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Solar panel cost in Bradford (BD16)

See realistic solar installation costs, savings and payback for BD16 (Bradford) 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
13.5 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£756
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£8,733
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 Yorkshire, the current unit rate is 26.69p/kWh with a 59.72p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 907 kWh/kW — 22 below the regional median (929).

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 907 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 26.7p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
26.7p/kWh
Standing charge
59.7p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
907 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: £10,173, 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 1814 kWh 726 kWh 1088 kWh £194 £109 £302 £4,069 13.5 yrs £1,981
3 kW 2721 kWh 1088 kWh 1632 kWh £290 £163 £454 £6,104 13.5 yrs £2,971
4 kW 3628 kWh 1451 kWh 2177 kWh £387 £218 £605 £8,138 13.5 yrs £3,961
5 kW 4535 kWh 1814 kWh 2721 kWh £484 £272 £756 £10,173 13.5 yrs £4,952
6 kW 5442 kWh 2177 kWh 3265 kWh £581 £326 £907 £12,207 13.5 yrs £5,942
7 kW 6349 kWh 2539 kWh 3809 kWh £678 £381 £1,059 £14,242 13.5 yrs £6,932
8 kW 7256 kWh 2902 kWh 4353 kWh £775 £435 £1,210 £16,276 13.5 yrs £7,923

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: £908, Upfront: £12,273, 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 1814 kWh 1088 kWh 726 kWh £290 £73 £363 £6,169 17.0 yrs £1,092
3 kW 2721 kWh 1632 kWh 1088 kWh £436 £109 £545 £8,204 15.1 yrs £2,687
4 kW 3628 kWh 2177 kWh 1451 kWh £581 £145 £726 £10,238 14.1 yrs £4,283
5 kW 4535 kWh 2721 kWh 1814 kWh £726 £181 £908 £12,273 13.5 yrs £5,879
6 kW 5442 kWh 3265 kWh 2177 kWh £871 £218 £1,089 £14,307 13.1 yrs £7,475
7 kW 6349 kWh 3809 kWh 2539 kWh £1,017 £254 £1,271 £16,342 12.9 yrs £9,071
8 kW 7256 kWh 4353 kWh 2902 kWh £1,162 £290 £1,452 £18,376 12.7 yrs £10,666

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: £983, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 13.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1814 kWh 1270 kWh 544 kWh £339 £54 £393 £7,569 19.2 yrs £297
3 kW 2721 kWh 1905 kWh 816 kWh £508 £82 £590 £9,604 16.3 yrs £2,196
4 kW 3628 kWh 2539 kWh 1088 kWh £678 £109 £787 £11,638 14.8 yrs £4,094
5 kW 4535 kWh 3174 kWh 1360 kWh £847 £136 £983 £13,673 13.9 yrs £5,993
6 kW 5442 kWh 3809 kWh 1632 kWh £1,017 £163 £1,180 £15,707 13.3 yrs £7,891
7 kW 6349 kWh 4444 kWh 1905 kWh £1,186 £190 £1,377 £17,742 12.9 yrs £9,790
8 kW 7256 kWh 5079 kWh 2177 kWh £1,356 £218 £1,573 £19,776 12.6 yrs £11,688

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: £1,006, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 15.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1814 kWh 1324 kWh 490 kWh £353 £49 £402 £9,319 23.2 yrs £-1,271
3 kW 2721 kWh 1986 kWh 735 kWh £530 £73 £604 £11,354 18.8 yrs £718
4 kW 3628 kWh 2648 kWh 979 kWh £707 £98 £805 £13,388 16.6 yrs £2,707
5 kW 4535 kWh 3310 kWh 1224 kWh £884 £122 £1,006 £15,423 15.3 yrs £4,697
6 kW 5442 kWh 3972 kWh 1469 kWh £1,060 £147 £1,207 £17,457 14.5 yrs £6,686
7 kW 6349 kWh 4634 kWh 1714 kWh £1,237 £171 £1,408 £19,492 13.8 yrs £8,675
8 kW 7256 kWh 5297 kWh 1959 kWh £1,414 £196 £1,610 £21,526 13.4 yrs £10,665

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: £1,021, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 16.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1814 kWh 1360 kWh 453 kWh £363 £45 £408 £11,069 27.1 yrs £-2,900
3 kW 2721 kWh 2041 kWh 680 kWh £545 £68 £613 £13,104 21.4 yrs £-850
4 kW 3628 kWh 2721 kWh 907 kWh £726 £91 £817 £15,138 18.5 yrs £1,200
5 kW 4535 kWh 3401 kWh 1134 kWh £908 £113 £1,021 £17,173 16.8 yrs £3,249
6 kW 5442 kWh 4081 kWh 1360 kWh £1,089 £136 £1,225 £19,207 15.7 yrs £5,299
7 kW 6349 kWh 4761 kWh 1587 kWh £1,271 £159 £1,430 £21,242 14.9 yrs £7,349
8 kW 7256 kWh 5442 kWh 1814 kWh £1,452 £181 £1,634 £23,276 14.2 yrs £9,399

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: £1,036, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 18.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1814 kWh 1397 kWh 417 kWh £373 £42 £414 £13,519 32.6 yrs £-5,229
3 kW 2721 kWh 2095 kWh 626 kWh £559 £63 £622 £15,554 25.0 yrs £-3,119
4 kW 3628 kWh 2793 kWh 834 kWh £746 £83 £829 £17,588 21.2 yrs £-1,008
5 kW 4535 kWh 3492 kWh 1043 kWh £932 £104 £1,036 £19,623 18.9 yrs £1,102
6 kW 5442 kWh 4190 kWh 1252 kWh £1,118 £125 £1,243 £21,657 17.4 yrs £3,213
7 kW 6349 kWh 4888 kWh 1460 kWh £1,305 £146 £1,451 £23,692 16.3 yrs £5,323
8 kW 7256 kWh 5587 kWh 1669 kWh £1,491 £167 £1,658 £25,726 15.5 yrs £7,434

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 BD16

Figures below are tailored to BD16 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1618 of 2182
4.6 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~10 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #2428 of 2997
13.5 years (UK avg 12.6 years)
~£756 /yr • £10,173 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2315 of 2997
28.8% (UK avg 24.6%) drag on savings
£218 fixed • ~£756 /yr value
Aspect Penalty View ranking →
East −20.9% West −20.2%
Typical output loss versus a south-facing roof (lower is better)

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.69p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
59.72p/day
Local Sunshine
907kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~907 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: 64% • Flats: 28% • Bungalows: 6% Based on 6,999 properties

Coverage

Bradford (100%)

Areas Covered

Bingley, Bingley Rural, Bolton and Undercliffe, Heaton, Baildon, Keighley East, Shipley, Toller

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 Yorkshire

BD97 (Bradford)
≈3.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~905 kWh/kWp · -0% vs BD16
BD17 (Bradford)
≈4.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~906 kWh/kWp · -0% vs BD16
BD18 (Bradford)
≈4.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~907 kWh/kWp · +0% vs BD16
BD15 (Bradford)
≈5.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~904 kWh/kWp · -0% vs BD16
BD9 (Bradford)
≈5.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~906 kWh/kWp · -0% vs BD16
BD21 (Bradford)
≈5.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~889 kWh/kWp · -2% vs BD16

Similar sunshine across the UK

LL60 (Isle of Anglesey)
~907 kWh/kWp · -0% vs BD16
NE42 (Northumberland)
~907 kWh/kWp · +0% vs BD16
WA5 (Warrington)
~907 kWh/kWp · -0% vs BD16