The Top 10 Places In The UK For Solar Panels And Many More

15th September 2022

MakeMyHouseGreen.com, which uses smart data to calculate savings made by green technology, today announced the result of a new study that analysed the money saving potential of solar panels across the UK. According to the findings, households can see a difference in yearly savings of over £300 depending on their location.

The study compared the money saving potential of an averaged sized house (2) with 12 south facing panels and a 3.55kWh battery.

Llewellyn Kinch, co-founder of MakeMyHouseGreen and UK energy auto-switching service Switchd, explains that MakeMyHouseGreen uses a range of factors to estimate the savings for a particular house. Some are dependent on the build of the house, the occupants and their energy usage, while some are location dependent.

"MakeMyHouseGreen considers geographical differences in average money saving potential by looking at detailed solar data and comprehensive tariff information. It's no surprise that different parts of the UK see different amounts of sunshine, but it might not be as well known that they're also charged differently for the same tariff."

He adds: "That's why the same house with the same usage and solar panel system can have different money savings depending on its location."

According to the study, the top place for solar panels in the UK is Brighton, with yearly savings of £1254. Dorchester (£1252) was dubbed close runner up. The remaining top ten places for solar panels 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.

He adds: "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."

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

Brighton: 1254, 1086
Dorchester: 1252, 1058
Portsmouth: 1246, 1060
Bournemouth: 1236, 1055
Plymouth: 1234, 1037
Canterbury: 1231, 1035
Southampton: 1226, 1023
Colchester: 1224, 1023
Southall: 1222, 1013
Ipswich: 1219, 1013
Tonbridge: 1219, 1013
Harrow: 1214, 1003
Exeter: 1213, 997
Chelmsford: 1211, 1003
London (W): 1211, 1001
London (EC): 1209, 1001
Ilford: 1209, 1000
Truro: 1209, 992
Medway: 1208, 1004
London (WC): 1208, 1000
London (E): 1206, 998
Romford: 1205, 996
London (SW): 1205, 998
London (SE): 1204, 997
St. Albans: 1203, 990
Salisbury: 1203, 995
Redhill: 1202, 992
Torquay: 1202, 1000
London (N): 1201, 993
Taunton: 1201, 988
Twickenham: 1201, 993
Bromley: 1200, 994
Slough: 1200, 992
Sunderland: 1198, 981
Milton Keynes: 1197, 980
Stevenage: 1197, 983
Dartford: 1196, 987
Shetland: 1196, 1004
Hull: 1193, 976
Peterborough: 1191, 976
Reading: 1191, 879
Enfield: 1190, 980
Luton: 1190, 979
Guilford: 1188, 976
Norwich: 1188, 976
Cambridge: 1187, 978
Hemel: 1184, 973
Kingston: 1184, 975
Croydon: 1183, 974
London (NW): 1183, 973
Oxford: 1183, 973
Bath: 1182, 972
Swindon: 1182, 975
Lincoln: 1181, 965
Watford: 1181, 971
Bristol: 1180, 971
Northampton: 1179, 966
Hereford: 1178, 965
Newport: 1178, 976
Sutton: 1174, 968
Worcester: 1174, 958
Doncaster: 1172, 954
Leicester: 1168, 951
Walsall: 1166, 948
Birmingham: 1164, 946
Cardiff: 1163, 969
Coventry: 1163, 950
Swansea: 1163, 979
Newcastle: 1160, 934
Durham: 1159, 934
Gloucester: 1159, 945
Derby: 1158, 942
Nottingham: 1157, 941
Blackpool: 1154, 958
Wakefield: 1154, 941
Shrewsbury: 1152, 941
York: 1151, 939
Cleveland: 1150, 934
Dundee: 1147, 937
Southend: 1145, 929
Telford: 1145, 929
Wolverhampton: 1144, 924
Dudley: 1142, 924
Chester: 1141, 923
Sheffield: 1137, 927
Darlington: 1136, 917
Liverpool: 1136, 928
Llandudno: 1133, 921
Crewe: 1131, 918
Leeds: 1128, 917
Oldham: 1128, 917
Harrogate: 1125, 914
Warrington: 1121, 906
Huddersfield: 1116, 905
Stoke on Trent: 1114, 903
Halifax: 1110, 896
Carlisle: 1109, 894
Llandrindod: 1108, 899
Bradford: 1105, 895
Wigan: 1105, 893
Dumfries: 1103, 890
Bolton: 1099, 887
Perth: 1096, 886
Galashiels: 1094, 880
Aberdeen: 1087, 881
Edinburgh: 1087, 869
Falkirk: 1075, 864
Kirkaldy: 1072, 864
Manchester: 1071, 862
Kilmarnock: 1070, 863
Motherwell: 1067, 854
Glasgow: 1064, 847
Jersey: 1060, 1102
Paisley: 1059, 845
Preston: 1053, 842
Stockport: 1049, 846
Blackburn: 1046, 837
Kirkwall: 1046, 844
Lancaster: 1034, 831
Comhairle nan Eilean Siar: 1016, 834
Inverness: 949, 744