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Electrician-led solar
Solar Panel Installation in Northern Virginia
The electrician-led solar company. Solar companies subcontract the electrical. We are the electrical. Panel, heavy-up, battery, EV charger, and array under one license, one crew, and one warranty.
$2.40–$2.85/W installed, cash. No commissioned sales team, no subcontracted electrical, and a master electrician on site for every install.
Content reviewed 2026-09-01
Google reviews
1,463 across four profiles
Family-owned
Since 1996
Licensed and insured
VA 2705031092
On every install
Master electrician on site
Backed by
Workmanship warranty
Answer first
The direct answer
AJ Long Electric installs solar panels in Northern Virginia. A master electrician is on site for every solar project, and the panel, heavy-up, battery, and EV charger are designed with the array under one license. A typical 8 to 12 kW rooftop system installs for $19,000–$34,000 cash, which is $2.40–$2.85/W.
- One crew and one license for the panel, the heavy-up, the battery, the EV charger, and the array.
- A typical 8 to 12 kW rooftop system installs for $19,000–$34,000 cash. Panel, battery, and roof work are itemized separately.
- We pull the county permit, file the Dominion or NOVEC interconnection, and close out the inspection.
- A standard grid-tied array shuts off in an outage. Add a battery and transfer equipment and the circuits you choose stay on.
Cost
What solar costs in Northern Virginia
A typical 8 to 12 kW rooftop system installs for $19,000–$34,000 cash, which is $2.40–$2.85/W. These are cash installed prices for modules, racking, inverter, and interconnection labor. Two things keep the number down: no commissioned sales team and no subcontracted electrical.
A panel upgrade, when the house needs one, is itemized separately at the published $3,500–$7,500 range. Batteries, EV chargers, and roof work are itemized too, so the number you compare is the number you pay for the array.
Typical 8–12 kW rooftop solar array
Cash planning range at $2.40–$2.85/W for modules, racking, inverter, and interconnection. Unusual roofs, panel upgrades, batteries, and EV circuits are extra. The written proposal is project-specific.
$19,000–$34,000
| System size | Typical annual production | Installed price, cash |
|---|---|---|
| 8 kW | About 10,000 kWh | $19,200–$22,800 |
| 10 kW | About 12,500 kWh | $24,000–$28,500 |
| 12 kW | About 15,000 kWh | $28,800–$34,200 |
Production assumes about 1,250 kWh per kW per year for a typical Northern Virginia roof. Your bill and your roof set the real number.
Why an electrician
Why hire an electrician for solar
Solar companies subcontract the electrical. We are the electrical. Here is what that changes.
- 01 / panel
We already do the panel and heavy-up
Many Northern Virginia homes on 100A or 150A service need a heavy-up before solar. That is our core trade, and it is priced in the same proposal at the published $3,500–$7,500 range, not as a change order.
- 02 / loads
We design the EV and battery loads with the array
The charger, the battery, and the array share one panel and one load calculation. We size all of it together so nothing is an afterthought.
- 03 / crew
A master electrician is on site for every install
Led by a master electrician, not a sales rep and not a subcontractor. The person responsible for the electrical is on your roof and in your panel.
- 04 / county
30 years of Fairfax County inspections
AJ Long Electric has pulled permits and closed inspections in Fairfax County since 1996. We know the forms, the inspectors, and the Dominion and NOVEC interconnection steps.
Equipment
Equipment we design around
Listed equipment with manufacturer warranties and local support. The final platform is set in your written proposal.
- Inverters
- Enphase IQ microinverters and SolarEdge string inverters.
- Modules
- REC and Qcells-class modules.
- Batteries
- Tesla Powerwall 3, FranklinWH aPower, and Enphase IQ Battery.
- Smart panels
- SPAN Panel and Leviton Load Center.
System sequence
One electrical design
- 01ArrayModules and racking sized to your roof and your bill.
- 02InverterMicroinverters or a string inverter, with rapid shutdown built in.
