Are solar panels worth it in Warrington?

First-year value, worked through

Assumptions: output from PVGIS 5.3 for central Warrington (14% losses); household use 2,500 kWh a year (Ofgem typical value from July 2026); electricity saved at 26.32p per kWh (Ofgem cap, GB average, direct debit, 1 October to 31 December 2026); exports at 13p or 5p per kWh. Shares used at home are illustrations; rows where panels alone would cover more than 75% of a household's year, or more than 90% with a battery, are left out. First year only. Figures checked 3 November 2026.

The 60% rows are what a household might reach with a battery or by running appliances in the day; 30 to 40% is more typical for panels alone when the house is empty during working hours.

Why the share used at home is so hard to raise

The same 4 kW south-facing system, split into the four quarters of the year, shows where the difficulty lies. The yardstick is a simple one: Ofgem's 2,500 kWh divided evenly, 625 kWh a quarter.

PVGIS 5.3 monthly figures for central Warrington, added up by quarter and multiplied by 4 kW. Real use is not spread evenly: most homes use more electricity in the darker months.

From April to September the roof makes around double a quarter's worth of use, so a large part of it leaves through the meter at the export rate unless something in the house is running to take it. From October to December it makes only about 80% of a quarter's use, and less than that against a real winter bill. That mismatch is why the table above stops at 40% for panels alone, and why daytime appliance use, a battery or a flexible tariff moves the first-year value more than a slightly better roof would.

What the table shows

• Using it beats selling it. A unit you use saves 26.32p; a unit you export earns 13p at a good rate and less at a poor one. Raising the share you use is worth more than almost anything else you can change.
• The export rate matters. On these figures, moving from a 5p to a 13p export tariff is worth well over £100 a year to a household that exports most of what it makes. Check which tariffs your supplier, and others, offer.
• East-west is not second-best by much. An east-west roof makes about four fifths as much per panel but spreads it through the day, so more of it gets used at home.

A yearly value, not a payback date

Payback periods sound precise but rest on guesses about electricity prices ten or twenty years ahead, your future export tariff and whether you will buy an electric car or a heat pump. This guide does not publish them. What you can work out with confidence is the first year's value at today's prices. Set that against the price of the system, think about how long you expect to stay in the house, and decide whether the trade feels right.

Two dates help. Installation is VAT-free until 31 March 2027, after which 5% applies. And the price cap changes every three months: the figure for January to March 2027 is due in late November 2026.

When panels are not worth it

• The only usable roof faces north. At a normal pitch it makes under 60% of a south roof's output.
• Heavy shade. Trees, a taller neighbour or a chimney stack across the array can cut output far more than any difference between Warrington and anywhere else in the North West.
• The roof needs replacing soon. Do the roof first; moving panels later costs money.
• You are moving within a year or two. You will not see much of the value, though the panels may help the sale.
• Very low daytime use and no interest in a battery. Most of the output would be exported at the lower rate.

Common doubts

• "Warrington isn't sunny enough." Panels run on daylight, including under cloud. PVGIS puts a south roof here at about 938 kWh per kW a year, an ordinary figure for the North West.
• "Panels stop working in winter." They make much less: December brings about 28 kWh per kW against about 121 in May. Judge them on the whole year.
• "There's a grant, so I should wait." Only lower-income households in less efficient homes qualify for the Warm Homes: Local Grant. For everyone else there is no grant to wait for; see grants and funding.

Your own sums

1. Find your yearly electricity use on your annual statement or in your supplier's app.
2. Take the predicted output from your quote, and check it with the quote checker.
3. Estimate honestly how much of it you would use as it is made.
4. Value the used units at your unit rate and the rest at your export rate, and add them.
5. Compare that with the price, and with what else the money could do.

Where to go next

• Solar prices in Warrington
• Adding a battery
• Output by roof direction
• Check a quote

Where these figures come from

1. PVGIS 5.3, European Commission Joint Research Centre
2. Ofgem: energy price cap unit rates and standing charges
3. Ofgem: typical domestic consumption values decision (May 2026)
4. Ofgem: Smart Export Guarantee
5. HMRC VAT Notice 708/6: the zero rate on installed solar panels and batteries
6. DESNZ: solar PV cost data, 2025/26