NE England · Newcastle to Teesside · NE37 2SH
Solar panel installation from £4,999 across Newcastle, Gateshead, Sunderland, Durham, Stockton, Middlesbrough, Hexham and 11 other NE towns from your North East renewable energy installer — fully certified, free 3D roof survey, fixed-price written quote, 10-year workmanship guarantee, Smart Export Guarantee registration handled. Our own engineers — no subcontracting.
Quick answer
A 4kW solar panel system in the North East costs £4,999–£5,499 fully installed in 2026. A typical Newcastle, Sunderland or Durham home generates 3,200–3,700 kWh/yr, saving around £820 a year on electricity bills with payback in 6–8 years. Solar installations qualify for 0% VAT until March 2027, and surplus generation earns up to 15p/kWh through the Smart Export Guarantee.
4kW system across Newcastle, Sunderland and County Durham delivers 3,200–3,700 kWh annually (NE irradiance ~950 kWh/kWp/yr — Met Office), covering 60–80% of the electricity demand of a typical household once paired with a 10kWh battery and a time-of-use tariff. Solar PV is mature technology — panel prices have dropped 70% in the last ten years and inverter quality has improved alongside.
What separates a good install from a poor one is no longer the panels — they're commodity. It's the survey methodology, the inverter design choice, the mounting kit, the electrical install quality and the Smart Export Guarantee registration. That's where North 85 earns its margin.
From £4,999
4kW system fully installed
3,200-3,700
kWh/yr typical North East yield
25 yrs
Panel performance warranty
10 yrs
North 85 workmanship guarantee
How North 85 installs work together
A typical North 85 install — solar PV generating during the day, battery storing excess for evening, home covering its own daytime load, and grid as backup or income via Smart Export Guarantee. Each install is sized so this loop carries 70-80% of total household energy.
Solar
4.2 kW
Battery
82%
Home
1.8 kW
Grid
0.4 kW
Solar PV packages
Three pre-configured solar packages that suit most North East homes. All include fully-certified install, SEG registration, 25-year panel warranty and 10-year workmanship guarantee. 0% VAT applied (until March 2027).
3 kW · 8 panels
No battery
Fully installed · 0% VAT applied
4 kW · 10 panels
5 kWh battery
Fully installed · 0% VAT applied
6 kW · 15 panels
10 kWh battery
Fully installed · 0% VAT applied
Prices indicative — final quote subject to free roof / site survey. North East installs only. 0% VAT applies to all residential energy-saving materials in the UK until 31 March 2027.
Free quote
Tell us about your property and we’ll come back with a fixed-price written quote after a free survey — usually within 48 hours. Covering the North East and all of the North East.
Solar panel cost
A typical 4kW solar panel installation in the UK costs between £4,999 and £5,499 fully fitted in 2026. Smaller 3kW systems start around £3,999; larger 6-10kW installs run £6,500–£9,500. Adding battery storage adds £3,500 (5kWh) to £10,000+ (15kWh). All figures are guide prices for a typical property — final quotes are fixed-price after survey.
| Property type | System size | Solar only | + Battery |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small terrace / 2-bed flat | 3kW (8 panels) | £3,999–£4,499 | +£3,500 for 5kWh |
| 2-3 bed semi | 4kW (10 panels) | £4,999–£5,499 | +£3,500–£5,000 for 5kWh |
| 3-4 bed detached | 6kW (15 panels) | £6,500–£7,500 | +£4,500–£6,500 for 10kWh |
| 4-5 bed detached / HMO | 8kW (20 panels) | £8,000–£9,200 | +£5,500–£7,500 for 10-15kWh |
| Large detached / multi-zone | 10kW+ (25+ panels) | £9,500–£14,000 | +£6,000–£10,000 for 15kWh+ |
Prices are turnkey, including panels, hybrid inverter, mounting kit, all electrical work, scaffolding (2-storey), install registration, Northern Powergrid DNO notification and SEG application. Three-storey properties, listed buildings, conservation areas or unusual roof access add quoted-in-advance scaffolding cost.
