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Free data release, updated 29 September 2026

Solar payback in every county: the 2026 league table

The same 12-panel, 6.36 kWp LONGi Hi-MO X10 system, at the same £6,360 installed (£1,000 per kWp), ranked across all 85 historic counties of Great Britain by how fast it pays for itself. Fastest: Sussex, 6.33 years. Slowest: Inverness-shire, 9.43 years. A Clearline Home Energy analysis, free for editorial use with attribution.

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The two ends of the table

Fastest and slowest ten counties

Simple payback in years, same system, same price. Both charts share one scale, so the gap is the real gap.

Fastest ten

Slowest ten

National averages: England 7.12 years across 39 counties, Wales 7.66 years across 13, Scotland 8.23 years across 33. Great Britain mean: 7.63 years across all 85.

All 85 historic counties

The full league table

Ranked fastest to slowest payback. See England, Wales and Scotland on their own below, or download the whole dataset.

All 85 historic counties, ranked by solar payback, fastest to slowest
RankCountySimple payback Year-one benefitJanuary, illustrative* NationYield (kWh/kWp/yr)Generates a year
1 Sussex 6.33 yrs £1,005 5.98-6.01 yrs* England 1,141 7,257 kWh
2 Dorset 6.60 yrs £963 6.22-6.25 yrs* England 1,086 6,907 kWh
3 Kent 6.66 yrs £955 6.27-6.31 yrs* England 1,075 6,837 kWh
4 Essex 6.73 yrs £945 6.34-6.37 yrs* England 1,062 6,754 kWh
5 Suffolk 6.78 yrs £938 6.38-6.41 yrs* England 1,053 6,697 kWh
6 Hampshire 6.84 yrs £930 6.43-6.46 yrs* England 1,043 6,633 kWh
7 Somerset 6.86 yrs £927 6.45-6.48 yrs* England 1,039 6,608 kWh
8 Wiltshire 6.86 yrs £927 6.45-6.48 yrs* England 1,039 6,608 kWh
9 Huntingdonshire 6.87 yrs £926 6.45-6.49 yrs* England 1,038 6,602 kWh
10 Cambridgeshire 6.88 yrs £925 6.46-6.50 yrs* England 1,036 6,589 kWh
11 Bedfordshire 6.92 yrs £919 6.50-6.54 yrs* England 1,028 6,538 kWh
12 Norfolk 6.92 yrs £919 6.50-6.54 yrs* England 1,028 6,538 kWh
13 Middlesex 6.95 yrs £916 6.53-6.56 yrs* England 1,024 6,513 kWh
14 Surrey 6.95 yrs £915 6.53-6.57 yrs* England 1,023 6,506 kWh
15 Berkshire 6.96 yrs £913 6.54-6.58 yrs* England 1,021 6,494 kWh
16 Hertfordshire 6.97 yrs £912 6.55-6.59 yrs* England 1,019 6,481 kWh
