How much electricity do solar panels generate in Manchester?

About 855 kWh a year for each kW of panels, for a roof-mounted, south-facing array at a 30° pitch with 14% system losses (PVGIS). A 3.2 kW system would generate about 2,700 kWh in its first year. Shade, a different roof angle or an east or west-facing roof will change this.

How long do solar panels take to pay back in Manchester?

About 7.3 years for a 3.2 kW system costing £5,619 (the government’s median price for 0–4 kW systems), in a home using 2,700 kWh a year at Manchester’s unit rate of 26.49p. It saves about £715 in the first year. That assumes the home uses all the electricity the panels generate, prices rise 3% a year and output falls 0.5% a year; exported electricity is counted at zero. At the Great Britain average unit rate of 26.32p, payback would be 7.3 years.

What is the electricity unit rate in Manchester?

Under the Ofgem price cap for October to December 2026, single-rate electricity paid by Direct Debit costs up to 26.49p per kWh in the North Western England region, against a Great Britain average of 26.32p. The cap is the maximum for a standard variable tariff, so your own unit rate may be lower or higher on a fixed deal: use the rate on your bill in the calculator if you can.

How does Manchester compare with nearby towns and cities?

Of the 5 nearest towns and cities we cover, Derby (50 miles away) gets the most sun at 938 kWh per kW, and Bradford (29 miles away) the least at 901 kWh. Manchester gets 855 kWh, less than any of them. Within the North Western England price cap region, it ranks 7th of the 11 towns and cities we cover.

Where do these figures come from?

Solar generation is from the European Commission’s PVGIS 5.3 tool for Manchester’s ONS centre point, checked on 2026-11-10. The unit rate is from Ofgem’s price cap tables, the installed price from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero’s solar PV cost data, and typical use from Ofgem. Each figure is listed with its source link at the bottom of this page.

Solar panels in Manchester: generation, savings and payback

Solar panels in Manchester generate about 855 kWh a year for each kW installed, 11% less than the average of the 100 towns and cities in our data (960 kWh). Among the 11 places we cover in Ofgem’s North Western England region, it ranks 7th of 11 for solar output, against an average there of 873 kWh.

Manchester is in Ofgem’s North Western England price cap region, where 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.

For a home in Manchester using Ofgem’s typical 2,700 kWh a year, a 3.2 kW system would cover a year’s use. At the government’s median installed price for 0–4 kW systems it would cost about £5,619, save about £715 in its first year and pay for itself in about 7.3 years. With the average sunshine of the 100 towns and cities in our data (960 kWh per kW), the same home would need a 2.8 kW system and pay back in 6.5 years, so Manchester’s sunshine adds about 0.7 years to payback.

A typical home in Manchester

System size: 3.2 kW; Sized to cover 2,700 kWh a year
First-year generation: 2,700 kWh
First-year savings: £715; At 26.49p per kWh
Savings over 25 years: £24,383; Prices rising 3% a year
Installed cost: £5,619; Government median for 0–4 kW systems
Payback: 7.3 years

Assumes all the electricity the panels generate is used at home, up to the home’s yearly use, and that panel output falls 0.5% a year. Power sent to the grid is counted at zero.

How Manchester compares

Manchester compared with the North Western England and Great Britain averages
	Manchester	North Western England region average	Great Britain average
Solar output, kWh per kW a year	855	873	960
Electricity price per kWh	26.49p	26.49p	26.32p
System size for a typical home	3.2 kW	3.1 kW	2.8 kW
First-year savings	£715	£715	£711
Payback	7.3 years	7.1 years	6.6 years

Averages are of the 11 places in North Western England and the 100 towns and cities in our data, unweighted. The Great Britain column uses the Great Britain average price as well as the average sunshine.

Your home in Manchester

All amounts in pounds sterling.

Your home

Nearest town or city

Sets how much electricity each kW of panels generates in a year where you live.

Electricity use

kWh per month

Check your bill or your supplier’s app for kWh used. Average the last 12 months if you can.

Electricity unit rate

pence per kWh

Starts at the Ofgem price cap unit rate for the North Western England region (Direct Debit, October to December 2026). Your bill shows your own unit rate.

Solar system

System size

Leave blank to size the panels to cover your yearly use, or enter the size on your quote.

Installed price

Use published medianPrice per wattTotal quoted price

£1.78 per watt: the median for 0–4 kW systems in the latest government cost data. Your quote may differ.

Assumptions you can change

Panel output loss

% per year

Starts at 0.5%, the median of nearly 2,000 reported rates in an NREL review.

Electricity price change

% per year

A scenario, not a forecast. Try 0% and 5% to see how much it matters.

Used directly at home

Share of the panels’ output your home uses as it is generated. 100% assumes all of it replaces electricity you would otherwise buy, up to your annual use.

Add a home battery

A battery only adds savings when you use less than 100% of your solar power directly. Lower “Used directly at home” under assumptions to model that.

Results

Payback period

7.3years

Cumulative savings first cover the installed cost during year 8.

Installed cost: £5,619; Published median for 0–4 kW systems
First-year savings: £715
Savings over 25 years: £24,383
Net gain after 25 years: £18,764
Return over 25 years: 334%; Net gain as a share of the installed cost
System size: 3.2 kW; Sized to cover your yearly use
First-year generation: 2,700 kWh

Cumulative savings over 25 yearsThe line crosses the installed cost in year 8: that is when the system has paid for itself.

