Key takeaways
- Free solar is real in DC, for some homes. Solar for All installs rooftop solar at no cost at or below 80% of area median income, but rooftop is on a waitlist.
- The open door is community solar. Income-verified applicants can be referred for free Solar for All community solar credits worth about $500 a year, says DCSEU.
- Everyone else signs a contract. Zero-down solar in DC means a loan, lease or power purchase agreement (PPA).
- The price hides in the SRECs. A typical DC home system earns about 12.6 SRECs a year, worth about $4,670 at the April 2026 price. Most leases and PPAs hand them to the company.
- No tax credit is left. DC has none, and the federal homeowner credit ended after December 31, 2025.
About this review
Every District figure on this page comes from the program, regulator, statute or IRS page in the sources, checked September 29 to October 5, 2026. Program statuses were rechecked on October 5, 2026. The writer and checker named above link to their profiles. This is not tax, legal or financial advice.
How we pick sources and fix mistakes: editorial process and content standards.
Washington, DC is the rare place where “free solar panels” can be literally true. It is also a place where the phrase can quietly cost you thousands of dollars a year. One District program pays for solar outright for income-qualified households. Most other “free solar” offers here are contracts that keep your solar certificates, the most valuable thing a DC roof produces.
The Real One: Solar for All, With Two Doors
Solar for All is the District’s own program, set up in law to run through fiscal year 2032. DOEE, the Department of Energy and Environment, runs it with DCSEU, the DC Sustainable Energy Utility. Its two parts are in different states today.
Solar for All rooftop solar: free panels, on a waitlist
DCSEU pays for the install, and its contractor maintains the system for 20 years. DCSEU says it cuts power costs by about $500 a year or more. Apply through DCSEU, not EcoGen.
DCSEU: Apply for Affordable Home Electrification and Solar for AllRun by the DC Sustainable Energy Utility (DCSEU) for the Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE). Checked October 5, 2026.
- Who can apply
- Households at or below 80% of area median income, or getting help from a qualifying assistance program
- Homes
- Houses, row houses and metered units in buildings of up to four units; renters need the owner’s agreement
- Answer
- DCSEU tells you if you are eligible within 30 days
- Status
- Waitlist. On October 19, 2026, DCSEU’s application page still said rooftop funding was limited for fiscal year 2026, which ended September 30, 2026, and that all applications go on a waitlist until further notice. No terms for the new budget year were posted.
Solar for All community solar: free bill credits, no roof needed
A share of a shared solar array, credited on your Pepco bill. It suits renters, condo owners and shaded row houses.
DOEE: Solar for AllEnrollment by DOEE. Checked October 5, 2026. Hotline (202) 299-5271.
- Who can apply
- Owners and renters at or below 80% of area median income, verified through the same application
- What you get
- Bill credits DCSEU puts at about $500 a year, for up to 15 years while you stay income-qualified. No cost and no install.
- Status
- Taking referrals. On October 5, 2026, DCSEU’s application page said income-verified applicants may be referred to DOEE for a community solar subscription. DOEE’s enrollment site could not be read, so ask the hotline whether space is open now.
The one mistake income-qualified households make here is impatience: buying, or worse, leasing, what the program might cover outright. If you are at or below the income limit, apply first. Joining the waitlist costs nothing, and community solar credits can start while you wait (you leave community solar if you later get rooftop panels). Meanwhile, fix roof problems and update your application if your income changes.
The EPA cancelled its federal Solar for All grants in 2025, including the District’s award meant to expand this program. A federal court ruled that unlawful on September 18, 2026, and the EPA was considering an appeal. On October 5, 2026, neither DCSEU nor DOEE had posted new money for homes. The local program runs either way.
The Illusion: “Free Panels” That Keep Your Certificates
Every other “free solar” pitch in the District deserves one question: who owns the SRECs? An SREC (solar renewable energy credit) is a certificate your system earns for each 1,000 kWh it makes. Electricity suppliers must buy them or pay a fee. The Public Service Commission reported a price of around $370 in mid-April 2026.
