Solar panels in Ofgem’s North Western England region: payback by town
In Ofgem’s North Western England price cap region, the unit rate for single-rate electricity paid by Direct Debit is 26.49p per kWh for October to December 2026, 0.17p above the Great Britain average of 26.32p.
Panels in the 11 towns and cities we cover here generate an average of 873 kWh per kW a year, 9% less than the average of the 100 towns and cities in our data (960 kWh).
Towns and cities in the North Western England region
| Place | kWh per kW a year | System size | First-year savings | Payback |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manchester | 855 | 3.2 kW | £715 | 7.3 years |
Each row is a home using Ofgem’s typical 2,700 kWh a year, with a system sized to cover it, at 26.49p per kWh. Installed cost is the government’s median for the system’s size band.
Sources
Unit rate: www.ofgem.gov.uk (checked 2026-11-10). North Western England: electricity unit rate, single rate, Direct Debit, October to December 2026. Published as 26.49 pence per kWh.
Solar output: PVGIS 5.3 for each place; each place’s page links its own request. Methodology