17 Northamptonshire 6.98 yrs £911 6.56-6.59 yrs* England 1,018 6,474 kWh
18 Cornwall 6.99 yrs £910 6.56-6.60 yrs* England 1,017 6,468 kWh
19 Oxfordshire 7.00 yrs £909 6.57-6.61 yrs* England 1,015 6,455 kWh
20 Rutland 7.01 yrs £907 6.58-6.62 yrs* England 1,013 6,443 kWh
21 Lincolnshire 7.04 yrs £903 6.61-6.64 yrs* England 1,008 6,411 kWh
22 Anglesey 7.05 yrs £903 6.61-6.65 yrs* Wales 1,007 6,405 kWh
23 Gloucestershire 7.08 yrs £898 6.64-6.68 yrs* England 1,001 6,366 kWh
24 Monmouthshire 7.08 yrs £899 6.64-6.68 yrs* Wales 1,002 6,373 kWh
25 Buckinghamshire 7.09 yrs £897 6.66-6.69 yrs* England 999 6,354 kWh
26 Worcestershire 7.09 yrs £897 6.66-6.69 yrs* England 999 6,354 kWh
27 Pembrokeshire 7.09 yrs £897 6.66-6.69 yrs* Wales 999 6,354 kWh
28 Warwickshire 7.11 yrs £895 6.67-6.70 yrs* England 997 6,341 kWh
29 Herefordshire 7.14 yrs £891 6.69-6.73 yrs* England 992 6,309 kWh
30 Nottinghamshire 7.15 yrs £890 6.70-6.74 yrs* England 990 6,296 kWh
31 Devon 7.20 yrs £883 6.75-6.79 yrs* England 981 6,239 kWh
32 Leicestershire 7.20 yrs £883 6.75-6.79 yrs* England 981 6,239 kWh
33 Wigtownshire 7.29 yrs £872 6.83-6.87 yrs* Scotland 967 6,150 kWh
34 Yorkshire 7.32 yrs £869 6.85-6.89 yrs* England 963 6,125 kWh
35 Shropshire 7.36 yrs £865 6.89-6.93 yrs* England 957 6,087 kWh
36 Staffordshire 7.40 yrs £860 6.92-6.96 yrs* England 951 6,048 kWh
37 Cheshire 7.44 yrs £855 6.96-7.00 yrs* England 944 6,004 kWh
38 Derbyshire 7.44 yrs £855 6.96-7.00 yrs* England 945 6,010 kWh
39 Kincardineshire 7.44 yrs £855 6.96-7.00 yrs* Scotland 944 6,004 kWh
40 Glamorgan 7.47 yrs £852 6.98-7.02 yrs* Wales 940 5,978 kWh
41 Berwickshire 7.48 yrs £851 6.99-7.03 yrs* Scotland 939 5,972 kWh
42 Carmarthenshire 7.49 yrs £849 7.00-7.04 yrs* Wales 937 5,959 kWh
43 Durham 7.50 yrs £848 7.01-7.05 yrs* England 935 5,947 kWh
44 Montgomeryshire 7.50 yrs £848 7.01-7.05 yrs* Wales 935 5,947 kWh
45 Angus 7.58 yrs £839 7.08-7.12 yrs* Scotland 924 5,877 kWh
46 Fife 7.58 yrs £839 7.08-7.12 yrs* Scotland 924 5,877 kWh
47 Cardiganshire 7.63 yrs £833 7.13-7.17 yrs* Wales 916 5,826 kWh
48 Denbighshire 7.63 yrs £834 7.12-7.16 yrs* Wales 917 5,832 kWh
49 Flintshire 7.63 yrs £834 7.12-7.16 yrs* Wales 917 5,832 kWh
50 Radnorshire 7.63 yrs £834 7.12-7.16 yrs* Wales 917 5,832 kWh
51 Brecknockshire 7.67 yrs £829 7.16-7.20 yrs* Wales 911 5,794 kWh