A typical DC home system of 9.03 kW makes about 12,633 kWh a year. That is about 12.6 SRECs, or about $4,670 a year at that price. A lease or PPA that assigns those certificates to the company is not free. It charges you that money, quietly, every year. Where there is no SREC market, that clause barely matters. In DC it is the whole game, which is why the pitches cluster here.
A 9.03 kW system, about 12.6 SRECs a year. Bars to scale. EcoGen calculation from the PSC price and D.C. Code 34-1434.
| Owned, 2026 price | about $4,670 to you |
|---|---|
| Lease or PPA, 2026 price | about $4,670, usually to the company |
| Ceiling, 2033 through 2041 | about $3,780 a year at most |
| Ceiling, from 2042 | about $1,260 a year at most |
A market price, not a promise: $424 in April 2025, $373 in April 2026. The cap is $440 for 2026 and $420 for 2027.
So a savings table that assumes today’s SREC price for a whole contract overstates what any owner can collect.
Zero-Down Solar in Washington, DC: Four Ways In, Two Owners of the SRECs
Above the income limit, $0-down solar in the District is one of these. The column to read first is the SREC one.
| Option | Who owns the system | SRECs | What you pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zero-down solar loan | You | Yours, unless the contract says otherwise | Loan payments plus your remaining bill |
Pros and cons in DC: zero-down loanPros
Cons
Can fit if: the loan payment, after SREC income, is below the bill savings. | |||
| Solar lease | The company | Usually the company’s, by contract | A monthly fee that often rises yearly |
Pros and cons in DC: leasePros
Cons
Can fit if: the fee cut for the SRECs it keeps is stated in dollars. | |||
| Power purchase agreement (PPA) | The company | Usually the company’s | A price for each kWh (kilowatt-hour) the panels make |
Pros and cons in DC: PPAPros
Cons
Can fit if: the PPA price per kWh, after every increase, stays below what you pay Pepco per kWh. | |||
| Community solar subscription | A project company, off your roof | The project’s | A fee; credits on your Pepco bill |
Pros and cons in DC: community solarPros
Cons
Can fit if: the contract shows the fee next to the credit. | |||
DC lease: you rent the equipment
A set fee each month. If output falls short, you still pay unless output is promised in writing.
DC PPA: you buy the power
A grey December costs less, so the company carries output risk. The per-kWh price can still rise yearly.
A company that owns a leased system may still claim a federal business credit and pass some back in a lower payment; your contract will not show how much. For loan terms and APRs, see our solar financing guide.
Pepco Is the Only Utility: What Your Bill Credits Are Worth
Every District home is on Pepco, so one set of rules applies. Under net metering, power you send to the grid counts against power you use. Extra power becomes a kWh credit on the next bill, one for one, and credits roll over. In December, power above 100% of your yearly use is paid at the generation rate only. A year-end credit over $25 is refunded. Monthly customer charges stay on the bill.
A system can be sized up to 200% of your past year’s use, but power you do not use earns less. A lease or PPA sized well past your use costs more for credit worth less. Ask why the company chose its size.
You Likely Will Not Qualify If
- Your income is above 80% of area median income. “Everyone qualifies” is not the program.
- Your building has more than four units. Rooftop Solar for All is for small buildings. Community solar is your route.
- Your roof needs work. Panels go on sound roofs.
- You want free panels and the SREC income. A lease or PPA rarely gives both.
Condo and co-op owners: under D.C. Code 8-1774.51, in force since July 17, 2018, your association cannot ban solar on a roof that covers only your unit.
How to Read a “Free Solar” Pitch in the District
- Find the SREC clause first.
If it assigns your certificates, the offer has a price. Make the seller state it in dollars per year.
- Get the escalator and the final-year payment.
Ask for the yearly increase and the last payment of the term in dollars, in writing.
- Get the cash price anyway.
