Powering the Future: Habitat Virginia Reaches 100-Home Solar Milestone

Pictured above: A recent solar panel installation on a Habitat for Humanity home in Ashland marked a milestone for Habitat Virginia’s solar program.

August 20, 2026

Safe, stable housing requires more than four walls and a roof. Reliable heating, cooling and water are essential, and the cost of these services can make or break a family’s ability to afford their home. In 2025, Virginia Housing awarded a $200,000 grant to Habitat for Humanity Virginia for the Solar Lease Program for Low-Income Homebuyers, an effort to make electricity more affordable for homeowners by placing solar panels on their property. The project reached a major milestone in July, as an Ashland home became the 100th home to have panels installed.

Solar panels can reduce energy cost burdens by allowing homeowners to generate a significant portion of their own electricity, but for many low-income families, they are financially out of reach. The Solar Lease Program for Low-Income Homeowners, known as the Virginia Solar Program for short, makes solar panels available to homeowners that would otherwise not have the means to lease or purchase them.

 

Through the program, Habitat Virginia leases solar panels to homeowners at a low rate — typically $20 per month — for the first 10 years of the panels' lifespan, taking responsibility for maintenance and repairs throughout the duration of the lease. At the end of the 10-year mark, homeowners have the option to purchase the panels for $1.

 

The Virginia Solar Program began as a partnership between solar energy installer GiveSolar and Central Valley Habitat for Humanity in 2020 and became a statewide endeavor in 2022. Today, Habitat Virginia has installed solar panels on both new and existing Habitat homes in partnership with 20 local chapters. Across these installations, the average home is producing 6,054 kilowatt hours of electricity per year, or 62% of its own electricity — a figure that currently means saving $71 per electric bill but that will grow as energy prices increase. Long term, the installed solar panels are projected to save their owners between $30,000 and $40,000 over the next 25 years.

 

"Habitat Virginia has always been a leader when it comes to driving innovation," said Virginia Housing Director of Strategic Housing Chris Thompson. "This latest effort to install energy-saving measures and provide cost savings for Habitat families is another example of their vision. Virginia Housing is proud of our long history of partnering with Habitat Virginia, and the Virginia Solar Program is the latest example of the promise that our partnership holds."

 

Virginia Housing's grant for the Virginia Solar Program has played a major role in helping Habitat Virginia get the project off the ground. Materials and labor for the average solar installation cost about $15,000, and while Virginia Housing’s $200,000 gave Habitat Virginia funds to cover 13 new installations, the impact goes far beyond that basic math: Virginia Housing's partnership has been a catalyst in Habitat Virginia's efforts to secure additional funding from private investors.

 

"We sometimes apply for foundation grants of more than $1 million for our solar program," said Habitat Virginia Executive Director Overton McGehee. "A Virginia Housing grant is a stamp of approval from a respected authority that has a very thorough and competitive funding process. It gives us credibility."

What's Next?

Virginia has 36 Habitat for Humanity chapters, most of which partner with homebuyers who earn between 25% and 60% of their area median income. In the coming years, the average electric bill in Virginia climbed $20 between June 2025 and June 2026, and both Dominion Power and the Virginia State Corporation Commission are also projecting increases to continue – a reality whose impact will be felt by Habitat homeowners across the state.

 

Habitat Virginia and GiveSolar want to install solar panels on 525 more homes in the next five years, and their long-term goal involves local affiliates around Virginia raising funds to install panels on all new Habitat homes.

 

"Our vision is that eventually Virginia Habitat affiliates will install solar systems on all their homes in the same way they install HVAC systems and hot water heaters," said McGehee. "The goal is to make this part of Habitat's culture."