Rebates

Appalachian Power offers a variety of rebates to its residential customers for the installation of energy efficient measures. These include an appliance recycling program, the Bring Your Own Thermostat Program, and the Residential Peak Reduction Program, which offers incentives for reducing energy consumption during peak times. Additionally, Appalachian Power provides a Low-Income Weatherization program for families with total annual household income at or below 60% of the state median income. This program provides both products and services to those in need. Please contact the program administrator or visit the program website for more information. 

2020 Green Building

Arlington Initiative to Rethink Energy program offers each household/address in Arlington county up to $575 in rebates towards increasing energy efficiency of the home. Rebates are available for water heaters, air conditioners, furnaces, boilers, heat-pumps, and for air sealing/insulation. Incentives are provided on a first-come, first-serve basis until the funds are depleted. 

Eligibility

Only residents of Arlington county, who are upgrading an existing home are eligible for the rebate. The upgrades must have occurred on or after May 4, 2016. 

Program Description 

The work must already be completed before applying for the rebate. Eligible participants must fill out the application form, including itemized

NOTE: Much of the information presented in this summary is drawn from the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Building Energy Codes Program and the Building Codes Assistance Project (BCAP). For more detailed information about building energy codes, visit the DOE and BCAP web sites.

The Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code (USBC) is a statewide minimum requirement that local jurisdictions cannot amend. The code is applicable to all new buildings in the commonwealth. The Board of Housing and Community Development (a Governor-appointed board) has authority to adopt changes to the USBC. The process is very similar to the federal regulatory process

Charlottesville Gas offers rebates to residential customers for purchasing and installing specified energy efficient equipment. Rebates and utility bill credits of up to $100 are available for installing new, energy efficient natural gas water heaters and programmable thermostats. Only customers which previously did not have natural gas water heating are eligible for the natural gas water heating rebate. Programmable thermostats must be new and energy-saver models. Only residences which receive natural gas from Charlottesville Gas are eligible for these rebates. Some installation requirements also apply. All application and information forms are available on the program web site listed above. Mail

For a renewable fuel generator with a capacity of 25 kilowatts (kW) or less, a notification form shall be submitted at least 30 days prior to the date the customer intends to interconnect their renewable fuel generator to the utility's facilities. Renewable fuel generators with a capacity over 25 kW are required to submit forms no later than 60 days prior to planned interconnection. The utility will review and determine whether the requirements for Interconnection have been met. More information on this process may be found in the Danville Utilities' Electric Rate Schedule and Riders.

A customer may begin

The City of Danville Utilities offers rebates to all electric residential customers served by the department. View the program web site or contact Danville Utilities for various program requirements.

Columbia Gas of Virginia offers rebates to residential customers for the purchase and installation of energy efficient appliances and equipment. Furnaces, windows, and smart thermostats are available for cash rebates. All efficiency and performance requirements must be met in order to receive rebate. Some installation requirements also apply. All application and information forms are available on the program web site. Mail-in rebate applications should be sent to the address listed below. Contact Columbia Gas of Virginia for further information on this program.

The following property tax exemptions for solar facilities are available in Virginia:

100% property tax exemption for the assessed value of equipment and facilities used in:

1. Projects equaling 20 MW or less that serve a public institution of higher education or private college.
2. Projects equaling 5 MW or less.

80% property tax exemption for the assessed value of equipment and facilities used in:

1. Other projects over 5 MW and less than 150 MW. The exemption for projects greater than 20 MW shall not apply to projects upon which the construction begins after January 1, 2024.

The law broadly defines eligible solar

Lease financing administered by the Department of Treasury provides funding for energy efficiency projects in state facilities operated by state agencies, authorities and institutions of the Commonwealth of Virginia. The Energy Leasing Program allows for the purchase of services and equipment required to develop, design, and install an energy efficiency project. Agencies can finance energy projects at a minimum of $100,000 and will make repayments over 12 or 15 year terms.

The funds can be used to finance projects with relevant energy efficient technology, such as lighting and motor efficiency upgrades, building envelope enhancements, distribution system improvements, and energy management

This program is designed to promote the construction of "green" buildings. The program helps developers design a building that will be LEED-certified.

