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Solar panel cost in Solihull (B40)

See realistic solar installation costs, savings and payback for B40 (Solihull) 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
10.6 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£8,139
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£767
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£11,046
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 Midlands, the current unit rate is 25.33p/kWh with a 59.71p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 951 kWh/kW — 9 above the regional median (942).

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 951 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 25.3p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
25.3p/kWh
Standing charge
59.7p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
951 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: £767, Upfront: £8,139, Break-even: 10.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1903 kWh 761 kWh 1142 kWh £193 £114 £307 £3,256 10.6 yrs £2,884
3 kW 2854 kWh 1142 kWh 1712 kWh £289 £171 £460 £4,883 10.6 yrs £4,325
4 kW 3806 kWh 1522 kWh 2283 kWh £386 £228 £614 £6,511 10.6 yrs £5,767
5 kW 4757 kWh 1903 kWh 2854 kWh £482 £285 £767 £8,139 10.6 yrs £7,209
6 kW 5708 kWh 2283 kWh 3425 kWh £578 £342 £921 £9,767 10.6 yrs £8,651
7 kW 6660 kWh 2664 kWh 3996 kWh £675 £400 £1,074 £11,394 10.6 yrs £10,092
8 kW 7611 kWh 3044 kWh 4567 kWh £771 £457 £1,228 £13,022 10.6 yrs £11,534

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: £913, Upfront: £10,239, Break-even: 11.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1903 kWh 1142 kWh 761 kWh £289 £76 £365 £5,356 14.7 yrs £1,950
3 kW 2854 kWh 1712 kWh 1142 kWh £434 £114 £548 £6,983 12.7 yrs £3,975
4 kW 3806 kWh 2283 kWh 1522 kWh £578 £152 £731 £8,611 11.8 yrs £6,001
5 kW 4757 kWh 2854 kWh 1903 kWh £723 £190 £913 £10,239 11.2 yrs £8,026
6 kW 5708 kWh 3425 kWh 2283 kWh £868 £228 £1,096 £11,867 10.8 yrs £10,051
7 kW 6660 kWh 3996 kWh 2664 kWh £1,012 £266 £1,279 £13,494 10.6 yrs £12,076
8 kW 7611 kWh 4567 kWh 3044 kWh £1,157 £304 £1,461 £15,122 10.3 yrs £14,101

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: £986, Upfront: £11,639, Break-even: 11.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1903 kWh 1332 kWh 571 kWh £337 £57 £394 £6,756 17.1 yrs £1,134
3 kW 2854 kWh 1998 kWh 856 kWh £506 £86 £592 £8,383 14.2 yrs £3,451
4 kW 3806 kWh 2664 kWh 1142 kWh £675 £114 £789 £10,011 12.7 yrs £5,767
5 kW 4757 kWh 3330 kWh 1427 kWh £843 £143 £986 £11,639 11.8 yrs £8,084
6 kW 5708 kWh 3996 kWh 1712 kWh £1,012 £171 £1,183 £13,267 11.2 yrs £10,401
7 kW 6660 kWh 4662 kWh 1998 kWh £1,181 £200 £1,381 £14,894 10.8 yrs £12,718
8 kW 7611 kWh 5328 kWh 2283 kWh £1,350 £228 £1,578 £16,522 10.5 yrs £15,035

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: £1,008, Upfront: £13,389, Break-even: 13.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1903 kWh 1389 kWh 514 kWh £352 £51 £403 £8,506 21.1 yrs £-441
3 kW 2854 kWh 2084 kWh 771 kWh £528 £77 £605 £10,133 16.8 yrs £1,963
4 kW 3806 kWh 2778 kWh 1027 kWh £704 £103 £806 £11,761 14.6 yrs £4,367
5 kW 4757 kWh 3473 kWh 1284 kWh £880 £128 £1,008 £13,389 13.3 yrs £6,772
6 kW 5708 kWh 4167 kWh 1541 kWh £1,056 £154 £1,210 £15,017 12.4 yrs £9,176
7 kW 6660 kWh 4862 kWh 1798 kWh £1,231 £180 £1,411 £16,644 11.8 yrs £11,581
8 kW 7611 kWh 5556 kWh 2055 kWh £1,407 £205 £1,613 £18,272 11.3 yrs £13,985

