Dominion Virginia Net Metering: Credits, Fees and PTO

Understand Dominion Energy Virginia net-metering credits, annual carryover limits, standby-charge conditions and the difference between contingent approval and permission to operate.

Sources reviewed: 2026-10-10

Confirm the territory, arrangement and compatible rate

Check the utility, service address, rate schedule and solar agreement. Dominion operates in multiple territories, so a document from North Carolina or South Carolina is not proof of a Virginia account's treatment. The reviewed Virginia program page lists compatible schedules and directs customers with other rates to ask the net-metering team.

This article concerns residential Virginia net metering, not every agricultural or commercial generating arrangement. Use the official Virginia program page and the filed Virginia net-metering terms, reviewed as effective February 5, 2026. Confirm the actual schedule rather than treating the program name as the entire tariff.

Separate solar used at home from grid exchanges

Electricity used directly in the home reduces the grid electricity needed at that moment. Electricity passing outward through the utility meter enters the grid-delivery quantity; power purchased at other times enters grid consumption. Inverter generation is not identical to either quantity. A system producing substantial daytime energy can still leave nighttime imports and remaining bill items.

For an original simplified non-TOU example, 1,000 imported kWh and 800 exported kWh leave 200 kWh before considering any applicable earlier credit bank or other bill items. It is a quantity illustration, not a Dominion statement or price calculation. The official billing explanation describes how generation and credits affect utility purchases.

Billing credits and time-of-use tiers need the actual schedule

Dominion explains that excess grid deliveries are recorded as credit for future electric energy. Its Off-Peak explanation says credits apply to the time tier in which they accrue, rather than automatically offsetting every other tier. Equal annual exported and imported kWh therefore do not establish an equal-dollar result on every compatible schedule.

The filed terms distinguish billing credits and time-of-use treatment. Ask the utility to identify the account's relevant periods and credit balances before relying on a flat-rate example. Read the Virginia program's Off-Peak explanation alongside Section XXV billing conditions.

Annual carryover has conditions, not unlimited banking

Section F of the reviewed terms says billing-period credits accumulate and apply at the first opportunity to positive net consumption, with time-of-use tiers recognized where applicable. Remaining credits can carry into the next net-metering period only within the stated limit related to the current period's billed consumption, adjusted for prior-period credits carried forward and used.

That clause is more specific than 'all unused solar always rolls over'. Do not treat the credit as an unlimited cash account or assume every annual balance is paid at a retail rate. Obtain the account's period dates and settlement treatment from Dominion and refer to the current filed carryover provisions for the exact definitions.

A utility surplus purchase agreement is a separate choice

The program page describes a Power Purchase Agreement with Dominion for net excess production remaining at the end of a 12-month net-metering period. That utility purchase arrangement is not the same as a third-party rooftop PPA in which a homeowner pays a solar provider. Similar terminology does not make the payment direction or obligations identical.

The filed terms govern eligible excess-generation purchases, rate definitions and timing. Ask which treatment applies to the actual agreement rather than assuming an automatic retail-price refund. Sources: Dominion's PPA explanation and Section F purchase provisions. This guide does not quote a universal current surplus-payment price.

Remaining charges and standby conditions matter

Solar credits do not establish that all bill categories disappear. The reviewed filed terms identify non-usage-sensitive charges and applicable standby charges in the billing treatment. A quote that only subtracts exported kWh can therefore leave important items unexplained. Use the actual residential schedule to determine what the account owes.

The program page says standby charges apply to net-metering customers on Virginia Residential Schedules 1, 1S and 1G with generation larger than 20 kW AC. That is an AC-capacity and schedule condition, not a charge assigned to every solar home. Read the official standby explanation and linked schedules; ask Dominion to confirm the amount and applicability before changing system capacity.

Contingent approval and final PTO are different notices

Dominion's current process begins with a Net Metering Interconnection Notification, or NMIN. It describes verifying the submitted information, collecting customer and vendor signatures and issuing contingent approval. Local compliance and certification or inspection remain separate responsibilities; Dominion's compatibility review does not approve every equipment or installation decision.

The program then describes the required certification/inspection documentation and metering/billing work, followed by a Permission to Operate email to the customer and vendor. Keep that final notice. The current NMIN and PTO instructions control the process; the interconnection parameters manual is a technical reference, not proof of final approval or a current price forecast.

Verify changes, home sales and the first solar bills

The reviewed program page describes transferring the net meter to the next owner at a net-metering premise until the utility is advised that the system has been removed. That statement concerns utility treatment, not title to leased equipment, payoff of a loan or provider-contract transfer. Those obligations require separate document review during a sale.

Before adding capacity or storage, ask about the application, schedule and standby implications for the exact project. After authorized operation or an account change, check actual meter quantities and credit treatment. Use Dominion's program instructions, our solar-home buyer checklist and permits/PTO guide. The energy-flow calculator illustrates annual kWh, not Dominion annual settlement or account eligibility.