Office of Environmental and Energy Coordination

Interested in letting the sun pay your bills? Two programs available to Fairfax County homeowners – Switch Together and Solarize Virginia – are back for another round.

Fairfax County is pleased to support these group buying programs, which helps homeowners and small businesses secure a high-quality rooftop solar installation at a lower price. Both programs make switching to solar a snap by offering:

• A free assessment to find out whether your home is a good candidate for solar installation
• Bulk discounts on solar systems, at least 10% lower than the regional average
• Access to a qualified solar installer, ongoing support and no obligation to purchase.

“Going solar can seem like an overwhelming and expensive process, but it doesn’t have to be,” said John Morrill, Director of Fairfax County’s Office of Environmental and Energy Coordination. “Through the power of group purchasing, Solarize and Switch Together provide an excellent opportunity for residents to switch to clean, renewable energy.”

Switch Together (formerly Solar Switch)

Backed by nonprofit Solar United Neighbors, Switch Together organizes a reverse auction with qualified installers who compete to offer their most competitive prices. This ensures participants receive a discount on a high-quality solar installation. The most recent auction secured an average discount of $6,201 on a 9.3 kW system.

In addition to the group discount, residents may qualify for the 30% federal tax credit. The program also offers discounted prices for optional add-ons such as battery storage and electric vehicle chargers. Last year, nearly 1,600 households across the county registered for the program, leading to 112 installations and counting.
 
“If you've ever thought about going solar, now's the time," said Tori Delhagen of Solar United Neighbors. "Switch Together provides members with a competitive bid from a vetted installer. You'll receive expert support every step of the way."

Visit SwitchTogether.com/Solar/FairfaxCounty to register for free or learn more. The final day to register and accept a personal recommendation is June 4, 2025.

Solarize Virginia

Managed by nonprofit Local Energy Alliance Program (LEAP), the Solarize Virginia program is now in its eleventh year. Last year alone 270 residents in Fairfax County registered for Solarize, resulting in 25 installations. Since 2014, the program has supported 551 installations in Fairfax County.

Solarize will officially start its 2025 campaign on April 15 but residents can sign up now through July 15, 2025. During the campaign, program participants can attend free webinars and receive expert opinions about the feasibility of solar panels for their homes and buildings. To sign up for free or get more information, go to www.solarizeva.org.

Both programs are open this spring for a limited time – so sign up soon!

More Resources

Fairfax County also offers resources and benefits for homeowners looking to install solar, such as waived permit fees and tax exemptions on solar equipment.

Learn more by visiting Going Solar in Fairfax County.

About Solar United Neighbors

Solar United Neighbors is a national nonprofit organization that represents the needs and interests of solar owners and supporters. Bulk purchase programs, like Switch Together, are part of the organization’s mission to create a new energy system with rooftop solar at the cornerstone. Solar United Neighbors holds events and education programs to help people become informed solar consumers, maximize the value of their solar investment, and advocate for fair solar policies.

About LEAP

The Local Energy Alliance Program (LEAP) is a nonprofit organization founded in 2009 with a mission to advance energy efficiency and sustainability in our community. Their vision is to create a more energy-efficient and resilient community, reducing our carbon footprint while improving the quality of life for all. They offer a wide range of services, from home energy assessments to solar installations, helping our community reduce energy consumption and lower greenhouse gas emissions.

Join the Sustain Fairfax Challenge and see how your everyday actions can make a big difference on the environment and your community’s well-being. The launch of the challenge web app coincides with Sustain Fairfax, a public awareness campaign to foster environmental stewardship and promote sustainable practices among county residents and businesses.

During the challenge, you can track your efforts to make changes and invite friends, groups and other communities to join you in adopting changes. The app lists various climate solutions and how shows how adopting simple actions in your daily life can positively affect the environment. The challenge fosters community engagement, allowing residents to connect with friends and neighbors, share tips and celebrate their successes together.

In 2024, Fairfax County made significant progress toward achieving its environmental vision and the goals of the countywide strategic plan and climate action plans.

By making its buildings energy efficient, installing solar panels for clean energy and electrifying the vehicle fleet, the county cut its greenhouse gas emissions by almost 28% since fiscal year 2018. Fairfax County Government’s efforts to make its operations greener also resulted in nearly $8 million in savings from avoided utility costs in fiscal year 2024.

Take a moment to look back on major milestones in environmental sustainability as well as other significant accomplishments by watching the 2025 State of the County video.

The Fairfax County Park Authority (FCPA), in partnership with the Fairfax County Office of Environmental and Energy Coordination (OEEC), was presented with a 2024 American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) Technology Award for successfully applied innovative building design, incorporating high standards for effective energy management and indoor air quality.

FCPA was recognized for the Energy Savings Performance Contracting (ESCO) Phase 1 Project at Cub Run Rec Center in Chantilly, which took first prize in regional competition in August 2024. 