Flexible finance available via Propensio Finance. Click the Flexible Finance button to be taken to Propensio's website, where you can explore the finance options.
Flexible FinanceSmart Export Guarantee
The Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) is the post-2020 replacement for the original Feed-in Tariff. Licensed electricity suppliers are legally required to offer SEG tariffs to anyone with an fully-certified solar installation under 5MW and a smart meter sending half-hourly readings. Each supplier sets its own rate — they vary dramatically.
| Supplier | Export rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Octopus Outgoing Fixed | ~15p/kWh | Best mainstream rate. Smart meter required. |
| Tesla Energy Plan | up to 24p/kWh | Highest in UK. Requires Tesla Powerwall battery. |
| British Gas Export & Earn | ~6-15p/kWh | Bundle options for British Gas import customers. |
| EDF Export+ | ~7-10p/kWh | Available with import too. |
| Eon Next Export | ~3-7p/kWh | Lower but no import-supplier switch needed. |
| OVO Energy SEG | ~4-6p/kWh | Standard rate, broad availability. |
You're free to choose any SEG supplier regardless of who supplies your import electricity. We help you compare and switch as part of the install. A typical 4kW system in the North East exports 1,200-1,800 kWh per year (without a battery) — at 15p/kWh that's £180-£270 of annual export income on top of bill savings.
Adding a battery cuts SEG income (because more solar is self-consumed) but increases overall savings significantly more than the lost export income. The trade is almost always worth making.
Panel · inverter · battery
Every North 85 solar quote spells out the exact brand and model of panel, inverter and battery — and why we picked it for your roof. Here's the shortlist we work from on a typical NE install.
| Spec | JA Solar JAM54D40 440W | Trina Solar Vertex S+ 445W | Longi Hi-MO 6 LR5-54HTH 435W | Solis S6 hybrid S6-EH1P 3.6-6kW | SolarEdge HD-Wave SE3000H-SE6000H | Tesla Powerwall 3 13.5 kWh AC + integrated inverter | Fox ESS EP 10.36 kWh stackable |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wattage | 440W | 445W | 435W | — | — | — | — |
| Efficiency | 22.5% | 22.7% | 22.3% | 97.7% peak | 99% peak | 97.5% round-trip | 95% round-trip |
| Warranty | 25-yr product / 30-yr performance | 25-yr product / 30-yr performance | 25-yr product / 30-yr performance | 10-yr standard / extendable to 20 | 12-yr standard / extendable to 25 | 10-yr unlimited cycles | 10-yr unlimited cycles |
| Tier 1 / origin | Bloomberg NEF Tier 1 (China) | Bloomberg NEF Tier 1 (China) | Bloomberg NEF Tier 1 (China) | Hybrid inverter (China) | String inverter + DC optimisers (Israel) | AC battery + integrated solar inverter (USA) | AC battery + inverter (UK distributed) |
| Best for | Best £/W on volume installs | Slightly higher yield in shaded gardens | All-black aesthetic on visible front roofs | Battery-ready single-phase homes | Mixed shading or multi-aspect roofs | Whole-home backup + Tesla Energy SEG (24p) | Stackable capacity + best £/kWh storage |
| When to choose | Default choice on standard semis and detached homes where £/W matters most. | Where partial shading is unavoidable — better low-light performance per panel. | Conservation areas and front-of-house roofs where the all-black finish matters. | Standard pick for 4-6kW single-phase installs with battery now or later. | Where shading or split-roof arrays need per-panel optimisation. | When backup matters and the household qualifies for Tesla Energy export. | When the household needs flexible expansion later and lowest £/kWh storage matters. |
JA Solar
JAM54D40 440W
When to choose
Default choice on standard semis and detached homes where £/W matters most.
Trina Solar
Vertex S+ 445W
When to choose
Where partial shading is unavoidable — better low-light performance per panel.
