The top 10 places in the UK for solar panels

According to the study, the top place for solar panels in the UK is Brighton, with yearly savings of £1254. Dorchester (£1252) was a close runner up. The remaining top ten places for solar panels, all located across the South and East of the country are: Portsmouth (£1246), Bournemouth (£1236), Plymouth (£1234), Canterbury (£1231), Southampton (£1226), Colchester (£1224), Southall (£1222), and Ipswich (£1219). Note that these savings are all set to increase as prices rise in October.

The least optimal location for solar panels was found to be Inverness, with yearly money savings of £949. But households shouldn’t let the estimated savings of their postcode area put them off solar, because these are still really significant savings, says Kinch.

Llewellyn Kinch added:

“There are a lot of factors to consider other than geographical differences. Such as how much electricity a household uses and when, the pitch and orientation of their roof, and the size of their solar panel system. We consider all of these factors and more, free of charge.”

Footnotes:

(1) 121 GB postcode areas were compared.

(2) Money savings are based on a two storey, detached house with 12 solar panels on a south facing roof with a moderate slope of 37 degrees, and a 3.55kWh battery. The house in question is heated with gas and the thermostat is set to 21 degrees. A household of two resides in the property. They have a fairly constant electricity use throughout the day and early evening and have a monthly electricity use of £60-120. Money savings can differ within a postcode area and money savings should therefore be seen as indicative. Households can find the estimated costs and savings for their homes for free using MakeMyHouseGreen.com.

(3) Bands were established by ordering the postcode areas by savings and breaking them into equally large groups (31, 30, 30, 30) of four.

(4) All postcode areas ranked according to money saving potential (ranking, postcode area, yearly money saving, yearly carbon saving):

1. Brighton: 1254, 1086
2. Dorchester: 1252, 1058
3. Portsmouth: 1246, 1060
4. Bournemouth: 1236, 1055
5. Plymouth: 1234, 1037
6. Canterbury: 1231, 1035
7. Southampton: 1226, 1023
8. Colchester: 1224, 1023
9. Southall: 1222, 1013
10. Ipswich: 1219, 1013
11. Tonbridge: 1219, 1013
12. Harrow: 1214, 1003
13. Exeter: 1213, 997
14. Chelmsford: 1211, 1003
15. London (W): 1211, 1001
16. London (EC): 1209, 1001
17. Ilford: 1209, 1000
18. Truro: 1209, 992
19. Medway: 1208, 1004
20. London (WC): 1208, 1000
21. London (E): 1206, 998
22. Romford: 1205, 996
23. London (SW): 1205, 998
24. London (SE): 1204, 997
25. St. Albans: 1203, 990
26. Salisbury: 1203, 995
27. Redhill: 1202, 992
28. Torquay: 1202, 1000
29. London (N): 1201, 993
30. Taunton: 1201, 988
31. Twickenham: 1201, 993
32. Bromley: 1200, 994
33. Slough: 1200, 992
34. Sunderland: 1198, 981
35. Milton Keynes: 1197, 980
36. Stevenage: 1197, 983
37. Dartford: 1196, 987
38. Shetland: 1196, 1004
39. Hull: 1193, 976
40. Peterborough: 1191, 976
41. Reading: 1191, 879
42. Enfield: 1190, 980
43. Luton: 1190, 979
44. Guilford: 1188, 976
45. Norwich: 1188, 976
46. Cambridge: 1187, 978
47. Hemel: 1184, 973
48. Kingston: 1184, 975
49. Croydon: 1183, 974
50. London (NW): 1183, 973
51. Oxford: 1183, 973
52. Bath: 1182, 972
53. Swindon: 1182, 975
54. Lincoln: 1181, 965
55. Watford: 1181, 971
56. Bristol: 1180, 971
57. Northampton: 1179, 966
58. Hereford: 1178, 965
59. Newport: 1178, 976
60. Sutton: 1174, 968
61. Worcester: 1174, 958
62. Doncaster: 1172, 954
63. Leicester: 1168, 951
64. Walsall: 1166, 948
65. Birmingham: 1164, 946
66. Cardiff: 1163, 969
67. Coventry: 1163, 950
68. Swansea: 1163, 979
69. Newcastle: 1160, 934
70. Durham: 1159, 934
71. Gloucester: 1159, 945
72. Derby: 1158, 942
73. Nottingham: 1157, 941
74. Blackpool: 1154, 958
75. Wakefield: 1154, 941
76. Shrewsbury: 1152, 941
77. York: 1151, 939
78. Cleveland: 1150, 934
79. Dundee: 1147, 937
80. Southend: 1145, 929
81. Telford: 1145, 929
82. Wolverhampton: 1144, 924
83. Dudley: 1142, 924
84. Chester: 1141, 923
85. Sheffield: 1137, 927
86. Darlington: 1136, 917
87. Liverpool: 1136, 928
88. Llandudno: 1133, 921
89. Crewe: 1131, 918
90. Leeds: 1128, 917
91. Oldham: 1128, 917
92. Harrogate: 1125, 914
93. Warrington: 1121, 906
94. Huddersfield: 1116, 905
95. Stoke on Trent: 1114, 903
96. Halifax: 1110, 896
97. Carlisle: 1109, 894
98. Llandrindod: 1108, 899
99. Bradford: 1105, 895
100. Wigan: 1105, 893
101. Dumfries: 1103, 890
102. Bolton: 1099, 887
103. Perth: 1096, 886
104. Galashiels: 1094, 880
105. Aberdeen: 1087, 881
106. Edinburgh: 1087, 869
107. Falkirk: 1075, 864
108. Kirkaldy: 1072, 864
109. Manchester: 1071, 862
110. Kilmarnock: 1070, 863
111. Motherwell: 1067, 854
112. Glasgow: 1064, 847
113. Jersey: 1060, 1102
114. Paisley: 1059, 845
115. Preston: 1053, 842
116. Stockport: 1049, 846
117. Blackburn: 1046, 837
118. Kirkwall: 1046, 844
119. Lancaster: 1034, 831
120. Comhairle nan Eilean Siar: 1016, 834
121. Inverness: 949, 744

(5) MakeMyHouseGreen.com uses smart data and technology to accurately model the savings made possible by green technologies, such as solar and heat pumps, based on home energy use. The platform connects households with a network of trusted installers and our Green Homes Gurus act as a single point of contact, taking the uncertainty and hassle out of green tech installations.