Simple lifestyle changes by county residents can add up to big changes that help build a more sustainable environment. A new county-sponsored public awareness campaign draws attention to actions that residents can take to foster environmental stewardship and promote sustainable practices that will ensure a greener, healthier future.

The county’s “Sustain Fairfax” campaign makes it easy for residents to get involved. The campaign’s webpage (“Fairfax Sostenible” in Spanish) lists actionable steps, as well as resources, information and opportunities to participate in various climate action programs and initiatives. 

Sustain Fairfax is a response to growing concerns about climate change, environmental degradation and the need for collective action. Through this initiative, the county seeks to create a more sustainable future by encouraging actions that conserve energy, reduce the reliance on gas-powered vehicles, safeguard homes from flooding and severe storms, and preserve natural resources that enhance the overall quality of life for its residents.

 

Our efforts to make county operations greener has resulted in nearly $8 million in savings from avoided utility costs in fiscal year 2024.

By making its buildings energy efficient, installing solar panels for clean energy, and electrifying its vehicle fleet, Fairfax County has also cut its greenhouse gas emissions by almost 28% since fiscal year 2018, according to new data from the county’s energy dashboard.

“Reducing our use of fossil fuels for powering our buildings and vehicles not only provides important environmental benefits and improves our energy independence and resilience, it also lowers our utility and fuel costs,” said County Executive Bryan Hill. “As this new data shows, we continue to make steady progress on the environmental goals of the Countywide Strategic Plan and our operational goal of carbon neutrality by 2040.”

 

The Fairfax County Environmental Quality Advisory Council (EQAC) has released its 2024 Annual Report on the Environment. This comprehensive report provides an in-depth analysis of the county's environmental status, highlighting key areas such as land use, air and water quality, transportation, waste management, climate change, and ecological conservation. 

The 2024 Annual Report on the Environment serves as a resource for county officials, policymakers, and residents, offering valuable insights into the progress and challenges in maintaining and improving Fairfax County's environmental quality. The report also includes recommendations to guide future environmental policies and initiatives. An Executive Summary which highlights the priority recommendations from the report is also available.

The report and executive summary are prepared by EQAC and reflect the council's views.

In conjunction with the release of the Annual Report, EQAC invites all residents to participate in the Annual Public Comment Meeting, scheduled for January 8, 2025. This meeting provides a unique opportunity for community members to share their environmental concerns, suggestions, and feedback directly with the council. 

What: EQAC Annual Public Comment Meeting
When: January 8, 2025
Where: Fairfax County Government Center, 12000 Government Center Parkway, Room 4/5
Time:  7:15 p.m.

Please call the Fairfax County Office of Environmental and Energy Coordination at 703-324-7136, TTY 711 or send an email to EQAC@fairfaxcounty.gov to be added to the speakers list.

Residents who are unable to attend the meeting in person or virtually are also welcome to submit their comments online, by video or by email, to EQAC@fairfaxcounty.gov before January 6, 2025 at 5:00 p.m. For more information on how to provide testimony, please view the Public Comment Meeting flyer. 

For more information about EQAC, or to access the 2024 Annual Report on the Environment, please visit the EQAC webpage.

About EQAC: The Environmental Quality Advisory Council (EQAC) is dedicated to advising the Board of Supervisors on environmental issues and promoting sustainable practices within Fairfax County. Through comprehensive reports, public engagement, and strategic recommendations, EQAC works to enhance the county’s environmental quality for current and future generations.
 

Harpers Square and Penderbrook are First to Install EV Charging Stations 

The Charge Up Fairfax initiative is aimed at encouraging the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) by providing community associations with the resources and support necessary to install charging stations for residents and guests. The newly selected communities include:

• Lakepointe Community Council Homeowners Association in the Braddock District
• Windsor Park Homeowners Association in the Franconia District
• Midtown North Condominium Unit Owners Association in the Hunter Mill District
• Encore of McLean Condominium Unit Owners Association in the Providence District

"We are thrilled to welcome these four communities into the Charge Up Fairfax program," said OEEC Director John Morrill. "By expanding the network of EV charging infrastructure close to home, we are fostering a greener future and making it easier for residents to embrace electric vehicles, which produce no tailpipe emissions and are better for the environment.” 

OEEC is already working with 16 community associations in the program. Two of those communities – Harpers Square Cluster Association in Hunter Mill District and Penderbrook Community Association in Springfield District – recently installed their new EV charging stations. 

“I think that we're going to start seeing a lot more electric vehicles appear in our cluster because I think up to this point it's really been the limiting factor that people haven't been able to charge their cars at home.”

The Charge Up Fairfax program is designed to assist communities in navigating the complexities of installing EV charging stations, from initial planning and site selection to securing funding and managing installation.

