Staffordshire at a glance for solar
Staffordshire currently has two tiers of local government. Staffordshire County Council sits above eight district and borough councils: Cannock Chase, East Staffordshire, Lichfield, Newcastle-under-Lyme, South Staffordshire, Stafford, Staffordshire Moorlands and Tamworth. Stoke-on-Trent City Council is outside that system as a separate unitary authority. On 16 July 2026 the government confirmed that all ten councils will be replaced by two unitary councils. One will cover Stoke-on-Trent, Newcastle-under-Lyme and Staffordshire Moorlands, and the other will cover the remaining six districts. Shadow elections are due in May 2027, and the new councils are expected to take over in April 2028. Until then, any planning or listed building application for your roof goes to your current district, borough or city council. Reorganisation doesn't change the permitted development rules for solar, which are set nationally.
The county council declared a climate change emergency in July 2019 and committed to net zero by 2050 across its own services and buildings. On 9 October 2025, full council voted to rescind that declaration, saying it would focus on practical energy-saving measures with immediate benefits rather than long-term targets. The UK's legal 2050 net zero target still applies nationally, and you don't need any council scheme to put solar on your own home.
The local electricity network belongs to National Grid Electricity Distribution (NGED), but Staffordshire straddles two of its licence areas. Grid supply point data by postcode (checked September 2026) puts Stafford, Cannock, Lichfield city, Stoke-on-Trent, Leek, Cheadle, Biddulph, Kidsgrove, Kinver and Wombourne in NGED's West Midlands area. Tamworth, Burton upon Trent, Uttoxeter and Hopwas fall in its East Midlands area. None of the postcodes we checked along the Cheshire border, including Kidsgrove and Biddulph, were served by SP Energy Networks. The first two digits of the 13-digit MPAN core on your electricity bill confirm your area: 14 for West Midlands, 11 for East Midlands. That tells us who to notify under G98, or apply to under G99 if your inverter is rated above 3.68 kW per phase.
Cannock Chase was designated in 1958 and is now called Cannock Chase National Landscape. At about 69 square kilometres (26 square miles), it is mainland England's smallest National Landscape. It still counts as protected "article 2(3) land" in planning law. Panels on a pitched house roof there are generally permitted development, but a flat-roof array on article 2(3) land needs a prior approval application to the council before work starts.
Staffordshire homes and roofs
The 2021 Census shows big differences in housing between districts, and that affects what fits on a roof. In Stoke-on-Trent, semi-detached is the most common home type (46.1%), and terraced homes make up 27.6%, above the England average of 23.0%. In Staffordshire Moorlands, South Staffordshire, Stafford and Lichfield, between 37.9% and 40.7% of homes are detached, well above England's 22.9%. Tamworth has the county's highest share of purpose-built flats at 11.1%, compared with 3.2% in the Moorlands. East Staffordshire is the most evenly split, with 32.9% detached, 32.5% semi-detached and 22.5% terraced.
| Council area | Detached | Semi-detached | Terraced | Solar PV sites (2024) | PV sites per 1,000 households |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stoke-on-Trent | 15.0% | 46.1% | 27.6% | 9,919 | 90 |
| Stafford | 38.5% | 32.7% | 16.4% | 4,135 | 69 |
| Staffordshire Moorlands | 40.7% | 37.9% | 15.7% | 2,571 | 61 |
| Newcastle-under-Lyme | 25.5% | 44.8% | 19.4% | 2,965 | 56 |
| East Staffordshire | 32.9% | 32.5% | 22.5% | 2,790 | 54 |
| Cannock Chase | 29.9% | 46.7% | 11.9% | 2,205 | 51 |
| Lichfield | 37.9% | 35.4% | 14.2% | 2,278 | 50 |
| South Staffordshire | 39.5% | 39.2% | 10.7% | 2,123 | 46 |
| Tamworth | 26.6% | 38.5% | 21.4% | 1,300 | 40 |
Sources: Census 2021 (ONS table TS044) for housing type; DESNZ renewable electricity by local authority for 2024 for PV sites, divided by DESNZ's own household estimates. PV sites include commercial and farm systems as well as homes.
On the roof, those numbers mean different jobs. Stoke-on-Trent's terraces usually have narrow roof slopes, so the number of panels depends on the roof's width and any chimneys or dormers. The semis that dominate Cannock Chase and Newcastle-under-Lyme share a roof with a neighbour, and a hipped end reduces the usable area. The detached homes that are common in Stafford and Lichfield districts often have more roof to work with. If you live in one of Tamworth's flats, you'll need the freeholder's permission before anything else.
Lichfield District has 22 conservation areas, and the Lichfield City conservation area covers the centre, including the Cathedral Close. The district also has three Article 4 directions: Mousley Terrace, Frog Lane and the St Chad's extension to Lichfield city. The council explains that Article 4 directions can restrict work such as removing timber windows, doors and chimneys, or painting brickwork that hasn't been painted before. Solar panels aren't named, but check the direction for your street with Lichfield District Council before booking.
For unlisted homes in Lichfield's 22 conservation areas, and in Staffordshire's other conservation areas, the national rule is more generous than many people expect. Under Part 14 of the General Permitted Development Order, as amended by S.I. 2026/896 from 27 August 2026, a house in a conservation area only loses permitted development for panels on a wall, balcony or roof enclosure that fronts a highway. Roof slopes, including street-facing ones, are generally permitted development. The panels must not stick out more than 0.2 m from the slope or sit higher than the highest part of the roof, excluding chimneys. Listed buildings are different: permitted development doesn't apply, so you'll need planning permission and, usually, listed building consent.
