Solar in Chesapeake, VA
With Dominion Energy Virginia's electricity at about 16.3¢ per kWh and 1,403 kWh of sun per kW, solar is worth it for a typical Chesapeake home today: about a 12.3-year payback.
- Payback, typical home
- 12.3 yrsVirginia: 12.3 yrs
- 25-year net
- $35,992after paying $25,305
- Sun
- 1,403kWh per kW per year
- Electricity
- 16.3¢10% below U.S. average
A typical Chesapeake home, by the numbers
| Utility | Dominion Energy Virginia |
|---|---|
| Electricity use | 1,038 kWh a month |
| Best-value system | 8.9 kW, about 21 panels, 12,484 kWh a year (100% of use) |
| Cost | $25,305 |
| First-year savings | $1,965 |
| Payback | 12.3 years |
| Exported power | 15¢/kWh (Dominion Energy Virginia) |
Cash purchase, no federal credit, 3.0% yearly rate increases. Run it with your own numbers.
Homes in Chesapeake
- Owner-occupied homes
- 74%
- Single-family detached
- 67%
- Median home value
- $378k
- Median year built
- 1989
- Population
- 252,583
- Roofs suitable for solar†
- 81%
Census ACS 2020–2024. †Share of 62,660 buildings Google Project Sunroof rated technically suitable (2019 snapshot).
Installers working in Chesapeake
Public installation records for Virginia don't name installers, so we can't rank local companies here. Browse installers in Virginia.
Always verify the license and get at least three quotes. Compare quotes side by side.
Questions about solar in Chesapeake
Is solar worth it in Chesapeake, VA?
For a typical home in Chesapeake, solar is worth it at 2026 prices: a 8.9 kW system costs about $25,305 after state incentives, saves about $1,965 in year one and pays back in about 12.3 years. Enter your address for an estimate based on your roof and bill.
How much solar power does a system produce in Chesapeake?
About 1,403 kWh per year for each kW of panels on a south-facing roof, based on PVWatts and local weather. That's 2% more than the Virginia average. East- or west-facing roofs produce roughly 10–20% less.
Who is the electric utility in Chesapeake?
Most homes in Chesapeake are served by Dominion Energy Virginia, at about 16.3¢ per kWh on average.
How much do solar panels cost in Chesapeake?
A fair cash price is around $2.95 per watt before incentives, so about $25,305 for a 8.9 kW system. There's no federal tax credit for homeowners who buy in 2026.
Nearby
- Portsmouth 12.1 yrs
- Virginia Beach 12.1 yrs
- Norfolk 12.1 yrs
- Suffolk 12.2 yrs
- Hampton 12.1 yrs
- Newport News 12.3 yrs
- Petersburg 12.8 yrs
- Richmond 12.7 yrs
- All of Virginia
Data: PVWatts (National Laboratory of the Rockies), EIA-861 2025 adjusted to 2026, U.S. Census ACS, LBNL Tracking the Sun, state policy research as of October 2026.