Solar in Washington, DC
The District quietly runs the most valuable solar incentive market in the country. DC solar certificates have traded far above every neighbouring market for years, and paired with full-retail net metering through Pepco, a rowhouse roof here can pay for itself faster than one in far sunnier states.
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Average 20-year savings
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Full retail credit through Pepco
What a system actually costs in Washington, DC
Sticker price is not the price you pay. Here is the same reference system, with every Washington, DC incentive applied in the order you would actually receive them.
Reference system
7.6 kW rooftop array, fully installed and commissioned
- Federal Solar Tax Credit (ITC)−$7,200
30% of your total system cost, credited against your federal income tax. Applies to panels, batteries, and labor.
- DC property tax exemption−$1,200
The District exempts the value a solar system adds to your property from tax assessment, so the equipment never increases your annual bill.
Illustrative figures for a reference system. Incentive programs change and eligibility varies — your engineering report confirms the exact amounts for your address and tax situation.
And then it earns
These benefits accrue over the life of the system rather than coming off the purchase price.
- DC SREC incomeHighest in the U.S.
The District's closed certificate market is the strongest in the nation. A typical home earns seven to nine certificates a year, and DC certificates have historically sold for several hundred dollars each.
- Net metering1:1 retail credit
Pepco credits exported energy at the full retail rate, so surplus summer production offsets what you draw back on winter evenings.
$0 down financing available
Most Washington, DC homeowners finance with nothing upfront and a monthly payment below what they were already sending their utility.
Why solar works in Washington, DC
The most valuable certificates in the country
The District closed its SREC market to outside generation, which keeps prices for in-District production dramatically higher than in Maryland, Virginia, or Pennsylvania. This is the single biggest reason DC solar pays back quickly.
Rowhouse roofs are ideal candidates
Flat and low-slope rooftops across the District take ballasted racking with no penetrations at all, and their unobstructed southern exposure often outperforms a pitched suburban roof.
One utility, one process
Every District address interconnects through Pepco, so we run the same well-worn permitting and interconnection path on every project rather than learning a new utility's rules each time.
We serve every corner of Washington, DC
Not a handful of metros — the whole state. If you have a roof and a Washington, DC utility account, we can design a system for it.
Utilities we interconnect with
Including, but not limited to
- Capitol Hill
- Georgetown
- Columbia Heights
- Petworth
- Brookland
- Takoma
- Shaw
- Dupont Circle
- Adams Morgan
- Anacostia
- Congress Heights
- Deanwood
- Michigan Park
- Fort Totten
- Palisades
- Chevy Chase DC
…and every community in between. Enter your address in the calculator to confirm coverage in seconds.
“I had no idea the certificate income was as significant as it turned out to be. Elite modelled the shading from the houses on either side of us honestly, sized the array to fit, and it has tracked their projection almost exactly.”
Daniel & Margaret Whitfield
Brookland, Washington, DC
Washington, DC questions, answered
Because of the certificate market. The District requires its electricity suppliers to source solar generated inside DC specifically, and closed the market to outside generation. That scarcity has kept DC certificate prices far above Maryland's or Virginia's for years. A typical District system earns seven to nine certificates annually, and that income is usually the largest single component of the return.
We also serve
Florida
Statewide service · Peak production
Pennsylvania
Statewide service · SREC income
Maryland
Statewide service · Stacked incentives
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Find out what your Washington, DC roof is worth
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