The short answer for Cambridge: a 4kW south-facing system in Cambridge generates about 4,160 kWh a year on the EU's PVGIS model — about 2% more than London. Installed prices for that size run roughly £6,600–£7,800 on the UK government's 2025/26 cost data, and at October–December 2026 Eastern electricity prices (26.61p/kWh) it is worth roughly £700 a year without a battery, or £900 if a battery lets you use most of it yourself.
Cambridge gets good sun for England, but it is a city of renters and terraces: under half of households own their home and a third live in flats. If you own a house, most enquiries here are for a 3–4kW system on a Victorian or interwar terrace or semi, and the first question is often whether your street is in a conservation area.
How much a solar panel system generates in Cambridge
The table uses the European Commission's PVGIS tool for Cambridge: crystalline panels at a 35° pitch, with PVGIS's standard 14% allowance for system losses and the local horizon. Your installer's MCS estimate will differ a little because MCS uses its own irradiance tables and your actual pitch and shading, but the gap between places and orientations is what matters here.
| Roof faces | Per kW | 3kW system | 4kW system | 6kW system |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South | 1,041 kWh | 3,120 kWh | 4,160 kWh | 6,250 kWh |
| East | 826 kWh | 2,480 kWh | 3,300 kWh | 4,960 kWh |
| West | 800 kWh | 2,400 kWh | 3,200 kWh | 4,800 kWh |
Annual output, PVGIS 5.3 (SARAH3 satellite data, 2005–2023) for Cambridge, fetched 30 October 2026. Actual output varies year to year.
Of the 25 areas we cover, Cambridge ranks seventh for south-facing yield (Dorset is highest at 1,126 kWh per kW, Glasgow lowest at 853). The seasons matter as much as the location: in December a 4kW system here makes about 145 kWh for the whole month, against 495 kWh in June — which is why a battery is mostly a summer and shoulder-season tool, and why nobody should promise you winter bills near zero.
Cambridge is flat, so hills don't shade roofs; neighbouring buildings, chimneys and mature trees do, and older suburbs have plenty of all three. Ask the surveyor for a shading check of your roof. East- and west-facing slopes make about four-fifths of a south-facing one, which matters for terraces that run north–south with one slope facing each way.
What solar costs and saves in Cambridge
There is no separate "Cambridge price" for solar — installers price by system size, roof and access — so the fairest benchmark is the government's own cost series. Across domestic installations registered with MCS between April 2025 and March 2026, the average installed cost was £1,955 per kW for systems up to 4kW and £1,645 per kW for 4–10kW, VAT included and batteries excluded.
| System | Output in Cambridge | Typical installed price | Year-one value, no battery | Simple payback |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3kW | 3,120 kWh | £4,900–£5,900 | £600 | 9–11 years |
| 4kW | 4,160 kWh | £6,600–£7,800 | £700 | 9–11 years |
| 6kW | 6,250 kWh | £9,900–£11,700 | £1,100 | 9–11 years |
Price range: DESNZ Solar PV cost data (published 28 May 2026), each size priced between the 4–10kW average (£1,645/kW) and the up-to-4kW average (£1,955/kW); bigger systems tend towards the lower figure per kW. Value: south-facing PVGIS output, 40% used in the home at the Eastern price-cap unit rate of 26.61p/kWh (1 October to 31 December 2026), the rest exported at 12p/kWh (the 12p rate several large suppliers pay their own import customers in September 2026). Payback ignores panel degradation, future price changes and inverter replacement.
Two things move those numbers more than anything about Cambridge itself. First, how much you use yourself: every unit you use saves 26.61p, every unit you export earns only what your export tariff pays — 12p in this illustration. Our illustration assumes you use 40% without a battery; with a battery taking that to around 70%, the same 4kW system is worth about £900 a year — but the battery adds several thousand pounds, so price it as its own line and judge it on its own payback (battery storage guide). Second, the export tariff: rates are set by suppliers, not Ofgem, and range widely — see the solar payback guide for current examples.
VAT on solar panels and batteries installed in homes is 0% until 31 March 2027 (how the relief works), so a quote that adds 20% VAT to a domestic install is wrong.
