Durham
Solar panels in Sunderland, with the numbers shown.
About 6,210 kWh a year from 12 panels in Sunderland, £6,360 installed, with your system designed on a free 30-minute video call.
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Sunderland's solar year
PVGIS puts Sunderland at 977 kWh per kWp a year, 4% above our Durham county estimate. 69% of it arrives between April and September, peaking in May.
Generation per kWp, month by month
Show the monthly figures
| Month | kWh/kWp |
|---|---|
| January | 32.9 |
| February | 50.5 |
| March | 85.1 |
| April | 112 |
| May | 127 |
| June | 116 |
| July | 121 |
| August | 109 |
| September | 91.6 |
| October | 61.5 |
| November | 41.7 |
| December | 29.7 |
Source: PVGIS v5.2 (European Commission JRC), SARAH3 database, 1 kWp, 14% system loss, 35 degree pitch, due south, checked September 2026.
For scale: 977 kWh per kWp in Sunderland against 925, our GB average (the mean of our 85 county PVGIS estimates), which puts Sunderland 6% above it.
How Sunderland compares
Sunderland is one of 35 Durham towns we track, and it ranks 4th of 35 for solar yield. The House of Commons Library settlement data classes it as a large town of 178,511 people. At 977 kWh per kWp a year, a typical 12 panel system here pays for itself in around 7.2 years on the 12p scenario: £880 of year one benefit against £6,360 installed, £247 of that benefit from cutting 26.32p imports with your own generation.
These are starting numbers, not a quote. The calculator below opens on Sunderland's own PVGIS figure; change the panels, the battery or the export rate and it reruns. The design call replaces every assumption with your roof and your bills.
Planning applications in Sunderland 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.
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.
The figures use PVGIS for the centre of Sunderland (54.89877, -1.40684), 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 Sunderland
The distribution network operator (DNO) for Sunderland is Northern Powergrid, which runs the North East England licence area.
G98 is the simple route. If the inverter, plus any battery, stays at or under 3.68kW per phase, Northern Powergrid only has to be told within 28 days after the system is commissioned.
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.
Adding a heat pump or an EV charger in Sunderland
A heat pump in Sunderland
A heat pump does most of its work from November to February. Over those four months, 12 panels in Sunderland make about 980 kWh, against 3,000 kWh from May to August, so winter heating runs mostly on grid electricity and the tariff matters more than the roof.
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 Sunderland
From April to September, 69% of a Sunderland roof's yearly output arrives, peaking at about 810 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.
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 Sunderland
Faults, servicing and ageing inverters follow the same economics in Sunderland as anywhere else, and the guides below price them plainly.
Sunderland solar questions
What does a solar panel system produce in Sunderland?
Each kWp of panels in Sunderland makes 977 kWh a year on PVGIS figures, so a typical 12-panel system produces around 6,210 kWh, from about 190 kWh in December up to 810 kWh in May.
How much are solar panels in Sunderland?
The price does not move by postcode. At £1,000 per kWp installed, 12 panels (6.36 kWp) come to £6,360 in Sunderland before a battery. What Sunderland changes is the return, about 6,210 kWh a year from that system, and your design call prices your actual roof.
Would a system in Sunderland need approval from the network operator?
Sunderland 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 can I earn from exporting solar in Sunderland?
With typical use and no battery, a 12-panel system in Sunderland exports about 5,277 kWh a year. At 12p per kWh that is roughly £633; 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 Sunderland in winter?
It works, but the year is lopsided. 69% of a Sunderland roof's output lands between April and September; the four months from November to February give about 980 kWh on a 12-panel system. Payback is worked out on the whole year, not the winter.
How Sunderland compares with its neighbours
The six closest towns we publish, run through the identical PVGIS query as Sunderland.
| Town | kWh per kWp a year | vs Sunderland |
|---|---|---|
| Sunderland | 977 | this town |
| Shiney Row and Penshaw | 959 | −18 kWh |
| Washington | 952 | −25 kWh |
| Houghton-le-Spring | 953 | −24 kWh |
| Seaham | 978 | +1 kWh |
| Fence Houses | 948 | −29 kWh |
| South Shields | 982 | +5 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 Sunderland: Solar panels in Sunderland from OVO Solar & Battery
Also near Sunderland
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.
Solar installation day: exactly what happens, hour by hour
The week before, the day itself hour by hour, and the paperwork that follows.
Read the guide →Which battery size band does your home fall into?
Where UK homes actually land, why oversizing costs you, and what shifts the band.
Read the guide →Charging an EV from your own solar
Every surplus kWh is 3.6 to 5 miles. Whether that beats a 7p overnight rate is arithmetic.
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 →The price cap explained, and what it does to solar payback
The cap limits unit rates, not bills. That changes what solar payback means.
Read the guide →NAPIT, NICEIC and competent person schemes: who tells building control about your solar
Solar work is notifiable. A competent person scheme means your installation team notifies, not you.
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.