Most residents and businesses in Virginia are eligible for some form of incentives that reward or cover investments in clean power and energy efficiency.
But the opportunities can be easy to miss, and often require navigating a maze of requirements, said Bettina Bergoo, director of affordability and competition at the Virginia Department of Energy.
The department recently launched an online platform, called Energy Connect, which aims to make incentives more accessible, including tax credits, loans and direct assistance.
“It’s Virginia's one-stop shop for information about energy savings programs,” Bergoo said.
The goal is to help people lower their monthly electricity bills while also reducing stress on the regional power grid.
Power demand is expected to surge in Virginia over the next several decades, largely because of data centers that use huge amounts of electricity.
That demand is driving higher prices. Dominion Energy, for example, has proposed a series of rate hikes that would soon add about $21 to the average customer’s bill.
Bergoo said the state especially wants to target households with a high energy burden, meaning they spend a disproportionate amount of their income, at least 6%, on energy costs.
Energy Connect is designed to serve homeowners, renters, businesses, multi-family property owners and residential contractors.
People can visit the interactive platform online and type in information such as location and income. The website then matches users with a list of incentives for which they could qualify.
Those include buying into clean energy solutions, such as electric vehicles, solar panels and battery storage.
Other programs promote energy efficiency, using better home insulation, appliances and HVAC systems to reduce overall power usage.
Many of the listed incentives will expire by the end of this year or next, following the Trump administration’s rollback of programs associated with clean energy.
But some federal options will still be available, as well as others through electric utilities and state and local governments, Bergoo said.
For example, Virginia’s annual sales tax holiday allows consumers to purchase certain Energy Star and Water Sense products tax-free, such as energy-efficient heat pumps, thermostats and showerheads.
Several programs, including Dominion’s EnergyShare, also offer weatherization assistance at no cost to lower-income customers.
Bergoo said the state hopes to expand its new initiative to provide more information to contractors, including plumbers, HVAC technicians and installers of electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
“As more Virginians are taking advantage of these programs, that means more demand for contractors,” she said. “We want to ensure that they have not only the information about the programs, but also support in growing their businesses and getting the right training to grow the energy workforce.”
For people that prefer in-person help or lack reliable internet access, Virginia Energy plans to train a group of community members called “energy ambassadors,” who will begin local outreach later this year.
You can access the new website at Energy.virginia.gov/Connect.