EV Charger Rewards Program - Rebate Instructions

Steps for participation:

1) Purchase a new, qualifying smart level 2 ChargePoint or JuiceBox charger from the Dominion Energy Marketplace, or any other retailer.

2) Install the charger and register it with the manufacturer. Register for EV Charger Rewards on the manufacturer website.

3) Apply for the $125 enrollment rebate. The rebate is contingent on acceptance into the EV Charging Rewards program. Participants enrolled in the Charging Rewards program will receive a $40 rebate after one year of participation, and an additional $40 every year thereafter on their anniversary date.

Smart Charging Infrastructure Pilot Program

The Smart Charging Infrastructure Pilot (or “SCIP”) Program supports electric vehicle (EV) adoption in Virginia and will inform the design of managed charging programs and other EV customer offerings in the future. The SCIP Program provides rebates for qualifying EV charging stations, charging infrastructure and installation, commonly referred to as “make-ready,” and network fees. 

Rebates Available

Rebates vary depending on the number of chargers per site, for more information on rebates visit here.

• Multifamily: $4,000 rebate for dual port level 2 smart charging stations; $11,000 for make-ready
• Workplace: $2,700 rebate for dual port

Dominion Virginia Power provides a number of rebates to customers for the installation of energy efficient equipment and measures. 

The Smart Cooling Rewards Program provides homeowners with an annual credit of $40 for reducing the use of energy at peak times.

The Income-Qualifying Home Improvement Program provides incentives for various energy-efficient products such as:  LED lighting, showerheads, aerators, pipe wrap insulation for hot water pipes, attic insulation.

The Small Business Improvement Program provides an energy assessment which includes the following areas: direct install lighting, variable frequency drives, efficient heat pumps, efficient air conditioning units, prescriptive re-commissioning.

Contact Dominion Virginia Power

Note: As the program is approaching its end, Dominion has filed an application with the Commission in 2018 to keep the existing participants on the tariff on a year-to-year basis. The program is now closed to new applicants. 

In March 2013, the Virginia State Corporation Commission approved a rate program for Dominion Virginia Power customers that install solar PV systems. The rate was approved at 15 cents per kWh with a 5 year contract. Both residential and nonresidential customers are eligible for the program. The program is capped 3 MW, with 60% of the capacity reserved for residential customers and 40%

The Virginia Resources Authority (VRA) was created in 1984 and provides financial assistance to local governments in Virginia for a variety of projects, including energy and energy conservation projects. In March 2011, H.B. 2389 added "renewable energy" to the list of eligible projects (though it may have already been technically eligible under the "energy" category). VRA offers a couple financing options, including the Virginia Pooled Financing Program and Revolving Loan Funds. Interested entities can use the contact form available on the VRA web site in order to discuss financing options with VRA staff.

Virginia Code § 58.1-439.12:05 stipulates that for taxable years 2010 to 2025, a taxpayer shall be allowed a credit of $500 for each new green job created with an annual salary of at least $50,000. The credit is to be allowed for the first taxable year the job is created and for the four succeeding taxable years. Each taxpayer qualified for this section shall be allowed credit of up to 350 green jobs. Credits granted to a partnership, limited liability company, or electing small business corporation (S corporation) shall be allocated to the individual partners, members, or shareholders, respectively, in

NOTE: This tax credit expired at the end of 2015. This summary here is for information purpose only. 

In April 2010, Virginia enacted the green jobs tax credit. For every green job created with a yearly salary of $50,000 or more, the company will earn a $500 income tax credit for five years. The Office of Commerce and Trade will develop a full list of jobs eligible to qualify for the tax credit. Companies will be allowed tax credits for up to 350 green jobs created. If the taxpayer does not have enough tax liability to take the full credit

In March 2011, the Virginia legislature enacted broad guidelines for local ordinances for solar and wind. The law states that any local ordinance related to the siting of solar or wind energy facilities must:

• Be consistent with the Commonwealth Energy Policy (§ 67-102)
• Provide reasonable criteria for wind and solar energy siting, protecting the locality while promoting wind and solar development
• Establish reasonable requirements for noise limitations, buffer areas, set backs, and facility decommissioning

Taxpayers in Virginia may deduct from their taxable personal income an amount equal to 20% of the sales taxes paid for certain energy efficient equipment. The incentive is capped at $500. This incentive is available for the following equipment types:

• clothes washers
• room air conditioners
• dishwashers
• standard size refrigerators
• Any fuel cell that generates electricity using an electrochemical process, has an electricity-only generation efficiency greater than 35 percent, and has a generating capacity of at least two kilowatts 
• Any gas heat pump that has a coefficient of performance of at least 1.25 for heating and at least 0.70 for cooling

Virginia has two interconnection standards: one for net-metered systems and one for systems that are not net-metered.

