Solar panels in Ofgem’s South Western England region: payback by town
In Ofgem’s South Western England price cap region, the unit rate for single-rate electricity paid by Direct Debit is 26.58p per kWh for October to December 2026, 0.26p above the Great Britain average of 26.32p.
Panels in the 6 towns and cities we cover here generate an average of 1,007 kWh per kW a year, 5% more than the average of the 100 towns and cities in our data (960 kWh).
Towns and cities in the South Western England region
| Place | kWh per kW a year | System size | First-year savings | Payback |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bristol | 985 | 2.7 kW | £718 | 6.4 years |
Each row is a home using Ofgem’s typical 2,700 kWh a year, with a system sized to cover it, at 26.58p 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). South Western England: electricity unit rate, single rate, Direct Debit, October to December 2026. Published as 26.58 pence per kWh.
Solar output: PVGIS 5.3 for each place; each place’s page links its own request. Methodology