Reston homeowners looking to cut their electricity bills can save an average of $6,323 on a solar installation through Switch Together, a state-backed bulk-purchasing program where Fairfax County already leads every other Virginia jurisdiction.

The county accounts for 181 of 348 total solar installations completed statewide through the program, FFXnow reported on Aug. 10. Another 680 Fairfax County residents have registered, and 51 have paid deposits to move forward. Arlington County trails in second place with 117 installs.

The sign-up deadline is Nov. 18, according to the Fairfax County Office of Environmental and Energy Coordination.

How it works

Switch Together is run by national nonprofit Solar United Neighbors. The model pools interested homeowners and small business owners into a single buying group, then runs a reverse auction among vetted installers to secure a discounted rate.

"I call it the Costco model," Sukrit Mishra, Switch Together's partner director in the Capital Region, told FFXnow. "It's basically a bulk purchase model where we are aggregating folks in this one group, and by consolidating all of them together, we are leveraging that group for a discounted group rate."

Residents who sign up provide their ZIP code, roof details and average utility bills. They receive a rough cost estimate before deciding whether to pay a deposit. Installers only pursue leads for those who put money down.

The program estimates savings of 15-25% off market-rate installation costs, with a projected payback period of six to eight years on panels expected to last about 25 years. Homes with rooftop solar can save roughly $2,200 a year on electricity, according to U.S. Department of the Treasury estimates cited in the program announcement covered by the Virginia Mercury.

Why now

Gov. Abigail Spanberger announced the statewide expansion on July 13, making Virginia the first state to offer this type of group solar-buying program in every locality. The program had previously been available only in Fairfax and Arlington counties, with Alexandria joining in summer 2025. Since the expansion, 3,538 Virginians have signed up.

The push comes as rising electricity demand from data center development puts upward pressure on Dominion Energy utility rates across Northern Virginia.

Virginia also lost $156 million in federal Solar for All funding that had been allocated to help about 15,000 households, according to the Virginia Mercury. Those funds were revoked under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act as part of a rollback of federal renewable energy investments. The federal 30% residential solar tax credit is also no longer available, making the Switch Together discount a more significant cost-reduction tool for homeowners.

County sweeteners

Fairfax County layers its own incentives on top of the program discount: waived permit fees for residential and commercial solar systems, same-day building permits and a five-year solar energy equipment property tax exemption, according to the county's Office of Public Affairs. The county earned SolSmart Gold status in 2019 for those solar-friendly policies.

John Morrill, director of the county's Office of Environmental and Energy Coordination, said in a statement that group purchasing programs provide residents with trusted information, vetted installers and real cost savings.

Northern Virginia resident Molly Roy, who already has panels, told FFXnow she pays less for electricity through net metering and earns $30 each time she generates one megawatt hour in solar renewable energy credits sold on the voluntary market.

Who can sign up

The program is open to single-family homeowners and small business owners. Townhouse owners should check their HOA policies before registering. Owners of commercial or multifamily buildings are directed to a separate program.

Residents can register at the Switch Together website through Nov. 18.