Interconnection for Net-Metered Systems

Customer-generators that net meter must comply with the interconnection rules within the regulations governing net metering (20 VAC 5-315-40). These rules apply to residential customers with generation facilities up to 20 kW in capacity and non-residential systems up to 1,000 kW in capacity. Utilities that have already enrolled 1% of their peak load for the previous year are not required to allow additional customers to net meter. More information is available under DSIRE Virginia net metering post. 

Customer-generators with

Note:  In 2010, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), which has authority over mortgage underwriters Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, directed these enterprises against purchasing mortgages of homes with a PACE lien due to its senior status above a mortgage. Most residential PACE activity subsided following this directive; however, some residential PACE programs are now operating with loan loss reserve funds, appropriate disclosures, or other protections meant to address FHFA's concerns. Commercial PACE programs were not directly affected by FHFA’s actions, as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac do not underwrite commercial mortgages. Visit PACENation for more information about PACE financing

In March 2008, Virginia enacted legislation that would allow local jurisdictions to assess the property tax of energy efficient buildings at a reduced rate. Under this law, eligible energy-efficient buildings, not including the real property on which they are located, may be considered a separate class of property for local taxation purposes. Accordingly, the governing body of any county, city or town may, by ordinance, allow a special assessment of the property taxes for this class of property.

An energy-efficient building is defined as any building that exceeds the energy efficiency standards of the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code by

The State of Virginia provides the option for any county, city, or town to exempt or partially exempt solar energy equipment and recycling equipment from local property taxes.  This status is targeted toward non-commercial participants; commercial entities are fully exempt from state and local taxes under Commercial Property Tax Exemption for Solar.

The solar equipment and installation has to be inspected and certified by the local building department or the Department of Environmental Quality to provide the value of the system for the purpose of determining tax credit. The statute broadly defines solar energy equipment as any that is

HB 1297, enacted in March 2015, provides an option for the local governing body of any county, city, or town to impose a different property tax on renewable energy generating machinery and tools than other normal use machinery. The rate of property tax imposed must not exceed that is applicable to the general class of machinery and tools. 

Renewable energy means energy derived from sunlight, wind, falling water, biomass, sustainable or otherwise (definitions liberally constructed), energy from waste, landfill gas, municipal solid waste, wave motion, tides, or geothermal power and does not include energy derived from coal, oil, natural

Virginia passed legislation (S.B. 1416) in April 2007 that includes a provision that electricity customers in Virginia have the option to purchase 100% renewable energy from their utility. If their utility does not offer a program that meets the 100% renewable energy requirement, its customers will be permitted to purchase green power from any licensed retail supplier.

In April 2020, the Virginia General Assembly enacted Chapters 1187 (SB 710), 1188 (HB 572), 1188 (HB 1184), 1239 (HB 1647) of the 2020 Virginia Acts of Assembly. The chapters authorize a multi-family shared solar program in the service territories of Dominion Energy Virginia and Old Dominion Power.

System size is limited to 3 MW, up to 5 MW cumulative for systems on contiguous locations owned by the same entity.

Subscriptions are administered by a Subscriber Organization. For facilities with a nameplate capacity greater than 500 kW, the Subscriber Organization must be

Note: Successor rulemaking for Dominion Energy Virginia's net energy metering rules is in progress in Docket PUR 2023-00069

Net metering in Virginia is available on a first-come, first-served basis until the rated generating capacity owned and operated by customer-generators reaches 1% of an electric distribution company's adjusted Virginia peak-load forecast for the previous year. Net metering is available to customers of investor-owned utilities (including competitive suppliers) and electric cooperatives, but not to customers of municipal utilities. 

