Lancashire
Solar panels in Bolton, with the numbers shown.
About 5,740 kWh a year from 12 panels in Bolton, £6,360 installed, with your system designed on a free 30-minute video call.
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Bolton's solar year
From 27.2 kWh per kWp in December to 118.4 in May: a roof in Bolton makes 4.4 times as much in its best month as in its darkest, and 902 kWh per kWp across the year.
Generation per kWp, month by month
Show the monthly figures
| Month | kWh/kWp |
|---|---|
| January | 27.8 |
| February | 47.3 |
| March | 79.9 |
| April | 105 |
| May | 118 |
| June | 111 |
| July | 111 |
| August | 98 |
| September | 82.9 |
| October | 55.6 |
| November | 37.3 |
| December | 27.2 |
Source: PVGIS v5.2 (European Commission JRC), SARAH3 database, 1 kWp, 14% system loss, 35 degree pitch, due south, checked September 2026.
Our GB average is 925 kWh per kWp a year, the mean of the 85 county PVGIS estimates we publish; at 902, Bolton is 2% below it.
How Bolton compares
Bolton is classed as a city in the House of Commons Library settlement data, home to 194,749 people. It is one of 109 Lancashire towns we track, and it ranks 61st of 109 for solar yield. Its 902 kWh per kWp a year works out at 2.47 peak sun hours a day, and running the standard 12 panel model here splits the return into £247 of savings from generation you use yourself and £576 of export income at 12p, with about 4,800 kWh a year going to the grid.
Every figure here assumes a clear, south-facing roof at 35 degrees. Yours will differ, which is what the free design call is for; until then, the calculator below tests panels, batteries and export rates on Bolton's own yield.
Planning applications in Bolton go to its own council, and the House of Commons Library classes it as a city.
The charger is in the installed price but left out of payback: charging savings depend on your mileage and tariff, which the design call models properly.
Your real roof and usage, worked through on a free 30-minute video call. Use the full form or leave three details below.
Price this for your roof
Three details. We call or text within one working day to book your free 30-minute design call, on video or by phone if you prefer.
Modelled for Bolton at 53.58614, -2.43209 on PVGIS data, with imports valued at 26.32p/kWh and solar at £1,000 per kWp installed. Sources and assumptions: help page.
Who runs the grid in Bolton
Bolton sits in Electricity North West's North West England licence area, so Electricity North West is the network operator (DNO) any solar panels or battery here are registered with.
G98 is the simple route. If the inverter, plus any battery, stays at or under 3.68kW per phase, Electricity North West only has to be told within 28 days after the system is commissioned.
Anything bigger is a G99 case and is applied for first. Ofgem's guaranteed standard for a low voltage generation connection quotation is 45 working days, with £80 paid for each working day late, and it binds Electricity North West as it does every network operator.
Sources: NESO DNO licence areas (3 May 2024); Ofgem, Distributed Generation Standards Direction guidance, checked 27 September 2026. G98 vs G99, explained.
Beyond the panels: heating and car charging in Bolton
A heat pump in Bolton
A heat pump does most of its work from November to February. Over those four months, 12 panels in Bolton make about 890 kWh, against 2,790 kWh from May to August, so winter heating runs mostly on grid electricity and the tariff matters more than the roof.
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme, open in England and Wales, takes £7,500 off an air source or ground source heat pump, or £2,500 off an air-to-air unit. Homes on oil or LPG with no mains gas get £1,500 more until March 2027 (gov.uk, checked 28 September 2026).
Charging an EV in Bolton
From April to September, 69% of a Bolton roof's yearly output arrives, peaking at about 750 kWh in May on 12 panels. A car parked at home in daylight can soak up what the house, at around 70 kWh of daytime use that month, cannot.
Renters and flat owners with private off-street parking can get 75% off a chargepoint and its installation, up to £500 per socket, until 31 March 2027 (gov.uk, checked 28 September 2026). The calculator above adds a 7.4kW smart charger from £1,100 installed.
Installed prices, the same in every town
Every system is designed around your roof on the free call before anything is fitted.
Solar panel servicing and repair in Bolton
Faults, servicing and ageing inverters follow the same economics in Bolton as anywhere else, and the guides below price them plainly.
Common questions about solar in Bolton
What does a solar panel system produce in Bolton?
Each kWp of panels in Bolton makes 902 kWh a year on PVGIS figures, so a typical 12-panel system produces around 5,740 kWh, from about 170 kWh in December up to 750 kWh in May.
What would 12 solar panels cost in Bolton?
£6,360 for 12 panels (6.36 kWp), the same as in every other place we cover, because solar is priced at £1,000 per kWp installed rather than by area. A battery adds its own installed price on top. Where Bolton differs is output: about 5,740 kWh a year from that system.
Would a system in Bolton need approval from the network operator?
Bolton is on Electricity North West's network (North West England licence area). Systems up to 3.68kW per phase of inverter output follow G98: Electricity North West is notified within 28 days of commissioning, with no approval needed first. Anything larger needs a G99 application before installation. Ofgem's guaranteed standard for a low voltage generation connection quotation is 45 working days, with £80 paid for each working day late, and it binds Electricity North West as it does every network operator. Our G98 vs G99 guide explains both routes.
How much would export pay on a system in Bolton?
It is exported. With typical use and no battery, about 4,800 kWh of the 5,740 kWh a 12-panel system makes in Bolton goes to the grid, around £576 a year at 12p. A battery keeps more of it for the evening; the export rates table shows what suppliers pay.
Is solar worth it in Bolton in winter?
It works, but the year is lopsided. 69% of a Bolton roof's output lands between April and September; the four months from November to February give about 890 kWh on a 12-panel system. Payback is worked out on the whole year, not the winter.
How Bolton compares with its neighbours
Same satellite dataset, same assumptions, so the differences are real geography rather than modelling noise.
| Town | kWh per kWp a year | vs Bolton |
|---|---|---|
| Bolton | 902 | this town |
| Farnworth | 918 | +16 kWh |
| Little Lever | 900 | −2 kWh |
| Little Hulton | 918 | +16 kWh |
| Kearsley | 906 | +4 kWh |
| Horwich | 920 | +18 kWh |
| Radcliffe | 893 | −9 kWh |
Same PVGIS v5.2 query for every town. Small differences are within year-to-year weather; more than about 30 kWh per kWp apart is geography.
Also for Bolton: Solar panels in Bolton from OVO Solar & Battery
See a number before you speak to anyone
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Further reading for Bolton
Sourced, dated and written by us. The same ground we cover on your free call.
Do solar panels increase home value? What the actual data shows
The largest UK study found a 6.1% to 7.1% sale price premium. Here is the full picture.
Read the guide →Does a standalone battery actually pay back?
No panels means one job: buy cheap, use later. The tariff decides whether it pays.
Read the guide →Three phase and EV charging: what actually changes
Three phase buys 22kW charging. Most cars cannot use it, and load balancing usually solves the real problem.
Read the guide →Sizing a heat pump: what a proper survey covers
Sized by calculation, not by rule of thumb. What the survey covers, and what guessing costs.
Read the guide →What the Smart Export Guarantee actually is
The scheme obliges suppliers to pay above zero, and leaves the rate to them.
Read the guide →What MCS certification actually is, and why your export payments depend on it
The badge that decides whether your solar earns export payments. It cannot be added later.
Read the guide →Get my free quote
Takes about two minutes. We call or text within one working day to book your free 30-minute video design call at a time that suits you. We design it around your roof and your numbers, and our MCS-certified, fully insured installation teams install it.