52 Northumberland 7.75 yrs £820 7.23-7.28 yrs* England 899 5,718 kWh
53 Kirkcudbrightshire 7.75 yrs £820 7.23-7.28 yrs* Scotland 899 5,718 kWh
54 Kinross-shire 7.81 yrs £814 7.28-7.33 yrs* Scotland 891 5,667 kWh
55 Clackmannanshire 7.92 yrs £803 7.37-7.42 yrs* Scotland 877 5,578 kWh
56 Cumberland 7.95 yrs £800 7.40-7.45 yrs* England 873 5,552 kWh
57 East Lothian 7.95 yrs £800 7.41-7.45 yrs* Scotland 872 5,546 kWh
58 Lancashire 8.00 yrs £795 7.45-7.49 yrs* England 866 5,508 kWh
59 Dumfriesshire 8.08 yrs £787 7.52-7.57 yrs* Scotland 855 5,438 kWh
60 Ayrshire 8.12 yrs £783 7.55-7.60 yrs* Scotland 850 5,406 kWh
61 Renfrewshire 8.12 yrs £784 7.55-7.59 yrs* Scotland 851 5,412 kWh
62 Roxburghshire 8.13 yrs £782 7.56-7.61 yrs* Scotland 849 5,400 kWh
63 Caithness 8.14 yrs £781 7.57-7.62 yrs* Scotland 848 5,393 kWh
64 Aberdeenshire 8.15 yrs £781 7.58-7.62 yrs* Scotland 847 5,387 kWh
65 Nairnshire 8.16 yrs £780 7.58-7.63 yrs* Scotland 846 5,381 kWh
66 West Lothian 8.16 yrs £780 7.58-7.63 yrs* Scotland 846 5,381 kWh
67 Lanarkshire 8.17 yrs £778 7.60-7.64 yrs* Scotland 844 5,368 kWh
68 Morayshire 8.20 yrs £776 7.62-7.66 yrs* Scotland 841 5,349 kWh
69 Midlothian 8.21 yrs £774 7.63-7.68 yrs* Scotland 839 5,336 kWh
70 Selkirkshire 8.22 yrs £774 7.64-7.69 yrs* Scotland 838 5,330 kWh
71 Westmorland 8.25 yrs £771 7.67-7.71 yrs* England 834 5,304 kWh
72 Buteshire 8.35 yrs £761 7.75-7.80 yrs* Scotland 822 5,228 kWh
73 Dunbartonshire 8.35 yrs £761 7.75-7.80 yrs* Scotland 822 5,228 kWh
74 Banffshire 8.36 yrs £761 7.76-7.81 yrs* Scotland 821 5,222 kWh
75 Stirlingshire 8.39 yrs £758 7.78-7.83 yrs* Scotland 818 5,202 kWh
76 Merioneth 8.42 yrs £755 7.81-7.86 yrs* Wales 814 5,177 kWh
77 Orkney 8.45 yrs £752 7.84-7.89 yrs* Scotland 810 5,152 kWh
78 Peeblesshire 8.67 yrs £733 8.03-8.08 yrs* Scotland 785 4,993 kWh
79 Shetland 8.78 yrs £724 8.12-8.18 yrs* Scotland 773 4,916 kWh
80 Argyllshire 8.84 yrs £720 8.17-8.22 yrs* Scotland 767 4,878 kWh
81 Perthshire 8.91 yrs £714 8.23-8.28 yrs* Scotland 760 4,834 kWh
82 Sutherland 9.12 yrs £697 8.41-8.47 yrs* Scotland 738 4,694 kWh
83 Ross and Cromarty 9.24 yrs £688 8.51-8.57 yrs* Scotland 726 4,617 kWh
84 Caernarfonshire 9.25 yrs £687 8.52-8.58 yrs* Wales 725 4,611 kWh
85 Inverness-shire 9.43 yrs £674 8.67-8.73 yrs* Scotland 708 4,503 kWh