Longi Hi-MO 6
LR5-54HTH 435W
When to choose
Conservation areas and front-of-house roofs where the all-black finish matters.
Solis S6 hybrid
S6-EH1P 3.6-6kW
When to choose
Standard pick for 4-6kW single-phase installs with battery now or later.
SolarEdge HD-Wave
SE3000H-SE6000H
When to choose
Where shading or split-roof arrays need per-panel optimisation.
Tesla Powerwall 3
13.5 kWh AC + integrated inverter
When to choose
When backup matters and the household qualifies for Tesla Energy export.
Fox ESS EP
10.36 kWh stackable
When to choose
When the household needs flexible expansion later and lowest £/kWh storage matters.
Your protection
Every component on your roof carries its own warranty, and the install itself carries ours. Here's the full stack on a typical North 85 solar install — full detail on our warranty page.
| Layer | Cover | Backed by |
|---|---|---|
| Solar panels | 25-yr product / 30-yr performance | JA Solar, Trina, Longi — Bloomberg NEF Tier 1 manufacturers |
| Inverter | 10-12 yrs standard | Solis extendable to 20 yrs, SolarEdge extendable to 25 yrs |
| Mounting kit | Per manufacturer spec | K2 / Schletter — weatherproofed to the published fixing schedule |
| Workmanship | 10 yrs | North 85 — covers the install itself, on top of manufacturer cover |
You call us, not the manufacturer. Within the 10-year workmanship period, North 85 diagnoses the fault, handles the manufacturer warranty claim on your behalf and does the replacement work. A failed inverter — the most common fault on any solar system — is typically swapped within days under the manufacturer warranty, with no labour charge from us. Panel failures are rare; when they happen, the 25-year product warranty covers the replacement panel and we cover the roof work.
NICEIC registration means our electrical work is independently assessed against BS 7671 wiring regulations, and every install is certificated and notifiable. It also gives you the NICEIC Platinum Promise — if our electrical work is found non-compliant and we don't put it right, NICEIC will. That's a genuine third-party backstop on the part of the install most likely to cause real problems: the electrics.
If something goes wrong and you're not happy with how we've handled it, we publish a formal complaints procedure with response timescales and the independent escalation routes available to you — including NICEIC's own complaints process for electrical work. You never have to rely on goodwill alone.
By town
Typical 4kW system, south-facing roof, average household consumption (3,400 kWh/yr), 30% self-consumption, Octopus Outgoing SEG (15p/kWh).
| Town | Annual generation | Annual saving | Payback |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newcastle upon Tyne | 3,250 kWh/yr | £820 | 6.7 yrs |
| Sunderland | 3,300 kWh/yr | £835 | 6.6 yrs |
| Durham | 3,200 kWh/yr | £810 | 6.8 yrs |
| Middlesbrough | 3,350 kWh/yr | £845 | 6.5 yrs |
Named NE solar installs
Genuine residential install proof from our own engineering team — no stock photos, no subcontracted work.
Real installations
From a 4 kWp residential solar install in Harraton to commercial fit-outs and rewires, every job is designed for the property and the people who use it.
Residential install
4.2 kWp solar PV + 5 kWh battery
Commercial electrical
Our own electricians, never subcontracted
Case studies
Full written case studies with system spec, design reasoning and measured results.
Residential · Solar + Battery
Washington · NE38 · 2026-03
A south-east-facing 1970s semi in Harraton, Washington. The owner had been monitoring electricity prices for 18 months and wanted both bill reduction and partial energy independence. We sized a 10-panel 4.2 kWp system with a 5 kWh battery to maximise self-consumption.
64% lower electricity bills
Read the full install →3D roof mapping, shading analysis, structural check, system designed around your actual electricity usage.
Itemised quote covering panels, inverter, mounting, electrics, scaffolding, install registration and SEG setup. No hidden costs.
Typically one to two days including scaffolding. Same engineers who designed the system do the install.