- 03PanelCapacity and backfeed checked, upgraded when the house needs it.Review
- 04Smart loadsOptional load management on the same panel.Review
- 05BatteryOptional backup for the circuits you choose.Review
- 06EV circuitOptional charger load included in the calculation.Review
Incentives
2026 solar incentives in Northern Virginia
The federal residential credit is gone. The local incentives are still worth real money, and we build them into the proposal.
- The 30 percent federal residential credit, Section 25D, ended for systems paid for after December 31, 2025. Our pricing does not assume it.
- Dominion one-to-one net metering and customer-owned SRECs were preserved by the State Corporation Commission's final order on April 30, 2026. New net metering customers pay a $1 per month administrative fee.
- Fairfax County waives the residential solar permit fee and exempts solar equipment from property tax for five years. The City of Fairfax exempts it for ten.
- Virginia Code 58.1-3661 is the state law behind the local property tax exemptions and covers residential systems up to 25 kW.
How it works
From your bill to permission to operate
Six steps. We handle the permit, the utility, and the inspection.
- 01
Free quote from your bill and address
Send a recent electric bill and the address to get a preliminary system size and price range.
- 02
Site and electrical review
A master electrician checks the roof, the service size, the panel, and the interconnection point.
- 03
Written proposal
Equipment, price, and scope in writing, with any panel, battery, or EV work itemized.
- 04
Permit and interconnection
We pull the permit and file the Dominion or NOVEC interconnection for you.
- 05
Installation
Our crew installs the array and the electrical. A master electrician is on site for every solar project.
- 06
Inspection and permission to operate
We schedule the inspection and close out the utility so you can turn the system on.
Google reviews
What Northern Virginia homeowners say
Three of our 1,463 Google reviews, from panel, heavy-up, and EV charger jobs.
AJ Long electric was great from start to finish. The owner who came and quoted my panel upgrade, EV charger install, and grounding install was very thorough and answered any and every question I had. Their quote was reasonably priced, and I felt comfortable.
Upgraded my fuse box and installed an EV charger wtih an additional 110 outlet. Solid estimate, timely response, excellent work. Very efficient and knowledgeable, making useful recommendations without trying to "upsell". I definitely recommend and will use them again.
They were upfront a honest with me during the troubleshooting & estimate process. When they did the actual "heavy up" and bringing our house up to code, their work was great. Professional service, I highly recommend them. We already have other projects we will be hiring them for.
Straight answers
Frequently asked questions
Does AJ Long Electric install solar panels?
Yes. AJ Long Electric designs and installs residential solar in Northern Virginia: the array, the inverter, the interconnection, and any panel, battery, or EV charger work in the same job. A master electrician is on site for every solar project.
How much does solar cost in Fairfax County?
A typical 8 to 12 kW rooftop system installs for $19,000–$34,000 cash, which is $2.40–$2.85/W. That price covers modules, racking, inverter, and interconnection labor. Fairfax County waives the residential solar permit fee, so there is no permit fee line on the proposal. A panel upgrade, when the house needs one, is itemized at the published $3,500–$7,500 range.
Is the solar quote free?
Yes. The bill review, the site visit, and the written proposal are free. There is no fee for the visit or the written price.
Do I need a panel upgrade for solar?
Many Northern Virginia homes on 100A or 150A service do, and some 200A panels need a main breaker or busbar change to accept the backfeed. We run the load calculation and the 120 percent busbar check during the site review. If the panel needs work, it is priced in the same proposal at the published $3,500–$7,500 range, not as a change order later.
Do you subcontract the electrical work?
No. That is the point. Solar companies subcontract the electrical to a contractor like us. AJ Long Electric is the electrical contractor, so the panel, the heavy-up, the interconnection, and the array are installed by one crew under one license with a master electrician on site.
Is net metering still available in Virginia in 2026?
