District of Columbia solar regulations

Sources reviewed 2026-11-06 · 3 regulation sources

What to know in District of Columbia.

DC Code 34-1518 establishes a net-metering framework, including two-direction metering and safety/performance requirements.
DC Council: Code 34-1518, Net metering
DOB offers an instant solar-permit route for qualifying non-historic one- and two-family properties; other buildings follow the appropriate permit and plan-review route.
DC Department of Buildings: Solar panel permits

Which rules cover your project?

Confirm the serving utility’s interconnection approval and export-credit enrollment separately from DOB permits. Historic properties and commercial/multifamily buildings follow different permit routes; inspectability and zoning remain relevant.

Who provides electricity here?

Narrow possible delivery utilities by ZIP or confirm yours

Find the delivery utility on your electric bill first. A retail supplier or on-site solar seller may be a different company; your delivery utility handles the local grid connection.

Check your actual service address.

Identifies Pepco as the local electric delivery utility; third-party energy suppliers are a separate arrangement.

DC Office of the People’s Counsel: Electric Utility

Browse 33 reported provider records in District of Columbia

Search provider name or reported county

33 records

Electric delivery utilities 1

Potomac Electric Power CoInvestor Owned · EIA 15270
Reported counties (1)
District of Columbia

Electricity suppliers / retail marketers 30

CleanChoice Energy, Inc.Retail Power Marketer · EIA 58951
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MPower Energy NJ LLCRetail Power Marketer · EIA 60218
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SmartEnergy Holdings, LLCRetail Power Marketer · EIA 58956
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WGL Energy Services, Inc.Retail Power Marketer · EIA 20659
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Palmco Power DC, LLCRetail Power Marketer · EIA 61283
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Constellation NewEnergy, IncRetail Power Marketer · EIA 13374
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SunSea Energy, LLCRetail Power Marketer · EIA 61972
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Nordic Energy Services, LLCRetail Power Marketer · EIA 59088
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IDT Energy, Inc.Retail Power Marketer · EIA 55815
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Horizon Power and Light, LLCRetail Power Marketer · EIA 59062
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Inspire Energy Holdings, LLCRetail Power Marketer · EIA 59310
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XOOM Energy Washington DC, LLCRetail Power Marketer · EIA 59312
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Direct Energy ServicesRetail Power Marketer · EIA 54820
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Think Energy, LLCRetail Power Marketer · EIA 65310
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Median Energy Corp.Retail Power Marketer · EIA 63168
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Major Energy Electric ServicesRetail Power Marketer · EIA 56504
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Park Power LLCRetail Power Marketer · EIA 59797
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RPA Energy, Inc.Retail Power Marketer · EIA 63695
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Reliant Energy Northeast LLCRetail Power Marketer · EIA 57037
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Titan Gas LLCRetail Power Marketer · EIA 59065
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Clearview Electric Inc.Retail Power Marketer · EIA 58974
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Atlantic Energy LLCRetail Power Marketer · EIA 60583
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Ambit Energy Holdings, LLCRetail Power Marketer · EIA 56212
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Stream Energy Columbia, LLCRetail Power Marketer · EIA 58476
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Renaissance Power & Gas, Inc.Retail Power Marketer · EIA 61059
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Eligo Energy, LLCRetail Power Marketer · EIA 59054
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NextEra Energy Services, LLCRetail Power Marketer · EIA 7279
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Pure Energy USA, LLCRetail Power Marketer · EIA 61922
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Alpha Gas and Electric, LLCRetail Power Marketer · EIA 58964
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Verde Energy USARetail Power Marketer · EIA 59620
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County coverage not reported in this source

On-site energy sellers 2

Tesla Inc.Behind the Meter · EIA 57313
Reported counties (0)
County coverage not reported in this source
Sunrun Inc.Behind the Meter · EIA 59647
Reported counties (0)
County coverage not reported in this source

Official logo sources · Initials indicate a logo not yet verified. Municipal-owner emblems identify the owning city or village.

Source: EIA-861 final 2025 detailed data · Reporting year 2025. Names and reported counties are historical survey data, not a live address lookup. A county can have several providers, and a listing does not mean every resident can choose it. Small/territory-only reports may not identify residential service separately.

Credits, rebates, and other opportunities.

