Durham
Solar panels in Darlington, with the numbers shown.
Twelve panels (6.36 kWp) here make about 5,940 kWh a year for £6,360 installed, designed around your roof on a free 30-minute video call.
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Darlington's solar year
From 29.2 kWh per kWp in December to 120.3 in May: a roof in Darlington makes 4.1 times as much in its best month as in its darkest, and 934 kWh per kWp across the year.
Generation per kWp, month by month
Show the monthly figures
| Month | kWh/kWp |
|---|---|
| January | 31.4 |
| February | 48.7 |
| March | 82.9 |
| April | 107 |
| May | 120 |
| June | 110 |
| July | 117 |
| August | 104 |
| September | 86 |
| October | 57.1 |
| November | 39.2 |
| December | 29.2 |
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 934, Darlington is 1% above it.
How Darlington compares
Darlington is one of 35 Durham towns we track, and it ranks joint 30th of 35 for solar yield. The House of Commons Library settlement data classes it as a large town of 96,811 people. At 934 kWh per kWp a year, a typical 12 panel system here pays for itself in around 7.5 years on the 12p scenario: £847 of year one benefit against £6,360 installed, £247 of that benefit from cutting 26.32p imports with your own generation.
Treat these as calibration rather than a quote. The calculator below runs the same model, opened on Darlington's own yield, and prices a 12 panel system at £6,360 installed before any battery. Your free design call reworks every number for your actual roof, its shading and your usage.
Planning applications in Darlington go to its own council, and the House of Commons Library classes it 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.
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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.
The figures use PVGIS for the centre of Darlington (54.53113, -1.55356), a 26.32p/kWh import price and £1,000 per kWp installed; see the help page for the full method.
Who runs the grid in Darlington
Darlington sits in Northern Powergrid's North East England licence area, so Northern Powergrid is the network operator (DNO) any solar panels or battery here are registered with.
Below 3.68kW per phase of inverter and battery output, the G98 route applies: the installation is notified to Northern Powergrid within 28 days of commissioning, with no prior approval.
A bigger inverter or battery output needs a G99 application in advance. Northern Powergrid publishes a guaranteed standard of 45 working days to quote for a low voltage generation connection.
Sources: NESO DNO licence areas (3 May 2024); Northern Powergrid, generation connections page, checked 25 September 2026. G98 vs G99, explained.
Heat pumps and EV charging in Darlington
A heat pump in Darlington
A heat pump does most of its work from November to February. Over those four months, 12 panels in Darlington make about 940 kWh, against 2,870 kWh from May to August, so winter heating runs mostly on grid electricity and the tariff matters more than the roof.
Grant support in England comes from the Boiler Upgrade Scheme: £7,500 for an air source or ground source heat pump, £2,500 for air-to-air, and an extra £1,500 until March 2027 where the home is heated by oil or LPG off the gas grid (gov.uk, checked 28 September 2026).
Charging an EV in Darlington
From April to September, 69% of a Darlington roof's yearly output arrives, peaking at about 770 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.
The calculator above includes a 7.4kW smart charger from £1,100 installed. Renters and flat owners with off-street parking can claim 75% of a chargepoint's cost, up to £500 per socket, until 31 March 2027 (gov.uk, checked 28 September 2026).
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 Darlington
Faults, servicing and ageing inverters follow the same economics in Darlington as anywhere else, and the guides below price them plainly.
Darlington solar questions
What does a solar panel system produce in Darlington?
Each kWp of panels in Darlington makes 934 kWh a year on PVGIS figures, so a typical 12-panel system produces around 5,940 kWh, from about 190 kWh in December up to 770 kWh in May.
What would 12 solar panels cost in Darlington?
£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 Darlington differs is output: about 5,940 kWh a year from that system.
Would a system in Darlington need approval from the network operator?
Darlington is on Northern Powergrid's network (North East England licence area). Systems up to 3.68kW per phase of inverter output follow G98: Northern Powergrid is notified within 28 days of commissioning, with no approval needed first. Anything larger needs a G99 application before installation. Northern Powergrid publishes a guaranteed standard of 45 working days to quote for a low voltage generation connection. Our G98 vs G99 guide explains both routes.
How much would export pay on a system in Darlington?
It is exported. With typical use and no battery, about 5,004 kWh of the 5,940 kWh a 12-panel system makes in Darlington goes to the grid, around £600 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 Darlington in winter?
It works, but the year is lopsided. 69% of a Darlington roof's output lands between April and September; the four months from November to February give about 940 kWh on a 12-panel system. Payback is worked out on the whole year, not the winter.
How Darlington compares with its neighbours
The six closest towns we publish, run through the identical PVGIS query as Darlington.
| Town | kWh per kWp a year | vs Darlington |
|---|---|---|
| Darlington | 934 | this town |
| Newton Aycliffe | 937 | +3 kWh |
| Shildon | 936 | +2 kWh |
| Egglescliffe | 941 | +7 kWh |
| Yarm | 921 | −13 kWh |
| Stockton-on-Tees | 945 | +11 kWh |
| Ingleby Barwick | 942 | +8 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 Darlington: Solar panels in Darlington from OVO Solar & Battery
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Guides worth reading before your call
Sourced, dated and written by us. The same ground we cover on your free call.
What is a DNO, and why does a company you have never heard of get a say in your solar?
The company that owns your street's cables decides what solar you can connect.
Read the guide →Inside a home battery: capacity, power and losses
Usable capacity, kW output, round trip losses and chemistry, in plain terms.
Read the guide →Smart charge point regulations, explained
Why your charger arrives pre-set to charge overnight, and why it waits before it starts.
Read the guide →Are air source heat pumps any good? What owners actually report
The UK's largest survey found 80% of heat pump owners satisfied, against 70% for gas boilers.
Read the guide →Will energy prices keep rising, and by how much
The January forecasts jumped fast. What is confirmed, what is guessed, and whether solar is a real hedge.
Read the guide →G98 or G99: which one applies, what the application involves, and how long it takes
The G98 line sits at 3.68kW per phase. Above it, your network operator has to say yes first.
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.