In short
Output comes from the European Commission’s PVGIS model, run with and without Frodsham’s terrain. Planning facts come from the national conservation area data and the council’s 2006 town appraisal. Homes come from the 2021 Census, and prices and take-up from government statistics. None of it is a survey of your house.
The hill and the output
| Source | Used for |
|---|---|
| PVGIS version 5.3, with terrain horizon JRC, European Commission | Two kinds of run: a 56-point grid for the town centre (53.295° N, 2.725° W) with an open sky, and four points run with and without the land’s horizon, with the horizon profile for each. |
| Frodsham (Town) conservation area appraisal, adopted 2006 Vale Royal Borough Council, now held by Cheshire West and Chester | The description of the town below the scarp slope of a sandstone ridge, and its roofs, history and conservation background. |
Planning
| Source | Used for |
|---|---|
| Conservation area boundaries for England Planning Data platform | The names and boundaries of the four Frodsham conservation areas. |
| Conservation areas and their appraisals Cheshire West and Chester | The council’s appraisals, and its count of 96 conservation areas across the borough. |
| Look up a listed building Historic England | The authority on whether a building is listed. |
| The General Permitted Development Order 2015, Part 14 legislation.gov.uk | The permitted development rules for solar on homes and in gardens. |
| Statutory Instrument 2026/896 legislation.gov.uk | The changes in force from 27 August 2026. |
Homes, prices and schemes
| Source | Used for |
|---|---|
| Census 2021: housing type, tenure and heating by ward ONS (Nomis) | Building type, tenure and heating for the Frodsham and Helsby wards and the borough. |
| What small solar installations cost, 2025/26 UK government energy department (DESNZ) | Prices per kW paid in 2025/26, as medians and regional averages. |
| Renewable sites and capacity by council area UK government energy department (DESNZ) | The number of solar sites in the borough, year by year. |
| Help with home energy: support schemes Cheshire West and Chester | The west Cheshire route to the Warm Homes: Local Grant, and the insulation scheme end dates. |
| Switch Together Solar in west Cheshire Cheshire West and Chester | The council group-buy, how it works and when it last opened. |
| How to apply for the Warm Homes: Local Grant GOV.UK | The national grant application. |
| Factsheet: the Warm Homes Loan Scheme GOV.UK | The government’s note on the Warm Homes Loan Scheme. |
| HMRC guidance on VAT for energy-saving materials HM Revenue and Customs | The zero VAT rate on installed panels and batteries, and its end date. |
| Selling exported electricity: the SEG Ofgem | The obligation on larger suppliers to pay for exported units. |
| Who is my network operator? Energy Networks Association | Finding the company that runs the local wires. |
| Check an installer on the MCS database MCS | Checking a firm’s certification. |
| Company records search Companies House | Checking a firm’s filings. |
How the hill figures were made
- Points. Four locations stand for four kinds of place: Main Street, the foot of the hill south of the centre (53.2905° N, 2.7275° W), Overton near the top of the ridge, and the marsh side to the north.
- Runs. 1 kWp, 35° pitch, 14% losses, eight directions, with PVGIS’s terrain horizon switched on; the south roof also with it switched off.
- The shortest day. The horizon profile at each point was compared with the sun’s position on 21 December, worked out with standard formulas, to find when the sun first clears the land.
- Limits. The terrain grid is about 90 m across and has no trees or buildings. The points are examples; a house a street away may sit differently against the slope.
What we did not use
Summaries of the other Frodsham appraisals that we could not read in full; claims about which houses on a street are listed, which the National Heritage List settles; and any statement naming the network operator for Frodsham.
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