Solar Panels in Barton-upon-Humber

Solar panels in Barton-upon-Humber: what is different about DN18

Barton-upon-Humber sits on the south bank of the Humber in North Lincolnshire, in the DN18 postcode district and the Brigg and Immingham parliamentary constituency. Planning decisions here are made by North Lincolnshire Council, the town has a designated conservation area and two Grade I listed churches, and the local electricity network is run by Northern Powergrid. This page explains what those things mean for a solar installation on a Barton home, and when solar is not worth doing.

The Barton-upon-Humber built-up area had 11,919 residents at the 2021 Census, up from 11,066 in 2011 (Office for National Statistics figures, as published by City Population). North Lincolnshire Council's 2021 ward profile put fuel poverty in Barton ward at 8.8% of households, against 9.8% across North Lincolnshire (2018 data). YEERS is based at Office 4, Blanket Row, Hull HU1 1TB. Measured between postcode coordinates, DN18 5HA in Barton is about 5.6 miles from our office in a straight line, on the opposite side of the estuary.

Across the Humber from Hull

The Humber Bridge links Barton with the north bank of the estuary. Historic England's list entry gives its two ends as the A15 at Hessle (HU13 0HJ) and the A15 at Barton-upon-Humber (DN18 5RZ). The bridge was listed at Grade I on 12 July 2017, and when it was completed in 1981 its 1,410-metre span was the longest single bridge span in the world. Homes on the Hull side are covered on our solar panels in Hull page; this page is written for DN18.

Planning: Barton's conservation area and listed buildings

For a Barton house the first question may be planning rather than roof size. North Lincolnshire Council's Barton upon Humber Conservation Area is recorded on the government's Planning Data service with a start date in 1972. The same service records a Barton upon Humber Article 4 Direction dating from 1977, so it is worth checking whether it applies to your address before assuming work is permitted development.

The town also has two Grade I listed churches, both first listed on 21 September 1966: the Church of St Peter on Beck Hill and the Church of St Mary on Burgate. St Peter's is now in the care of English Heritage, which records that in 1819 it became the first building in England to be identified as Anglo-Saxon, by the historian Thomas Rickman, and that excavations there recovered the remains of 2,803 people. St Mary's remains in use as the parish church.

What changed for solar on 27 August 2026

The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) (Amendment) Order 2026 (S.I. 2026/896) came into force on 27 August 2026 and amended the permitted development rules for solar on houses. For a house inside the Barton upon Humber Conservation Area, the specific restriction is that solar equipment is not permitted development on a wall, balcony or roof enclosure which fronts a highway. Roof slopes are not singled out. The limits that apply to houses in Barton, as elsewhere in England, include:

• on a pitched roof, panels must not protrude more than 0.2 metres beyond the roof slope, and must not be higher than the highest part of the roof (excluding any chimney);
• on a flat roof, the highest part of the equipment must not be more than 0.6 metres above the highest part of the roof (excluding any chimney);
• solar on a listed house, or on a site designated as a scheduled monument, is not permitted development;
• a stand-alone (ground-mounted) array is limited to 9 square metres of panels and to 4 metres in height, falling to 2 metres within 5 metres of the garden boundary and 1 metre within 5 metres of the boundary in front of the house's principal elevation. In a conservation area, an array nearer a highway that bounds the garden than the nearest part of the house is limited to 2 metres, and you must first apply to the council for a decision on whether its prior approval of the array's appearance is needed.

The Order also includes a transitional rule: work that was permitted development immediately before 27 August 2026, but is not under the new wording, can still be carried out until the end of 26 August 2027. In plain terms, panels on a wall fronting a highway on a house in the Barton upon Humber Conservation Area are not permitted development, and a listed house needs the planning route whatever the roof. Our guide to planning permission for solar panels goes through the process in more detail.

Connecting to the grid in DN18

Northern Powergrid delivers and maintains electricity supplies across the North East, Yorkshire and northern Lincolnshire, and its March 2024 Network Development Report lists the DN18 5 postal sector among those supplied from its substations. Under the national process for small generators, a DN18 system rated under 16A per phase connects under G98 at low voltage, and Northern Powergrid must be notified within 28 days of commissioning. A larger system goes through a G99 application before it is commissioned, and battery storage counts towards the limits alongside the panels. We handle all G98 and G99 grid applications and planning checks, so the Northern Powergrid paperwork for a Barton installation is part of the job.

Is solar worth it on a Barton home?

For a Barton house the answer turns on three things: whether the roof or wall you would use is caught by the conservation area, a listing or the 1977 Article 4 Direction; how much electricity you use while the sun is up; and what you are paid for the rest. Some straight points:

• VAT: installing solar panels and batteries in a home is zero-rated for VAT until 31 March 2027. From 1 April 2027 the rate reverts to 5%. See 0% VAT on solar.
• Export: the Outgoing Octopus tariff pays a flat 12p for each kWh exported. Octopus describes it as a variable tariff, so the rate can change, and it needs a smart meter that sends half-hourly export data. Compare that with the unit rate on your own bill: each kWh you use yourself saves the full unit rate, while each kWh exported earns only the export rate.
• No solar grant from the Boiler Upgrade Scheme: the scheme funds heat pumps and biomass boilers, not solar panels or batteries. It pays £7,500 towards an air source or ground source heat pump. Until March 2027 there is an extra £1,500, making £9,000, where a heat pump replaces oil or LPG heating in a home with no mains gas connection. The installer applies on your behalf. Our grants page and 2026 solar grants guide cover what else is available, and heat pumps for off-gas homes covers the £9,000 route.
• When it is not worth it: a heavily shaded roof, a roof that will need replacing within a few years, or a listed house where permission is uncertain are all good reasons to wait.

Battery storage in Barton

A battery stores daytime generation for use in the evening, and electrical storage batteries installed in homes qualify for the same 0% VAT rate until 31 March 2027. On a house in the Barton upon Humber Conservation Area, where a wall fronting a highway cannot take panels under permitted development, a battery is one way to use more of what a smaller roof array generates. Because storage counts towards the connection limits, the battery and panels for a DN18 home are designed and put to Northern Powergrid together. Our battery storage installation page covers the Sigenergy, Solax and Fox ESS systems we fit, with a 10-year workmanship warranty on battery installations. If you already have panels, read adding a battery to existing solar panels and how long a home battery lasts.

How a Barton installation works

1. Consultation and quote: a free, no-obligation quote, using your energy bills and consumption to size the system.
2. Survey: a site survey by certified engineers, including the planning checks for your address: the Barton upon Humber Conservation Area, listing and the 1977 Article 4 Direction.
3. Installation: fitted by our MCS-certified team. YEERS is registered with TrustMark (licence 3414227) and gives its own 10-year workmanship guarantee.
4. Connection and handover: the G98 notification or G99 application to Northern Powergrid, set-up of your monitoring app, then handover.

Solar panels near Barton-upon-Humber

For the rest of North Lincolnshire, see solar panels in Scunthorpe. Across the bridge, Hessle and Hull have their own pages, as do Brough, Grimsby and Cleethorpes.

Frequently asked questions