Does net metering transfer when I buy a house with solar?

Yes, on Dominion. Dominion continues to net meter the home and transfers the net meter to the next owner. Virginia rules require you to notify the utility of the change in ownership of the system.

What happens to a solar lease when a house is sold?

The lease contract decides, including whether a buyer can take it over and on what terms. Get the contract and the transfer terms before you commit, because you would be taking on the payments and the terms, not the equipment.

Does a regular home inspection cover the solar?

A general home inspection may not test the solar system or check its connection inside the panel. Ours covers only the solar and its electrical connection, and it pairs well with the general inspection.

What if the system is not working?

You get written findings with the fault and a written repair price. That gives you something concrete to take to the seller before closing.

Pre-purchase solar inspection

Solar Inspection Before You Buy a House

Name: AJ Long Electric
Address: 2724 Dorr Ave, Suite 102, Fairfax, VA, 22031, US
Telephone: (571) 444-6886

Before closing on a house with solar, confirm who owns the system, whether the permit closed, how net metering transfers, how it connects to the panel, and whether it produces. We inspect the electrical side and read the paperwork against what is on the roof.

Get a roof study Call (571) 444-6886

Reviewed 2026-09-24

Two text-free solar scope binders comparing array, roof attachment, electrical service, and equipment photographs

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Family-owned

Since 1996

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Licensed electricians, since 1996

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Answer first

What a pre-purchase solar inspection covers

Before you buy a house with solar, confirm five things: who owns the system, whether the permit was closed out, how the net metering account transfers, how the system connects to the electrical panel, and whether it produces what its history says it should. AJ Long Electric inspects the electrical side of the system, compares the paperwork to the equipment on the roof, and gives you written findings before closing.

A leased or power purchase agreement system belongs to someone else. The contract, not the house, decides what you take on.
Dominion keeps net metering on the home and transfers it to the next owner, and state rules require the new owner to tell the utility about the change in ownership.
We check the solar connection against the 120 percent rule and look for heat damage at the breaker and the disconnect.
The inspection is a booked service visit: the $99 dispatch fee applies, and the inspection is priced in writing when you book.

Owned, leased, or a power purchase agreement

Ownership is the first question because it changes everything else. The Federal Trade Commission's guidance is plain: with a lease or a power purchase agreement, the homeowner does not own the system. Those contracts can run 20 years, lease payments can rise over time, and ending one early can be difficult and expensive. The leasing company is usually responsible for maintenance.

If the system is owned, ask whether any loan used to buy it is paid off at closing, and whether a PACE assessment is attached to the property, since the FTC notes a PACE lien can affect a sale or refinance.

The purchase contract, or the lease or power purchase agreement and its transfer terms.
The permission to operate letter from Dominion or NOVEC.
Module and inverter warranty documents and the installer's name.
Monitoring access, with at least 12 months of production history.
Any renewable energy certificate contract, and whether it transfers.

The permit record

We pull the permit history for the address. In Fairfax County that is the PLUS portal for work since October 31, 2022, and the Land Development Information History system for older records. We look for a final inspection on the solar work and on any panel work done with it.

Then we compare the record to the roof. Extra modules, a replaced inverter, or a battery that never appears in the permit history are questions for the seller. An open permit is the seller's to close before settlement.

Land Development Services destroys building plans three years after the final inspection, so an older system may have a permit history but no approved plan set. That is normal. The inspection fills the gap.

When the original installer is out of business

The Dominion net-meter transfer

Dominion answers this one directly: it continues to net meter the home and transfers the net meter to the next owner. Until Dominion is told the system has been removed, the home stays a net metering premise.

Virginia's rules put one duty on you: the customer must notify the utility of any change in ownership of the generator. We tell you what to send and when. On NOVEC, the contact is its net metering team.

The panel connection

This is where a general home inspection and an electrician's inspection differ. We open the panel and check how the solar connects: the backfed breaker size against the busbar and main breaker under the 120 percent rule, or the supply-side connection if there is one.

Breaker size against the panel label: busbar times 1.2, minus the main breaker, is the ceiling.
Heat damage, discoloration, or loose terminations at the solar breaker and the AC disconnect.
Grounding and bonding of the array and the equipment.
Labels and placards that show where the system connects and how to shut it off.
Water in junction boxes or disconnects.
The panel's age and condition. If it needs replacing, a 200A panel is priced at the published $3,500–$7,500 range.

The 120 percent busbar rule, explained

The production check

We compare the production history to what the system should make. At our planning yield of about 1,250 kWh per installed kW per year, an 8 kW system is modeled at about 10,000 kWh a year. That is a modeled estimate, and orientation and shade move it, but a history far below it needs an explanation.

Common explanations are tree growth, failed microinverters, an inverter that has been faulting, or a string that has been off for months. If there is no monitoring access, we read the inverter's lifetime counter and test the system on site.

The roof under the array

Ask the age of the roof under the panels. If it needs replacing in the next few years, the array has to come off and go back on, and that cost belongs in your negotiation. Your roofer judges the roof. We price the removal and reinstall.

Solar panel removal for a roof replacement

Straight answers

Questions

Does net metering transfer when I buy a house with solar?: Yes, on Dominion. Dominion continues to net meter the home and transfers the net meter to the next owner. Virginia rules require you to notify the utility of the change in ownership of the system.
What happens to a solar lease when a house is sold?: The lease contract decides, including whether a buyer can take it over and on what terms. Get the contract and the transfer terms before you commit, because you would be taking on the payments and the terms, not the equipment.
Does a regular home inspection cover the solar?: A general home inspection may not test the solar system or check its connection inside the panel. Ours covers only the solar and its electrical connection, and it pairs well with the general inspection.
What if the system is not working?: You get written findings with the fault and a written repair price. That gives you something concrete to take to the seller before closing.

Sources

Next step

Book a solar inspection before closing

Send the address, the closing date, and any solar paperwork from the listing. We schedule the inspection inside your contingency period and send written findings.