Most of Yorkshire is on Northern Powergrid's Yorkshire network; York and Harrogate are on its Northeast network. Ofgem's 2024/25 figures put the Yorkshire area at 54.66 interruptions per 100 customers and 51.20 minutes lost, well above the GB average. In this site's model a 10 kWh battery with 4 kWp of solar saves about £379 a year on Octopus Flux, and about £303 with no solar on Agile Octopus.
Your electricity region and network operator
Yorkshire and the Humber spans 2 electricity regions, each with its own prices and network operator:
| Electricity region | Network operator (DNO) | Flat unit rate | Standing charge (pence a day) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yorkshire (M) | Northern Powergrid (Yorkshire) | 25.30p/kWh | 61.09 |
| North East England (F) | Northern Powergrid (Northeast) | 25.22p/kWh | 61.00 |
What a battery can buy low and use high
The rates that decide a battery's saving in Yorkshire and the Humber:
| Rate | Yorkshire | North East England |
|---|---|---|
| Octopus Flux import, 2am to 5am | 14.64p | 14.62p |
| Octopus Flux import, 4pm to 7pm | 34.16p | 34.10p |
| Octopus Flux export, 4pm to 7pm | 27.17p | 27.69p |
| Octopus Go overnight import | 8.62p | 8.62p |
| Octopus Go daytime import | 29.44p | 29.72p |
| Outgoing Octopus flat export | 12.00p | 12.00p |
| Agile Octopus, average of each day's cheapest 3 hours | 13.46p | 14.31p |
| Agile Octopus, average 4pm to 7pm | 44.45p | 45.11p |
| Flux spread: peak import minus off-peak | 19.52p | 19.48p |
Solar yield across Yorkshire and the Humber
Modelled output of a 4 kWp south-facing array:
| Place | kWh a year | June | December | Electricity region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leeds | 3,788 | 448 | 127 | Yorkshire |
| Sheffield | 3,787 | 451 | 123 | Yorkshire |
| Bradford | 3,739 | 449 | 121 | Yorkshire |
| Hull | 3,958 | 465 | 132 | Yorkshire |
| York | 3,877 | 464 | 124 | North East England |
| Doncaster | 3,900 | 459 | 133 | Yorkshire |
How often the power goes off
Ofgem's reliability figures for the networks serving Yorkshire and the Humber (lower is better):
| Network area | Interruptions per 100 customers | Minutes lost per customer | Against the GB average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yorkshire | 54.66 | 51.2 | More minutes lost |
| North Eastern England | 51.03 | 46.75 | More minutes lost |
Solar already on Yorkshire and the Humber's roofs: DESNZ counts 139,449 domestic-scale solar installations in Yorkshire and the Humber (548.2 MW) at the end of Jul 2026.
A home in Leeds using 3,000 kWh a year, with 4 kWp of solar, adds a 10 kWh battery. Yearly savings with Leeds's solar yield and Yorkshire rates, against no battery on a flat tariff:
| Tariff with the battery | Modelled saving a year | Energy charged from the grid |
|---|---|---|
| Octopus Flux, selling spare stored energy at the peak | £379 | 1,341 kWh |
| Staying on a flat tariff (solar storage only) | £147 | 0 kWh |
| Same home with no solar, battery on Agile Octopus | £303 | 3,258 kWh |
| Same home with no solar and an electric car, battery on Octopus Go | £458 | 3,258 kWh |
Flux needs solar panels and Go is for electric car owners. How the model works · try your own numbers.
York is not on the Yorkshire network
Northern Powergrid runs two licence areas, and the line between them does not follow the county. Leeds, Bradford, Sheffield, Doncaster and Hull are in its Yorkshire area; York and Harrogate are in its Northeast area. Octopus prices the two separately: on 26 September 2026 the Flux peak was 34.16p in the Yorkshire area and 34.10p in the Northeast one, and export in the peak 27.17p and 27.69p. The differences are small, but they are why an installer needs your postcode, not just your town.
A high standing charge and a narrow spread
Yorkshire’s Flexible Octopus standing charge was 61.09p a day on 26 September 2026, the second-highest in Britain after Merseyside and North Wales. A battery cannot touch the standing charge, but it reflects the network costs the region carries. On the unit rates a battery works with, Flux ran from 14.64p (2am to 5am) to 34.16p (4pm to 7pm), a 19.52p spread, one of the narrower ones, which is why the modelled solar-and-battery saving of about £379 a year is at the lower end of the fourteen regions.
The battery-only picture is better than the solar one suggests. Agile Octopus’s cheapest three hours averaged 13.46p over the 30 days to 26 September in the Yorkshire area, among the lowest in the country, and the model puts a 10 kWh battery-only saving at about £303 a year, close to the middle of the range.
Power cuts: where backup earns its place
Ofgem’s 2024/25 figures put the Yorkshire area at 54.66 interruptions per 100 customers and 51.20 minutes lost per customer, both above the network’s targets and well above the GB averages. The Northeast area was not far behind at 51.03 and 46.75. Of all the reasons to specify backup, “the power goes off more here than in most of the country” is a good one. Remember that backup has to be installed: without it, a battery switches off in a cut.
Solar yield
PVGIS models a 4 kWp south-facing array at 3,788 kWh a year in Leeds, 3,787 in Sheffield, 3,739 in Bradford, 3,900 in Doncaster, 3,877 in York and 3,958 in Hull, with December output of about 121 to 133 kWh. DESNZ counts 139,449 domestic-scale solar installations in Yorkshire and the Humber at the end of July 2026. With less winter surplus than the south, a Yorkshire solar battery earns more of its keep from cheap-rate grid charging between November and February.
Funding
England’s rules apply: 0% VAT on installed batteries until 31 March 2027; lower-interest Warm Homes loans of up to £15,000 for a battery; and, for eligible low-income homes, a council Warm Homes: Local Grant that can include a battery alongside solar panels. See grants and funding.
Getting quotes
If power cuts are part of the reason, say so and ask each installer what the backup will keep running and for how long. Compare usable kWh and price per kWh across your battery storage quotes, and check each installer on the MCS register for battery storage before a survey.
Home batteries in Yorkshire and the Humber: questions
Who is the network operator in Leeds and Sheffield?
Northern Powergrid, through its Yorkshire licence area. Leeds, Bradford, Sheffield, Doncaster and Hull were all confirmed by postcode. York and Harrogate are on Northern Powergrid's Northeast licence area instead, which has slightly different tariff rates.
Are power cuts common in Yorkshire?
More than average. Ofgem's 2024/25 data puts the Yorkshire area at 54.66 interruptions per 100 customers and 51.20 minutes lost per customer, against GB averages of about 40 and 35, and above the network's own targets. Backup hardware is worth pricing if cuts are a nuisance where you live.
Is solar with a battery worth it in Yorkshire?
It can be, mainly because of the tariff. PVGIS gives a 4 kWp array about 3,788 kWh a year in Leeds, less than southern England, so the battery relies more on cheap-rate charging in winter. On Octopus Flux the model saving is about £379 a year for a 10 kWh battery; on a flat tariff it is about £147.