Year-by-year table

Generation and savings for each of the 25 years
Year	Generation (kWh)	Price per kWh	Saved that year	Saved so far	Net position
1	2,700	£0.265	£715	£715	-£4,904
2	2,687	£0.273	£733	£1,448	-£4,171
3	2,673	£0.281	£751	£2,199	-£3,420
4	2,660	£0.289	£770	£2,969	-£2,650
5	2,646	£0.298	£789	£3,758	-£1,861
6	2,633	£0.307	£809	£4,567	-£1,052
7	2,620	£0.316	£829	£5,396	-£224
8	2,607	£0.326	£849	£6,245	£626
9	2,594	£0.336	£870	£7,115	£1,496
10	2,581	£0.346	£892	£8,007	£2,388
11	2,568	£0.356	£914	£8,922	£3,302
12	2,555	£0.367	£937	£9,859	£4,239
13	2,542	£0.378	£960	£10,819	£5,200
14	2,530	£0.389	£984	£11,803	£6,184
15	2,517	£0.401	£1,009	£12,811	£7,192
16	2,504	£0.413	£1,034	£13,845	£8,226
17	2,492	£0.425	£1,059	£14,904	£9,285
18	2,479	£0.438	£1,086	£15,990	£10,371
19	2,467	£0.451	£1,113	£17,103	£11,483
20	2,455	£0.465	£1,140	£18,243	£12,623
21	2,442	£0.478	£1,169	£19,411	£13,792
22	2,430	£0.493	£1,198	£20,609	£14,990
23	2,418	£0.508	£1,227	£21,836	£16,217
24	2,406	£0.523	£1,258	£23,094	£17,475
25	2,394	£0.538	£1,289	£24,383	£18,764

Savings count only electricity your home no longer buys. Power sent to the grid is valued at zero. Grid emissions data has not been verified yet, so no carbon figure is shown. See the methodology for every formula and source.

Nearby towns and cities

Place	Distance	kWh per kW a year	Price per kWh	Payback
Bradford	29 miles	901	25.60p	7.1 years
Liverpool	29 miles	927	27.86p	6.4 years
Sheffield	32 miles	911	25.60p	7.1 years
Leeds	35 miles	907	25.60p	7.1 years
Derby	50 miles	938	25.36p	6.9 years

Solar panels in Manchester: questions

How much electricity do solar panels generate in Manchester?: About 855 kWh a year for each kW of panels, for a roof-mounted, south-facing array at a 30° pitch with 14% system losses (PVGIS). A 3.2 kW system would generate about 2,700 kWh in its first year. Shade, a different roof angle or an east or west-facing roof will change this.
How long do solar panels take to pay back in Manchester?: About 7.3 years for a 3.2 kW system costing £5,619 (the government’s median price for 0–4 kW systems), in a home using 2,700 kWh a year at Manchester’s unit rate of 26.49p. It saves about £715 in the first year. That assumes the home uses all the electricity the panels generate, prices rise 3% a year and output falls 0.5% a year; exported electricity is counted at zero. At the Great Britain average unit rate of 26.32p, payback would be 7.3 years.
What is the electricity unit rate in Manchester?: Under the Ofgem price cap for October to December 2026, single-rate electricity paid by Direct Debit costs up to 26.49p per kWh in the North Western England region, against a Great Britain average of 26.32p. The cap is the maximum for a standard variable tariff, so your own unit rate may be lower or higher on a fixed deal: use the rate on your bill in the calculator if you can.
How does Manchester compare with nearby towns and cities?: Of the 5 nearest towns and cities we cover, Derby (50 miles away) gets the most sun at 938 kWh per kW, and Bradford (29 miles away) the least at 901 kWh. Manchester gets 855 kWh, less than any of them. Within the North Western England price cap region, it ranks 7th of the 11 towns and cities we cover.
Where do these figures come from?: Solar generation is from the European Commission’s PVGIS 5.3 tool for Manchester’s ONS centre point, checked on 2026-11-10. The unit rate is from Ofgem’s price cap tables, the installed price from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero’s solar PV cost data, and typical use from Ofgem. Each figure is listed with its source link at the bottom of this page.

Sources for this page

Solar output for Manchester: re.jrc.ec.europa.eu (checked 2026-11-10)PVGIS 5.3 outputs.totals.fixed.E_y for a 1 kW system. Radiation database PVGIS-SARAH3, years 2005-2023.
North Western England 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.
Great Britain average price: www.ofgem.gov.uk (checked 2026-11-10)Great Britain average: electricity unit rate, single rate, Direct Debit, October to December 2026. Published as 26.32 pence per kWh.
Price cap region: www.ofgem.gov.uk (checked 2026-11-10)Nearest postcode to the town's ONS centroid is M12 6LP (postcodes.io: https://api.postcodes.io/postcodes?lon=-2.212252493708794&lat=53.47473844299992&radius=2000&limit=1). Ofgem's postcode lookup puts district M12 in the North Western England region.
Typical household use: www.ofgem.gov.uk (checked 2026-11-10)Revised TDCV, Electricity Profile Class 1, Medium: 2,700 kWh (decision of 25 May 2023, in use from 1 October 2023).
Installed price, 0–4 kW: assets.publishing.service.gov.uk (checked 2026-11-10)Column "0-4 kW: Median (£/kW)", 2025/26. Published as 1,780.25 £/kW.
Panel output loss: docs.nlr.gov (checked 2026-11-10)Median of nearly 2,000 reported degradation rates: "a median value of 0.5%/year" (average 0.8%/year).
Location: services1.arcgis.com (checked 2026-11-10)ONS Built Up Areas (December 2022) GB, E63001295: LAT/LONG fields.

Methods and every other figure are on the methodology page.