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Solar panel cost in Welwyn Hatfield (AL8)

See realistic solar installation costs, savings and payback for AL8 (Welwyn Hatfield) in under a minute using official UK data. Start with the calculator, then get a no-obligation quote from an MCS-certified installer. You can also ask the SolarByPostcode assistant to sanity-check your roof, bills and plans.

Solar Calculator

Change the settings below to see how costs and savings work for your situation.

System Size

Roof Direction

Battery Storage

Export Value

Your Numbers

Break-even
9.9 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£8,139
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£823
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£12,434
After paying itself off, you're this much ahead

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How we calculate this

Solar generation: Based on typical south-facing roof at 35° angle. We account for weather, dirt, and system losses (14%).

How much you'll use directly:

  • Without battery: You'll use about 40% of what you generate. The rest gets sold back to the grid.
  • With 5 kWh battery: You'll use about 70% (battery stores extra for evening use).
  • With 10 kWh battery: You'll use about 75% (more storage means less exported).
  • Panel-only payback: The official cost per kW is lower above 4 kW, so a 5–6 kW system can pay back a little faster than a 3–4 kW system on otherwise identical assumptions.
  • Battery & payback: Batteries raise self-use and cut bills, but added hardware cost often lengthens break-even at typical UK rates.
  • When a battery can still make sense:
    • Evening-heavy usage patterns
    • Time-of-use tariffs / cheap night rates
    • Low export rate vs. high unit rate
    • Heat pump or EV charging synergy
    • Optional backup/resilience (system-dependent)
    • Lower evening-hour CO₂ vs. grid

Panel costs: Uses March 2026 TIC mean installation costs: £1,827/kW up to 4 kW and £1,628/kW above 4 kW.

Other costs: Battery prices are modelled at £700 per kWh. Export tariffs vary by supplier (usually 5–15p per kWh).

Grid connection: Systems up to about 3.7 kW typically need just a notification (G98). Larger systems may need permission (G99).

These are typical values based on average usage patterns. Your actual results will vary based on your roof, shading, and how you use electricity.

Your area in context

In Eastern, the current unit rate is 26.38p/kWh with a 53.94p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 994 kWh/kW — 15 below the regional median (1009).

Read the full story

A typical roof here lands around 5.0 kW, with most eligible homes comfortably fitting within 3–6 kW. Each kilowatt of panels produces roughly 994 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 26.4p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
26.4p/kWh
Standing charge
53.9p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
994 kWh/kW
Export price (baseline)
10p/kWh

Browse the scenarios below. Each battery size has its own expand — open the one that matches your plan (or just explore). For each system size (2–8 kW) we show annual output, how much you use directly, what gets exported, annual benefit, upfront cost, break-even, and a 20-year net. Negative numbers are possible — that’s the honest trade-off when adding more battery than your usage profile justifies.

No battery 5 kW example → Annual benefit: £823, Upfront: £8,139, Break-even: 9.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1989 kWh 795 kWh 1193 kWh £210 £119 £329 £3,256 9.9 yrs £3,328
3 kW 2983 kWh 1193 kWh 1790 kWh £315 £179 £494 £4,883 9.9 yrs £4,992
4 kW 3977 kWh 1591 kWh 2386 kWh £420 £239 £658 £6,511 9.9 yrs £6,655
5 kW 4972 kWh 1989 kWh 2983 kWh £525 £298 £823 £8,139 9.9 yrs £8,319
6 kW 5966 kWh 2386 kWh 3580 kWh £630 £358 £987 £9,767 9.9 yrs £9,983
7 kW 6960 kWh 2784 kWh 4176 kWh £734 £418 £1,152 £11,394 9.9 yrs £11,647
8 kW 7955 kWh 3182 kWh 4773 kWh £839 £477 £1,317 £13,022 9.9 yrs £13,311

Assumptions: south-facing, sensible tilt; self-use shares from site rules; export at 10p baseline. Costs: panels £/kW = 1,628, battery £/kWh = 700.

