NOVEC
NOVEC Net Metering for Solar
NOVEC is an electric cooperative, so its net metering runs under a different Virginia statute and its own rider, not Dominion's program. Residential systems are capped at 20 kW AC and sized to up to one year of your usage, and credits carry forward over a 12-month period.
Reviewed 2026-09-24
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Answer first
The short answer
NOVEC net metering credits the solar you export against future bills, with billing-period credits carried forward over a 12-month net metering period. Under Code of Virginia 56-594.01 and NOVEC's Schedule NEM-10, a residential system can be up to 20 kW AC and sized to no more than your previous 12 months of usage. Excess left at the end of the year earns nothing unless you sign a power purchase agreement with NOVEC, and you own your SRECs.
- Submit NOVEC's notification form, sections 1 through 4, and get approval before any installation starts, including adding panels to an existing system.
- The SCC's 2026 Dominion net metering order does not govern NOVEC.
- NOVEC publishes its remaining residential net metering capacity; it posted 18.837 MW remaining under a 4.0 percent cap, based on 2025 data.
How NOVEC credits your solar
Once NOVEC installs the net meter, it measures the energy your system sends back. Energy you do not use right away offsets future bills. In a billing period when your generation exceeds your use, you pay only the charges that do not depend on usage, and the credit carries forward to later months under the SCC's net metering rules.
NOVEC notes that Virginia customers tend to produce more in spring and fall and less in winter and summer, which is why the 12-month period matters: spring credits carry into the high-usage months.
At the end of the 12-month period, a member receives no compensation for leftover excess unless a power purchase agreement is in place. NOVEC enters one on written request, at a price equal to the simple average of its hourly avoidable cost of energy for the period unless a different price is agreed or set by the Commission.
Sizing is tighter than on Dominion
A Dominion customer can size up to 150 percent of expected annual use. A NOVEC member cannot. The co-op statute and NEM-10 limit a residential system to 20 kW AC and to what can generate up to your previous 12 months of usage, or an annualized estimate made with NOVEC's methods, and no more.
NOVEC works with the member to agree on a maximum capacity, with historic or predicted annual consumption as the main factor. If you are adding an EV or a heat pump, bring the plan to that conversation; predicted consumption is part of the rule. Year-end excess earns only the avoidable-cost rate, so sizing to usage is the right target anyway.
| Rule | NOVEC | Dominion |
|---|---|---|
| Residential size cap | 20 kW AC | 25 kW |
| Sizing limit | Up to 100 percent of prior 12 months of use | Up to 150 percent of expected annual use |
| Netting period | 12 months | 12 months |
| Year-end excess | Only under a power purchase agreement, at avoidable cost | Legacy: only under a power purchase agreement; NEM 2.0: automatic export credit |
| Certificates | Owned by the member | Owned by the customer |
Sources: Code of Virginia 56-594 and 56-594.01; NOVEC Schedule NEM-10; SCC Case PUR-2025-00079.
The NOVEC application, step by step
Questions go to NOVEC's net metering team at netmetering@novec.com. We file the notification, pull the county permit, and coordinate the meter so the steps happen in order.
- 01
Confirm NOVEC serves the address
The bill says NOVEC. A mailing address alone does not settle it.
- 02
Notify NOVEC before any installation
Sections 1 through 4 of the SCC's notification form (Form NMIN) must be submitted to and approved by NOVEC before construction starts, including added capacity on an existing system.
- 03
Install to the rider's requirements
Every net metering customer needs a lockable, load-breaking manual disconnect switch at a location NOVEC approves, with round-the-clock access for NOVEC.
- 04
Inspection and net meter
NOVEC inspects inverter settings on static inverter systems over 10 kW for a fee in its rider, then installs the net meter.
SRECs for NOVEC members
NOVEC members own the renewable energy certificates their systems create. A member can sell them through a broker, or make a one-time election when signing the power purchase agreement to sell all of them to NOVEC for the term of that agreement. Because the net meter records exports, not total production, any extra meter needed to measure total output for certificates is at the member's expense unless otherwise negotiated.
Straight answers
Questions
- How big can a solar system be on NOVEC?
- Up to 20 kW AC for a residential member, and sized to generate no more than your previous 12 months of usage or NOVEC's annualized estimate.
- Does NOVEC pay for extra solar power?
- Only under a power purchase agreement you request, at the average of NOVEC's hourly avoidable cost of energy for the net metering period, unless a different price is agreed or set by the SCC.
- Does the 2026 Dominion net metering decision apply to NOVEC?
- No. NOVEC is a cooperative and net meters under Code of Virginia 56-594.01 and its own NEM-10 rider.
- Do I own my SRECs on NOVEC?
- Yes. You can sell them through a broker or make a one-time election to sell them to NOVEC when you sign the power purchase agreement.
Sources
- Code of Virginia 56-594.01, Net energy metering provisions for electric cooperative service territories
- NOVEC, Schedule NEM-10 Net Energy Metering Rider
- NOVEC, Net Metering
- NOVEC, Net Energy Metering Existing and Remaining Capacity
- Virginia Administrative Code 20VAC5-315, Regulations Governing Net Energy Metering
Next step
Size a NOVEC system the right way
Send your last 12 months of NOVEC bills and the address. The free quote sizes the array to your usage and includes the notification, permit, and meter steps.
Solar energy company
AJ Long Electric Solar
AJ Long Electric
7138 Little River Turnpike #305
Annandale, VA 22003
Serving Annandale, Fairfax County, and Northern Virginia.