Solar Panels in Birmingham

A south-facing roof in Birmingham generates about 969 kWh per kWp a year on the EU's PVGIS model, and every unit you use saves 25.60p at the West Midlands price cap rate. A typical 4.5kWp system would make about 4,360 kWh a year.

How much electricity solar panels make in Birmingham

A south-facing 1kWp system at 35 degrees in central Birmingham generates about 969 kWh a year, according to the EU's PVGIS model. That ranks 13 of the 20 areas we cover, which run from 850 kWh in Glasgow to 1,119 kWh in Dorset. East and west roofs still work, at roughly a fifth less.

PVGIS is a modelled figure for an unshaded roof with 14% system losses, and it runs higher than the MCS method installers must use for your written estimate, which gives roughly 800 to 950 kWh per kWp for a well-oriented UK roof. Use PVGIS to compare places and the installer's MCS estimate to plan your budget. Our guides to which direction panels should face and how much electricity solar panels produce go further.

What that electricity is worth in Birmingham

Every unit you use yourself saves 25.60p, the Ofgem price cap rate for direct debit customers in the West Midlands region from 1 October to 31 December 2026. The Great Britain average is 26.32p. Every unit you export earns whatever your Smart Export Guarantee tariff pays, which the Energy Saving Trust puts at around 12p typically.

Take the Energy Saving Trust's typical 4.5kWp home system. On the PVGIS figure for Birmingham it would generate about 4,360 kWh a year. If you used all of it, that would be worth about £1,116. If you exported all of it, about £523. Real homes sit between the two, and a battery or daytime use pushes you towards the higher figure. The Energy Saving Trust prices that typical system at around £7,600. See our solar panel cost guide and current export rates.

Terraces and semis: what Birmingham roofs mean for a quote

At the 2021 Census, 27.8% of Birmingham households lived in terraced houses against 23.0% across England, and only 11.2% lived in detached houses against 22.9%. Semi-detached houses were the largest group at 35.6%, and 21.0% of households lived in purpose-built flats. A terraced roof is usually smaller and shares chimneys and party walls with the neighbours, so the right system may be smaller than the national typical 4.5kWp.

Ask installers for a panel layout and a generation estimate for your actual roof rather than comparing headline system sizes. Only an owner can agree to an install: 52.7% of Birmingham households own their home, against 61.3% across England. See how many solar panels you need.

Grants in Birmingham: six priority areas

Birmingham City Council has appointed Next Energy to deliver Warm Homes: Local Grant upgrades to 625 private homes, and solar panels are among the funded measures, but only residents of six Retrofit Priority Areas qualify. They are Balsall Heath, Bromford, Castle Vale, Sparkbrook, Sparkhill, and Tyseley and Hay Mills.

The West Midlands Combined Authority also runs its own Buildings Retrofit Pilot from April 2025 to March 2028, worth £167m, of which £30m is the region's Warm Homes: Local Grant share, and solar PV is named as an eligible measure. See our guide to solar panel grants in the UK.

Conservation areas and Article 4 directions

Birmingham has 29 conservation areas, including the Jewellery Quarter and Bournville Village, and 11 of them carry Article 4 directions that remove some permitted development rights. They are Austin Village, Bournville Village, part of Edgbaston, Greenfield Road, High Street Sutton Coldfield, Moor Pool in Harborne, Moseley, Old Yardley, Selly Park, Selly Park Avenues and St Agnes. The council says even minor alterations such as re-roofing need planning permission in these areas, so check with it before fitting panels.

Outside those areas, rooftop solar on a Birmingham house is usually permitted development. Our guide to solar panels in a conservation area explains the national rules.

How much solar Birmingham has, and your network operator

The government counted 14,926 solar installations in Birmingham at the end of 2025, up from 13,099 a year earlier, about 35 per 1,000 households by our count. That is roughly half the UK average of about 69, and the government warns its 2025 council figures undercount. On its domestic figures for August 2026, Edgbaston had the most installations of the city's constituencies (1,589) and Sutton Coldfield the most capacity.

Birmingham's network is run by National Grid Electricity Distribution, formerly Western Power Distribution. For a standard home system it must be notified within 28 days of commissioning under G98, which can be done online. See our G98 and G99 guide, and compare with solar panels in Nottingham or solar panels in Manchester.

Getting solar quotes in Birmingham

Get at least three written quotes from MCS-certified installers, each with a performance estimate for your roof and a full breakdown of what is supplied. That is the Renewable Energy Consumer Code's advice. Never pay more than 25% up front, and walk away from anyone offering a discount to sign on the day. Our guide to choosing a solar installer covers what to check.

Sources for this page

Local sources checked on 10 October 2026. Solar yields: PVGIS 5.2, EU Joint Research Centre, modelled 10 October 2026. Electricity prices: Ofgem price cap by region. System cost and export rate: Energy Saving Trust. Local sources:

• Birmingham City Council: Warm Homes Local Grant 2025 to 2028
• WMCA: Buildings Retrofit Pilot scheme guidance (June 2025)
• Birmingham City Council: conservation areas
• Birmingham City Council: Article 4 directions
• Nomis: Census 2021 accommodation type (TS044)
• DESNZ: Renewable electricity by local authority, 2014 to 2025
• DESNZ: Solar photovoltaics deployment (September 2026)
• NGED: single G98 micro-generation