Solar panel cost in Burnley (BB12)

See realistic solar installation costs, savings and payback for BB12 (Burnley) 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
15.8 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£8,138
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£516
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£4,771
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

Read the full story

A typical roof here lands around 4.0 kW, with most eligible homes comfortably fitting within 3–6 kW. Each kilowatt of panels produces roughly 848 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 23.0p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
23.0p/kWh
Standing charge
46.9p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
848 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: £645, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 15.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1697 kWh 679 kWh 1018 kWh £156 £102 £258 £4,069 15.8 yrs £1,095
3 kW 2545 kWh 1018 kWh 1527 kWh £235 £153 £387 £6,104 15.8 yrs £1,642
4 kW 3394 kWh 1357 kWh 2036 kWh £313 £204 £516 £8,138 15.8 yrs £2,189
5 kW 4242 kWh 1697 kWh 2545 kWh £391 £255 £645 £10,173 15.8 yrs £2,736
6 kW 5090 kWh 2036 kWh 3054 kWh £469 £305 £775 £12,207 15.8 yrs £3,284
7 kW 5939 kWh 2375 kWh 3563 kWh £547 £356 £904 £14,242 15.8 yrs £3,831
8 kW 6787 kWh 2715 kWh 4072 kWh £625 £407 £1,033 £16,276 15.8 yrs £4,378

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: £756, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 16.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1697 kWh 1018 kWh 679 kWh £235 £68 £302 £6,169 20.4 yrs £-120
3 kW 2545 kWh 1527 kWh 1018 kWh £352 £102 £454 £8,204 18.1 yrs £869
4 kW 3394 kWh 2036 kWh 1357 kWh £469 £136 £605 £10,238 16.9 yrs £1,859
5 kW 4242 kWh 2545 kWh 1697 kWh £586 £170 £756 £12,273 16.2 yrs £2,849
6 kW 5090 kWh 3054 kWh 2036 kWh £704 £204 £907 £14,307 15.8 yrs £3,839
7 kW 5939 kWh 3563 kWh 2375 kWh £821 £238 £1,059 £16,342 15.4 yrs £4,829
8 kW 6787 kWh 4072 kWh 2715 kWh £938 £271 £1,210 £18,376 15.2 yrs £5,818

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: £811, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 16.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1697 kWh 1188 kWh 509 kWh £274 £51 £325 £7,569 23.3 yrs £-1,078
3 kW 2545 kWh 1782 kWh 764 kWh £410 £76 £487 £9,604 19.7 yrs £133
4 kW 3394 kWh 2375 kWh 1018 kWh £547 £102 £649 £11,638 17.9 yrs £1,344
5 kW 4242 kWh 2969 kWh 1273 kWh £684 £127 £811 £13,673 16.9 yrs £2,555
6 kW 5090 kWh 3563 kWh 1527 kWh £821 £153 £974 £15,707 16.1 yrs £3,766
7 kW 5939 kWh 4157 kWh 1782 kWh £958 £178 £1,136 £17,742 15.6 yrs £4,977
8 kW 6787 kWh 4751 kWh 2036 kWh £1,095 £204 £1,298 £19,776 15.2 yrs £6,188

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: £828, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 18.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1697 kWh 1239 kWh 458 kWh £285 £46 £331 £9,319 28.1 yrs £-2,695
3 kW 2545 kWh 1858 kWh 687 kWh £428 £69 £497 £11,354 22.9 yrs £-1,418
4 kW 3394 kWh 2477 kWh 916 kWh £571 £92 £662 £13,388 20.2 yrs £-140
5 kW 4242 kWh 3097 kWh 1145 kWh £713 £115 £828 £15,423 18.6 yrs £1,137
6 kW 5090 kWh 3716 kWh 1374 kWh £856 £137 £994 £17,457 17.6 yrs £2,415
7 kW 5939 kWh 4335 kWh 1603 kWh £999 £160 £1,159 £19,492 16.8 yrs £3,692
8 kW 6787 kWh 4955 kWh 1833 kWh £1,142 £183 £1,325 £21,526 16.2 yrs £4,969

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: £839, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 20.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1697 kWh 1273 kWh 424 kWh £293 £42 £336 £11,069 33.0 yrs £-4,357
3 kW 2545 kWh 1909 kWh 636 kWh £440 £64 £503 £13,104 26.0 yrs £-3,035
4 kW 3394 kWh 2545 kWh 848 kWh £586 £85 £671 £15,138 22.6 yrs £-1,713
5 kW 4242 kWh 3181 kWh 1060 kWh £733 £106 £839 £17,173 20.5 yrs £-392
6 kW 5090 kWh 3818 kWh 1273 kWh £880 £127 £1,007 £19,207 19.1 yrs £930
7 kW 5939 kWh 4454 kWh 1485 kWh £1,026 £148 £1,175 £21,242 18.1 yrs £2,252
8 kW 6787 kWh 5090 kWh 1697 kWh £1,173 £170 £1,342 £23,276 17.3 yrs £3,573

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: £850, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 23.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1697 kWh 1307 kWh 390 kWh £301 £39 £340 £13,519 39.8 yrs £-6,718
3 kW 2545 kWh 1960 kWh 585 kWh £452 £59 £510 £15,554 30.5 yrs £-5,352
4 kW 3394 kWh 2613 kWh 781 kWh £602 £78 £680 £17,588 25.9 yrs £-3,986
5 kW 4242 kWh 3266 kWh 976 kWh £753 £98 £850 £19,623 23.1 yrs £-2,620
6 kW 5090 kWh 3920 kWh 1171 kWh £903 £117 £1,020 £21,657 21.2 yrs £-1,254
7 kW 5939 kWh 4573 kWh 1366 kWh £1,054 £137 £1,190 £23,692 19.9 yrs £112
8 kW 6787 kWh 5226 kWh 1561 kWh £1,204 £156 £1,360 £25,726 18.9 yrs £1,477

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.

Seasonal solar output in BB12

Monthly generation per kilowatt of solar panels

kWh 24 Jan 41 Feb 73 Mar 102 Apr 111 May 108 Jun 108 Jul 96 Aug 78 Sep 52 Oct 34 Nov 22 Dec
Best month Worst month Winter (Dec–Feb) Other months

Winter output: 40.8% 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 29 kWh per month; the average month produces around 71 kWh. So a typical 4 kW home system would generate roughly 116 kWh in winter, or 283 kWh in an average month.

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
23.04p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
46.92p/day
Local Sunshine
848kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~848 kWh per year. A typical home uses ~2,700 kWh per year.
Typical System Size
4.0kW
For houses & bungalows in this area

Local Property Data

Property Types

Houses: 80% • Flats: 9% • Bungalows: 10% Based on 10,134 properties

Coverage

Burnley (77%)|Pendle (14%)|Ribble Valley (9%)

Areas Covered

Gawthorpe, Hapton with Park, Whittlefield with Ightenhill, Gannow, Daneshouse with Stoneyholme, Fence & Higham, East Whalley, Read & Simonstone + 5 more

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.