The short answer for Leeds: a 4kW south-facing system in Leeds generates about 3,790 kWh a year on the EU's PVGIS model — about 7% 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 £800 if a battery lets you use most of it yourself.
Leeds still has 19,500 pre-1919 back-to-back houses in use, by the council's own count, alongside a big stock of semis in the suburbs. A back-to-back has a single roof slope, so the way it faces decides almost everything. The sections below show what each kind of roof is likely to produce and cost.
How much a solar panel system generates in Leeds
The table uses the European Commission's PVGIS tool for Leeds: 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 | 947 kWh | 2,840 kWh | 3,790 kWh | 5,680 kWh |
| East | 751 kWh | 2,250 kWh | 3,000 kWh | 4,510 kWh |
| West | 737 kWh | 2,210 kWh | 2,950 kWh | 4,420 kWh |
Annual output, PVGIS 5.3 (SARAH3 satellite data, 2005–2023) for Leeds, fetched 30 October 2026. Actual output varies year to year.
Of the 25 areas we cover, Leeds ranks 21st 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 127 kWh for the whole month, against 448 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.
Leeds models the same output per kW as Sheffield, and about 5% less than Hull on the flat east side of Yorkshire. East- and west-facing roofs still make roughly four-fifths of a south-facing one here. In Leeds the valleys matter more than the latitude: a house low on a north-facing side of the Aire or Wharfe valley can lose the low winter sun to the hill opposite, so trust the surveyor's shading assessment for your roof over any city-wide figure.
What solar costs and saves in Leeds
There is no separate "Leeds 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 Leeds | Typical installed price | Year-one value, no battery | Simple payback |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3kW | 2,840 kWh | £4,900–£5,900 | £500 | 10–12 years |
| 4kW | 3,790 kWh | £6,600–£7,800 | £700 | 10–12 years |
| 6kW | 5,680 kWh | £9,900–£11,700 | £1,000 | 10–12 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 Leeds 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 £800 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.
West Yorkshire solar group-buying
The West Yorkshire Combined Authority backs a solar and battery collective buying scheme, delivered by Switch Together through Home Energy West Yorkshire. The current round asked people to register by 23 October 2026 (Home Energy West Yorkshire). If you registered, installers bid in an auction and you get a personal offer with four weeks to decide. That price is a useful benchmark for any other quote, including the one we introduce you to. The authority's home energy loans, which covered solar, are closed to new applications; a next phase is planned but has no confirmed dates (Home Energy West Yorkshire).
Leeds homes and what they mean for your roof
Census 2021 counted 341,468 households in Leeds: 37.5% semi-detached, 25.0% terraced, 15.5% detached and 22.0% flats or maisonettes, with 57.0% owner-occupied and 21.8% privately rented (England and Wales: 61.6% owned).
Semi-detached houses are the biggest group in Leeds, and most suit a 3–4kW system on one slope. Back-to-backs are different. Each house has one roof slope, facing its own street, and the house behind it gets the other. If yours faces anywhere from east through south to west, a smaller system than a semi's is often still worth it; if it faces north, it rarely pays back. Many back-to-backs and older terraces have slate roofs, which take more care than concrete tiles when the brackets go on, so ask how the installer will fix them and who pays for any broken slates.
Just over a fifth of Leeds households live in flats, and a similar share rent privately. Panels on a block need the freeholder's or management company's agreement, and renters need the landlord to commission the work.
Planning permission in Leeds
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.
Leeds City Council lists 80 conservation areas across the district, 55 of them with an appraisal and management plan, and says some solar panels in a conservation area need planning permission (council conservation areas page). They run from Boston Spa, the first in 1969, to the city centre's Grand Quarter in 2017 (council news release), and in 2025 Morley's two were merged into one larger area (council news release). The only Article 4 direction the council's planning-permission page names covers turning houses into HMOs in some wards, not roof work (council guidance). If your house is in a conservation area, read that area's appraisal on the council site, and if you want certainty, apply for a lawful development certificate before you commit.
Connecting to the grid: Northern Powergrid (Yorkshire)
Leeds's local electricity network is run by Northern Powergrid in its Yorkshire licence area. Your installer notifies or applies to it for the connection; your electricity supplier is a separate company. A modest system on a back-to-back or terrace usually stays inside the simple notification route described below.
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 Leeds
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 Leeds
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 Leeds homeowners
Is Leeds sunny enough for solar panels?
Yes, for most unshaded roofs. On PVGIS data a south-facing roof in Leeds makes about 7% less per kW than the same roof in London, the same as Sheffield. The savings depend far more on how much of the output you use yourself than on the city.
Can I put solar panels on a back-to-back house in Leeds?
Often, if your single roof slope faces anywhere from east through south to west and is not heavily shaded. The roof is small, so expect fewer panels than on a semi. A north-facing slope rarely pays back. Ask the surveyor for a roof layout drawing and a shading assessment.
Do I need planning permission for solar panels in Leeds?
Not usually for roof panels on a house. Check first if the house is listed or in one of the city's conservation areas. Panels on a wall facing a road in a conservation area always need permission. The planning section above links to the council's pages.
Is there a solar group-buying scheme in Leeds?
Yes, across West Yorkshire. The Combined Authority backs one through Home Energy West Yorkshire, delivered by Switch Together, and its latest round asked people to register by 23 October 2026. If you missed it, a group-buy price is still a useful benchmark when you compare quotes.
Who connects solar panels to the grid in Leeds?
Northern Powergrid, the local network operator. Your MCS installer notifies it, or applies for approval first for a bigger system. You do not need to contact it yourself.
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 Hull
- Solar in Kent
- 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, Leeds, 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.
- Leeds City Council, conservation areas (80 areas, 55 appraisals), Mabgate conservation area news release (25 March 2022), Morley conservation area news release (21 January 2025), find out if you need planning permission and Leeds Housing Strategy 2022 to 2027 (checked 30 October 2026).
- Home Energy West Yorkshire, collective buying scheme and home energy loans; West Yorkshire Combined Authority, Solar Together scheme (checked 30 October 2026).