Ipswich, Colchester and Southend-on-Sea are among the areas missing out the most on cheaper solar electricity, new figures show.
Great Yarmouth, Bournemouth and Felixstowe are also high on the list, according to the first in-depth analysis taking in both solar panel coverage and sunshine rates in the UK, carried out by Ordnance Survey and shared with The i Paper.
These areas are among the very sunniest in Britain but have some of the lowest rates of solar installations – with just 1 to 3 per cent of homes having them on their roofs.
This compares to an average of 5.2 per cent across Britain and 12 to 15 per cent in the areas with the highest concentrations of panels, such as South Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.
The ten areas missing out the most on the potential of solar get around 1,800 to more than 2,000 hours of sunshine a year compared to a nationwide average of 1,435, according to Met Office figures for 2023.
Solar panel installations have soared in the UK in recent years, rising fivefold in just seven years with 194,924 homes getting them in 2024, according to the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS), which registers installations.
Labour has pledged to decarbonise the grid by half by 20230 as part of a green energy revolution and force housebuilding to install solar panels on the roofs of new properties by 2027.
This map shows ten areas in Britain which have been identified as having high sunshine levels but low solar panel percentage coverageYet take-up is very uneven, varying considerably from one area to another, with some of the sunniest parts of the country having some of the lowest numbers of solar panels on their homes.
Eastern Essex, Eastern Kent, Weymouth and Fortuneswell – a village on the Isle of Portland at the bottom of England are also among these areas.
Ordnance Survey’s research finds that solar panels sit on the roofs of nearly 1.3 million buildings across the nation, of which 1.2 million are on homes, with the remainder on farms and businesses.
“Our analysis of the geographical spread of solar panels in Britain shows a big disparity in where homeowners are making the most of the solar opportunity and where others aren’t,” Chris Wilton, who leads the utility team at Ordnance Survey, told The i Paper.
“There will be a wide variety of reasons for this – from economic to environmental awareness to perceived barriers such as the age of the property. Where possible, there is a huge benefit in installing solar panels on a building – both from a cost-saving point of view and the much wider benefit to the country’s clean energy targets,” he added.
Gemma Grimes, Director of Policy and Delivery, Solar Energy UK, told The i Paper: “Uptake of solar panels on homes certainly varies considerably between one place and another. In some streets, you will find none. On others – especially on many newbuild estates – it’s universal.”
She said the Ordnance Survey data “appears to tally roughly with household deprivation, so richer and more economically active areas are more likely to have solar fitted to homes and buildings”.
The government estimates that a typical existing UK home could save around £500 a year on their energy bills by having solar panels fitted.
Homeowners with solar save money by generating their own electricity for free, as well as selling any excess energy they produce back to the grid.
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According to Electrify Britain, a partnership between Octopus Energy and EDF, a standard solar system could generate up to 30 kWh of electricity per day in June, which is almost three times the electricity consumption of the average UK household, although output was helped by the unusually hot sunny weather.
Electrify Britain said households with solar panels saved up to £30 per week in June, according to analysis of 91,000 homes.
However, it can cost thousands of pounds to install solar in your home – and there are not currently any consumer grants available to help finance them.
As such, the average payback time is eight to 15 years as the money saved on bills slowly pays off the upfront investment, at which point the benefits of the large upfront investment can be fully realised.
The average installation cost in 2025 so far is £7382.99 for an average-size solar panel array of around 4kW, according to MCS data – although prices will vary depending on the size of your system, your installer, and your location.
The Energy Saving Trust’s solar panel calculator can help homeowners estimate how much they could save by installing solar.
Record solar output:
On July 8 this year, as the sun blazed down, a new record was set for solar power generation as solar panels supplied 39 per cent of the UK’s electricity at 12.30pm.
Wind came next, providing about half the amount of electricity as solar – while gas provided less than a quarter of solar’s contribution – showing just how far renewable energy has come in recent years.
Most of the electricity will have come from commercial solar farms but households are increasingly generating their own solar power.
Garry Felgate, chief executive of The MCS Foundation, which certifies the quality of renewable energy in UK homes, told The i Paper: “The Ordnance Survey map shows a large variation between different areas of the country. But all households, wherever they are in the country, can benefit from the rooftop revolution with solar panels.
“The Government’s recently-announced proposals to allow the use of plug-in solar panels, subject to a safety review, could open up solar installations to those currently less likely to be able to access them, especially renters and those living in blocks of flats.”
The proposals could mean that British households that are unable to install rooftop solar panels will soon join millions of people across Europe who generate their own electricity with “plug-in” – or “balcony” – panels.
These panels, found on balconies across Spain and Germany, can be plugged directly into a home’s power socket to generate solar electricity for the household.
What kind of properties are most suited to solar panels?
Solar power can be installed on almost all properties, assuming that the roof is strong enough to support the panels.
It is subject to permitted development across the UK, meaning that only the largest installations require planning permission, though specific rules differ between the nations.
It can also be installed on heritage buildings – those that are listed or in conservation areas – with planning permission, although there are plans to streamline this red tape in England.
Solar slates are available that look just like conventional ones, allaying concerns about how they look, although they are more expensive.
There will be some situations where solar doesn’t make sense – such as on buildings that are in permanent shade.
The Government is considering allowing plug-in (also known as balcony) solar systems to be used.
These can be plugged directly into the domestic mains, although their capacity is much lower than a conventional rooftop array, so they do not offer the same savings on bills.
They are common in Germany and the Netherlands but fire safety concerns have stopped them being sold here. Solar Energy UK does not have a position on them.
Source: Solar Energy UK
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