Sunshine, planning & the Kent Downs.
Kent is consistently one of the sunniest parts of the UK, and for most homes the planning rules work in your favour too.
One of the strongest counties in the UK for solar.
How much a solar system generates depends heavily on how much sunshine a location actually gets. Kent sees around 1,846 hours of average annual sunshine, ranking it 6th out of 102 UK regions for solar potential, well above the UK-wide average of roughly 1,340 hours. The wider South East typically sees 1,400–1,600 hours a year, itself above the national average.
In practice, that means a solar system in Kent will generally produce more electricity, and pay itself back faster, than the same system installed in a less sunny part of the country. A typical 4kWp system here generates around 4,080 kWh a year, more than a typical UK home’s annual electricity use of roughly 3,800 kWh. Your exact figures depend on roof orientation, pitch and shading, which is why every quote starts with a proper site survey rather than a desktop estimate.
The Kent Downs National Landscape and your roof.
Most homes in Kent fall under permitted development for solar panels, meaning no planning application is needed, provided panels don’t protrude more than 200mm from the roof plane or sit above the roof ridge. Parts of Kent sit within the Kent Downs National Landscape (formerly known as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, or AONB), where visual impact from new development is more carefully regulated under the Kent Downs Management Plan, and permission can be needed even for installations that would normally be permitted development elsewhere.
Whether your property falls inside the designated area, and whether that changes what you need for your installation, depends on the exact location and the specifics of your roof. We check this for every Kent property as part of your survey, so you know exactly where you stand before any work begins.
What this means in practice
For most homes, even those inside the Kent Downs National Landscape, a straightforward roof-mounted system on an ordinary house is still permitted development. It’s ground-mounted systems, larger or more visible installations, and listed buildings that are more likely to need permission. We’ll tell you which category your property falls into as part of your free survey, not after you’ve committed to anything.
Listed buildings always require listed building consent for solar installation, regardless of location, since any alteration to a listed building needs separate approval.
Find out what your roof could generate
Free, no-obligation quote, including a planning check for your property.