The figures behind this page
Every MCS-certified installation is recorded with its size and price, and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero publishes regional averages once a year. Its 2025/26 release, published on 28 May 2026, covers 22,981 MCS-certified installations in the North West, 16,496 of them up to 4 kW and 5,670 from 4 to 10 kW (DESNZ). They mix every kind of roof and kit across the region, so treat them as a yardstick: a particular Liverpool quote can sit above or below for good reasons.
Price and output by size
| System | Average used | Total, about | kWh a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 kW | £2,021/kW | £4,050 | 1,930 |
| 2.5 kW | £2,021/kW | £5,050 | 2,413 |
| 3 kW | £2,021/kW | £6,050 | 2,895 |
| 4 kW | £2,021/kW | £8,100 | 3,860 |
| 5 kW | £1,768/kW | £8,850 | 4,825 |
| 6 kW | £1,768/kW | £10,600 | 5,790 |
The output column assumes a south-facing 35° roof. A west roof makes about 79% of that in Liverpool and an east roof 78%; the estimator covers every direction and pitch. The Energy Saving Trust treats 4.5 kWp as a typical home system (Energy Saving Trust), but many Liverpool terraces have room for less.
The North West against other regions
For systems up to 4 kW the North West averaged £2,021 per kW in 2025/26, with the national median for that band at £1,780 (DESNZ). For comparison:
- Yorkshire and the Humber: £1,972 per kW
- North East: £1,878 per kW
- London: £2,177 per kW
- Scotland: £1,944 per kW
Means and medians measure different things, so read the comparison loosely. The North West sits in the middle-to-upper part of the range, below London.
What changes a Liverpool quote
- The roof's size. Narrow terrace roofs take fewer panels, so fixed costs weigh more per kW.
- Access. Pavement scaffold needs a council licence; parapets on Georgian terraces and tall Victorian houses need more scaffold.
- Roof condition. Old slate may need replacement slates around fixings, or repairs before panels go on.
- Shade. Chimney stacks, offshoots and taller neighbours can justify optimisers or microinverters.
- Kit and extras. Panel and inverter choice, bird mesh, an export meter, and any battery.
Batteries and VAT
DESNZ's battery figures for existing homes in 2025/26 give median installed prices of £1300 per kWh under 6 kWh, £890 from 6 to 11 kWh and £630 from 11 to 30 kWh (DESNZ). The battery page covers sizing and the network rules.
Installed solar and batteries are zero-rated for VAT until 31 March 2027, and 5% after (HMRC). On a £6,050 job the later rate would add about £300, by our arithmetic.
Three Liverpool homes, priced at the regional means
Three typical cases, each priced at the North West mean for its size band and paired with PVGIS output for the nearest of our twelve points in the city (our arithmetic from DESNZ and PVGIS 5.3):
| Home | System | At the mean | kWh a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anfield terrace, south-facing rear slope | 2.5 kW | £5,050 | 2,413 |
| Allerton semi, west-facing back | 4 kW | £8,100 | 3,024 |
| Detached house in Woolton, south roof | 6 kW | £10,600 | 5,688 |
The Anfield terrace is the case to watch on price: the regional mean for systems up to 4 kW lumps a 2.5 kW job in with 4 kW ones, so a terrace quote will usually sit above it per kW once scaffolding and the inverter are shared across fewer panels. The terraced houses page covers why, and the rooftop estimator gives the output for your own direction and pitch.
Judge each quote against the mean for its own band. The two North West means are £253 per kW apart (our arithmetic), so a 4.5 kW quote measured against the small-system mean looks cheaper than it is, and a 3.8 kW quote measured against the larger-system mean looks dearer. Timing matters too: on the Anfield terrace's 2.5 kW at the mean, the 5% VAT that applies from 1 April 2027 would add about £250, by our arithmetic (HMRC).
Who pays: owners, housing associations and landlords
Liverpool has fewer owner-occupiers than most of England: 46.8% of households owned their home at the 2021 Census, while 21.9% rented from a housing association, 4.5% from the council and 26.1% from a private landlord (Census 2021). For roughly half the city, then, the price on this page is someone else's decision. Housing association tenants should ask their landlord about its own plans; private landlords in the city work under the council's licensing scheme for 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2027 (Liverpool City Council), and some may qualify for the council's grant, which paying for solar sets out with its eligibility.
Comparing quotes
- Work out each quote's price per kW and set it against the averages above.
- Check the predicted kWh a year against the estimator for the same direction and pitch.
- Make sure scaffold, any licence, the network notification and certificates are included.
- Get at least two itemised quotes from MCS-certified installers; the installer checklist lists what else to check.
For help paying, see help with the cost.