Yes. The State Corporation Commission's final order on April 30, 2026 kept Dominion's one-to-one net metering credit and left SREC ownership with the customer. New net metering customers pay a $1 per month administrative fee. NOVEC runs its own net metering program, and we file the interconnection for either utility.
How does net metering work in Northern Virginia?
Your meter runs both ways. Every kilowatt-hour the array exports during the day earns a kilowatt-hour credit against what you pull at night, and the credit carries forward month to month. The utility is set by your address, not your city name, so we confirm Dominion or NOVEC from your bill and file the interconnection paperwork for you.
Does Fairfax County charge a permit fee for solar?
No. Fairfax County Land Development Services waives the permit fee for residential solar, and the county exempts the solar equipment from property tax for five years. The City of Fairfax exempts it for ten years. We pull the permit and schedule the inspection either way.
Is the 30% federal solar tax credit still available?
No for residential systems. Section 25D ended for new qualifying expenditures after December 31, 2025, and our proposals do not subtract a credit you cannot claim. Third-party-owned systems can still use the commercial 48E credit through 2027, which is why some lease and PPA pitches still show one. AJ Long Electric does not provide tax advice. Read the IRS page or ask a tax professional.
Can you install the battery and EV charger at the same time?
Yes, and it is the best time to do it. The array, the battery, the EV circuit, and the panel share one load calculation and one permit, so designing them together avoids a second visit and a second panel change. Battery and EV work are itemized on the same proposal.
Will solar keep my house on during an outage?
Not on its own. A standard grid-tied array shuts off when the grid goes down so it cannot back-feed line workers. Add a battery and transfer equipment, and the circuits you choose stay on while the array recharges the battery during the day. That is why we design the battery with the array instead of adding it later.
Do you offer $0-down solar financing?
We quote cash and loan. The published band, $19,000–$34,000 for a typical 8 to 12 kW system, is the cash installed price. A loan proposal shows that same installed price plus the lender's terms, so you can see the dealer fee and the interest instead of a monthly payment that hides them.
Who is on site for the installation?
A master electrician is on site for every solar project. Led by a master electrician, with our own crew on the racking and the electrical. No sales rep and no subcontractor.
Do you install commercial or utility-scale solar?
No. This is a residential service for Northern Virginia homes. Light commercial electrical is a separate service.
Authoritative sources
Sources reviewed 2026-09-01
- IRS: Residential Clean Energy CreditOfficial federal guidance. Section 25D ended for new qualifying expenditures after December 31, 2025; AJ Long Electric does not provide tax advice.Reviewed 2026-09-01
- Fairfax County residential solar permitsOfficial residential solar permit guidance for Fairfax County addresses.Reviewed 2026-09-01
- Fairfax County: Going SolarCounty program page covering the residential solar permit fee waiver and local co-op programs.Reviewed 2026-09-01
- Fairfax County: Solar equipment property tax exemptionDepartment of Tax Administration page for the five-year solar equipment exemption and how to apply.Reviewed 2026-09-01
- Dominion Energy Virginia net meteringOfficial utility interconnection and net metering information for Dominion addresses.Reviewed 2026-09-01
- Federal Trade Commission: Solar Power for Your HomeFederal consumer guidance for comparing solar claims, contracts, financing, and written proposals.Reviewed 2026-09-01
- U.S. Department of Energy: Solar and resilience basicsFederal guidance explaining the separate roles of generation, storage, and outage planning.Reviewed 2026-08-26
Related electrical planning
- How much solar costs in Northern Virginia
- 2026 Fairfax County solar incentives guide
- Solar plus battery backup
- Solar plus EV charging
- Solar-ready panel upgrade
- Home battery backup
- Smart electrical panels
- Level 2 EV charging
- Solar permits and net metering in Northern Virginia
- Do solar panels work during an outage?
- How to compare solar proposals
Next step
Start with your bill and your address
Send a recent electric bill and the address. A preliminary system size and price range comes back first, then a site visit with a master electrician turns it into a written proposal.