Solar for homes · Black Country

Solar panels for homes across the Black Country

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Green Tech Hub is a Black Country company. Our office is on Broadwell Road in Oldbury, which puts West Bromwich a mile and a half away, Dudley two miles, Walsall six and Wolverhampton seven. When we quote a house in Tipton, Wednesbury, Halesowen or Bilston we are quoting a street our engineers already drive down, and when something needs a visit after the install, the person who designed your system is twenty minutes away rather than two counties.

The four boroughs share a housing story that matters for solar. Between 43% and 48% of homes in Sandwell, Dudley, Walsall and Wolverhampton are semi-detached, a far higher share than Birmingham next door, and most of that stock is inter-war and post-war brick with a simple pitched roof and a loft. That is the easiest roof type in the country to fit well: eight to twelve panels on the main slope, an inverter and battery in the loft or garage, and no planning application in the vast majority of cases.

Uptake is already well under way. The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero counts more than 17,700 solar PV installations across the four boroughs at the end of 2025, up by between 58% and 99% in five years depending on the borough, so you will not be the first house on your road to do it. This page sets out what the data says about Black Country homes, what the councils have committed to, and how we design, install and look after a system here.

Black Country roofs, and where the battery goes

Semi-detached dominates everywhere in the Black Country: 48.4% of Dudley's 137,000 households live in one, 46.0% in Wolverhampton, 44.5% in Sandwell and 42.9% in Walsall. Detached homes are a minority (12% in Sandwell rising to 22% in Dudley) and flats are between 12% and 17%. For a typical semi that means one good south, east or west slope of 25 to 35 square metres, which comfortably takes a 4 to 5 kWp array of modern 450 W-plus panels.

Where the battery goes is usually the loft or an integral garage. Both work, with two rules we apply on every job: the battery is installed to PAS 63100, the BSI fire-safety specification for domestic storage that BS 7671 now requires for dwellings, and it never goes somewhere it cannot be inspected or ventilated. Terraces, which are a quarter of Sandwell's homes, are usually a narrower roof of six to eight panels, and a sunny gable end can be worth modelling too.

What the councils in the Black Country have committed to

All four Black Country councils have climate commitments that bear directly on home energy. Sandwell declared a climate emergency on 10 March 2020 and targets a carbon-neutral council by 2030 and borough by 2041. Dudley followed in July 2020 with the same 2030 and 2041 dates, set out in its Climate Action Plan Phase One 2024 to 2027. Walsall adopted a borough-wide Net Zero 2041 strategy whose first theme is energy, and the City of Wolverhampton has pledged net carbon zero across its own operations by 2028, reporting roughly a 52% cut in its direct footprint since 2019.

The regional backdrop is the West Midlands Combined Authority's #WM2041 commitment, with a first five-year plan targeting a 33% cut in emissions by 2026. None of these targets puts an obligation on a homeowner, but they do shape what the councils fund, how planning officers treat rooftop solar, and the direction of local building standards. In practice the Black Country is an easy place to install: permitted development covers almost every pitched-roof array, and the network operator serves the whole area under one set of connection rules.

Local facts, sourced

Black Country in numbers

Every figure below comes from a named public source: the Census, DESNZ, the European Commission's PVGIS model, HM Land Registry, the network operator lookup and the councils themselves.

  • DESNZ counts 4,468 solar PV installations in Sandwell, 4,867 in Dudley, 4,684 in Walsall and 3,682 in Wolverhampton at the end of 2025, a combined 17,701 across the four boroughs, with Walsall almost doubling (+99%) since 2020.

    Source: DESNZ, Renewable electricity by local authority 2014 to 2025 (published 29 September 2026), Solar PV sites

  • Installed solar capacity across the four boroughs reached 93.8 MW in 2025: Wolverhampton 31.85 MW, Dudley 22.07 MW, Sandwell 21.74 MW and Walsall 18.12 MW.

    Source: DESNZ, Renewable electricity by local authority 2014 to 2025, Solar PV capacity (MW)

  • Semi-detached homes are 48.4% of households in Dudley, 46.0% in Wolverhampton, 44.5% in Sandwell and 42.9% in Walsall (Census 2021), against 35.6% in Birmingham, so the typical Black Country roof is a single clean pitched slope on an inter-war or post-war semi.

    Source: ONS Census 2021, TS044 Accommodation type, via nomis (dataset NM_2062_1)

  • A 4 kWp south-facing array at 35 degrees in Oldbury is modelled at about 3,840 kWh a year by the European Commission's PVGIS tool, with every Black Country town between 3,805 (Stourbridge) and 3,852 (West Bromwich), long-term averages for an unshaded roof.

