PlugPayback

Plug-in solar in Virginia: is it worth it for you?

Payback, savings and what is allowed in Virginia. With your own power price, no email and no sign-up.

What applies in Virginia

Allowed with limits
  • Up to 1,200 W inverter output
  • Takes effect January 1, 2027
  • Plug type: NEMA 5-15 (standard 120 V outlet)

Registration steps

  1. Buy a device certified by an OSHA-recognized NRTL, meeting the current NEC, with a grid-outage shutoff feature. ↗
  2. Before installing, submit the State Corporation Commission notification form (online or mail) to your utility. If it does not respond within 15 days you may install. ↗
  3. Up to 391 W output to the outlet: exempt from listing provisions that would require wiring or panel changes. Above that, follow the product listing. ↗
  4. Renters: give the landlord 7 days' written notice with device documentation and proposed location. ↗
  • Chapter 998 (HB 395 / SB 250), approved 2026-04-22; effective 2027-01-01. Max 1,200 W per customer or per unit in multifamily housing.
  • Exempt from interconnection and net metering; no export credit.
  • Localities may not ban the devices on residential property; utility may install a locking disconnect where several devices share a property.

Rules checked November 5, 2026. Sources

Find the right size for your home

1. Where is the kit going?
2. How many people live in your home?

Typical for this household in Virginia: 9,000 kWh a year.

kWh
3. Is someone home during the day?

A balcony railing is near-vertical; a flat roof or garden can be tilted.

$ / kWh

From your bill. Leave blank to use the Virginia average of $0.18 per kWh.

How much power?

Suggested for your home 1,150 W (2 panels)

Kits cost more here, so payback is slower. This size pays for itself fastest, in about 5 years. Based on a typical 9,000 kWh a year.

Used at homeSent to the grid

1,150 W · from $899

Cheapest kit we found with at least 1,150 W: US Solar Supplier 1180 W Plug-In Solar Kit, 2 panels, 1,180 W. Mount and delivery are extra.

Saves about $169 a year and pays for itself in 5–6 years.

Nothing you enter is stored. Results are estimates, shown as a range.

Typical payback by mounting spot

Standard kit (2 panels), about $2,160 at the average Virginia power price of $0.18 per kWh, with someone home part of the day.

Mounting spotGenerated per yearSaved per yearPayback
Balcony railing, facing south 888 kWh $139 13–18 years
Balcony railing, facing east 736 kWh $118 16–21 years
Balcony railing, facing west 736 kWh $118 16–21 years
Tilted, facing south 1,269 kWh $187 10–13 years
Tilted, facing east 1,079 kWh $163 11–15 years
Tilted, facing west 1,079 kWh $163 11–15 years
Flat (roof or garden) 1,142 kWh $171 11–14 years

Kits allowed in Virginia

Filtered by the local limit, not by commission. We earn a fee on affiliate links; your price does not change.

EcoFlow STREAM Ultra

1,600 W / 1,200 W · 1.92 kWh battery · 10 y

$1,399

View offer

Bright Saver Balcony Solar Kit 180 W

180 W / 360 W · 12 y

$328

View offer

Bright Saver Balcony Solar Kit 360 W

360 W / 360 W · 12 y

$461

View offer

Craftstrom 800 Watt Plug&Play Solar

800 W / 800 W · 10 y

$2,158

View offer

US Solar Supplier 1180 W Plug-In Solar Kit

1,180 W / 900 W · 10 y

$899

View offer

Mango Power S Plug-In Solar Kit

1,200 W / 1,120 W

$2,698

View offer

Common questions

Tenants and flat owners

Landlords with more than 4 units may not prohibit a device on the tenant's balcony/patio but may set reasonable size and placement rules; tenant liable for damage. Not available in units on ratio utility billing. HOAs not overridden.

Grid operator

Pre-installation notice on the SCC form is mandatory; utility has 15 days to flag deficiencies. No approval, fee or extra equipment may be required.

Still being confirmed

Still being confirmed

We could not yet confirm the following from an official source. Treat them as provisional.

  • plugType: Law says 'electrical outlet'; NEMA 5-15 assumed.

Sources