Cumberland
Solar panels in Carlisle, designed on a free call.
Twelve panels (6.36 kWp) here make about 5,820 kWh a year for £6,360 installed, designed around your roof on a free 30-minute video call.
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- Free 30-minute video design call
- Priced before anyone visits
- Installed by our MCS-certified, fully insured teams
How much a Carlisle roof makes, month by month
PVGIS puts Carlisle at 915 kWh per kWp a year, 5% above our Cumberland county estimate. 71% of it arrives between April and September, peaking in May.
Generation per kWp, month by month
Show the monthly figures
| Month | kWh/kWp |
|---|---|
| January | 27.1 |
| February | 47.9 |
| March | 79.6 |
| April | 109 |
| May | 125 |
| June | 112 |
| July | 116 |
| August | 102 |
| September | 81.2 |
| October | 54.8 |
| November | 35.6 |
| December | 24.3 |
Source: PVGIS v5.2 (European Commission JRC), SARAH3 database, 1 kWp, 14% system loss, 35 degree pitch, due south, checked September 2026.
Against Great Britain as a whole: Carlisle makes 915 kWh per kWp a year, and the mean of our 85 county PVGIS estimates (our GB average) is 925, so Carlisle is 1% below it.
How Carlisle compares
Carlisle is one of 6 Cumberland towns we track, and it ranks 4th of 6 for solar yield. The House of Commons Library settlement data classes it as a large town of 81,781 people. At 915 kWh per kWp a year, a typical 12 panel system here pays for itself in around 7.6 years on the 12p scenario: £832 of year one benefit against £6,360 installed, £247 of that benefit from cutting 26.32p imports with your own generation.
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 Carlisle's own yield.
Planning applications here go through Cumberland; nationally, the House of Commons Library classes Carlisle as a large town.
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 Carlisle at 54.89355, -2.93805 on PVGIS data, with imports valued at 26.32p/kWh and solar at £1,000 per kWp installed. Sources and assumptions: help page.
Electricity North West and your Carlisle connection
The distribution network operator (DNO) for Carlisle is Electricity North West, which runs the North West England licence area.
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.
Above that, G99 means applying before the work is booked. 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 Carlisle
A heat pump in Carlisle
Heating demand peaks when solar is weakest. In Carlisle, a 12-panel system makes about 150 kWh in December and 170 kWh in January, a fraction of its 800 kWh in May, which is why a heat pump here is costed on its tariff first.
In England, the Boiler Upgrade Scheme pays £7,500 towards an air source or ground source heat pump and £2,500 towards an air-to-air one, with £1,500 more until March 2027 for homes heated by oil or LPG with no mains gas (gov.uk, checked 28 September 2026).
Charging an EV in Carlisle
Carlisle's May output, about 800 kWh from 12 panels, is several times the 70 kWh or so a typical home uses in daylight that month on our calculator's settings. Daytime charging turns that surplus into miles.
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 Carlisle
If a system in Carlisle is underperforming, start with the guides below: repair benchmarks, service scope, and the inverter question.
Common questions about solar in Carlisle
How much energy would 12 solar panels make in Carlisle?
Carlisle averages 2.51 peak sun hours a day, which PVGIS turns into 915 kWh per kWp a year. On a 12-panel, 6.36 kWp roof that is about 5,820 kWh, 71% of it between April and September.
Is solar more expensive in Carlisle?
Prices on this site are the same everywhere: £1,000 per kWp installed, which puts a 12-panel system at £6,360 in Carlisle, and a Duracell Dura16 installed with solar at £4,450 on top. The local part is generation, about 5,820 kWh a year here, which is what drives payback.
Who is the network operator in Carlisle, and do I need a G99 application?
The operator is Electricity North West. Most home systems use the G98 route, a notification within 28 days of switch-on for up to 3.68kW per phase, so nothing waits on the network. Above that, G99 applies and has to be granted 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. Your design call checks which route yours needs.
What could I earn from exporting in Carlisle?
On the 12p export scenario, a 12-panel system in Carlisle sends about 4,883 kWh a year to the grid, worth around £586. The export rates table compares what each supplier pays.
How does solar perform in Carlisle in the winter months?
December is the weakest month in Carlisle: about 150 kWh from 12 panels, against 800 kWh in May. The panels still generate on bright winter days; they just cover a smaller share of what the house uses.
How Carlisle compares with its neighbours
How the towns nearest Carlisle compare on the same PVGIS settings, closest first.
| Town | kWh per kWp a year | vs Carlisle |
|---|---|---|
| Carlisle | 915 | this town |
| Annan | 929 | +14 kWh |
| Penrith | 897 | −18 kWh |
| Cockermouth | 868 | −47 kWh |
| Maryport | 956 | +41 kWh |
| Dumfries | 923 | +8 kWh |
| Workington | 950 | +35 kWh |
PVGIS v5.2 for each town centroid, identical assumptions throughout. A few kWh either way is weather-year noise; a spread beyond about 30 kWh per kWp is real geography.
Also for Carlisle: Solar panels in Carlisle from OVO Solar & Battery
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Answer a few questions about your roof and usage and see an instant solar and battery estimate. No email needed to see the result.
Reading for Carlisle homeowners
Sourced, dated and written by us. The same ground we cover on your free call.
Do solar panels need direct sunlight? Not really, and here is why
No. Solar cells respond to light hitting them, not to a clear line of sight to the sun.
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Read the guide →How solar aware EV charging actually works
The CT clamp, the surplus tracking and the 1.4kW floor that catches people out.
Read the guide →Heat pump running costs versus a gas boiler, assumptions shown
Four numbers decide it: seasonal efficiency, flow temperature, tariff and heat demand.
Read the guide →Why tariff choice moves payback more than kit choice
Identical kit, five times the export income. The tariff decision worked through with August 2026 rates.
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.