*Illustrative January payback: see what this column shows before quoting it. It is a sensitivity, not a forecast.

Download the data (CSV) →

Free for editorial and journalistic use with attribution to Clearline Home Energy and a link back to this page. For the figures in another format, call 07782 219224.

By nation

England, Wales and Scotland

Each county keeps its overall rank out of 85. Open a nation to see its own table.

England: 39 counties, mean payback 7.12 years
England counties, ranked by solar payback
RankCountySimple payback Year-one benefitJanuary, illustrative* NationYield (kWh/kWp/yr)Generates a year
1 Sussex 6.33 yrs £1,005 5.98-6.01 yrs* England 1,141 7,257 kWh
2 Dorset 6.60 yrs £963 6.22-6.25 yrs* England 1,086 6,907 kWh
3 Kent 6.66 yrs £955 6.27-6.31 yrs* England 1,075 6,837 kWh
4 Essex 6.73 yrs £945 6.34-6.37 yrs* England 1,062 6,754 kWh
5 Suffolk 6.78 yrs £938 6.38-6.41 yrs* England 1,053 6,697 kWh
6 Hampshire 6.84 yrs £930 6.43-6.46 yrs* England 1,043 6,633 kWh
7 Somerset 6.86 yrs £927 6.45-6.48 yrs* England 1,039 6,608 kWh
8 Wiltshire 6.86 yrs £927 6.45-6.48 yrs* England 1,039 6,608 kWh
9 Huntingdonshire 6.87 yrs £926 6.45-6.49 yrs* England 1,038 6,602 kWh
10 Cambridgeshire 6.88 yrs £925 6.46-6.50 yrs* England 1,036 6,589 kWh
11 Bedfordshire 6.92 yrs £919 6.50-6.54 yrs* England 1,028 6,538 kWh
12 Norfolk 6.92 yrs £919 6.50-6.54 yrs* England 1,028 6,538 kWh
13 Middlesex 6.95 yrs £916 6.53-6.56 yrs* England 1,024 6,513 kWh
14 Surrey 6.95 yrs £915 6.53-6.57 yrs* England 1,023 6,506 kWh
15 Berkshire 6.96 yrs £913 6.54-6.58 yrs* England 1,021 6,494 kWh
16 Hertfordshire 6.97 yrs £912 6.55-6.59 yrs* England 1,019 6,481 kWh
17 Northamptonshire 6.98 yrs £911 6.56-6.59 yrs* England 1,018 6,474 kWh
18 Cornwall 6.99 yrs £910 6.56-6.60 yrs* England 1,017 6,468 kWh
19 Oxfordshire 7.00 yrs £909 6.57-6.61 yrs* England 1,015 6,455 kWh
20 Rutland 7.01 yrs £907 6.58-6.62 yrs* England 1,013 6,443 kWh
21 Lincolnshire 7.04 yrs £903 6.61-6.64 yrs* England 1,008 6,411 kWh
23 Gloucestershire 7.08 yrs £898 6.64-6.68 yrs* England 1,001 6,366 kWh
25 Buckinghamshire 7.09 yrs £897 6.66-6.69 yrs* England 999 6,354 kWh
26 Worcestershire 7.09 yrs £897 6.66-6.69 yrs* England 999 6,354 kWh
28 Warwickshire 7.11 yrs £895 6.67-6.70 yrs* England 997 6,341 kWh
29 Herefordshire 7.14 yrs £891 6.69-6.73 yrs* England 992 6,309 kWh
30 Nottinghamshire 7.15 yrs £890 6.70-6.74 yrs* England 990 6,296 kWh
31 Devon 7.20 yrs £883 6.75-6.79 yrs* England 981 6,239 kWh
32 Leicestershire 7.20 yrs £883 6.75-6.79 yrs* England 981 6,239 kWh
34 Yorkshire 7.32 yrs £869 6.85-6.89 yrs* England 963 6,125 kWh
35 Shropshire 7.36 yrs £865 6.89-6.93 yrs* England 957 6,087 kWh
36 Staffordshire 7.40 yrs £860 6.92-6.96 yrs* England 951 6,048 kWh
37 Cheshire 7.44 yrs £855 6.96-7.00 yrs* England 944 6,004 kWh
38 Derbyshire 7.44 yrs £855 6.96-7.00 yrs* England 945 6,010 kWh
43 Durham 7.50 yrs £848 7.01-7.05 yrs* England 935 5,947 kWh
52 Northumberland 7.75 yrs £820 7.23-7.28 yrs* England 899 5,718 kWh
56 Cumberland 7.95 yrs £800 7.40-7.45 yrs* England 873 5,552 kWh
58 Lancashire 8.00 yrs £795 7.45-7.49 yrs* England 866 5,508 kWh
71 Westmorland 8.25 yrs £771 7.67-7.71 yrs* England 834 5,304 kWh
Wales: 13 counties, mean payback 7.66 years
Wales counties, ranked by solar payback