3 kWh battery 5 kW example → Annual benefit: £986, Upfront: £10,239, Break-even: 10.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1989 kWh 1193 kWh 795 kWh £315 £80 £394 £5,356 13.6 yrs £2,531
3 kW 2983 kWh 1790 kWh 1193 kWh £472 £119 £591 £6,983 11.8 yrs £4,846
4 kW 3977 kWh 2386 kWh 1591 kWh £630 £159 £789 £8,611 10.9 yrs £7,161
5 kW 4972 kWh 2983 kWh 1989 kWh £787 £199 £986 £10,239 10.4 yrs £9,477
6 kW 5966 kWh 3580 kWh 2386 kWh £944 £239 £1,183 £11,867 10.0 yrs £11,792
7 kW 6960 kWh 4176 kWh 2784 kWh £1,102 £278 £1,380 £13,494 9.8 yrs £14,107
8 kW 7955 kWh 4773 kWh 3182 kWh £1,259 £318 £1,577 £15,122 9.6 yrs £16,423

Assumptions: south-facing, sensible tilt; self-use shares from site rules; export at 10p baseline. Costs: panels £/kW = 1,628, battery £/kWh = 700.

5 kWh battery 5 kW example → Annual benefit: £1,067, Upfront: £11,639, Break-even: 10.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1989 kWh 1392 kWh 597 kWh £367 £60 £427 £6,756 15.8 yrs £1,782
3 kW 2983 kWh 2088 kWh 895 kWh £551 £89 £640 £8,383 13.1 yrs £4,423
4 kW 3977 kWh 2784 kWh 1193 kWh £734 £119 £854 £10,011 11.7 yrs £7,064
5 kW 4972 kWh 3480 kWh 1491 kWh £918 £149 £1,067 £11,639 10.9 yrs £9,705
6 kW 5966 kWh 4176 kWh 1790 kWh £1,102 £179 £1,281 £13,267 10.4 yrs £12,347
7 kW 6960 kWh 4872 kWh 2088 kWh £1,285 £209 £1,494 £14,894 10.0 yrs £14,988
8 kW 7955 kWh 5568 kWh 2386 kWh £1,469 £239 £1,708 £16,522 9.7 yrs £17,629

Assumptions: south-facing, sensible tilt; self-use shares from site rules; export at 10p baseline. Costs: panels £/kW = 1,628, battery £/kWh = 700.

7.5 kWh battery 5 kW example → Annual benefit: £1,092, Upfront: £13,389, Break-even: 12.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1989 kWh 1452 kWh 537 kWh £383 £54 £437 £8,506 19.5 yrs £228
3 kW 2983 kWh 2178 kWh 805 kWh £574 £81 £655 £10,133 15.5 yrs £2,966
4 kW 3977 kWh 2903 kWh 1074 kWh £766 £107 £873 £11,761 13.5 yrs £5,705
5 kW 4972 kWh 3629 kWh 1342 kWh £957 £134 £1,092 £13,389 12.3 yrs £8,444
6 kW 5966 kWh 4355 kWh 1611 kWh £1,149 £161 £1,310 £15,017 11.5 yrs £11,183
7 kW 6960 kWh 5081 kWh 1879 kWh £1,340 £188 £1,528 £16,644 10.9 yrs £13,922
8 kW 7955 kWh 5807 kWh 2148 kWh £1,532 £215 £1,747 £18,272 10.5 yrs £16,661

Assumptions: south-facing, sensible tilt; self-use shares from site rules; export at 10p baseline. Costs: panels £/kW = 1,628, battery £/kWh = 700.

10 kWh battery 5 kW example → Annual benefit: £1,108, Upfront: £15,139, Break-even: 13.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1989 kWh 1491 kWh 497 kWh £393 £50 £443 £10,256 23.1 yrs £-1,392
3 kW 2983 kWh 2237 kWh 746 kWh £590 £75 £665 £11,883 17.9 yrs £1,412
4 kW 3977 kWh 2983 kWh 994 kWh £787 £99 £886 £13,511 15.2 yrs £4,216
5 kW 4972 kWh 3729 kWh 1243 kWh £984 £124 £1,108 £15,139 13.7 yrs £7,020
6 kW 5966 kWh 4474 kWh 1491 kWh £1,180 £149 £1,330 £16,767 12.6 yrs £9,824
7 kW 6960 kWh 5220 kWh 1740 kWh £1,377 £174 £1,551 £18,394 11.9 yrs £12,628
8 kW 7955 kWh 5966 kWh 1989 kWh £1,574 £199 £1,773 £20,022 11.3 yrs £15,432

Assumptions: south-facing, sensible tilt; self-use shares from site rules; export at 10p baseline. Costs: panels £/kW = 1,628, battery £/kWh = 700.