Solar Together Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire County Council promotes the Solar Together group-buying scheme, and says "quotations are free and non-committal" (Cambridgeshire County Council). The scheme is now run as Switch Together by iChoosr. On 30 October 2026 its Cambridgeshire page was open for registration in a new Cambridgeshire County Council round, the November 2026 round, which is free and without obligation; the auction date had not yet been published. The operator's partner list still showed the previous Cambridgeshire round under recently closed schemes. If you register, use the offer you get as a benchmark when you compare quotes, including the one we introduce you to.
Cambridge homes and what they mean for your roof
Census 2021 counted 52,472 households in Cambridge: 26.4% semi-detached, 27.6% terraced, 10.9% detached and 35.0% flats or maisonettes, with 44.1% owner-occupied and 31.4% privately rented (England and Wales: 61.6% owned).
These census figures cover the Cambridge City Council area only. South Cambridgeshire, which surrounds the city, is a separate district with its own figures.
Terraces are the largest group of houses in the city. A typical Victorian terrace has a main roof plus a rear outrigger; the outrigger is often shaded by the house next door, so ask whether it adds real output before paying for panels on it. A third of households live in flats, and almost a third rent privately. Panels on a block need the freeholder's or management company's agreement, and renters need the landlord to commission the work. Landlords should remember the bill savings go to whoever pays the electricity bill.
Planning permission in Cambridge
For houses in England, roof-mounted solar is permitted development — no planning application — as long as the panels stand no more than 20cm proud of the roof slope and don't rise above the highest part of the roof. The main exceptions are listed buildings (which need listed building consent), panels mounted on a wall that faces a road in a conservation area, and properties where the council has removed permitted development rights with an Article 4 direction. Blocks of flats have their own, similar permitted development rules, but panels on a shared roof still need the freeholder's consent. The rules were last amended on 27 August 2026.
Cambridge City Council has 18 conservation areas; South Cambridgeshire, a separate district, has 85 (Greater Cambridge Shared Planning). The two councils share one planning service. It says that "in most cases, installing solar panels is considered to be permitted development", but it "always" recommends applying for a Lawful Development Certificate to confirm it (solar panels guidance). Most of the city's Article 4 directions protect named pubs from demolition; the one that limits alterations to homes covers the Accordia estate off Brooklands Avenue (Article 4 list). Check whether your house is listed before you get a quote.
Connecting to the grid: UK Power Networks (Eastern)
Cambridge's local electricity network is run by UK Power Networks in its Eastern licence area. Your installer notifies or applies to UK Power Networks for the connection; your electricity supplier is a separate company.
For a typical home system the installer handles this. A single-phase installation up to 3.68kW of inverter capacity (16 amps per phase) is connected under the G98 process and the network operator is notified within 28 days of commissioning. Anything larger — including a bigger system, or panels plus a battery whose combined inverter capacity passes that limit — goes through G99, which needs the network operator's approval before installation and can add weeks. Ask your installer which route your design needs and whether an export limit is being applied.
Getting a quote in Cambridge
Tell us about your home
Postcode, property type and how you'd pay. Two minutes.
We pass it to one installer
If an accredited (MCS-certified) installer covers your area, we'll pass your enquiry to them, and only them. They can arrange a roof survey and quote.
Judge the quote
Check it against the figures on this page. If it's out of range, you can say no. No obligation at any stage.
How your enquiry is handled
- One installer introduction, fulfilling your request. If an accredited (MCS-certified) installer covers your area, we'll pass your enquiry to them, and only them — not a list of companies.
- No obligation, at any stage. You can say no at any point, including after the survey or the quote, and owe nothing.
- It costs you nothing. An installer may pay Great British Energy a referral fee if you go ahead, and that fee does not change your price.
- We are an independent guide, not an installer. Great British Energy Guide doesn't install anything and isn't the government body of a similar name. Your consent is recorded with the enquiry, as set out in our privacy policy.
Get your solar quote in Cambridge
One MCS-certified installer who covers your postcode. Nothing is shared until you submit.
What the quote should show
- The installer's MCS certificate number — needed for a Smart Export Guarantee tariff — and their consumer code (RECC or HIES).
- Named panel and inverter make and model, with quantities, and the MCS performance estimate for your roof in kWh a year. Every saving quoted to you should come from that estimate.
