East vs west-facing solar panels

Most advice says to point solar panels south, and for raw annual output that is sound. But south is not the only sensible choice. Which way your panels face changes not just how much electricity they make across the year, but when in the day they make it — and for a small system that timing can matter as much as the total.

One essential point first: plug-in solar cannot currently be legally sold, supplied or used in the UK. A Government consultation that could change this is open until 30 June 2026. So treat this as planning information, and see the UK legal status page for the detail.

Why orientation matters

A solar panel produces most when sunlight hits it most directly. In the UK that points to a roughly south-facing panel at a moderate tilt, which sees the sun for the longest and at the best angles through the middle of the day. East and west-facing panels catch the sun more obliquely and for a shorter useful window, so their total annual output is lower.

The catch is that total output is only half the story. Only the electricity you use while it is being generated reduces a bill; anything you do not use is exported, which for a self-installed plug-in system may currently earn nothing. So the useful question is not only how much a panel makes, but whether it makes it when you are at home and using power.

How east and west change the timing

East-facing panels do most of their work in the morning, peaking before midday and tailing off through the afternoon. West-facing panels do the opposite, building through the afternoon and peaking into the early evening. A south-facing panel sits between the two, with a tall midday peak.

If you are out for much of the day but home in the morning or the early evening, an east or west bias can mean more of your generation lands when you are actually using electricity — even though the yearly total is a little lower. That is the core trade-off: south maximises generation, while east or west can improve how much of it you self-consume.

The east-west split

Splitting panels so some face east and some face west spreads generation across a longer part of the day. The morning-facing panels and the evening-facing panels each cover a different stretch, so the combined output curve is flatter and broader than a single south-facing array, even though the midday peak is lower. For households whose usage is concentrated at the start and end of the day, that broader curve can be a better fit than a tall midday spike.

Indicative output by orientation

The figures below are indicative only and meant to show the general pattern, not a guarantee. Real output depends on your location, tilt, shading and the specific panel. For a proper estimate at your postcode — which takes orientation into account — use the solar calculator.

So which should you choose?

There is no single right answer — it depends on your routine. If your electricity use is spread fairly evenly through the day, south usually wins. If you are typically out at midday but home in the morning or evening, an east, west or east-west arrangement may let you use a larger share of what you generate. Because the numbers turn on your own usage pattern, the most reliable way to compare is to estimate each orientation for your address with the calculator.