RankCountySimple payback Year-one benefitJanuary, illustrative* NationYield (kWh/kWp/yr)Generates a year
22 Anglesey 7.05 yrs £903 6.61-6.65 yrs* Wales 1,007 6,405 kWh
24 Monmouthshire 7.08 yrs £899 6.64-6.68 yrs* Wales 1,002 6,373 kWh
27 Pembrokeshire 7.09 yrs £897 6.66-6.69 yrs* Wales 999 6,354 kWh
40 Glamorgan 7.47 yrs £852 6.98-7.02 yrs* Wales 940 5,978 kWh
42 Carmarthenshire 7.49 yrs £849 7.00-7.04 yrs* Wales 937 5,959 kWh
44 Montgomeryshire 7.50 yrs £848 7.01-7.05 yrs* Wales 935 5,947 kWh
47 Cardiganshire 7.63 yrs £833 7.13-7.17 yrs* Wales 916 5,826 kWh
48 Denbighshire 7.63 yrs £834 7.12-7.16 yrs* Wales 917 5,832 kWh
49 Flintshire 7.63 yrs £834 7.12-7.16 yrs* Wales 917 5,832 kWh
50 Radnorshire 7.63 yrs £834 7.12-7.16 yrs* Wales 917 5,832 kWh
51 Brecknockshire 7.67 yrs £829 7.16-7.20 yrs* Wales 911 5,794 kWh
76 Merioneth 8.42 yrs £755 7.81-7.86 yrs* Wales 814 5,177 kWh
84 Caernarfonshire 9.25 yrs £687 8.52-8.58 yrs* Wales 725 4,611 kWh
Scotland: 33 counties, mean payback 8.23 years
Scotland counties, ranked by solar payback
RankCountySimple payback Year-one benefitJanuary, illustrative* NationYield (kWh/kWp/yr)Generates a year
33 Wigtownshire 7.29 yrs £872 6.83-6.87 yrs* Scotland 967 6,150 kWh
39 Kincardineshire 7.44 yrs £855 6.96-7.00 yrs* Scotland 944 6,004 kWh
41 Berwickshire 7.48 yrs £851 6.99-7.03 yrs* Scotland 939 5,972 kWh
45 Angus 7.58 yrs £839 7.08-7.12 yrs* Scotland 924 5,877 kWh
46 Fife 7.58 yrs £839 7.08-7.12 yrs* Scotland 924 5,877 kWh
53 Kirkcudbrightshire 7.75 yrs £820 7.23-7.28 yrs* Scotland 899 5,718 kWh
54 Kinross-shire 7.81 yrs £814 7.28-7.33 yrs* Scotland 891 5,667 kWh
55 Clackmannanshire 7.92 yrs £803 7.37-7.42 yrs* Scotland 877 5,578 kWh
57 East Lothian 7.95 yrs £800 7.41-7.45 yrs* Scotland 872 5,546 kWh
59 Dumfriesshire 8.08 yrs £787 7.52-7.57 yrs* Scotland 855 5,438 kWh
60 Ayrshire 8.12 yrs £783 7.55-7.60 yrs* Scotland 850 5,406 kWh
61 Renfrewshire 8.12 yrs £784 7.55-7.59 yrs* Scotland 851 5,412 kWh
62 Roxburghshire 8.13 yrs £782 7.56-7.61 yrs* Scotland 849 5,400 kWh
63 Caithness 8.14 yrs £781 7.57-7.62 yrs* Scotland 848 5,393 kWh
64 Aberdeenshire 8.15 yrs £781 7.58-7.62 yrs* Scotland 847 5,387 kWh
65 Nairnshire 8.16 yrs £780 7.58-7.63 yrs* Scotland 846 5,381 kWh
66 West Lothian 8.16 yrs £780 7.58-7.63 yrs* Scotland 846 5,381 kWh
67 Lanarkshire 8.17 yrs £778 7.60-7.64 yrs* Scotland 844 5,368 kWh
68 Morayshire 8.20 yrs £776 7.62-7.66 yrs* Scotland 841 5,349 kWh
69 Midlothian 8.21 yrs £774 7.63-7.68 yrs* Scotland 839 5,336 kWh
70 Selkirkshire 8.22 yrs £774 7.64-7.69 yrs* Scotland 838 5,330 kWh
72 Buteshire 8.35 yrs £761 7.75-7.80 yrs* Scotland 822 5,228 kWh
73 Dunbartonshire 8.35 yrs £761 7.75-7.80 yrs* Scotland 822 5,228 kWh
74 Banffshire 8.36 yrs £761 7.76-7.81 yrs* Scotland 821 5,222 kWh
75 Stirlingshire 8.39 yrs £758 7.78-7.83 yrs* Scotland 818 5,202 kWh
77 Orkney 8.45 yrs £752 7.84-7.89 yrs* Scotland 810 5,152 kWh
78 Peeblesshire 8.67 yrs £733 8.03-8.08 yrs* Scotland 785 4,993 kWh
79 Shetland 8.78 yrs £724 8.12-8.18 yrs* Scotland 773 4,916 kWh
80 Argyllshire 8.84 yrs £720 8.17-8.22 yrs* Scotland 767 4,878 kWh
81 Perthshire 8.91 yrs £714 8.23-8.28 yrs* Scotland 760 4,834 kWh
82 Sutherland 9.12 yrs £697 8.41-8.47 yrs* Scotland 738 4,694 kWh
83 Ross and Cromarty 9.24 yrs £688 8.51-8.57 yrs* Scotland 726 4,617 kWh
85 Inverness-shire 9.43 yrs £674 8.67-8.73 yrs* Scotland 708 4,503 kWh