Check the program’s scope before comparing savings: a tax exemption, equipment rebate, loan and electricity-export payment provide different benefits. Funding, utility territory, income, equipment and installation dates can limit eligibility. Amounts below are not added together or deducted from product prices.

Build a project incentive checklist for District of Columbia

Filter state & utility records

1 state & utility record

State · bill creditEligibility / funding conditions

District of Columbia Solar for All

DC Department of Energy & Environment · Solar

DOEE’s District program connects eligible residents with rooftop or community solar benefits; renters and multifamily residents can use community solar.

Benefit: Solar-related bill credits or an approved rooftop arrangement; actual savings depend on the program and generation.
Who may qualify: Income-qualified District residents and program account/address requirements; available project capacity and enrollment determine participation.
Before applying or buying: Apply through DOEE’s current Solar for All channel and confirm eligibility. This District-funded program is distinct from the separate federal EPA program with a similar name.

DOEE: Solar for All Reviewed 2026-11-06

Selected official opportunities, not a complete inventory. Eligibility, participating utilities, available funds and application timing must be confirmed for the service address. This is a curated starting list, not every local incentive or a guarantee of available funding.

Federal programs in every state

The federal rules below apply nationally. State-administered federal rebates still require the local program to be operating and your project to meet its conditions.

Residential Clean Energy Credit (25D)
Closed / ended
Not available for new property placed in service after December 31, 2025. Do not assume a federal 30% credit for a new 2026 solar, wind, geothermal or battery installation.
IRS: Residential Clean Energy Credit
Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit (25C)
Closed / ended
The federal home-efficiency credit, including qualifying heat-pump improvements, ended for property placed in service after December 31, 2025.
IRS: Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit
HOMES / High-Efficiency Electric Home Rebates
Eligibility / funding conditions
Federally funded home-energy rebates operate through participating local administrators. Check the state program’s launch, current funding, eligible measures and application requirements. This is not a blanket rooftop-solar rebate.
DOE: Home Energy Rebates Program
Weatherization Assistance Program
Eligibility / funding conditions
Income-eligible households may receive approved home-weatherization services through local agencies. This is assistance delivered through a program, rather than an automatic reimbursement for equipment you buy.
DOE: How to Apply for Weatherization Assistance

Federal program details & filing sources

Permits and electrical codes.

Confirm the adopted electrical, building and fire code editions and amendments with the authority issuing the permit. A utility approval does not replace construction permits or inspections.

Use the adoption authority linked below to check the effective date and amendments. The newest published NEC edition is not automatically the edition adopted for your project.

Before ordering equipment.

Your proposed system and location inform separate local-authority and serving-utility questions, which become dated project records. — A question map, not an approval sequence. Local permit/code questions and utility interconnection/export questions have different scopes; processes and reviewers vary by address and serving utility. Keep permit and interconnection records

Track permits and interconnection in a project

Confirm the permit authority
Ask the city, county, or state electrical office which building, electrical and fire-code editions and amendments apply to this address. Request the solar/ESS permit checklist and inspection sequence.
Confirm the utility process
Give the serving utility your proposed capacity, inverter model and operating mode. Ask which interconnection application, tariff, export limits, meter changes and written operating authorization apply.
Document the exact equipment
Collect model-specific certificates, installation manuals, a one-line diagram, site/roof plans, and the battery/inverter pairing if storage is proposed. Check them with the permit authority and utility before ordering.

For the general permitting and inspection process: DOE: Permitting and Inspection for Rooftop Solar .

UL, NEMA, and system acceptance.

UL 1973 concerns battery scope, UL 9540 concerns an exact energy storage system, and UL 9540A is a test method; one does not automatically replace another. — Conceptual scope labels, not certification marks or product approvals. A battery listing or fire-test report alone does not establish acceptance of a complete installed system. Read the exact model/configuration records. Check exact certification and test scope

Check the exact model and approved system configuration. A UL 1973 battery listing or UL 9540A fire-test report does not, by itself, establish UL 9540 certification of a complete storage system.

Open the UL & NEMA reference

Scope and system-level certification: UL Solutions: Energy Storage System Testing and Certification .

Official sources.

Open the source for current forms, eligibility, tariffs, and adopted rules. Utility-specific examples apply to that provider.

interconnection billingDC Council: Code 34-1518, Net metering
permittingDC Department of Buildings: Solar panel permits
codesDC Department of Buildings: Construction codes

District of Columbia solar regulations.

What to know in District of Columbia.