The Lakepointe Community and Windsor Park will receive full program support, which includes a combination of technical guidance and financial assistance to ensure successful implementation of EV chargers. Midtown North and Encore of McLean will benefit from the grant only option, which provides financial assistance to communities that have already undertaken some of the preparatory work.

The next application period will open in the spring of 2025. For more information about the Charge Up Fairfax program and how your community can get involved, please visit the Charge Up Fairfax webpage or contact OEECElectricVehicles@fairfaxcounty.gov.

Contact Name

John Silcox, Public Information Officer

Contact Information

john.silcox@fairfaxcounty.gov

Our plastic bag tax is proving to be an effective tool in reducing plastic bag usage, according to data recently released by the county. Since 2022, when the bag tax begun, 3.6 million fewer plastic bags have been used by consumers in the county.

The data shows a positive and sustained decline in disposable plastic bags throughout the past few years.

• In 2023, there was a reduction of approximately 1.6 million plastic bags used compared to the previous year.
• And when comparing the first eight months of 2024 to the same period in 2023, an additional 2 million plastic bags were eliminated from use.

That’s nearly 4 million bags so far that will never find their way into county waterways.

“We are seeing the results of this program in the significant reduction of plastic waste,” said Jeffrey C. McKay, Board of Supervisors chairman. “The bag fee has never been about generating revenue but about changing behavior that helps our planet and helps our community reduce litter.  However, any revenue that is generated is applied directly to cleaning up our streams, supporting litter reduction and providing reusable bags to vulnerable populations."

 

Editor’s Note: A correction was made to this article on December 30, 2024.

Today, the Fairfax County Office of Environmental and Energy Coordination (OEEC) announced the recipients of the 2024 Environmental Excellence Awards. 

Since 2000, Fairfax County has issued the Environmental Excellence Awards to recognize county residents, county employees, businesses and organizations who demonstrate extraordinary leadership within the community and exceptional dedication to the preservation and enhancement of the county’s natural resources. The awards are administered by the Environmental Quality Advisory Council with support from OEEC.

This year’s winners include a Dark Sky advocate who promotes efforts to reduce light pollution, a high school senior who started her own nonprofit organization to train other youth climate champions, three county employees working on waste reduction and plastic pollution initiatives, and a community association dedicated to preserving natural habitats for its residents.

“Fairfax County is fortunate to have climate champions working in our community, and we are proud of this year’s winners for finding innovative and practical ways to promote a healthy, vibrant, and sustainable community,” said Braddock District Supervisor James R. Walkinshaw, Chair of the Board’s Environmental Committee. “This year’s winners show us that efforts in any capacity can help better our environment.”

The 2024 Environmental Excellence Awardees are:

Individual County Resident Category

Eileen Kragie, founder, Dark Sky Friends. Eileen has done frequent light pollution education, outreach, and event support, including launching the DarkSky NOVA chapter and supporting Space Day at George Mason University. She has been active in changing local lighting legislation and advocating for proclamations in support of International Dark Sky Week. Eileen also coordinated the first ever FireFly and BatFest events at Wolf Trap. 

Arielle Kouyoumdjian, a youth climate activist and senior at the Potomac School. Arielle established a non-profit organization called Changing Planet Justice Foundation, whose mission is to empower youth to speak out, share their stories, and inspire action within their communities and beyond. As executive director, she hosts a monthly podcast and has developed tool kits and activity options for youth between the ages of 5 and 18 to help them become effective advocates for sustainability and climate justice.

County Employee Category

Kirsten Buchner, public outreach and engagement specialist, Department of Public Works and Environmental Services. Kirsten developed and implemented a bus shelter advertising program for the Solid Waste Management Program that focused on reaching minority populations. The advertising campaign was centered on the Richmond Highway Corridor and generated 1.7 million weekly impressions. 

Caroline Hockenberry, coordinator, and Elizabeth (Liza) Moore, marketing and outreach coordinator, Fairfax County Park Authority Farmers Markets. Caroline and Liza have partnered with Clean Fairfax to eliminate single-use plastic bags from the county’s farmers markets. Caroline and Liza have also enhanced the sustainability of the markets by promoting the drop-off compost collection program, which last year collected 120,000 pounds of customer drop-off food scraps for compost.

Organization and Business Category

Hickory Farms Community Association, Braddock District.  The association has been active in preserving and enhancing more than 10 acres of wooded, riparian habitat along Rabbit Run, as well as more than 10 acres of urban open space within the community. The association has carried out a program of Resource Protection Area protection and stream remediation. In addition, the association installed an 18-unit Purple Martin colony and established a Bluebird trail consisting of ten boxes which has yielded a significant number of Bluebird fledglings. 

The awards will be presented at a ceremony in 2025.

For more information, including a list of past winners, please visit the Environmental Excellence Awards webpage.