A south-facing roof in York generates about 961 kWh per kWp a year on the EU's PVGIS model, and every unit you use saves 25.60p at the Yorkshire price cap rate, one of the lower rates in Great Britain. A typical 4.5kWp system would make about 4,324 kWh a year.
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A south-facing 1kWp system at 35 degrees in central York generates about 961 kWh a year, according to the EU's PVGIS model. That ranks 15 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.
| Roof direction (35° pitch) | Per kWp a year | June | December |
|---|---|---|---|
| South-facing | 961 kWh | 113 kWh | 32 kWh |
| East-facing | 761 kWh | 107 kWh | 12 kWh |
| West-facing | 746 kWh | 107 kWh | 12 kWh |
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 York
Every unit you use yourself saves 25.60p, the Ofgem price cap rate for direct debit customers in the Yorkshire 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 York it would generate about 4,324 kWh a year. If you used all of it, that would be worth about £1,107. If you exported all of it, about £519. 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.
York's conservation areas are less of an obstacle than they look
City of York Council's own solar guidance says planning permission is not usually required to install solar panels on the roof of a house or block of flats in a conservation area, even if the roof faces a highway. That is a more generous reading than many councils publish, and it matters in a city with 35 conservation areas, including the York Central Historic Core, which the council describes as one of the largest and most complex in England with 24 character areas. What does need permission is panels on a wall fronting a highway. Three conditions apply either way: minimise the effect on the building's external appearance, minimise the effect on the amenity of the area, and remove the panels once they are no longer needed.
Listed buildings are the real constraint, and York has a lot of them: over 1,500 list entries, which the council says works out at more than 2,000 individual buildings, because one entry can cover several. Any install on a listed building needs listed building consent before work starts, and a building within the curtilage of a listed dwelling needs planning permission too. An Article 4 direction, such as the one on East Mount Road, can remove permitted development rights. If you are unsure, the council's householder enquiry costs £120 and tells you whether you are within permitted development; a householder planning application, if you need one, is £548 as of October 2026. Our guides to conservation areas and listed buildings cover the national rules behind this.
The York grant is run by the council, and was still open this week
City of York Council administers the Warm Homes: Local Grant itself, in partnership with Sureserve Energy Services, and solar panels and battery storage are on its renewable energy measures list. As of 16 October 2026 the council's page carries no oversubscribed notice, which several other councils' pages do. How much you get depends on the measures your home needs to reach an EPC rating of C, and the work has to be done by the council's procured contractor, who is TrustMark-registered and PAS 2030/2035 certified. The council said in April 2026 that 211 lower-income homes had been made more energy efficient since March 2025.
To qualify you must live in York, in a privately owned or privately rented property with an EPC of D, E, F or G, and usually have a gross household income of £36,000 a year or less. Above that you may still qualify if you live in one of the eligible postcode areas the council maps, or if someone in the household receives Housing Benefit, income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, income-related Employment and Support Allowance, Income Support, Pension Credit or Universal Credit. All heating fuel types count, park homes count if they are a permanent home, and new builds and self-builds do not. Landlords get 100% funding for a first property and 50% after that. See our guide to solar panel grants in the UK.
How much solar York has
The government counted 5,487 solar installations in York at the end of 2025, up 10% from 4,990 a year earlier, about 64 per 1,000 households by our count. That sits just under the UK average of about 69 and puts York 197th of the 362 UK council areas in the table, comfortably ahead of the bigger northern cities. The government warns its 2025 council figures undercount, because many 2025 installations could not yet be matched to a council area, so the real figure is higher.
The split inside the city is stark. On the domestic figures for August 2026, York Outer had 3,192 home installations against York Central's 2,221, which tracks the difference between suburban houses with their own roofs and a centre full of flats and historic terraces. Across Yorkshire and the Humber the total reached 162,372 installations by August 2026, up from 141,284 a year earlier.
York's roofs, and who you notify
At the 2021 Census, 35.8% of York households lived in semi-detached houses and 22.5% in detached houses, close to the England figures of 31.5% and 22.9%. Another 23.8% were in terraced houses and 13.8% in purpose-built flats. That is a fairly ordinary English housing mix, which is part of why York's solar count holds up better than Leeds's or Liverpool's: a semi or a detached house usually has a whole roof slope of its own to work with. Our guide to how many solar panels you need helps you size a system for the slope you have.
York's network is run by Northern Powergrid, which covers the North East, Yorkshire and northern Lincolnshire, 3.9 million homes and businesses in all. It issues its own G98 Form B for a single premises, which your installer completes once the micro-generator installation is finished. Anything over 3.68kW per phase needs a G99 application instead. Read our G98 and G99 guide, and compare York with solar panels in Leeds or solar panels in Sheffield, which share the same network operator and price cap region.
Getting solar quotes in York
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.
Tell us about your home once and get quotes from MCS-certified installers covering York.
Get a Solar Quote →Solar panels in York: frequently asked questions
Are solar panels worth it in York?
For a house with a suitable roof, usually yes. York generates about 961 kWh per kWp a year on the PVGIS model, and every unit you use saves 25.60p at the Yorkshire price cap rate for October to December 2026, one of the lower regional rates on the cap.
Is there a solar panel grant in York?
Yes. City of York Council runs the Warm Homes: Local Grant itself with Sureserve Energy Services, and solar panels and battery storage are listed measures. You need an EPC of D to G and usually a household income of £36,000 or less, or an eligible postcode or a listed benefit.
Do I need planning permission for solar panels in a York conservation area?
Usually not for panels on the roof of a house or block of flats, even if the roof faces a highway, according to City of York Council's guidance. Panels on a wall fronting a highway do need permission, and any listed building needs listed building consent.
Who is the network operator for solar in York?
Northern Powergrid. A single home system is notified on its own G98 Form B once the installation is complete; anything over 3.68kW per phase needs a G99 application.
Sources for this page
Local sources checked on 16 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:
- City of York Council: Warm Homes Local Grant
- City of York Council: Warm Homes Local Grant eligibility
- City of York Council: free energy grants change residents' lives
- City of York Council: solar panels guidance
- City of York Council: conservation areas
- City of York Council: listed buildings
- DESNZ: Renewable electricity by local authority, 2014 to 2025
- DESNZ: Solar photovoltaics deployment (September 2026)
- Nomis: Census 2021 accommodation type (TS044)
- Northern Powergrid: G98 Form B (single premises)