Bognor Regis has a reputation in the UK — and not always a flattering one. King George V’s last words on his deathbed are supposed to have been “Bugger Bognor”. Sitcom jokes have been recycling that for nearly a century.
But Bognor has a quieter claim to fame that’s much more useful: it is, by Met Office data, repeatedly the sunniest town in the United Kingdom. And in 2026, when household electricity costs and solar yields actually matter to people’s pockets, that quietly makes Bognor one of the most interesting places in Britain to install solar panels.
The sunshine numbers
The Met Office records sunshine hours at weather stations across the UK each year. Bognor Regis routinely appears at or near the top of the national league. Annual sunshine totals in Bognor have exceeded 1,900 hours in multiple recent years — well above the UK average of around 1,500.
For comparison, here are some recent representative annual sunshine figures:
| Location | Approx annual sunshine (hrs) |
|---|---|
| Bognor Regis | 1,900+ |
| Eastbourne | 1,800+ |
| Shanklin (Isle of Wight) | 1,800+ |
| Worthing | 1,800 |
| Brighton | 1,750 |
| Chichester | 1,750 |
| Cornwall coast | 1,650 |
| London | 1,500 |
| Manchester | 1,300 |
| Glasgow | 1,200 |
Why is Bognor so sunny?
Three things, mostly:
- South-facing coastal aspect. Bognor sits on the West Sussex coast facing south across the English Channel. There’s no significant landmass to the south for hundreds of miles, so the sun has a clear, open arc.
- Rain shadow from the South Downs. Prevailing weather systems come in from the south-west. The South Downs deflect a lot of that weather, leaving the West Sussex coastal plain in a relatively dry, sunny pocket.
- Low-rise townscape. No tall buildings to cast shadows, no significant hills to the south. Most residential roofs in Bognor have a clear southern horizon.
What does this mean for solar panels?
Solar panel output is roughly proportional to incident solar radiation, which correlates closely with sunshine hours. More sunshine hours = more kWh per kW of installed panel = more savings per year and faster payback.
A typical 4kW solar PV system installed on a south-facing roof in different parts of the UK will produce roughly:
| Location | 4kW annual generation | Approx annual saving (no battery) |
|---|---|---|
| Bognor Regis | ~4,000 kWh | £600 – £800 |
| UK average | ~3,200 kWh | £440 – £620 |
| Manchester | ~3,000 kWh | £420 – £580 |
Over the 25-year warranty life of a solar panel system, a Bognor installation will produce around 25,000 kWh more electricity than the same panels installed in Manchester. At current grid prices, that’s roughly £6,000–£8,000 of additional lifetime value.
Payback in Bognor: 5–7 years
For a typical 4kW system installed at £7,000 with no battery, the higher Bognor yield brings payback into the 5–7 year range — among the fastest anywhere in the UK. With a battery added, payback typically extends to 7–10 years but lifetime savings are much higher.
After payback, you’re looking at roughly 18–25+ years of essentially free electricity from panels with a 25–30+ year working life.
It’s not just Bognor — the wider Arun and West Sussex coast
Bognor gets the headline. But the same atmospheric factors apply across the broader West Sussex coastal plain:
- Littlehampton — around 1,850 hrs/year
- Worthing — 1,800+ hrs/year
- Shoreham-by-Sea — 1,800+ hrs/year
- Chichester and the surrounding villages (Bosham, the Witterings) — around 1,750 hrs/year
All of these towns sit comfortably above the UK average. Felpham, Aldwick, Pagham and the villages around Bognor share the same favourable microclimate.
What to consider for Bognor solar installations
Two specifically-Bognor considerations to factor in:
Coastal exposure
Sea air contains salt, which is corrosive to standard hardware over years. For seafront properties along Marine Park Gardens, Aldwick Avenue or the Bognor seafront, we specify panels and mounting systems rated for coastal exposure — including marine-grade fittings — at no extra cost. We do the same across the rest of the West Sussex coast.
Conservation areas and listed buildings
Parts of Felpham and Aldwick fall within conservation areas, and some seafront properties are listed. Solar panel installations in these areas are typically still possible but may require planning consent — we cover this in our Solar Panels on Listed Buildings guide. We check the planning status of every property as part of the free site survey.
Bottom line
If you live in Bognor Regis (or Felpham, Aldwick, Pagham, North Bersted, or anywhere along the wider Arun coast), the case for solar is among the strongest anywhere in the UK. Payback in 5–7 years, then 18–25+ years of essentially free electricity, helped by the best sunshine record in the country.
We’d be biased to say that — we’re a local installer — but the Met Office numbers genuinely back it up.
