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Solar panel cost in Birmingham (B6)

See realistic solar installation costs, savings and payback for B6 (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
12.9 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£789
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£9,557
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: Bigger systems don’t shorten payback—cost and savings rise together per kW.
  • 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

Costs: Battery prices are typically £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 26.99p/kWh with a 54.08p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 940 kWh/kW — 2 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 940 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 27.0p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
27.0p/kWh
Standing charge
54.1p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
940 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: £789, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 12.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1879 kWh 752 kWh 1128 kWh £203 £113 £316 £4,069 12.9 yrs £2,244
3 kW 2819 kWh 1128 kWh 1691 kWh £304 £169 £474 £6,104 12.9 yrs £3,366
4 kW 3759 kWh 1504 kWh 2255 kWh £406 £226 £631 £8,138 12.9 yrs £4,489
5 kW 4699 kWh 1879 kWh 2819 kWh £507 £282 £789 £10,173 12.9 yrs £5,611
6 kW 5638 kWh 2255 kWh 3383 kWh £609 £338 £947 £12,207 12.9 yrs £6,733
7 kW 6578 kWh 2631 kWh 3947 kWh £710 £395 £1,105 £14,242 12.9 yrs £7,855
8 kW 7518 kWh 3007 kWh 4511 kWh £812 £451 £1,263 £16,276 12.9 yrs £8,977

Assumptions: south-facing, sensible tilt; self-use shares from site rules; export at 10p baseline. Costs: panels £/kW = 2,035, battery £/kWh = 700.

3 kWh battery 5 kW example → Annual benefit: £949, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 12.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1879 kWh 1128 kWh 752 kWh £304 £75 £380 £6,169 16.3 yrs £1,422
3 kW 2819 kWh 1691 kWh 1128 kWh £457 £113 £569 £8,204 14.4 yrs £3,182
4 kW 3759 kWh 2255 kWh 1504 kWh £609 £150 £759 £10,238 13.5 yrs £4,943
5 kW 4699 kWh 2819 kWh 1879 kWh £761 £188 £949 £12,273 12.9 yrs £6,704
6 kW 5638 kWh 3383 kWh 2255 kWh £913 £226 £1,139 £14,307 12.6 yrs £8,465
7 kW 6578 kWh 3947 kWh 2631 kWh £1,065 £263 £1,328 £16,342 12.3 yrs £10,226
8 kW 7518 kWh 4511 kWh 3007 kWh £1,217 £301 £1,518 £18,376 12.1 yrs £11,986

Assumptions: south-facing, sensible tilt; self-use shares from site rules; export at 10p baseline. Costs: panels £/kW = 2,035, battery £/kWh = 700.

5 kWh battery 5 kW example → Annual benefit: £1,029, Upfront: £13,673, 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 1879 kWh 1316 kWh 564 kWh £355 £56 £411 £7,569 18.4 yrs £660
3 kW 2819 kWh 1973 kWh 846 kWh £533 £85 £617 £9,604 15.6 yrs £2,740
4 kW 3759 kWh 2631 kWh 1128 kWh £710 £113 £823 £11,638 14.1 yrs £4,820
5 kW 4699 kWh 3289 kWh 1410 kWh £888 £141 £1,029 £13,673 13.3 yrs £6,901
6 kW 5638 kWh 3947 kWh 1691 kWh £1,065 £169 £1,234 £15,707 12.7 yrs £8,981
7 kW 6578 kWh 4605 kWh 1973 kWh £1,243 £197 £1,440 £17,742 12.3 yrs £11,061
8 kW 7518 kWh 5262 kWh 2255 kWh £1,420 £226 £1,646 £19,776 12.0 yrs £13,141

Assumptions: south-facing, sensible tilt; self-use shares from site rules; export at 10p baseline. Costs: panels £/kW = 2,035, battery £/kWh = 700.

7.5 kWh battery 5 kW example → Annual benefit: £1,053, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 14.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1879 kWh 1372 kWh 507 kWh £370 £51 £421 £9,319 22.1 yrs £-898
3 kW 2819 kWh 2058 kWh 761 kWh £555 £76 £632 £11,354 18.0 yrs £1,278
4 kW 3759 kWh 2744 kWh 1015 kWh £741 £101 £842 £13,388 15.9 yrs £3,454
5 kW 4699 kWh 3430 kWh 1269 kWh £926 £127 £1,053 £15,423 14.7 yrs £5,629
6 kW 5638 kWh 4116 kWh 1522 kWh £1,111 £152 £1,263 £17,457 13.8 yrs £7,805
7 kW 6578 kWh 4802 kWh 1776 kWh £1,296 £178 £1,474 £19,492 13.2 yrs £9,981
8 kW 7518 kWh 5488 kWh 2030 kWh £1,481 £203 £1,684 £21,526 12.8 yrs £12,157

Assumptions: south-facing, sensible tilt; self-use shares from site rules; export at 10p baseline. Costs: panels £/kW = 2,035, battery £/kWh = 700.

