Alexandria, Virginia
Home Battery Backup in Alexandria
The City of Alexandria promoted two solar group-buying programs in 2026, and both offered battery storage as an option. Whether you join one or not, the outage question is the same: Dominion says it takes storage and a transfer switch.
Switch Together, the group buy Alexandria joined in 2025, has led to six installs in the city since 2023 — and sign-ups run through October 15, 2026.
The short answer
Alexandria is Dominion Energy Virginia territory. In 2026 the City promoted Solarize Virginia (run by the nonprofit LEAP) and Switch Together (run by Solar United Neighbors); both offer optional battery storage alongside solar.
Seamless Home is not part of either program. If you are comparing a group-buy quote with an independent one, the battery questions are the same: which circuits it backs up, how it meets Dominion's storage-and-transfer-switch requirement for outage power, and who is responsible for the permit.
Find out what a battery would run in your house
Tell us your Alexandria address, how the house is heated and whether you already have solar. We confirm coverage first, then size to a critical load panel — and handle the interconnection paperwork rather than leaving it with you.
Three things that are specific to here
What the City put in front of Alexandria homeowners in 2026.
Solarize Virginia
Run by the nonprofit LEAP. The City's May 2026 notice listed a July 15 sign-up deadline and an average 10% discount compared with market rate. Battery storage was offered as an option, along with EV chargers.
Switch Together
Run by Solar United Neighbors, with optional battery storage. Alexandria joined in summer 2025; ALXnow reported in August 2026 that the program had expanded statewide and that Virginians can sign up through October 15.
Modest numbers so far
ALXnow reported six Switch Together installs in Alexandria and 348 statewide since 2023, with 189 Alexandrians registered and 21 paying deposits. Installers only pursue applicants who have paid a deposit.
What a Alexandria battery actually does
A group buy settles the price of a quote. These are the questions it doesn't answer for you.
Solar alone stays dark in an outage
Dominion's net metering FAQ states that when utility service is out, a renewable facility is forced offline for safety, and that powering a home from distributed generation during an outage takes an energy storage system and a transfer switch.
Which circuits, not just how many kWh
The useful battery quote names the circuits on the backed-up panel — refrigeration, heating controls, a sump pump, internet — and whether central air is included. Two quotes for the same capacity can back up very different houses.
Townhouses and HOAs
Switch Together's partner director recommended townhouse owners check their HOA policies first. In an attached home, equipment location is often the constraint — the Arlington page covers where the residential code lets a battery sit.
Roof timing
Program staff told ALXnow that homeowners with older roofs should line up solar with a new roof, since panels stay about 25 years. A battery can be installed on its own and added to later solar.
Alexandria next to its neighbours
Across the county line, Arlington covers battery siting on dense Northern Virginia lots, and Richmond covers Dominion's interconnection sequence and solar sizing rule. Alexandria's drinking water is on the Alexandria water quality page. A battery added to existing solar is its own interconnection — adding a battery to an existing array explains why — and the state licenses Seamless Home works under are on the licenses page.
Where these facts come from
- City of Alexandria — Solar Group Buying is Back for Alexandrians (May 6, 2026) — the two programs, their operators, deadlines, average discounts and optional battery storage.
- ALXnow — State-backed solar installation program sees participation trickle up in Alexandria (August 2026) — Switch Together's statewide expansion, October 15 sign-up date, and Alexandria participation figures.
- Dominion Energy Virginia — Net Metering — outage behaviour of solar; storage plus a transfer switch.
What a home battery job with us covers
Installation of storage and the backup circuits behind it, with the siting and utility paperwork handled.
Battery installation
Wall or floor-mounted storage installed to the listing and to the residential code sections that govern where it may go.
Backup and critical load panel
Deciding and wiring which circuits stay live, and which must never be on backup — the choice that defines what an outage feels like.
Integration with existing PV solar
Connecting storage to an array that is already on the roof, including whether the existing inverter supports it.
Transfer switch and disconnection
The equipment that separates the house from the grid during an outage, which is what makes backup legal as well as possible.
Siting to code
Location, clearances, separation and impact protection assessed against the adopted code before anything is mounted.
Permit, inspection and utility approval
The electrical permit, the inspection, and the utility's own approval step where storage touches the service.
This is installation work. No runtime, capacity or incentive figure is quoted before your loads and your utility are confirmed. Coverage is confirmed per service area rather than promised as blanket availability.
What the work actually looks like
A battery job is an electrical job. The panel, the circuits and the disconnection are most of it.
Battery backup in Alexandria, answered plainly
Who is the electric utility in Alexandria?+
Dominion Energy Virginia. It delivers the power, restores outages and handles interconnection for solar and batteries.
Do Alexandria's solar group buys include batteries?+
Both 2026 programs the City promoted — Solarize Virginia and Switch Together — offer optional battery storage alongside solar. Solarize's sign-up closed July 15, 2026; ALXnow reported Switch Together sign-ups run through October 15, 2026.
Is Seamless Home part of Solarize or Switch Together?+
No. Those programs select their own installers. We're glad to look at a group-buy quote alongside ours — the comparison that matters is which circuits are backed up, how outage power is provided and who carries the permit.
Can I add a battery without solar?+
Yes. A battery can be installed on its own for backup and solar added later, or added to an existing array as its own interconnection application with Dominion.
Why does my solar shut off during an outage?+
A grid-tied inverter is required to disconnect when it loses the utility, so it is not energising lines crews believe are dead. That is anti-islanding, a safety requirement. Powering the house in an outage takes a battery and a transfer switch or backup interface.
Who installs it, and who is responsible afterwards?+
Seamless Home is the licensed contractor of record on the work it runs. Installation is performed by vetted installing partners engaged as our subcontractors, so the permit, the inspection and any correction notice carry one name. Coverage is confirmed per service area rather than promised as blanket availability.
Related resources
Home battery backup installation
The national service page: essential-circuit, whole-home and managed-load backup compared.
Learn more →Home battery backup in Arlington, VA
Battery siting on Northern Virginia lots.
Learn more →Home battery backup in Richmond, VA
Dominion's interconnection sequence and sizing rule.
Learn more →Alexandria water quality
What Alexandria's water report says.
Learn more →Does adding a battery need a new interconnection application?
Storage is its own application, even on an existing array.
Learn more →All home services
Battery backup, water treatment, HVAC and solar under one licensed contractor of record.
Learn more →Find out what a battery would actually run in your house
A panel-level look at your service, your existing or planned solar and the circuits you want kept up — at no cost, and with no savings, payback or runtime promised before anyone has seen the house.
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