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Not a forecast

What the illustrative January column shows

Ofgem has not announced the January to March 2027 price cap. The table above adds one illustrative column, clearly marked with an asterisk, and it means exactly this and nothing more:

What it is

A sensitivity, not a forecast of the January 2027 electricity rate. No supplier publishes an electricity-only figure for January. The 21.8% to 23.9% range is EDF, British Gas and E.ON Next's own forecasts for the whole dual-fuel bill (low 21.8% from EDF, high 23.9% from British Gas). Cornwall Insight's lower, gas-led 9% figure sits outside this range, as it does on our energy price cap tracker. The column asks one question: if the electricity unit rate itself rose by that percentage, what would payback look like? Only the self-use share of the benefit (the kWh a household avoids importing) is repriced. Export earnings stay at the unchanged 12p export scenario, because none of the forecasts say anything about export rates.

What it is not

  • Not a prediction of the January 2027 electricity unit rate. No supplier has published one.
  • Not the whole-bill forecast itself: EDF (21.8%) to British Gas (23.9%) is the range for the whole dual-fuel bill, which is gas-led (gas is just over half of a typical bill).
  • Not applied to export income, which stays at the site's unchanged 12p export scenario throughout.

Outside this range: Cornwall Insight's lower, gas-led 9% figure, which our energy price cap tracker also shows separately from the three supplier forecasts. If the electricity unit rate rose by 21.8% to 23.9%, the Great Britain mean payback across all 85 counties would move from 7.63 years to 7.12-7.16 years, illustratively. Checked 25 September 2026; see the live, dated forecast table on the energy price cap tracker.

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We confirm your postcode's actual numbers and run your real payback, not an illustrative example.

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Full methodology

Assumptions, in full

Every figure on this page traces to one of these assumptions or to a source below. The model is the same calculator every county page on this site runs.