13.5 kWh battery 5 kW example → Annual benefit: £1,124, Upfront: £17,589, Break-even: 15.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1989 kWh 1531 kWh 457 kWh £404 £46 £450 £12,706 28.3 yrs £-3,712
3 kW 2983 kWh 2297 kWh 686 kWh £606 £69 £675 £14,333 21.2 yrs £-843
4 kW 3977 kWh 3063 kWh 915 kWh £808 £91 £899 £15,961 17.7 yrs £2,026
5 kW 4972 kWh 3828 kWh 1143 kWh £1,010 £114 £1,124 £17,589 15.6 yrs £4,896
6 kW 5966 kWh 4594 kWh 1372 kWh £1,212 £137 £1,349 £19,217 14.2 yrs £7,765
7 kW 6960 kWh 5359 kWh 1601 kWh £1,414 £160 £1,574 £20,844 13.2 yrs £10,634
8 kW 7955 kWh 6125 kWh 1830 kWh £1,616 £183 £1,799 £22,472 12.5 yrs £13,503

Assumptions: south-facing, sensible tilt; self-use shares from site rules; export at 10p baseline. Costs: panels £/kW = 1,628, battery £/kWh = 700.

Figures are illustrative and use the same method as the calculator above. For exact results, adjust your roof direction, tariff, and usage in the calculator.

Before you request quotes in Welwyn Hatfield

Use the numbers above to sanity-check installer quotes. The main things to compare are system size, battery assumptions, payback claims, MCS certification, DNO paperwork and export assumptions.

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Insights for AL8

Figures below are tailored to AL8 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1770 of 2182
4.4 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~9 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #759 of 2996
9.9 years (UK avg 10.8 years)
~£823 /yr • £8,139 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #1169 of 2996
23.9% (UK avg 26.6%) drag on savings
£197 fixed • ~£823 /yr value
Aspect Penalty View ranking →
East −21.6% West −19.6%
Typical output loss versus a south-facing roof (lower is better)

Seasonal solar output in AL8

Monthly generation per kilowatt of solar panels

kWh 39 Jan 52 Feb 85 Mar 110 Apr 118 May 120 Jun 121 Jul 110 Aug 94 Sep 67 Oct 46 Nov 34 Dec
Best month Worst month Winter (Dec–Feb) Other months

Winter output: 50.3% of an average month (Dec–Feb)

Best / worst month: Jul / Dec

These figures show output per kilowatt (kW) of panels installed. In winter, a 1 kW system here produces about 42 kWh per month; the average month produces around 83 kWh. So a typical 4 kW home system would generate roughly 167 kWh in winter, or 331 kWh in an average month.

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.38p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
53.94p/day
Local Sunshine
994kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~994 kWh per year. A typical home uses ~2,700 kWh per year.
Typical System Size
5.0kW
For houses & bungalows in this area

Local Property Data

Property Types

Houses: 60% • Flats: 32% • Bungalows: 6% Based on 3,685 properties

Coverage

Welwyn Hatfield (100%)

Areas Covered

Handside, Sherrards, Peartree, Hatfield Villages, Hatfield Central, Welwyn East

Data Sources & Assumptions

Solar yield: PVGIS (EU Joint Research Centre), January 2025 data

Electricity rates: Ofgem price cap, Q3 2026

Installation costs: DESNZ/MCS data, March 2026 (TIC)

Property data: EPC open data (Open Government Licence), aggregated

All estimates are typical values. Actual results vary based on your specific situation, roof characteristics, and usage patterns.

Compare nearby areas

Nearby in Eastern

AL7 (Welwyn Hatfield)
≈1.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~999 kWh/kWp · +0% vs AL8
AL6 (Welwyn Hatfield)
≈3.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~997 kWh/kWp · +0% vs AL8
AL10 (Welwyn Hatfield)
≈4.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~991 kWh/kWp · -0% vs AL8
AL9 (Welwyn Hatfield)
≈6.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~991 kWh/kWp · -0% vs AL8
SG3 (North Hertfordshire)
≈7.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~999 kWh/kWp · +1% vs AL8
AL4 (St Albans)
≈7.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~992 kWh/kWp · -0% vs AL8

Similar sunshine across the UK

SW14 (Richmond upon Thames)
~994 kWh/kWp · -0% vs AL8
SL6 (Windsor and Maidenhead)
~994 kWh/kWp · -0% vs AL8
SL60 (Windsor and Maidenhead)
~994 kWh/kWp · +0% vs AL8