Eligibility:

Virginia's net-metering law applies to electric customers who generate electricity from renewable fuel sources* that are up to 25 kilowatts (kW) capacity for

H.B. 1526, enacted in April 2020 established a mandatory renewable portfolio standard for electric utilities and suppliers. 

Requirements:

Virginia's Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) requires Phase II Utilities (Dominion Energy) to generate 100% of their power from renewable sources by 2045. The RPS requires Phase I Utilities (Appalachian Power Company) to generate 100% of their power from renewable sources by 2050. A complete list of requirements by year is given below:

• 2021 - 6% for Phase I Utilities, 14% for Phase II Utilities
• 2022 - 7% for Phase I Utilities, 17% for Phase II Utilities
• 2023 - 8% for Phase

NOTE: This program has changed from offering rebates to offering incentives as tax incentives. 

City of Richmond natural gas customers are eligible for tax credit for purchase of for efficiency natural gas technologies as part of the Department of Public Utilities (DPU) Conservation Program. Tax Credits to a maximum amount as specified above are available for high efficiency furnaces, boilers, electric heat pump water heater, and biomass stoves.  

Biomass stoves must use renewable plant derived fuel, including agricultural crops, trees, wood, wood waste, residues, grasses, and fibers.  

Please contact the Energy Services Division of City of Richmond for more information. 

In October 2004, the Rockingham County Board of Supervisors approved a zoning ordinance for small wind energy systems, the first of its kind in Virginia. Students at James Madison University drafted the original ordinance with guidance from members of the Virginia Wind Energy Collaborative (VWEC) and assistance from members of Rockingham County's planning board.

Although net metering is not required, the ordinance complements the state's net-metering regulations and requires compliance with the Uniform Statewide Building Code, FAA Regulations, National Electrical Code, and Virginia Regulations Governing Net Metering.

Other key provisions include:

• Use of wind turbine must be primarily to reduce

NOTE: Sales tax holiday has yet to be scheduled for 2023. Check the Sales Tax Holiday website for more information and updates.

Virginia allows sales tax exemption for dishwashers, clothes washers, air conditioners, ceiling fans, light bulb, dehumidifiers, programmable thermostat and refrigerators that meet federal ENERGY STAR standards. Certain EPA "Watersense" products may also qualify. 

To qualify for the incentive, the products must

• Meet or exceed the federal ENERGY STAR or EPA’s Watersense standard
• Be $2,500 or less per product
• Be purchased for noncommercial or personal use.

In April 2020, the Virginia General Assembly enacted Chapters 1238 (HB 1634) and 1264 (SB 629) of the 2020 Virginia Acts of Assembly. In April 2021, the General Assembly enacted Chapter 532 (HB 1855) during special session I. The chapters authorize the shared solar program in the service territory of Dominion Energy Virginia with an aggregate capacity maximum of 150 MW. Once low-income subscriptions total 45 MW, an additional 50 MW of aggregate capacity may be authorized.

Subscriptions are administered by a Subscriber Organization. For facilities with a nameplate capacity greater than 500 kW

In April of 2014 H.B. 864 mandated that the Virginia Small Business Financing Authority provide financing for wind and solar projects to small businesses and nonprofits.

Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and participating power distributors of TVA power offer a performance-based incentive program to homeowners and businesses for the installation of renewable generation systems from the following qualifying resources: PV, wind, hydropower, and biomass. The long term Green Power Providers program replaces the Generation Partners* pilot program. The energy generated from these renewable generation systems will count towards TVA's green power pricing program, Green Power Switch.

The Green Power Providers program contract term is 20 years. Generation credit will be paid at the following flat rates for the entirety of the 20-year contract:

•Residential/GSA-1 customers with system

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) now compliments the small generation Green Power Providers Program by providing incentives for mid-sized renewable energy generators between 50kW and 20MW to enter into long term price contracts. The goal for total production from all participants is 100MW, with no more than 50MW from any one renewable technology. The Renewable Standard Offer program also includes Solar Solution Initiative program that offers additional financial incentives for Solar Photovoltaic (PV) projects. 

TVA bases the standard offer for customer generators off of a seasonal time-of-day averages chart, which sets base prices for the term of the contract. For

TVA offers a variety of rebates to local power company and TVA direct-served residential customers who purchase and install various energy-saving technologies. Eligible technologies include heat pumps, water heaters, duct/air sealing, insulation, and window replacement. All rebate-eligible home energy services or projects must be completed by members of the TVA EnergyRight Quality Contractor Network. 