10 kWh battery 5 kW example → Annual benefit: £1,069, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 16.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1879 kWh 1410 kWh 470 kWh £380 £47 £427 £11,069 25.9 yrs £-2,520
3 kW 2819 kWh 2114 kWh 705 kWh £571 £70 £641 £13,104 20.4 yrs £-281
4 kW 3759 kWh 2819 kWh 940 kWh £761 £94 £855 £15,138 17.7 yrs £1,959
5 kW 4699 kWh 3524 kWh 1175 kWh £951 £117 £1,069 £17,173 16.1 yrs £4,199
6 kW 5638 kWh 4229 kWh 1410 kWh £1,141 £141 £1,282 £19,207 15.0 yrs £6,439
7 kW 6578 kWh 4933 kWh 1644 kWh £1,332 £164 £1,496 £21,242 14.2 yrs £8,678
8 kW 7518 kWh 5638 kWh 1879 kWh £1,522 £188 £1,710 £23,276 13.6 yrs £10,918

Assumptions: south-facing, sensible tilt; self-use shares from site rules; export at 10p baseline. Costs: panels £/kW = 2,035, battery £/kWh = 700.

13.5 kWh battery 5 kW example → Annual benefit: £1,085, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 18.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1879 kWh 1447 kWh 432 kWh £391 £43 £434 £13,519 31.2 yrs £-4,843
3 kW 2819 kWh 2171 kWh 648 kWh £586 £65 £651 £15,554 23.9 yrs £-2,539
4 kW 3759 kWh 2894 kWh 865 kWh £781 £86 £868 £17,588 20.3 yrs £-236
5 kW 4699 kWh 3618 kWh 1081 kWh £976 £108 £1,085 £19,623 18.1 yrs £2,068
6 kW 5638 kWh 4341 kWh 1297 kWh £1,172 £130 £1,301 £21,657 16.6 yrs £4,372
7 kW 6578 kWh 5065 kWh 1513 kWh £1,367 £151 £1,518 £23,692 15.6 yrs £6,675
8 kW 7518 kWh 5789 kWh 1729 kWh £1,562 £173 £1,735 £25,726 14.8 yrs £8,979

Assumptions: south-facing, sensible tilt; self-use shares from site rules; export at 10p baseline. Costs: panels £/kW = 2,035, 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.

Insights for B6

Figures below are tailored to B6 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1691 of 2182
4.5 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~9 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #1882 of 2997
12.9 years (UK avg 12.6 years)
~£789 /yr • £10,173 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #1913 of 2997
25.0% (UK avg 24.6%) drag on savings
£197 fixed • ~£789 /yr value
Aspect Penalty View ranking →
East −21.4% West −19.5%
Typical output loss versus a south-facing roof (lower is better)

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.99p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
54.08p/day
Local Sunshine
940kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~940 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: 65% • Flats: 31% • Bungalows: 1% Based on 5,103 properties

Coverage

Birmingham (100%)

Areas Covered

Aston, Newtown, Nechells, Perry Barr, Ladywood

Data Sources & Assumptions

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

Electricity rates: Ofgem price cap, Q1 2026

Installation costs: MCS certified installer data, March 2025

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

B99 (Birmingham)
≈0.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~940 kWh/kWp · +0% vs B6
B19 (Birmingham)
≈1.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~938 kWh/kWp · -0% vs B6
B7 (Birmingham)
≈1.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~940 kWh/kWp · -0% vs B6
B4 (Birmingham)
≈2.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~940 kWh/kWp · -0% vs B6
B18 (Birmingham)
≈2.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~938 kWh/kWp · -0% vs B6
B20 (Birmingham)
≈2.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~936 kWh/kWp · -0% vs B6

Similar sunshine across the UK

CF37 (Rhondda Cynon Taf)
~940 kWh/kWp · +0% vs B6
LL12 (Wrexham)
~939 kWh/kWp · -0% vs B6
SY13 (Shropshire)
~939 kWh/kWp · -0% vs B6