- Scaffolding stated as included or excluded, and any battery priced as a separate line.
- No VAT added on a home installation (0% until 31 March 2027), warranty terms split out, and, if financed, the total repayable next to the cash price.
The full checklist is on the solar quotes page.
Questions from Cambridge homeowners
How much do solar panels cost in Cambridge?
A typical 4kW system costs roughly £6,600–£7,800 on the government's 2025/26 installation cost data, VAT-free on a home. The cost table above uses Cambridge's own output and Eastern electricity prices.
Is Cambridge good for solar panels?
Yes. On PVGIS data a 4kW south-facing system in Cambridge makes about 4,160 kWh a year, more than London. East- and west-facing roofs make about four-fifths of that.
Do I need planning permission for solar panels in a Cambridge conservation area?
Usually not for panels on the pitched roof of a house, which are normally permitted development even in a conservation area. On a flat roof in a conservation area you must first ask the council whether it needs to approve how the panels will look. You do need permission for panels on a wall facing the road there, and listed building consent for a listed house. The shared planning service recommends a Lawful Development Certificate to confirm.
Is Solar Together Cambridgeshire open in 2026?
Yes. On 30 October 2026 the scheme, now called Switch Together, was taking free, no-obligation registrations for its November 2026 Cambridgeshire County Council round. The auction date had not yet been published, so check its Cambridgeshire page for the dates.
Does this page cover South Cambridgeshire?
The housing figures cover the city council area only. South Cambridgeshire is a separate district with its own 85 conservation areas, but the output and cost figures here apply to villages around the city too.
Other areas
- Solar in Birmingham
- Solar in Newcastle
- Solar in Manchester
- Solar in Bristol
- Solar in Sheffield
- Solar in Doncaster
- Solar in Nottingham
- Solar in Cornwall
- Solar in Aberdeen
- Solar in Cardiff
- Solar in Derby
- Solar in Devon
- Solar in Dorset
- Solar in Edinburgh
- Solar in Essex
- Solar in Glasgow
- Solar in Hull
- Solar in Kent
- Solar in Leeds
- Solar in Leicester
- Solar in Liverpool
- Solar in London
- Solar in Norfolk
- Solar in Telford & Shropshire
Heat pump pages: Birmingham, Bristol, Newcastle, Nottingham, Sheffield, Doncaster, Norfolk, Suffolk, West Wales, and all heat pump quotes.
Solar for a shop, office, farm or factory instead? See commercial solar panels and the business energy audit guide.
Sources
- European Commission JRC, PVGIS 5.3 — grid-connected PV, Cambridge, 1kWp crystalline silicon, 35° slope, 14% system loss, south/east/west, SARAH3 2005–2023; queried 30 October 2026.
- Office for National Statistics, Census 2021 tables TS044 (accommodation type), TS046 (central heating), TS050 (bedrooms) and TS054 (tenure), local authority level, via Nomis.
- DESNZ, Solar PV cost data, updated 28 May 2026 — domestic, mean cost per kW, Total Installed Capacity basis, 2025/26 (Official Statistics in development).
- Ofgem, Changes to energy price cap between 1 October and 31 December 2026 (26 August 2026) and regional unit rates and standing charges; electricity at 0% VAT from 1 October 2026 to 31 March 2027 (HMRC).
- Ofgem, Smart Export Guarantee: tariffs must be above zero; suppliers with 150,000+ domestic customers must offer one. Supplier export rates checked on supplier websites, 23 September 2026.
- HMRC, VAT Notice 708/6: 0% on installing energy-saving materials in homes, 1 May 2023 to 31 March 2027.
- Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015, Schedule 2 Part 14 Class A, as amended to 27 August 2026.
- Network connection thresholds (G98 up to 16A per phase — 3.68kW single-phase; larger systems G99): SP Electricity North West; find your operator via the Energy Networks Association.
- Greater Cambridge Shared Planning, conservation area appraisals, local planning restrictions (Article 4) and solar panels (checked 30 October 2026).
- Cambridgeshire County Council, home energy; Switch Together, Cambridgeshire solar and battery page and council and community partners (checked 30 October 2026).