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A housing estate seen from above, with solar panels on some roof slopes and bare tiles on others

Solar Panels on a North Facing Roof: The Honest UK Numbers

Solar panels on a north facing roof do generate electricity, and in June they come surprisingly close to a south facing system. The trouble is the other nine months. We ran the figures for six UK cities to show what a north roof really produces, why a shallow pitch changes everything, and what to do instead if yours is steep.

18 October 20268 min read
Solar panels fitted to the steep tiled slope of a rendered house under a clear blue sky

The Best Angle for Solar Panels in the UK, and Why Yours Is Probably Fine

The ideal tilt for solar panels in the UK works out at about 40 degrees, and it barely changes between Cornwall and the Highlands. More usefully, almost any normal roof pitch gets within a few per cent of it. Here are the figures by city, and the cases where the angle genuinely matters.

18 October 20267 min read
Chimney pots along a row of terraced house roofs, lit by low sun with bare trees behind

South East or South West: Which Roof Is Better for Solar Panels?

Over a whole year, a south east roof and a south west roof make almost exactly the same amount of electricity, and in much of the UK the south east one is slightly ahead. What really separates them is the time of day the power arrives, and whether you are at home to use it.

18 October 20266 min read