It shows what “free” costs. Compare it with solar costs in Washington, DC.
- Ask who removes the panels for a roof repair, and what a buyer must sign.
- Compare against the real program.
If you might qualify for Solar for All, sign nothing until DCSEU answers. Never sign a lease that gives away the certificates while you wait.
Pause if a seller calls a lease “Solar for All”, will not name who keeps the SRECs, or asks you to sign the same day.
Read the solar scam warning signs and compare written offers from our DC solar companies guide.
Get DC Quotes That Name the SREC Owner
Ask each installer for an owned and a $0-down price, and who sells the SRECs in each.
Start with your ZIP code: owned and $0-down prices
This is a commercial quote request, not a Solar for All application. Installers and financing depend on your ZIP code and your home. For the program, use DCSEU’s official application.
How EcoGen is paid
EcoGen America does not sell or install solar. When you request quotes, we pass your request to solar providers serving your area, and they pay us for the introduction. Providers can include installers, solar marketplaces and lead exchanges, and more than one may contact you. You never pay us.
Read how we make money and our privacy policy.
More Washington, DC Solar Guides
- Washington Dc solar guideUtilities, incentives and installers in one place
- DC solar incentivesSRECs, the falling price cap and Pepco credits
- Is solar worth it in DC?The ownership math with SREC income
- Cost of solar in DCCash prices to hold a $0-down offer against
- DC solar companiesWho installs in the District
- Free solar panels by statePrograms and offers across the US
Washington, DC Free Solar FAQs
Can I really get free solar panels in Washington, DC?
Yes, at or below 80% of area median income. Solar for All pays for rooftop solar outright, but applications go on a waitlist; its community solar credits are faster. Any other “free” offer hides its cost, most often in the SRECs.
Can I get zero-down solar in Washington, DC?
Yes: a zero-down loan, a lease or a PPA. Only the loan keeps the SRECs, about $4,670 a year on a typical system, in your name by default. Compare total payments with the cash price.
Are the “free solar panels” ads in DC a scam?
Usually not illegal, but often expensive: a lease or PPA with no upfront cost that assigns your SRECs to the company. Read the SREC clause first. It is where the price lives.
What if I rent or my roof cannot hold panels?
Use community solar. Solar for All’s version is free if you qualify by income. Otherwise a paid subscription credits your Pepco bill; DOEE says subscribers save 5% to 15% on average.
Is Solar for All still taking applications?
Yes, onto a rooftop waitlist. On October 19, 2026, DCSEU still showed its fiscal year 2026 notice. For community solar, call DOEE at (202) 299-5271.
Sources and review
District program, regulator and tax figures were checked between September 29 and October 5, 2026. Program rules change; the administrator’s current page always wins.
- D.C. Code 34-1434, compliance fee for the solar requirement (checked September 30, 2026)
- DC Public Service Commission, 2026 Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard report, compliance year 2025 (checked September 30, 2026)
- DC Public Service Commission rules, 15 DCMR Chapter 29, Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard (checked September 30, 2026)
- DC Public Service Commission rules, 15 DCMR Chapter 9, Net Energy Metering (checked September 30, 2026)
- DCSEU, Apply for Affordable Home Electrification and Solar for All (checked September 30, 2026)
- DCSEU, Solar for All (checked September 29, 2026)
- DC Department of Energy and Environment, Solar for All (checked September 30, 2026)
- DC Department of Energy and Environment, Solar for All resident resources (checked September 30, 2026)
- DC Department of Energy and Environment, Solar in the District (checked September 30, 2026)
- D.C. Code 8-1774.16, Solar for All Program (checked September 30, 2026)
- D.C. Code 8-1774.51, solar rights in homeowners, condominium and cooperative associations (checked September 30, 2026)
- IRS, Residential Clean Energy Credit (checked September 30, 2026)
- pv magazine USA, Federal court strikes down EPA cancellation of $7 billion Solar for All program, September 21, 2026 (checked October 5, 2026)
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