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Roof picker

Which roof slopes are yours? The Leeds roof picker

In Leeds, the house type often settles the solar question before the price does. A back-to-back owns one slope, a through-terrace two, and the direction of the street decides which way they face. Use the picker, then the full table for every direction in twelve parts of the city.

Checked 3 November 2026 · Written and published independently by SEO-DONS LTD

The roof picker

Roof picker · PVGIS for twelve Leeds points

Which roof slopes are yours, and what would they make?

On a Leeds terrace the slope you can use depends on the house type as much as the compass. Choose yours. Figures are PVGIS 5.3 estimates for a 35° roof with 14% system losses: a fair comparison, not a survey.

Type of house
Which way does the front face?

    Best slope you own, a year

    2,682 kWh

    Source: PVGIS 5.3, European Commission JRC, pulled 3 November 2026; prices: DESNZ 2025/26 Yorkshire and the Humber means (our arithmetic). Nearby buildings, trees and chimneys are not included.

    Twelve areas, eight directions

    We ran PVGIS 5.3, the European Commission's solar model, for twelve points across the Leeds district, from the city centre out to Otley, Wetherby and Morley (PVGIS). Each figure is kWh a year from 1 kW of panels on a 35° roof with 14% system losses, averaged over 2005-2023. The last column is a flat roof with the panels lying flat.

    kWh a year per kW at 35°, Leeds, by area and roof direction (PVGIS 5.3)
    AreaSSESWEWNENWNFlat
    Wetherby972916907766755593586511797
    City centre952898888753740586577506782
    Roundhay951901885756738588577507785
    Morley950896888752741585579507782
    Beeston949896886752739585576505781
    Holbeck949896886752739585576505781
    Armley949896885752738585576505781
    Harehills947894884751738584576505779
    Headingley942890879747734582573504776
    Burley941890878748733583574504776
    Horsforth941889880747734583574504776
    Otley934884877746736585580508779

    Two things stand out. The spread between areas is small, a few per cent from the wettest corner of the district to the sunniest, so where you live in Leeds matters far less than which way your roof faces. And the east side of the district edges ahead: Wetherby and Roundhay sit near the top, Otley and Horsforth near the bottom, in line with the Met Office records discussed in Is Leeds sunny enough? At the best angle, the city-centre figure is 956.

    What each house type owns

    Roof slopes by house type
    HouseSlopes you can useThe usual catch
    Back-to-backOne: over your own front doorThe direction is fixed by the street; small roof, chimney stacks
    Through-terraceFront and backShared stacks on both party walls; rear extensions shade the back
    End-terraceFront and back, plus a gable wallWall panels make far less than roof panels
    Semi-detachedFront and back, sometimes a hipped sideHipped roofs leave smaller triangular faces
    DetachedEvery slopeMore choice, but often more hips and dormers

    The back-to-back guide and terraces and semis guide take each in turn.

    Working out which way you face

    The front slope of a pitched roof faces the same way as the front door below it. Open an online map with north at the top, find your house and read the direction square-on from your front wall; a phone compass held flat against the front window gives the same answer. Round to the nearest of the eight points in the picker.

    On a through-terrace or semi the back slope faces the opposite way, so a house facing north-west has a back slope facing south-east, which PVGIS puts at 898 kWh per kW in the city centre. On a back-to-back that back slope belongs to the house behind. Corner houses and houses on curved streets can sit at odd angles; the nearest of the eight is close enough for a first look.

    Does the pitch matter?

    Pitched roofs vary from house to house. PVGIS figures for the city centre show that within the usual range the pitch moves the result by a few per cent, while turning from south to east or west costs about a fifth and to north about half:

    kWh a year per kW in central Leeds, by direction and pitch (PVGIS 5.3)
    Direction20°30°35°40°45°50°
    south908942952955954948
    south east871893898898893884
    east774762753742728711
    west765750740728714697
    north620544506468432398

    Steeper roofs suit south faces; shallower ones lose less when the roof faces east, west or north. An installer's design will use your actual pitch, and the figure on the quote should be close to this table for the same direction. If it is far higher, ask why. The costs page turns these figures into prices by size.

    Roof questions from Leeds

    How do I find out which way my roof faces?

    Stand at your front door and use a phone compass app, or look at your street on an online map with north at the top. The front slope faces the same way as your front door; on a through-terrace or semi the back slope faces the opposite way.

    Is an east or west roof worth it in Leeds?

    Usually, yes. In central Leeds PVGIS gives an east roof 753 kWh a year per kW and a west roof 740, about 79% and 78% of a south roof. They also spread output into the morning or evening.

    What if my back-to-back faces north?

    A north slope at 35° makes about 506 kWh a year per kW in central Leeds, roughly half a south slope. Some owners still fit a small system; others look at plug-in panels on a sunnier wall, or decide solar is not for that house.

    Does roof pitch matter much?

    Less than direction. On a south roof in central Leeds, PVGIS gives 942 kWh per kW at 30° and 954 at 45°. The best angle there is about 41°.

    Sources

    1. PVGIS 5.3, European Commission JRC (PVGIS-SARAH3, 2005-2023), pulled 3 November 2026
    2. Energy Saving Trust, Solar panels
    3. Ofgem, average gas and electricity use
    4. DESNZ, Solar PV cost data 2025/26

    Read next

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