Bedford County Dominion APCo SEC Installer core area

Solar panels in Forest, Virginia: 1,337 kWh per kW per year

A south-facing kilowatt of panels in Forest makes about 1,337 kWh a year, 2.1% below the Virginia median. Power here comes from Dominion or APCo or SEC; the numbers below use the Dominion rate of 15.20¢ per kWh (2025 average). Your bill shows which one serves you.

1,337

kWh / kW / year

PVWatts, south-facing

5.03

Peak sun hours / day

annual average irradiance

10,696

kWh / yr from 8 kW

a common home system

15.20¢

Dominion price

2025 residential avg

NREL PVWatts v8, 1 kW DC, fixed roof mount, azimuth 180°, tilt 25°, 14% losses. Jul makes about 1.6× Dec.

Seasonality

Monthly solar production in Forest

Virginia net metering carries excess credits forward for 12 months, so Jul's surplus offsets Dec's shortfall. Systems are sized to annual usage rather than to the lowest month. How the calculator models net metering; the current rules by utility are on this Virginia incentives page, maintained by the installer behind this site.

Capacity factor: 15.3%. Elevation about 248 m. Compare every town on the city list, or see how roof direction, tilt and shade change the number.

Payback in Forest

Solar cost and payback for an average home in Forest

Assumes 1,038 kWh a month (≈ $158) at Dominion Energy's 2025 average price, Forest's PVWatts production, 3% annual rate growth and $2.78/W installed, no federal credit. Dollars are nominal. Change any of it in the calculator, or compare every utility in Are solar panels worth it in Virginia?

Run it with your bill

9.3 kW

System size

$25,854

Est. cost

$2,070

Year-1 savings

11.4 yrs

Break-even

$61,847

25-yr savings

$35,993

Net benefit

undiscounted

Utility

Electric utilities serving Bedford County

Bedford County is split between utilities. Rates are calendar-year averages; see all Virginia utilities for the full table.

Utility	Type	Avg price ¢/kWh	Avg kWh / month	Data year
Dominion Energy	Investor-owned utility	15.20	1,038	2025*
Appalachian Power	Investor-owned utility	17.16	1,084	2025*
Southside Electric Cooperative	Electric cooperative	15.48	1,162	2025*

Questions

Questions about solar in Forest

How much electricity does a solar system produce in Forest?

About 1,337 kWh per year for every kilowatt of panels on a south-facing roof, according to NREL's PVWatts. An 8 kW system would make roughly 10,696 kWh a year. East- or west-facing roofs make less; the calculator applies those factors.

Who is the electric utility in Forest?

EIA's service-territory data lists Dominion Energy and Appalachian Power and Southside Electric Cooperative for Bedford County. Boundaries run through the locality; your bill shows which one serves you. Dominion's 2025 average residential price was 15.20¢ per kWh.

Is solar worth it in Forest?

For an average Dominion home (1,038 kWh a month), the default assumptions give a 9.3 kW system costing about $25,854 with a break-even around 11.4 years and $35,993 net benefit (nominal) over 25 years. Your bill, roof and shade change that; the calculator lets you enter them. The statewide picture is in “Is solar worth it in Virginia?”.

Where does the sun data come from?

NREL PVWatts v8 (8.5.0), using the 1081670.csv typical-year weather dataset for grid cell 1081670, about 2 km from the town center. Inputs: 1 kW DC, fixed roof mount, 180° azimuth, 25° tilt, 14% system losses. Typical-year data doesn't change year to year.

Solar production in towns near Forest

Sources: NREL PVWatts v8 (8.5.0, typical-year weather); EIA Form 861 2025 utility data and service territories; U.S. Census Bureau place coordinates. Formulas and assumptions on the methodology page.