In-person home energy evaluations are offered through participating local power companies. See program website for details regarding specific equipment requirements. 

Solar Solutions Initiative (SSI) is a pilot program that offers additional financial incentives for Solar PV systems participating in the Renewable Standard Offer program. Applications for new projects for the year 2015 will open on January 2, 2015. Participants applying for the Solar Solutions Incentive program are required to apply through the Renewable Standard Offer program.

The program offers performance based incentive of $0.04/kWh for the first 10 years after the project is operational. This incentive is additional to the seasonal and time-of-day price for electricity offered through the Renewable Standard Offer program.

The total capacity for the program for

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) EnergyRight Heat Pump Plan provides financing to promote the installation of high efficiency heat pumps in homes and small businesses. Installation, performance, and weatherization standards ensure the appropriate sizing of equipment and operation of the system. TVA maintains a Quality Contractor Network (QCN) from which customers can choose an installer. Through a third-party lender, TVA provides financing for residential heat pumps with repayment on the customer’s electric bill and a term of up to 10 years. The programs are independently administered by local power companies served by TVA.

According to state law, community associations in Virginia generally may not prohibit a homeowner from installing or using a solar energy collection device on their property. A community association may, however, establish reasonable restrictions concerning the size, place, manner of placement of individual solar devices or restrict the installation of solar devices on common areas within the development served by the community association. Restriction imposed by a community association will be deemed unreasonable if it increases the installation cost by five percent or more, or if it reduces the energy production ten percent below the proposed installation's projected energy production

Virginia's solar easement law is similar to those in effect in other states. The Virginia Solar Easements Act of 1978 allows property owners to create binding solar easements for the purpose of protecting and maintaining proper access to sunlight. Easements must be executed in writing and must include:

• The vertical and horizontal angles, expressed in degrees, at which the solar easement extends over the real property subject to the solar easement;
• Any terms or conditions or both under which the solar easement is granted or will be terminated; and
• Any provisions for compensation of the owner of the property subject

The VirginiaSAVES Green Community Program provides low cost financing to private commercial and industrial, non-profits, and local governments to fund a wide range of energy efficiency and renewable energy projects in the State. The program works with third-party funding sources to provide financing for projects. The program is administered by CleanSource Capital, LLC under the guidance of Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals, and Energy (DMME).

Interested applicants must submit a summary worksheet that describes the project, including measures being funded, vendors involved, and energy assessment. After meeting the eligibility requirements, the borrower can submit a formal application along with an application fee

As part of legislation to re-regulate the state's electricity industry, Virginia enacted a voluntary Renewable Energy Portfolio (RPS) goal in 2007. Legislation passed in 2009 (HB 1994) expanded the goal, encouraging investor-owned utilities to procure a percentage of the power sold in Virginia from eligible renewable energy sources. Legislation passed in 2012 (SB 413) allows investor-owned utilities to meet up to 20% of a renewable energy goal through certificated research and development activity expenses related to renewable energy and alternative energy sources. In addition to allowing participating utilities to recover costs for RPS programs, the Virginia State Corporation Commission (SCC)

In April 2011, the Virginia legislature created the Voluntary Solar Resource Development Fund. The fund is administered by the Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy (DMME). All utilities are required to provide a link on their web site to the DMME web site, where customers can make contributions to the fund. Utilities must also provide opportunities for customers to donate through their paper newsletters, emails or bills.

The fund will be used to provide loans for residential, commercial, or nonprofit solar energy projects. Qualifying solar energy projects cannot be acquired, installed or operating before July 1, 2012.

Washington Gas provides rebates to its residential customers for purchase of energy efficient equipment and measures in the home.  Homes must receive natural gas service from Washington Gas in order to be eligible for the program. All rebate applications are available on the program website. Visit the program website for more information on equipment requirements and program procedures.

The Company offers an online Home Energy Assessment portal to receive recommendations to reduce home energy use. Based on recommendations from the assessment, some customers may be eligible for free conservation kits including spray foam sealants, door sweeps, faucet aerators, and pipe insulation.