Why use a Staffordshire-based installer
Midland Solar has installed solar since 2009 from our base in Tamworth, B77 4GR, which is inside Staffordshire and on the East Midlands side of NGED's network. We're MCS certified for solar PV and battery storage, NAPIT registered and members of HIES. Every installation comes with a two-year workmanship guarantee. We fit Fox ESS and SolaX batteries, and Tesla Powerwall. Tesla's Powerwall warranty applies to units bought from Tesla or a Tesla certified installer, so ask us about that condition before you choose one. After installation we register the system with MCS, which you need before you can apply for Smart Export Guarantee payments, and we deal with the G98 notification or G99 application to NGED for you.
| From our Tamworth office (B77 4GR) to | Approximate road distance |
|---|---|
| Lichfield | 12 miles |
| Cannock | 20 miles |
| Burton upon Trent | 23 miles |
| Stafford | 31 miles |
| Stoke-on-Trent | 49 miles |
Distances are the fastest driving routes on OpenStreetMap data to each town centre, rounded to the nearest mile.
We don't promise same-day visits: Lichfield is about 12 miles from our Tamworth office and Stoke-on-Trent about 49, so when you ask for a survey we'll give you a realistic date. The surveyor checks your roof, fuse board and meter position, and whether your MPAN starts 14 (West Midlands) or 11 (East Midlands), before we give you a quote.
Solar panel costs and savings in Staffordshire
The prices below are indicative for 2026, not quotes. The latest DESNZ solar cost data (2025/26, published May 2026) puts the West Midlands average at £1,778 per kW for systems up to 4 kW and £1,628 per kW for 4 to 10 kW. DESNZ uses government regions, so all of Staffordshire, including Tamworth, Burton and Uttoxeter, sits in its West Midlands figure, even where NGED's East Midlands network serves the address. At that average, a 4 kW system works out at about £7,110. They are averages across all the installations DESNZ analysed (21,961 in the West Midlands in 2025/26), so an individual price depends on roof access, scaffolding, panel choice and cable runs.
| System | Indicative installed price (2026) |
|---|---|
| 4 kW solar PV system | £5,500 to £8,000 |
| Battery added to a solar installation | About £3,000 to £10,000, depending on capacity and brand |
Output changes across the county. The EU's PVGIS model gives the following annual figures for an unshaded 4 kWp array facing south at a 35-degree pitch:
| Location | Modelled output, 4 kWp south-facing (kWh a year) |
|---|---|
| Tamworth | 3,959 |
| Lichfield | 3,928 |
| Burton upon Trent | 3,864 |
| Cannock | 3,832 |
| Stafford | 3,831 |
| Stoke-on-Trent | 3,704 |
| Leek | 3,608 |
That works out at about 900 to 990 kWh per kWp. The same array on an east-facing roof in Stafford models at 3,071 kWh, and on a west-facing roof at 3,031 kWh, so orientation matters more than which town you live in. Winter is the weak point. For the Tamworth array, PVGIS models 475 kWh in June but 136 kWh in December, and Leek falls to 99 kWh in December. Keep that seasonal gap in mind when you size a battery.
From 1 October 2026, the Ofgem price cap is 26.32p per kWh for electricity (Direct Debit, GB average). VAT on household electricity is 0% from 1 October 2026 to 31 March 2027. For example, if a Stafford household used 40% of that 3,831 kWh itself, it would avoid buying about 1,530 kWh, which is roughly £403 a year at the cap rate. The actual share depends on when you're home and whether you add a battery. Exported electricity is paid under the Smart Export Guarantee, and SEG rates vary by supplier. Installed solar panels and batteries in homes (residential accommodation) are zero-rated for VAT until 31 March 2027, after which the rate goes to 5%. Finance options are available, subject to status.
Staffordshire towns we cover
- Solar panels in Tamworth: our home town, in NGED's East Midlands area, and the district with the highest share of flats.
- Solar panels in Lichfield: about 12 miles away, with 22 conservation areas in the district and three Article 4 directions.
- Solar panels in Cannock: about 20 miles away, next to Cannock Chase National Landscape.
- Solar panels in Burton upon Trent: about 23 miles away, on NGED's East Midlands network.
- Solar panels in Stafford: about 31 miles away, with 4,135 PV sites in the borough by 2024.
- Solar panels in Stoke-on-Trent: about 49 miles away, with the area's highest take-up at about 90 PV sites per 1,000 households.
If your town doesn't have its own page, for example Leek, Uttoxeter or Kidsgrove, enter your postcode when you book and we'll confirm whether and when we can survey.
Batteries, EV chargers and farm solar in Staffordshire
A home battery lets you use more of your own solar output after dark instead of exporting it at SEG rates. We fit them with new panels or add them to an existing array, and the PVGIS figures above show why sizing matters: December output in Tamworth and Leek is under a third of June's. We also install home EV chargers in Staffordshire, so ask about one when you book your survey.
Average system size varies a lot between districts. DESNZ figures for 2024 show 58.9 MW of solar across East Staffordshire's 2,790 sites, compared with 6.3 MW across Tamworth's 1,300. That's an average of about 21 kW per site against about 5 kW. Farm and commercial roofs have their own permitted development rules, and most farm-sized systems need a G99 application to NGED before connection. See our agricultural solar page for barns, dairy units and farm workshops.
The best way to get figures for your own roof is a survey. Book a free solar survey and we'll assess your roof, check whether you're on NGED's West Midlands or East Midlands network, and give you a written quote.