Methodology assumptions for the solar payback league table
AssumptionDetail
System
12 LONGi Hi-MO X10 530 W panels, 6.36 kWp: the panel our packages are built on, and the system our county calculators open on
Installed price
£1,000 per kWp installed, 6.36 kWp = £6,360
Household use
2,700 kWh a year (Ofgem Typical Domestic Consumption Value, medium band)
Daytime occupancy
35% of use in daylight hours (the calculator's default "Sometimes / mixed" setting)
Import rate
26.32p/kWh (Ofgem price cap average, electricity, direct debit, 1 October to 31 December 2026)
Export rate
12p/kWh ("12p supplier rate", the calculator's default export scenario; the site also publishes a 4p standard-SEG floor and a 20p best-bundled ceiling, not used here)
Payback definition
Simple payback: installed cost divided by undiscounted year-one benefit. No electricity-price inflation modelled in the current-cap columns. Matches the site's own on-page convention.
Generation data
PVGIS v5.2 (European Commission JRC), SARAH3 database, 1 kWp reference, 14% system loss, 35 degree pitch, due south, one representative point per historic county
Mean yield, all 85 counties
925 kWh/kWp/yr

Illustrative modelling for editorial use, not a quote for any individual property. A real roof is priced on a free design call.

Sources

  • Generation: PVGIS v5.2 (European Commission JRC), SARAH3 database, re.jrc.ec.europa.eu, one representative point per historic county, retrieved August 2026.
  • Price cap: Ofgem, 26.32p/kWh (Ofgem price cap average, electricity, direct debit, 1 October to 31 December 2026), ofgem.gov.uk.
  • January whole-bill forecasts: EDF, British Gas, E.ON Next and Cornwall Insight's own published prediction pages, checked 25 September 2026 (full dated table on the energy price cap tracker).
  • Installed pricing: our own published price, £1,000 per kWp installed, 6.36 kWp = £6,360, unchanged across every county.
FAQs

Solar payback league questions, answered

How is solar payback calculated in this league table?

Simple payback: the installed cost of a standard 12-panel, 6.36 kWp LONGi Hi-MO X10 system, £6,360 installed (£1,000 per kWp), divided by the undiscounted year-one benefit (self-use savings plus export income). No electricity-price inflation is modelled in the current-cap figures. It is the same convention every county page on this site uses.

Why does payback vary so much between counties?

The system and the price are identical everywhere on this page: £1,000 per kWp installed, 6.36 kWp = £6,360. Only the generation figure changes, county by county, from PVGIS satellite irradiance data. More usable sunlight means more exported and self-used electricity for the same outlay, so payback is faster.

Which county has the fastest solar payback?

Sussex, England, at 6.33 years on a 1,141 kWh/kWp/yr PVGIS yield, the highest of the 85 counties in this dataset.

Which county has the slowest solar payback?

Inverness-shire, Scotland, at 9.43 years on a 708 kWh/kWp/yr PVGIS yield, a gap of 3.10 years against Sussex on the identical system and price.

What does the illustrative January payback column show?

It is not a forecast of the January 2027 electricity rate. EDF, British Gas and E.ON Next's own forecasts for the whole dual-fuel bill currently range 21.8% to 23.9% (checked 25 September 2026); no supplier publishes an electricity-only figure. This column applies that percentage range only to the self-use share of the benefit, as a sensitivity: if the unit rate itself rose by the same percentage, this is what payback would look like on the same system.

Can I reuse this data?

Yes, free for editorial use with attribution to Clearline Home Energy and a link back to this page. Download the full 85-county dataset as a CSV below, or call 07782 219224 for the underlying figures in another format.

Is this a quote for my home?

No. Every figure is a modelled estimate for a standard 12-panel, 6.36 kWp LONGi Hi-MO X10 system, not a quote for any individual roof. Your free design call prices your actual system.

Where does the generation data come from?

PVGIS v5.2 (European Commission JRC), SARAH3 database, 1 kWp reference, 14% system loss, 35 degree pitch, due south, one representative point per historic county. Every county's figure was retrieved from PVGIS (re.jrc.ec.europa.eu) in August 2026.

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We never call after 8pm.

We call or text within one working day to book your free 30-minute video design call. Free, no obligation. No home visit needed.

Your design call is with Niall or Vince, our residential energy consultants.

Call 07782 219224

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