DNO notification, install certificate, SEG registration with your chosen supplier, monitoring app commissioning.
Works best together
A solar install on its own pays back well — but adding the right complementary services lifts the economics from good to exceptional. Three combinations we see most often:
Captures surplus solar generation for evening use instead of exporting at low SEG rates. Lifts self-consumption from ~30-40% to 70-80% and tightens payback to 6-9 years.
See home battery storage →Charge your EV from your own roof using surplus solar. A Zappi smart charger sets up solar-only charging automatically. Effectively free fuel for spring/summer/autumn driving.
See ev charger →Many older fuse boards need upgrading before solar or a battery can be connected. We can do it in the same visit, certified.
See consumer unit upgrade →Our accreditations
NICEIC Approved
D124458
Electrical contractor
Part P
Building Regs
Domestic electrical
SafeContractor
Approved
H&S accredited
ISO 9001
2015
Quality management
ISO 14001
2015
Environmental management
ISO 45001
2018
OH&S management
Established
1985
Family run for 40 years
NICEIC Approved
D124458
Electrical contractor
Part P
Building Regs
Domestic electrical
SafeContractor
Approved
H&S accredited
ISO 9001
2015
Quality management
ISO 14001
2015
Environmental management
ISO 45001
2018
OH&S management
Established
1985
Family run for 40 years
Every accreditation listed is independently verified. We carry the registration numbers — ask for any on request.
Service coverage
See town-specific pricing, payback figures and grant information for your area. We cover all 18 service towns across Tyne and Wear, County Durham, Teesside and Northumberland.
North East UK coverage
Approximate positions
Most-installed-in towns
All 18 towns covered
Click any townOutside these 18?
Get in touch — we sometimes take on projects beyond our regular coverage area when there's a good fit.
Ask about your areaSee solar panels in Newcastle, solar panels in Gateshead, solar panels in Sunderland, solar panels in Durham, solar panels in Stockton, solar panels in Middlesbrough, solar panels in Hexham, solar panels in Washington, solar panels in South Shields, solar panels in Blyth, solar panels in Cramlington, solar panels in Consett, solar panels in Chester-le-Street, solar panels in Bishop Auckland, solar panels in Darlington, solar panels in Hartlepool, solar panels in Teesside and solar panels in Morpeth. Every town page carries its own irradiance figures, DNO context (Northern Powergrid across Tyne and Wear, County Durham, Teesside and Northumberland), conservation-area notes and named-install proof.
Customer reviews
5.0 from verified reviews
Paying next to nothing for electricity now
“Had solar panels and a battery fitted in February. By summer we were barely using any grid electricity at all. The monitoring app is great — you can see exactly what the panels are generating and where the energy is going.”
DDavid R.
Sunderland
Smooth install, paperwork done properly
“North 85 surveyed the roof carefully (some installers had quoted me without measuring) and the layout they came back with put 12 panels where I expected 10. Net export to Octopus Outgoing is paying back faster than I had budgeted for.”
AAndrew F.
Newcastle upon Tyne
Great communication start to finish
“From the quote through to the final commissioning, the North 85 team kept me in the loop. Scaffold up Monday, install Tuesday-Wednesday, commissioned Thursday. Even helped me register for the SEG tariff. Highly recommend.”
LLinda S.
Gateshead
Solar plus battery — perfect combo
“Saving us roughly 70% on electricity bills based on first six months. We charge the battery overnight on the cheap rate and run the house off it during the day, topping up from solar when sunny. North 85 designed it all properly.”
PPaul & Jen T.
Stockton-on-Tees
Honest advice on size and orientation
“Initially I asked for 8kW. After their survey North 85 recommended 6kW because the additional panels would have been on a poorly oriented section. Saved me money and gave me realistic generation figures. Genuinely good people.”
SStephen M.
Hartlepool
Free 3D roof survey, fixed-price written quote, 10-year workmanship guarantee. Installations from £4,999.
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