Quick answer
Tenure and housing come from the 2021 Census by ward; the town’s story from Cheshire West and Chester’s 2024 planning paper on Winsford; output from 56 PVGIS runs; prices and take-up from government statistics; rules and schemes from the legislation and the council. Nothing here is a survey, a quote or an eligibility decision.
The town
| Source | Used for |
|---|---|
| Places background paper: Winsford (amended 2024) Cheshire West and Chester planning policy | Winsford as the smallest of the borough’s four key urban areas, its rock salt mining, its 1960s overspill growth, its 2021 population, the Bottom Flash and the conservation area at Ways Green. |
| Annual report on Form 10-K for 2012 Compass Minerals, filed with the US SEC | The operator’s 2012 description of the Winsford mine as the largest rock salt mine in the UK. |
| Winsford, in the Vale Royal article Encyclopaedia Britannica | Winsford and Northwich as towns founded on salt production. |
| Census 2021 ward data on homes, tenure and heating Office for National Statistics | Tenure, house type and heating for the 5 Winsford wards and the borough. |
Output, prices and take-up
| Source | Used for |
|---|---|
| Photovoltaic output model (PVGIS 5.3) Joint Research Centre, European Commission | A grid of 56 yearly figures for Winsford (53.191° N, 2.524° W): eight directions by seven pitches, per kWp, 14% losses, PVGIS-SARAH3 sunlight for 2005-2023. |
| Cost per kW of small solar, 2025/26 statistics Department for Energy Security and Net Zero | Medians and regional averages of the price paid per kW in 2025/26. |
| Solar sites by local authority, 2014 to 2025 Department for Energy Security and Net Zero | Solar sites in the borough at the end of each year. |
Rules and schemes
| Source | Used for |
|---|---|
| Permitted development for homes: solar (Part 14) legislation.gov.uk | Permitted development for solar on houses, flats and in gardens. |
| The amending order of 2026 (SI 2026/896) legislation.gov.uk | The 2026 amendments, including plug-in panels. |
| National dataset of conservation areas planning.data.gov.uk | The conservation areas named for Winsford. |
| Conservation area list and appraisals Cheshire West and Chester Council | The borough’s 96 conservation areas and their appraisals. |
| The list of listed buildings Historic England | Whether a building is listed. |
| Energy support schemes for residents Cheshire West and Chester Council | Who can apply for the Warm Homes: Local Grant in west Cheshire, and the insulation scheme dates. |
| The Switch Together Solar group-buy Cheshire West and Chester Council | The council group-buy and its latest round. |
| Warm Homes: Local Grant, applying GOV.UK | The national grant application. |
| Warm Homes Loan Scheme: what it is GOV.UK | The Warm Homes Loan Scheme note. |
| Notice 708/6: VAT on energy-saving materials HMRC | The zero VAT rate and its end date. |
| Export payments under the SEG Ofgem | What larger suppliers must offer for exported units. |
| Network operator finder by postcode Energy Networks Association | Finding your network operator. |
| Search the MCS installer list MCS | Checking a firm’s certification. |
| Search company filings Companies House | Checking a firm’s record. |
Notes on method
- Household counts. Where a page gives a number of households, it multiplies a ward’s Census share by its total and rounds the result.
- Social renting. The Census groups housing association and council tenants together as social renting.
- Output. PVGIS assumes no shade and an average year.
- Prices. National and regional figures only, never a Winsford quote.
What we left out
Encyclopaedia summaries of the town’s history beyond the short Britannica line; claims about the mine from secondary websites; and any naming of the network operator for Winsford, where the postcode search gives the reliable answer.
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