The short answer for Hull: a 4kW south-facing system in Hull generates about 3,990 kWh a year on the EU's PVGIS model — about 2% less 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 Yorkshire electricity prices (25.60p/kWh) it is worth roughly £700 a year without a battery, or £900 if a battery lets you use most of it yourself.
Hull is flat, low-lying and largely terraced. Nearly half its homes are terraces, and the council says over 90% of the city lies below the high tide level. Neither rules solar out. The first decides how big a system fits on your roof; the second is a reason to think about where the inverter and any battery go.
How much a solar panel system generates in Hull
The table uses the European Commission's PVGIS tool for Hull: 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 | 997 kWh | 2,990 kWh | 3,990 kWh | 5,980 kWh |
| East | 785 kWh | 2,360 kWh | 3,140 kWh | 4,710 kWh |
| West | 763 kWh | 2,290 kWh | 3,050 kWh | 4,580 kWh |
Annual output, PVGIS 5.3 (SARAH3 satellite data, 2005–2023) for Hull, fetched 30 October 2026. Actual output varies year to year.
Of the 25 areas we cover, Hull ranks 11th 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 133 kWh for the whole month, against 471 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.
Hull's flat, open setting on the east side of Yorkshire gives it about 5% more output per kW than Leeds on the same PVGIS settings, close to London. There are no hills to block the low winter sun, so the shading risks are close to home: chimneys, a neighbour's back extension, or trees.
What solar costs and saves in Hull
There is no separate "Hull 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 Hull | Typical installed price | Year-one value, no battery | Simple payback |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3kW | 2,990 kWh | £4,900–£5,900 | £500 | 9–11 years |
| 4kW | 3,990 kWh | £6,600–£7,800 | £700 | 9–11 years |
| 6kW | 5,980 kWh | £9,900–£11,700 | £1,000 | 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 Yorkshire price-cap unit rate of 25.60p/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 Hull itself. First, how much you use yourself: every unit you use saves 25.60p, 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.
Hull homes and what they mean for your roof
Census 2021 counted 115,471 households in Hull: 29.4% semi-detached, 46.7% terraced, 8.4% detached and 15.4% flats or maisonettes, with 48.3% owner-occupied and 23.9% privately rented (England and Wales: 61.6% owned).
Terraced houses make up nearly half of Hull's homes. Many sit on the city's narrow "terraces", short side streets running off the main roads, where scaffolding and parking for the installer's van can be tight, so ask for scaffolding as a separate line on the quote. A typical terraced roof suits about 3kW; check whether the rear outrigger roof is shaded by the house next door before counting it in.
Flood risk and your equipment: the panels sit on the roof, well out of harm's way, but the inverter, any battery and the isolator switches usually go indoors. Hull City Council's flood strategy says over 95% of the city's homes are at risk of at least one type of flooding, and it names the surface water flooding of June 2007 and the North Sea storm surge of January 1953 as the most significant floods before 2010 (council flood strategy). Ask the installer to mount the inverter and battery well above floor level, not in a garage or ground-floor cupboard that could take water, and tell your home insurer about the system.
Fewer than half of Hull households own their home and over a quarter rent from a council or housing association, so many homes need the landlord to commission the work.
Planning permission in Hull
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.
Hull has 27 conservation areas, from the Old Town and Georgian New Town to the Avenues and Pearson Park, Garden Village and Sutton Village (council list), and 27 Article 4 directions, mainly in conservation areas (council page). Two touch roofs. In the Avenues and Pearson Park, solar panels on a roof slope facing a highway need planning permission, as does changing the type of roofing material (Avenues and Pearson Park direction); panels on a rear slope that can't be seen from the road are not caught by that line. In Garden Village, any alteration to the roof of the houses marked on the council's roofs plan needs permission (Garden Village direction). If you live in either area, ask the council before you commit.
Hull's boundary is tight. Cottingham, Hessle, Anlaby and Willerby have HU postcodes but are in the East Riding of Yorkshire, where East Riding of Yorkshire Council handles planning. The housing figures on this page describe the city council area only.
Connecting to the grid: Northern Powergrid (Yorkshire)
Hull's local electricity network is run by Northern Powergrid in its Yorkshire licence area, which also covers the East Riding. Your installer notifies or applies to it 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 Hull
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 Hull
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 Hull homeowners
Is Hull good for solar panels?
Better than most of the North. On PVGIS data a south-facing roof in Hull makes about 5% more per kW than one in Leeds, and close to what it would in London. The flat landscape means hills rarely shade a roof.
Does Hull's flood risk affect solar panels?
Not the panels, which are on the roof. It matters for the inverter, any battery and the wiring, which usually go indoors. Ask for them to be mounted well above floor level rather than in a garage or ground-floor cupboard, and tell your home insurer about the system.
Can I put solar panels on a terraced house in Hull?
Usually, if the main roof slope faces anywhere from east through south to west. Terraced roofs are smaller, so about 3kW is common. On narrow terraces scaffolding can cost more, so ask for it as a separate line and compare it between quotes.
I live in Cottingham or Hessle. Does this page apply?
For output, prices and the grid, yes: you are in the same Yorkshire price-cap region and on the same Northern Powergrid network. Planning is handled by East Riding of Yorkshire Council rather than Hull City Council, so check its conservation-area maps.
Do I need planning permission for solar panels in the Avenues?
For a roof slope facing a road, yes. The Avenues and Pearson Park conservation area has an Article 4 direction that brings solar panels on a roof slope facing a highway, and changes of roofing material, under planning control. Panels on a rear slope are normally permitted development, but ask Hull City Council before you commit. Panels on a wall facing the road need permission in any conservation area.
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 Cambridge
- Solar in Cardiff
- Solar in Derby
- Solar in Devon
- Solar in Dorset
- Solar in Edinburgh
- Solar in Essex
- Solar in Glasgow
- 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, Hull, 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.
- Hull City Council, conservation areas, Article 4 directions, including Avenues and Pearson Park and Garden Village (checked 30 October 2026).
- Hull City Council, Local Flood Risk Management Strategy 2022–2028, Appendix 3: flood risk in Kingston upon Hull (checked 30 October 2026).