Solar panels in London
A 6 kWp home system in London is modelled to produce about 5,925 kWh a year, or 988 kWh per installed kWp, from PVGIS climate data at the city's coordinates. Solar Together London is a group-buying programme for home solar panels backed by the Mayor of London and delivered by iChoosr. The page lists 2 local rules, each checked against its official source. Worldwide it ranks 37th of the 41 cities we cover. Among our 4 United Kingdom cities, London comes first on yield. Birmingham gets 940 kWh per kWp. London produces 5% more per kWp than the national reference point on our United Kingdom page. On our model, the system saves about GBP 1,109 in year one and pays back in 10.2 years.
Month by month in London
Modelled output of a 6 kWp system at 35° facing south (towards the equator), from PVGIS climate data (PVGIS-SARAH3, 2005 to 2023).
| Month | kWh | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| January | 239 | 4.0% |
| February | 311 | 5.2% |
| March | 504 | 8.5% |
| April | 664 | 11.2% |
| May | 693 | 11.7% |
| June | 711 | 12.0% |
| July | 715 | 12.1% |
| August | 641 | 10.8% |
| September | 553 | 9.3% |
| October | 400 | 6.7% |
| November | 282 | 4.8% |
| December | 213 | 3.6% |
- Best month: July (715 kWh). Weakest: December (213 kWh), a 3.4x difference.
- May, June, July produce 35.8% of the year; January, November, December produce 12.4%.
- Year-to-year variation: about 241 kWh (4.1%, one standard deviation).
- Sunlight reaching the panels: 1,261 kWh per m² a year.
Local rules and support in London
Rules set by the city or its region, on top of the national scheme. Each one was checked against the official source on the date shown.
- Greater London Authority
Solar Together London group-buying scheme
Solar Together London is a group-buying programme for home solar panels backed by the Mayor of London and delivered by iChoosr. As checked in September 2026, the GLA page said the programme was completing its fifth phase, with over 3,000 homes installed to date.
Source: Greater London Authority (London City Hall), Solar Together London (checked 2026-09-25)
- Greater London Authority
Warm Homes London Grant covers solar PV for low-income homes
The Warm Homes London Grant (2025 to 2028) funds measures including solar PV for privately owned or privately rented homes rated EPC D to G whose households are on a low income or in income-deprived postcodes. Eligible owner occupiers can receive up to £30,000 per home.
Source: Greater London Authority, MD3366 Warm Homes Local Grant 2025-2028 (checked 2026-09-25)
How London compares
London ranks 1 of 4 for yield among the cities we model in the United Kingdom, and 37 of 41 across every country on Solar Figures. Within one country the prices are the same, so a payback gap between these cities comes from sunshine alone.
| City | kWh per kWp / yr | Payback (GBP) |
|---|---|---|
| London | 988 | 10.2 yrs |
| Birmingham | 940 | 10.8 yrs |
| Manchester | 861 | 13.2 yrs |
| Glasgow | 835 | 13.6 yrs |
| National reference point (country page) | 939 | 10.8 yrs |
Closest yield abroad: Utrecht (991 kWh per kWp), Amsterdam (992 kWh per kWp), Rotterdam (1,000 kWh per kWp).
What moves the payback in London
Power you use yourself is worth the retail price (£0.28 per kWh); power you export earns £0.15. So the share you use at home, by running appliances in daylight or adding a battery, changes the payback. The system cost stays the same in every row (a battery would add to it).
| Used at home | Year-1 savings | Payback |
|---|---|---|
| 20% | £1,032 | 12.5 yrs |
| 30% (our default) | £1,109 | 10.2 yrs |
| 50% | £1,261 | 8.7 yrs |
| 70% | £1,414 | 7.7 yrs |
- Net system cost after incentives: £10,500 for 6 kWp.
- Incentive modelled: No capital grant; 0% VAT on residential PV to 31 Mar 2027 (embedded in price), then reverts to 5%. Export via Smart Export Guarantee..
- 25-year net savings at our default: £25,781.
Best panel angle in London
At latitude 51.51°N, PVGIS finds the fixed tilt and direction that maximise yearly output. Our figures use a common 35° roof; the table shows what the optimum adds.
| Setup | Tilt | Facing | kWh per kWp / yr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard roof (used on this page) | 35° | south | 988 |
| PVGIS optimum | 40° | south (174°) | 991 |
The optimum adds 0.4% a year over the standard roof in London. Most of a roof's value comes from its direction: a roof facing away from the equator loses far more than a few degrees of tilt.
See the full the United Kingdom picture on our United Kingdom solar page, or the national incentives in our United Kingdom solar guide.
Sources and method
Figures computed 2026-09-25 for a 6 kWp system, 35° tilt, 14% system losses, terrain shading on. An estimate, not a quote: your installer's quote will be exact.
- PVGIS 5.3 PVcalc (PVGIS-SARAH3), European Commission JRC (checked 2026-09-25)
- the United Kingdom tariff and incentive inputs (see DATA_SOURCES.md) (checked 2026-06-21)
- the United Kingdom tariff and incentive inputs (see DATA_SOURCES.md) (checked 2026-06-21)
- Greater London Authority (London City Hall): Solar Together London (checked 2026-09-25)
- Greater London Authority: MD3366 Warm Homes Local Grant 2025-2028 (checked 2026-09-25)
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