Are North Facing Solar Panels Worth It? Real Output for Every Roof Direction in Manchester

Yes, they generate electricity, just less of it. Solar panels respond to daylight, not direct sun alone, and in summer the sun rises in the north-east and sets in the north-west, so a north roof gets useful light early and late in the day.

The question isn't whether they work but whether the extra output justifies the extra cost. For many homes it now does, because panel prices have fallen while scaffolding and labour haven't.

We modelled 1kWp of panels in central Manchester with PVGIS (14% system losses) at three common roof pitches:

A flat roof with panels laid flat makes about 746 kWh per kWp, 84% of a south roof. Compare your borough's south-facing yield on the Greater Manchester borough comparison.

Because a steep north roof points the panels away from the sun. On a south roof, pitch hardly matters between 35° and 45°. On a north roof, going from 45° to 20° lifts output from 428 to 602 kWh per kWp, a 41% gain.

Many Greater Manchester terraces and semis have pitches around 35°–40°, where north panels make just over half a south array's output. Shallow-pitched roofs, extensions and garages are the best north-facing candidates.

In summer, and in the evening. Our monthly PVGIS figures for a 35° roof show a north array making 89.7 kWh per kWp in June, 82% of a south array's 108.8 kWh. In December it makes just 6.0 kWh, 21% of south.

Reddit's r/SolarUK has examples of north arrays out-producing south ones at 7–8pm in summer, when the sun is in the north-west. That evening output is valuable because it's when households use the most power, which also reduces how big a battery needs to be.

Not for total output: an east or west roof makes about 80% of a south roof in Manchester. But east–west systems spread generation from early morning to evening, so more of it gets used in the home rather than exported cheaply.

If you're home during the day or have no battery, an east–west split can match a south array on real savings. Test different self-use percentages in the solar payback calculator.

Often, if you're already paying for scaffolding. Scaffolding typically costs £700–£2,000 and is needed whether you fit 8 panels or 20. Adding panels to another roof face at the same time mainly costs the extra panels, mounting and a little more labour.

As an illustration, suppose adding 2kWp of north panels to a job costs about £1,500. At 497 kWh per kWp that's about 994 kWh a year; valued at a blend of 26.32p self-use and 13p export, it's worth around £195 a year, a payback of about 7–8 years. A standalone north-only system at the full £1,700 per kWp would take around 17 years.

Get the installer to quote the extra panels as a separate line so you can see the true marginal cost. Check the total against our solar panel cost benchmarks.

Three things. First, the inverter: north panels need their own string or MPPT input, or microinverters/optimisers, so they don't drag down the south array. Second, the grid connection: more panels can push you over the 3.68kW single-phase limit for a simple G98 notification into a G99 application, which takes longer.

Third, shading from chimneys and neighbouring buildings, which hurts more when light levels are already lower. For local yields and grants, see your borough page, for example solar panels in Stockport, or ask for a quote that covers every roof face.