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Solar panel cost in Birmingham (B45)

See realistic solar installation costs, savings and payback for B45 (Birmingham) 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
10.8 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£8,139
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£756
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£10,753
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 937 kWh/kW — 5 below 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 937 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)
937 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: £756, Upfront: £8,139, Break-even: 10.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1874 kWh 749 kWh 1124 kWh £190 £112 £302 £3,256 10.8 yrs £2,790
3 kW 2811 kWh 1124 kWh 1686 kWh £285 £169 £453 £4,883 10.8 yrs £4,185
4 kW 3747 kWh 1499 kWh 2248 kWh £380 £225 £605 £6,511 10.8 yrs £5,580
5 kW 4684 kWh 1874 kWh 2811 kWh £475 £281 £756 £8,139 10.8 yrs £6,975
6 kW 5621 kWh 2248 kWh 3373 kWh £570 £337 £907 £9,767 10.8 yrs £8,370
7 kW 6558 kWh 2623 kWh 3935 kWh £664 £393 £1,058 £11,394 10.8 yrs £9,764
8 kW 7495 kWh 2998 kWh 4497 kWh £759 £450 £1,209 £13,022 10.8 yrs £11,159

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: £899, Upfront: £10,239, Break-even: 11.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1874 kWh 1124 kWh 749 kWh £285 £75 £360 £5,356 14.9 yrs £1,839
3 kW 2811 kWh 1686 kWh 1124 kWh £427 £112 £540 £6,983 12.9 yrs £3,808
4 kW 3747 kWh 2248 kWh 1499 kWh £570 £150 £719 £8,611 12.0 yrs £5,778
5 kW 4684 kWh 2811 kWh 1874 kWh £712 £187 £899 £10,239 11.4 yrs £7,747
6 kW 5621 kWh 3373 kWh 2248 kWh £854 £225 £1,079 £11,867 11.0 yrs £9,716
7 kW 6558 kWh 3935 kWh 2623 kWh £997 £262 £1,259 £13,494 10.7 yrs £11,686
8 kW 7495 kWh 4497 kWh 2998 kWh £1,139 £300 £1,439 £15,122 10.5 yrs £13,655

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: £971, Upfront: £11,639, Break-even: 12.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1874 kWh 1312 kWh 562 kWh £332 £56 £388 £6,756 17.4 yrs £1,013
3 kW 2811 kWh 1967 kWh 843 kWh £498 £84 £583 £8,383 14.4 yrs £3,270
4 kW 3747 kWh 2623 kWh 1124 kWh £664 £112 £777 £10,011 12.9 yrs £5,527
5 kW 4684 kWh 3279 kWh 1405 kWh £831 £141 £971 £11,639 12.0 yrs £7,783
6 kW 5621 kWh 3935 kWh 1686 kWh £997 £169 £1,165 £13,267 11.4 yrs £10,040
7 kW 6558 kWh 4591 kWh 1967 kWh £1,163 £197 £1,360 £14,894 11.0 yrs £12,297
8 kW 7495 kWh 5246 kWh 2248 kWh £1,329 £225 £1,554 £16,522 10.6 yrs £14,553

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: £993, Upfront: £13,389, Break-even: 13.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1874 kWh 1368 kWh 506 kWh £346 £51 £397 £8,506 21.4 yrs £-564
3 kW 2811 kWh 2052 kWh 759 kWh £520 £76 £596 £10,133 17.0 yrs £1,778
4 kW 3747 kWh 2736 kWh 1012 kWh £693 £101 £794 £11,761 14.8 yrs £4,121
5 kW 4684 kWh 3420 kWh 1265 kWh £866 £126 £993 £13,389 13.5 yrs £6,464
6 kW 5621 kWh 4103 kWh 1518 kWh £1,039 £152 £1,191 £15,017 12.6 yrs £8,807
7 kW 6558 kWh 4787 kWh 1771 kWh £1,213 £177 £1,390 £16,644 12.0 yrs £11,150
8 kW 7495 kWh 5471 kWh 2024 kWh £1,386 £202 £1,588 £18,272 11.5 yrs £13,493

