age, shade and orientation.
- 2
Design and a written quote
One Sterling design sized to your usage at the $2.90 per watt benchmark, with annual kWh sized to your annual use, since exports earn retail.
- 3
Approvals
6 approvals in Loudoun County. We file all of them.
- 4
Installation and inspection
Standard structural attachment, then the Loudoun County inspections, which we book and attend.
- 5
Switch-on
Dominion Energy approves the interconnection and adds its about $1 a month for customers connecting under NEM 2.0 solar charge. We tell you the day you are live.
Every approval a Sterling system has to clear (6)
- 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
- Written confirmation of the standby-charge position for any system above 15 kW AC
- HOA architectural review, which applies across most of the county’s master-planned communities, subject to the SB 504 limits
- An additional electrical permit where battery storage is included
- A county application for the solar equipment tax exemption once the system is operating and fully permitted
Dominion Energy also charges a standing monthly fee of about $1 a month for customers connecting under NEM 2.0 on solar accounts, which we include in payback.
Want this mapped onto your roof? The assessment is free and takes one visit.
Book my free assessment or call (843) 310-1128Our work
Real systems our crews have installed
Our own job photos, not stock or renders. Inland Mid-Atlantic.
ResidentialShingle rooftop arrayBackyard-facing slope
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
Photo locations are not published.
Sterling solar FAQ
Common questions from Sterling homeowners
Who is my electric utility in Sterling?
Most Loudoun addresses are served by Dominion Energy Virginia, with NOVEC on some. Both operate under Virginia’s net metering statute, but a cooperative runs its own programme within that framework rather than under a Commission-set tariff, so we confirm which serves your meter from your bill before designing.
What is the best solar company in Sterling, VA?
The one whose licence checks out with Virginia DPOR (Board for Contractors), whose quote names Dominion Energy and states about 11,600 kWh a year for 9.5 kW, and who services what it installs. Ours does all three, with a lifetime full-system warranty.
How much do solar panels cost in Sterling?
At the $2.90 per watt benchmark, a 6 kW system is about $17,400 installed and a 9.5 kW system about $27,550. Virginia has no state solar tax credit, so there is nothing to subtract. In Sterling that 9.5 kW system makes about 11,600 kWh a year unshaded; your quote depends on roof, shade and usage.
Does Sterling have net metering?
Virginia still credits exported power one-for-one at retail against your annual usage; the State Corporation Commission preserved that for Dominion Energy Virginia customers in its 30 April 2026 NEM 2.0 ruling. Dominion Energy Virginia households paid about 14.1¢ per kWh on average in 2024, so a system sized to your own annual usage is the efficient design.
Will solar raise my property taxes in Sterling?
Residential solar of 25 kW or less is exempt from state and local property tax under §58.1-3661 as amended by SB 686, and many localities have adopted further exemptions by ordinance. Check with the Loudoun County assessor.
Should I lease or buy solar in Sterling?
75% of Sterling homes are owner-occupied, and for owners the choice is real. Buying, with cash or a loan, means you own the system and add an asset to the house. With a lease or power purchase agreement the provider owns the panels and a buyer of your home has to take over the agreement.
Do Sterling HOAs allow solar panel installation?
Under SB 504 a Virginia association may impose only reasonable restrictions on rooftop solar, and the statute gives bright-line tests: a restriction is unreasonable if it raises project cost by more than 5% or cuts generation by more than 10%. In Loudoun’s master-planned communities that numerical test is what makes a street-facing-panel argument winnable. We prepare the review packet as part of every install.
What permits does solar panel installation in Sterling need?
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; Written confirmation of the standby-charge position for any system above 15 kW AC; HOA architectural review, which applies across most of the county’s master-planned communities, subject to the SB 504 limits. We pull every one through Loudoun County and book the inspections.
Free assessment · Sterling, VA
See what solar looks like at your Sterling address
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
Coverage
Are you a solar company near me in Sterling?
Yes. We install in Sterling and across Loudoun County, from our office on Daniel Island in the Charleston metro. Dominion Energy Virginia territory is the one we quote against here, and the permit route is Sterling’s own.
What "near me" usually means for a solar job
Distance matters less than three things: whether we are licensed in your state, which utility meters your house, and whether a crew can get back to you for service. All three are settled before we quote, not after.
How to check in one step
Call (843) 310-1128 and give us your address, or send it with the form on this page. We will tell you the same day whether you are inside a market we serve, and we will say so plainly if you are not.
Nearby: Ashburn, VA , Brambleton, VA , Leesburg, VA
We also install near Sterling
What we install in Sterling