    Source: European Commission JRC, PVGIS 5.3 (SARAH3 database), 4 kWp, south, 35 degrees, 14% system loss

  • Sandwell Council declared a climate emergency on 10 March 2020 and targets a carbon-neutral council by 2030 and a carbon-neutral borough by 2041, in line with the West Midlands Combined Authority's 2041 goal.

    Source: Sandwell MBC, Climate Change strategy (sandwell.gov.uk)

  • Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council declared a climate emergency in July 2020 and set net zero targets of 2030 for the council and 2041 for the borough; its first Climate Action Plan (Phase One 2024 to 2027) was approved on 20 March 2024.

    Source: Dudley Council, Climate Action Plan Phase One 2024 to 2027 (dudley.gov.uk)

  • Walsall Council declared a climate emergency in 2019 and adopted a borough-wide Net Zero 2041 Strategy whose first theme is energy: reducing consumption and switching to renewable sources.

    Source: Walsall Council, Net Zero 2041 Strategy (go.walsall.gov.uk)

  • City of Wolverhampton Council has pledged net carbon zero across its operations by 2028 and reports its direct footprint down by roughly 52% since declaring a climate emergency in 2019.

    Source: City of Wolverhampton Council, climate emergency and net zero 2028 announcement (wolverhampton.gov.uk)

  • Average house prices in July 2026 were £205,830 in Sandwell, £215,329 in Walsall, £220,559 in Wolverhampton and £232,196 in Dudley, which is why a typical 4 kWp solar-and-battery system is a meaningful share of a Black Country home's value and worth specifying properly.

    Source: HM Land Registry, UK House Price Index, July 2026 (landregistry.data.gov.uk)

  • The Black Country sits on National Grid Electricity Distribution's West Midlands network, confirmed by real-postcode lookups for Oldbury (B68, B69), Halesowen (B62, B63), Dudley (DY2, DY3), Stourbridge (DY8, DY9), Walsall (WS2, WS4) and Wolverhampton (WV2, WV3).

    Source: Octopus Energy grid-supply-point API (api.octopus.energy/v1/industry/grid-supply-points), group _E, three real postcodes per outcode

NETWORK OPERATOR

National Grid Electricity Distribution (West Midlands)

Confirmed by real-postcode lookups for Oldbury (B68, B69), Halesowen (B62, B63), Dudley (DY2, DY3), Stourbridge (DY8, DY9), Walsall (WS2, WS4) and Wolverhampton (WV2, WV3), three postcodes per outcode. Your MPAN (the S-number on your bill) confirms your own supply.

MODELLED YIELD

3,839 kWh a year for 4 kWp, south-facing at 35 degrees, in Oldbury (West Bromwich 3,852, Walsall 3,844, Halesowen 3,830, Dudley 3,828, Wolverhampton 3,822, Stourbridge 3,805).

PVGIS 5.3 long-term average for an unshaded roof; we model your actual roof.

FROM OUR OFFICE

0 to 12 miles from Broadwell Road, Oldbury (B69 4BY).

Great-circle distance from our office to the town centre; the engineer who surveys is the one who installs.

Data last reviewed: October 2026

Towns we cover in the Black Country

Distances are from our Oldbury office. Where a town has its own page it is linked; the rest are covered from this page and quoted the same way.

  • Oldbury

    0 miles

    Our home. The office is on Broadwell Road, so Oldbury, Langley and Rounds Green jobs are a short drive.

  • Smethwick

    1.1 miles

    Dense Victorian and inter-war terraces off the Hagley and Bearwood roads, often six to eight panels on a narrow slope.

  • West Bromwich

    1.4 miles

    A mix of 1930s semis and newer estates around Hill Top and Great Barr; the highest modelled yield in the region at 3,852 kWh a year for 4 kWp.

  • Dudley

    2.1 miles

    Nearly half of homes are semis, the easiest roof in the country to fit; 4,867 installs already in the borough.

  • Tipton

    2.7 miles

    Canal-side terraces and post-war semis; most roofs are plain pitched slopes with good loft space for a battery.

  • Wednesbury

    3.3 miles

    Inter-war semis and newer developments around the retail parks; straightforward G98-size systems.

  • Rowley Regis

    1.9 miles

    Hillside housing with some very open south-facing slopes around Blackheath and Old Hill.

  • Cradley Heath

    3.6 miles

    Older terraces and 1960s estates; we model east and west slopes where the main roof faces north.

  • Halesowen

    4 miles

    A higher share of detached and larger semis around Hasbury and Lapal; room for 5 to 6 kWp and a bigger battery.

  • Brierley Hill

    4.3 miles

    Post-war semis around Merry Hill with simple hipped roofs; usually a four-hour install.

  • Kingswinford

    6.3 miles

    Predominantly 1960s to 1980s detached and semi-detached, often with a garage for the battery.

  • Stourbridge

    6.3 miles

    From Victorian villas in Oldswinford to new estates at Wollaston; conservation-area homes need the GPDO check on street-facing walls, not roofs.