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: £1,007, Upfront: £15,139, Break-even: 15.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1874 kWh 1405 kWh 468 kWh £356 £47 £403 £10,256 25.5 yrs £-2,199
3 kW 2811 kWh 2108 kWh 703 kWh £534 £70 £604 £11,883 19.7 yrs £201
4 kW 3747 kWh 2811 kWh 937 kWh £712 £94 £806 £13,511 16.8 yrs £2,601
5 kW 4684 kWh 3513 kWh 1171 kWh £890 £117 £1,007 £15,139 15.0 yrs £5,001
6 kW 5621 kWh 4216 kWh 1405 kWh £1,068 £141 £1,208 £16,767 13.9 yrs £7,402
7 kW 6558 kWh 4919 kWh 1640 kWh £1,246 £164 £1,410 £18,394 13.0 yrs £9,802
8 kW 7495 kWh 5621 kWh 1874 kWh £1,424 £187 £1,611 £20,022 12.4 yrs £12,202

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: £1,021, Upfront: £17,589, Break-even: 17.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1874 kWh 1443 kWh 431 kWh £365 £43 £409 £12,706 31.1 yrs £-4,535
3 kW 2811 kWh 2164 kWh 646 kWh £548 £65 £613 £14,333 23.4 yrs £-2,077
4 kW 3747 kWh 2886 kWh 862 kWh £731 £86 £817 £15,961 19.5 yrs £381
5 kW 4684 kWh 3607 kWh 1077 kWh £914 £108 £1,021 £17,589 17.2 yrs £2,839
6 kW 5621 kWh 4328 kWh 1293 kWh £1,096 £129 £1,226 £19,217 15.7 yrs £5,296
7 kW 6558 kWh 5050 kWh 1508 kWh £1,279 £151 £1,430 £20,844 14.6 yrs £7,754
8 kW 7495 kWh 5771 kWh 1724 kWh £1,462 £172 £1,634 £22,472 13.8 yrs £10,212

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 Birmingham

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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Share the first part of your postcode and a few basics. We’ll help you check whether system size, battery, export and paperwork assumptions look sensible before you commit to installer conversations.

This is a practical sanity-check request, not an instant quote promise. The Blue Ape quote route above remains available if you already want installer introductions.

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Insights for B45

Figures below are tailored to B45 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1510 of 2182
4.7 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~10 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #1771 of 2996
10.8 years (UK avg 10.8 years)
~£756 /yr • £8,139 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2025 of 2996
28.8% (UK avg 26.6%) drag on savings
£218 fixed • ~£756 /yr value
Aspect Penalty View ranking →
East −20.8% West −19.3%
Typical output loss versus a south-facing roof (lower is better)

Seasonal solar output in B45

Monthly generation per kilowatt of solar panels

kWh 36 Jan 49 Feb 81 Mar 105 Apr 115 May 115 Jun 114 Jul 102 Aug 87 Sep 61 Oct 41 Nov 31 Dec
Best month Worst month Winter (Dec–Feb) Other months

Winter output: 49.4% of an average month (Dec–Feb)

Best / worst month: May / Dec

These figures show output per kilowatt (kW) of panels installed. In winter, a 1 kW system here produces about 39 kWh per month; the average month produces around 78 kWh. So a typical 4 kW home system would generate roughly 154 kWh in winter, or 312 kWh in an average month.

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.33p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
59.71p/day
Local Sunshine
937kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~937 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: 70% • Flats: 19% • Bungalows: 8% Based on 8,717 properties

Coverage

Birmingham (60%)|Bromsgrove (40%)

Areas Covered

Rubery & Rednal, Frankley Great Park, Rubery South, Cofton, Rubery North, Barnt Green & Hopwood, Lickey Hills, Longbridge & West Heath + 3 more

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

B31 (Birmingham)
≈3.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~940 kWh/kWp · +0% vs B45
B38 (Birmingham)
≈5.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~938 kWh/kWp · +0% vs B45
B48 (Bromsgrove)
≈5.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~948 kWh/kWp · +1% vs B45
B22 (Birmingham)
≈5.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~937 kWh/kWp · +0% vs B45
B30 (Birmingham)
≈6.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~938 kWh/kWp · +0% vs B45
B61 (Bromsgrove)
≈6.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~957 kWh/kWp · +2% vs B45

Similar sunshine across the UK

DE15 (East Staffordshire)
~937 kWh/kWp · -0% vs B45
NG17 (Ashfield)
~937 kWh/kWp · +0% vs B45
LL13 (Wrexham)
~937 kWh/kWp · +0% vs B45