Berkshire
Solar panels in Reading, sized to your roof.
About 6,540 kWh a year from 12 panels in Reading, £6,360 installed, with your system designed 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
Reading's solar year
From 36.8 kWh per kWp in December to 125.5 in July: a roof in Reading makes 3.4 times as much in its best month as in its darkest, and 1,028 kWh per kWp across the year.
Generation per kWp, month by month
Show the monthly figures
| Month | kWh/kWp |
|---|---|
| January | 40.8 |
| February | 53.4 |
| March | 89.2 |
| April | 116 |
| May | 123 |
| June | 124 |
| July | 126 |
| August | 111 |
| September | 95.9 |
| October | 66.4 |
| November | 46.6 |
| December | 36.8 |
Source: PVGIS v5.2 (European Commission JRC), SARAH3 database, 1 kWp, 14% system loss, 35 degree pitch, due south, checked September 2026.
For scale: 1,028 kWh per kWp in Reading against 925, our GB average (the mean of our 85 county PVGIS estimates), which puts Reading 11% above it.
How Reading compares
Reading is classed as a city in the House of Commons Library settlement data, home to 212,364 people. It is one of 20 Berkshire towns we track, and it ranks 6th of 20 for solar yield. Its 1,028 kWh per kWp a year works out at 2.82 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 £672 of export income at 12p, with about 5,601 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 Reading's own yield.
Planning applications in Reading 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.
Generation is modelled from PVGIS satellite data for Reading's own coordinates (51.4453, -0.98354), using the same 26.32p/kWh import value and £1,000 per kWp installed pricing as every Clearline estimate; the methodology is on our help page.
Who runs the grid in Reading
The distribution network operator (DNO) for Reading is Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN), which runs the Southern England licence area.
For a typical home the paperwork is light: a system of up to 3.68kW per phase goes through G98, which means SSEN is notified within 28 days of switch-on rather than asked beforehand.
Anything bigger is a G99 case and is applied for first. SSEN says it can take up to 45 working days to issue a quotation for a generation connection above 3.68kW per phase and up to 50kW.
Sources: NESO DNO licence areas (3 May 2024); SSEN, micro-generation connections page, checked 25 September 2026. G98 vs G99, explained.
Beyond the panels: heating and car charging in Reading
A heat pump in Reading
A heat pump does most of its work from November to February. Over those four months, 12 panels in Reading make about 1,130 kWh, against 3,080 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 Reading
A 12-panel roof in Reading makes about 800 kWh in July. A typical home uses around 70 kWh of that in daylight (the calculator's typical-use settings), which leaves most of the month's output for an EV or for export.
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.
The packages, priced before anyone visits
Every system is designed around your roof on the free call before anything is fitted.
Solar panel servicing and repair in Reading
Faults, servicing and ageing inverters follow the same economics in Reading as anywhere else, and the guides below price them plainly.
Solar in Reading: your questions answered
What does a solar panel system produce in Reading?
Each kWp of panels in Reading makes 1,028 kWh a year on PVGIS figures, so a typical 12-panel system produces around 6,540 kWh, from about 230 kWh in December up to 800 kWh in July.
How much are solar panels in Reading?
The price does not move by postcode. At £1,000 per kWp installed, 12 panels (6.36 kWp) come to £6,360 in Reading before a battery. What Reading changes is the return, about 6,540 kWh a year from that system, and your design call prices your actual roof.
Would a system in Reading need approval from the network operator?
Reading is on Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks' network (Southern England licence area). Systems up to 3.68kW per phase of inverter output follow G98: SSEN is notified within 28 days of commissioning, with no approval needed first. Anything larger needs a G99 application before installation. SSEN says it can take up to 45 working days to issue a quotation for a generation connection above 3.68kW per phase and up to 50kW. Our G98 vs G99 guide explains both routes.
How much can I earn from exporting solar in Reading?
With typical use and no battery, a 12-panel system in Reading exports about 5,601 kWh a year. At 12p per kWh that is roughly £672; a supplier paying more, or a battery that keeps more for the evening, changes the figure. See the export rates table.
Is solar worth it in Reading in winter?
It works, but the year is lopsided. 68% of a Reading roof's output lands between April and September; the four months from November to February give about 1,130 kWh on a 12-panel system. Payback is worked out on the whole year, not the winter.
How Reading compares with its neighbours
The six closest towns we publish, run through the identical PVGIS query as Reading.
| Town | kWh per kWp a year | vs Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Reading | 1,028 | this town |
| Caversham | 1,025 | −3 kWh |
| Woodley | 1,021 | −7 kWh |
| Winnersh | 1,017 | −11 kWh |
| Twyford | 1,021 | −7 kWh |
| Wokingham | 1,011 | −17 kWh |
| Henley-on-Thames | 1,019 | −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 Reading: Solar panels in Reading from OVO Solar & Battery
See a number before you speak to anyone
Answer a few questions about your roof and usage and see an instant solar and battery estimate. No email needed to see the result.
Guides worth reading before your call
Sourced, dated and written by us. The same ground we cover on your free call.
Best solar panels UK 2026: what the datasheets actually say
One pick per job, the specs behind each, and what moves payback more than the badge.
Read the guide →Tesla Powerwall 3 against the alternatives, and where each one wins
The strongest single box in the market, and the houses it is still wrong for.
Read the guide →The main home EV chargers, compared on what actually differs
Eight popular UK home chargers on cable, connectivity, warranty and tariff integration.
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 →How to check an MCS certificate is genuine, before the deposit leaves your account
A logo proves nothing. Certification is business specific, technology specific and checkable.
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.