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: £1,023, Upfront: £15,139, Break-even: 14.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1903 kWh 1427 kWh 476 kWh £361 £48 £409 £10,256 25.1 yrs £-2,075
3 kW 2854 kWh 2141 kWh 714 kWh £542 £71 £614 £11,883 19.4 yrs £388
4 kW 3806 kWh 2854 kWh 951 kWh £723 £95 £818 £13,511 16.5 yrs £2,851
5 kW 4757 kWh 3568 kWh 1189 kWh £904 £119 £1,023 £15,139 14.8 yrs £5,313
6 kW 5708 kWh 4281 kWh 1427 kWh £1,084 £143 £1,227 £16,767 13.7 yrs £7,776
7 kW 6660 kWh 4995 kWh 1665 kWh £1,265 £166 £1,432 £18,394 12.8 yrs £10,239
8 kW 7611 kWh 5708 kWh 1903 kWh £1,446 £190 £1,636 £20,022 12.2 yrs £12,702

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: £1,037, Upfront: £17,589, Break-even: 17.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1903 kWh 1465 kWh 438 kWh £371 £44 £415 £12,706 30.6 yrs £-4,408
3 kW 2854 kWh 2198 kWh 656 kWh £557 £66 £622 £14,333 23.0 yrs £-1,887
4 kW 3806 kWh 2930 kWh 875 kWh £742 £88 £830 £15,961 19.2 yrs £634
5 kW 4757 kWh 3663 kWh 1094 kWh £928 £109 £1,037 £17,589 17.0 yrs £3,155
6 kW 5708 kWh 4395 kWh 1313 kWh £1,113 £131 £1,245 £19,217 15.4 yrs £5,676
7 kW 6660 kWh 5128 kWh 1532 kWh £1,299 £153 £1,452 £20,844 14.4 yrs £8,197
8 kW 7611 kWh 5861 kWh 1751 kWh £1,484 £175 £1,660 £22,472 13.5 yrs £10,718

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 Solihull

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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Check what MCS certification means

Understand DNO, G98 and G99 export limits

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Insights for B40

Figures below are tailored to B40 — click through for full league tables.

Solar Payback Index Rank #1581 of 2996
10.6 years (UK avg 10.8 years)
~£767 /yr • £8,139 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #1918 of 2996
28.4% (UK avg 26.6%) drag on savings
£218 fixed • ~£767 /yr value
Aspect Penalty View ranking →
East −21.2% West −19.5%
Typical output loss versus a south-facing roof (lower is better)

Seasonal solar output in B40

Monthly generation per kilowatt of solar panels

kWh 36 Jan 51 Feb 82 Mar 106 Apr 116 May 115 Jun 117 Jul 104 Aug 89 Sep 62 Oct 42 Nov 32 Dec
Best month Worst month Winter (Dec–Feb) Other months

Winter output: 50.1% 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 40 kWh per month; the average month produces around 79 kWh. So a typical 4 kW home system would generate roughly 159 kWh in winter, or 317 kWh in an average month.

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.33p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
59.71p/day
Local Sunshine
951kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~951 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

No EPC data available for this outcode

Coverage

Solihull (100%)

Areas Covered

Bickenhill, Chelmsley Wood

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 Midlands

B37 (Solihull)
≈3.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~949 kWh/kWp · -0% vs B40
B92 (Solihull)
≈4.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~957 kWh/kWp · +1% vs B40
B26 (Birmingham)
≈4.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~942 kWh/kWp · -1% vs B40
B33 (Birmingham)
≈5.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~949 kWh/kWp · -0% vs B40
B91 (Solihull)
≈5.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~951 kWh/kWp · -0% vs B40
B46 (North Warwickshire)
≈5.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~952 kWh/kWp · +0% vs B40

Similar sunshine across the UK

PL19 (West Devon)
~951 kWh/kWp · +0% vs B40
NE32 (South Tyneside)
~952 kWh/kWp · +0% vs B40
NE35 (South Tyneside)
~952 kWh/kWp · +0% vs B40