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UK solar panel payback by city
A like-for-like comparison of 4 kWp solar panel economics across 53 major UK cities. Same install cost, same tariff assumptions — the only variable is the local PVGIS irradiance.
Best 25-yr return
Brighton
£25903 net · 7.9-yr payback
UK sample average
£22563
Mean 25-yr net · 8.7-yr mean payback
Hardest climate
Inverness
£19187 net · still payback-positive
Full table — ranked by 25-year net benefit
All rows assume a 4.0 kWp south-facing system, no battery, 3500 kWh/yr household usage, 27.0p/kWh import, 15.0p/kWh SEG export, £7200 install cost, 4.0%/yr electricity inflation.
| Rank | City | Region | Annual yield kWh/kWp |
Year-1 £ | Payback | 25-yr net £ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brighton | South East England | 1035 | £795 | 7.9 yrs | £25903 |
| 2 | Bournemouth | South West England | 1030 | £791 | 7.9 yrs | £25744 |
| 3 | Portsmouth | South East England | 1025 | £787 | 7.9 yrs | £25584 |
| 4 | Southampton | South East England | 1020 | £783 | 8.0 yrs | £25424 |
| 5 | Plymouth | South West England | 1005 | £772 | 8.1 yrs | £24944 |
| 6 | Exeter | South West England | 1000 | £768 | 8.1 yrs | £24784 |
| 7 | Cambridge | East of England | 995 | £764 | 8.2 yrs | £24624 |
| 8 | Ipswich | East of England | 995 | £764 | 8.2 yrs | £24624 |
| 9 | Bristol | South West England | 990 | £760 | 8.2 yrs | £24464 |
| 10 | Reading | South East England | 990 | £760 | 8.2 yrs | £24464 |
| 11 | Oxford | South East England | 985 | £756 | 8.2 yrs | £24304 |
| 12 | Norwich | East of England | 985 | £756 | 8.2 yrs | £24304 |
| 13 | Slough | South East England | 985 | £756 | 8.2 yrs | £24304 |
| 14 | Bath | South West England | 985 | £756 | 8.2 yrs | £24304 |
| 15 | Swansea | Wales | 980 | £753 | 8.3 yrs | £24144 |
| 16 | London | Greater London | 975 | £749 | 8.3 yrs | £23984 |
| 17 | Gloucester | South West England | 975 | £749 | 8.3 yrs | £23984 |
| 18 | Cardiff | Wales | 970 | £745 | 8.3 yrs | £23825 |
| 19 | Peterborough | East of England | 970 | £745 | 8.3 yrs | £23825 |
| 20 | Milton Keynes | South East England | 970 | £745 | 8.3 yrs | £23825 |
| 21 | Luton | East of England | 960 | £737 | 8.4 yrs | £23505 |
| 22 | Birmingham | West Midlands | 930 | £714 | 8.6 yrs | £22545 |
| 23 | Leicester | East Midlands | 930 | £714 | 8.6 yrs | £22545 |
| 24 | Nottingham | East Midlands | 925 | £710 | 8.7 yrs | £22385 |
| 25 | Coventry | West Midlands | 925 | £710 | 8.7 yrs | £22385 |
| 26 | Derby | East Midlands | 925 | £710 | 8.7 yrs | £22385 |
| 27 | Hull | Yorkshire | 920 | £707 | 8.7 yrs | £22225 |
| 28 | Wolverhampton | West Midlands | 920 | £707 | 8.7 yrs | £22225 |
| 29 | Stoke-on-Trent | West Midlands | 910 | £699 | 8.8 yrs | £21905 |
| 30 | Sheffield | Yorkshire | 905 | £695 | 8.8 yrs | £21746 |
| 31 | Blackpool | North West England | 905 | £695 | 8.8 yrs | £21746 |
| 32 | Chester | North West England | 905 | £695 | 8.8 yrs | £21746 |
| 33 | Leeds | Yorkshire | 900 | £691 | 8.9 yrs | £21586 |
| 34 | Liverpool | North West England | 900 | £691 | 8.9 yrs | £21586 |
| 35 | Wrexham | Wales | 900 | £691 | 8.9 yrs | £21586 |
| 36 | Warrington | North West England | 900 | £691 | 8.9 yrs | £21586 |
| 37 | York | Yorkshire | 895 | £687 | 8.9 yrs | £21426 |
| 38 | Preston | North West England | 895 | £687 | 8.9 yrs | £21426 |
| 39 | Manchester | North West England | 890 | £684 | 9.0 yrs | £21266 |
| 40 | Huddersfield | Yorkshire | 890 | £684 | 9.0 yrs | £21266 |
| 41 | Bolton | North West England | 885 | £680 | 9.0 yrs | £21106 |
| 42 | Belfast | Northern Ireland | 880 | £676 | 9.0 yrs | £20946 |
| 43 | Newcastle | North East England | 880 | £676 | 9.0 yrs | £20946 |
| 44 | Middlesbrough | North East England | 880 | £676 | 9.0 yrs | £20946 |
| 45 | Sunderland | North East England | 875 | £672 | 9.1 yrs | £20786 |
| 46 | Lancaster | North West England | 875 | £672 | 9.1 yrs | £20786 |
| 47 | Edinburgh | Scotland | 870 | £668 | 9.1 yrs | £20626 |
| 48 | Stirling | Scotland | 860 | £660 | 9.2 yrs | £20306 |
| 49 | Carlisle | North West England | 860 | £660 | 9.2 yrs | £20306 |
| 50 | Dundee | Scotland | 855 | £657 | 9.3 yrs | £20146 |
| 51 | Glasgow | Scotland | 850 | £653 | 9.3 yrs | £19986 |
| 52 | Aberdeen | Scotland | 830 | £637 | 9.5 yrs | £19347 |
| 53 | Inverness | Scotland | 825 | £634 | 9.5 yrs | £19187 |
Data provenance
- Irradiance — PVGIS (European Commission Joint Research Centre), south-facing 35° tilt, average of last 10 years of satellite-derived data.
- Install cost — £7,200 for a 4 kWp system reflects MCS-certified installer median as of Q1 2026; varies regionally ±10%.
- Import tariff — 27p/kWh matches the current Ofgem default-tariff cap for direct-debit households.
- Export rate — 15p/kWh is the mid-market SEG rate; live rates range from 2.5p to 16.5p/kWh.
- Household usage — 3,500 kWh/yr is typical per Ofgem figures for medium-use single-family homes.
- Electricity inflation — 4%/yr reflects long-run UK trend; actual movement has been lumpy quarter-to-quarter.
How to cite this data
Free to use in articles, reports, social posts and presentations — please link back to the source page so readers can check the maths or refresh the figures.
Source: greenhomesums.co.uk, UK solar payback by city, April 2026.
https://greenhomesums.co.uk/data/uk-solar-payback
https://greenhomesums.co.uk/data/uk-solar-payback
For a different cut of the data (by region, by system size, with batteries modelled in) email press@greenhomesums.co.uk.