  • Sedgley

    5.1 miles

    High ground with open skies; a good candidate for larger arrays and export income.

  • Walsall

    5.8 miles

    Installs nearly doubled in five years; 42.9% of homes are semis and the Net Zero 2041 strategy puts energy first.

  • Willenhall

    5.7 miles

    Compact terraces and semis; six to ten panels is the norm.

  • Bloxwich

    7.8 miles

    Mostly inter-war and post-war semis with lofts that take an inverter and battery comfortably.

  • Aldridge

    8.1 miles

    Larger detached homes and bungalows; bungalow roofs are often ideal, low pitch and unshaded.

  • Wolverhampton

    7.4 miles

    The largest city in the Black Country; 46% semi-detached and the council has committed to net carbon zero in its own operations by 2028.

  • Bilston

    4.9 miles

    Terraces and 1950s semis near the Black Country Route; we see a lot of east-west roofs here and model both slopes.

  • Wednesfield

    7.1 miles

    Post-war semis and newer estates with uncomplicated roofs.

For your home

What we install across the Black Country

Where we install: homes across Worcestershire, Staffordshire homes, and solar panels in Telford, Coventry home solar, solar panels in Worcester and Shrewsbury home solar.

Homeowners, in their own words

5.0 on Google from 44 reviews

  • ★★★★★
    “Solar panels and battery does as it says on the tin. Harj looked after us from start to finish and was always on hand to explain or help us with anything with the product, even a year later. Panels and the equipment look good. I would recommend this company.”
    Ken Tamorama · Google
  • ★★★★★
    “I had solar panels installed with Green Tech Hub, and they were highly professional throughout the process. Their operative was always contactable. I'd highly recommend them for solar panel installation.”
    Andrew · Google
  • ★★★★★
    “Very impressed with the director's knowledge. No high pressure sales pitch, just a clear explanation of the best system for us. The fitting was arranged quickly and the engineers were very efficient and tidy.”
    Michael Foster · Google

Read all 44 reviews, every one verbatim.

The next step

Tell us the postcode and the roof and we will model what a system would generate at your house, using the half-hourly data from your smart meter if you have one. Fixed price, no sales visit, and the engineer who designs it is the one who answers the phone afterwards.

We install across Birmingham, the Black Country, Worcestershire and Staffordshire from our base in Oldbury, and regularly travel 30 to 40 miles, Telford, Coventry, Shrewsbury and Stafford included. If you are on the edge of that, just ask.

Black Country home solar questions

Do I need planning permission for solar panels on a semi in Dudley, Walsall or Sandwell?

Almost never. Under Schedule 2 Part 14 of the General Permitted Development Order, panels on a house roof are permitted development as long as they project no more than 0.2 metres from the roof slope and sit no higher than the highest part of the roof, excluding chimneys. In a conservation area the restriction only applies to a wall, balcony or roof enclosure fronting a highway, so a street-facing roof slope is still permitted. Listed buildings are the exception and need consent. We check the specifics of your house before we design anything.

How long does a grid connection take in the Black Country?

The whole region is served by National Grid Electricity Distribution's West Midlands network. A system of up to 3.68 kW per phase (16 amps) is connected under G98, which we notify to the network after the install, so there is no waiting. Anything larger, which includes most solar-plus-battery systems with a 5 or 6 kW inverter, needs a G99 application before work starts. We submit that for you and it typically determines the programme more than the install itself.

I already have panels. Can you add a battery?

Yes, and it is one of the most common jobs we do in Sandwell and Dudley. Older feed-in-tariff systems usually keep their original string inverter and we add an AC-coupled battery alongside it; newer systems can often take a DC-coupled battery through a hybrid inverter. We size it to your evening and overnight use, not to the biggest unit we sell, and we install to PAS 63100.

What will I get paid for exported electricity?

Export is paid through the Smart Export Guarantee. Octopus Outgoing (Fixed) pays 12p per kWh at the time of writing, and Outgoing Prime pays 16p at the 4pm to 7pm peak and 9p off-peak. Suppliers ask for an MCS-certified installation on systems up to 50 kW, which ours are (MCS NIC-600049). We will point you to whoever pays most for your export even if it is not a supplier we work with.

Is there still 0% VAT on home solar and batteries?

Yes. The 0% VAT rate on installing solar panels and batteries in homes runs to 31 March 2027 under HMRC VAT Notice 708/6, after which it is due to revert to the 5% reduced rate. Separately, VAT has been removed from household electricity bills from 1 October 2026 to 31 March 2027.

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Nearby

We also cover homes across Staffordshire, homes across Worcestershire and homes in Telford.

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Tell us the postcode and what the roof faces. We model the generation, size the battery to your evening use and come back with a fixed price, no sales visit.

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