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Solar panel cost in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BH12)

See realistic solar installation costs, savings and payback for BH12 (Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole) 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
9.1 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£8,139
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£890
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£14,118
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 Southern, the current unit rate is 26.42p/kWh with a 49.70p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 1075 kWh/kW — 73 above the regional median (1001).

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 1075 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 26.4p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
26.4p/kWh
Standing charge
49.7p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
1075 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: £890, Upfront: £8,139, Break-even: 9.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2149 kWh 860 kWh 1290 kWh £227 £129 £356 £3,256 9.1 yrs £3,867
3 kW 3224 kWh 1290 kWh 1934 kWh £341 £193 £534 £4,883 9.1 yrs £5,800
4 kW 4299 kWh 1720 kWh 2579 kWh £454 £258 £712 £6,511 9.1 yrs £7,733
5 kW 5373 kWh 2149 kWh 3224 kWh £568 £322 £890 £8,139 9.1 yrs £9,667
6 kW 6448 kWh 2579 kWh 3869 kWh £681 £387 £1,068 £9,767 9.1 yrs £11,600
7 kW 7523 kWh 3009 kWh 4514 kWh £795 £451 £1,246 £11,394 9.1 yrs £13,533
8 kW 8598 kWh 3439 kWh 5159 kWh £909 £516 £1,424 £13,022 9.1 yrs £15,467

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: £1,067, Upfront: £10,239, Break-even: 9.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2149 kWh 1290 kWh 860 kWh £341 £86 £427 £5,356 12.6 yrs £3,178
3 kW 3224 kWh 1934 kWh 1290 kWh £511 £129 £640 £6,983 10.9 yrs £5,818
4 kW 4299 kWh 2579 kWh 1720 kWh £681 £172 £853 £8,611 10.1 yrs £8,457
5 kW 5373 kWh 3224 kWh 2149 kWh £852 £215 £1,067 £10,239 9.6 yrs £11,096
6 kW 6448 kWh 3869 kWh 2579 kWh £1,022 £258 £1,280 £11,867 9.3 yrs £13,735
7 kW 7523 kWh 4514 kWh 3009 kWh £1,193 £301 £1,493 £13,494 9.0 yrs £16,374
8 kW 8598 kWh 5159 kWh 3439 kWh £1,363 £344 £1,707 £15,122 8.9 yrs £19,014

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: £1,155, Upfront: £11,639, Break-even: 10.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2149 kWh 1505 kWh 645 kWh £398 £64 £462 £6,756 14.6 yrs £2,484
3 kW 3224 kWh 2257 kWh 967 kWh £596 £97 £693 £8,383 12.1 yrs £5,476
4 kW 4299 kWh 3009 kWh 1290 kWh £795 £129 £924 £10,011 10.8 yrs £8,468
5 kW 5373 kWh 3761 kWh 1612 kWh £994 £161 £1,155 £11,639 10.1 yrs £11,461
6 kW 6448 kWh 4514 kWh 1934 kWh £1,193 £193 £1,386 £13,267 9.6 yrs £14,453
7 kW 7523 kWh 5266 kWh 2257 kWh £1,391 £226 £1,617 £14,894 9.2 yrs £17,445
8 kW 8598 kWh 6018 kWh 2579 kWh £1,590 £258 £1,848 £16,522 8.9 yrs £20,437

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: £1,181, Upfront: £13,389, Break-even: 11.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2149 kWh 1569 kWh 580 kWh £415 £58 £473 £8,506 18.0 yrs £946
3 kW 3224 kWh 2354 kWh 870 kWh £622 £87 £709 £10,133 14.3 yrs £4,044
4 kW 4299 kWh 3138 kWh 1161 kWh £829 £116 £945 £11,761 12.4 yrs £7,142
5 kW 5373 kWh 3923 kWh 1451 kWh £1,036 £145 £1,181 £13,389 11.3 yrs £10,240
6 kW 6448 kWh 4707 kWh 1741 kWh £1,244 £174 £1,418 £15,017 10.6 yrs £13,338
7 kW 7523 kWh 5492 kWh 2031 kWh £1,451 £203 £1,654 £16,644 10.1 yrs £16,436
8 kW 8598 kWh 6276 kWh 2321 kWh £1,658 £232 £1,890 £18,272 9.7 yrs £19,534

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: £1,199, Upfront: £15,139, Break-even: 12.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2149 kWh 1612 kWh 537 kWh £426 £54 £480 £10,256 21.4 yrs £-663
3 kW 3224 kWh 2418 kWh 806 kWh £639 £81 £719 £11,883 16.5 yrs £2,506
4 kW 4299 kWh 3224 kWh 1075 kWh £852 £107 £959 £13,511 14.1 yrs £5,674
5 kW 5373 kWh 4030 kWh 1343 kWh £1,065 £134 £1,199 £15,139 12.6 yrs £8,843
6 kW 6448 kWh 4836 kWh 1612 kWh £1,278 £161 £1,439 £16,767 11.7 yrs £12,011
7 kW 7523 kWh 5642 kWh 1881 kWh £1,491 £188 £1,679 £18,394 11.0 yrs £15,180
8 kW 8598 kWh 6448 kWh 2149 kWh £1,704 £215 £1,919 £20,022 10.4 yrs £18,349

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: £1,217, Upfront: £17,589, Break-even: 14.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2149 kWh 1655 kWh 494 kWh £437 £49 £487 £12,706 26.1 yrs £-2,972
3 kW 3224 kWh 2483 kWh 742 kWh £656 £74 £730 £14,333 19.6 yrs £268
4 kW 4299 kWh 3310 kWh 989 kWh £875 £99 £973 £15,961 16.4 yrs £3,507
5 kW 5373 kWh 4138 kWh 1236 kWh £1,093 £124 £1,217 £17,589 14.5 yrs £6,746
6 kW 6448 kWh 4965 kWh 1483 kWh £1,312 £148 £1,460 £19,217 13.2 yrs £9,985
7 kW 7523 kWh 5793 kWh 1730 kWh £1,530 £173 £1,703 £20,844 12.2 yrs £13,224
8 kW 8598 kWh 6620 kWh 1977 kWh £1,749 £198 £1,947 £22,472 11.5 yrs £16,463

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 Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole

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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Insights for BH12

Figures below are tailored to BH12 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1174 of 2182
4.9 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~10 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #123 of 2996
9.1 years (UK avg 10.8 years)
~£891 /yr • £8,139 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #622 of 2996
20.3% (UK avg 26.6%) drag on savings
£181 fixed • ~£891 /yr value
Aspect Penalty View ranking →
East −20.7% West −21.3%
Typical output loss versus a south-facing roof (lower is better)

Seasonal solar output in BH12

Monthly generation per kilowatt of solar panels

kWh 41 Jan 57 Feb 93 Mar 121 Apr 131 May 131 Jun 132 Jul 117 Aug 99 Sep 68 Oct 49 Nov 36 Dec
Best month Worst month Winter (Dec–Feb) Other months

Winter output: 49.7% 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 44 kWh per month; the average month produces around 90 kWh. So a typical 4 kW home system would generate roughly 178 kWh in winter, or 358 kWh in an average month.

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.42p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
49.70p/day
Local Sunshine
1075kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~1075 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: 53% • Flats: 28% • Bungalows: 16% Based on 9,175 properties

Coverage

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (100%)

Areas Covered

Alderney & Bourne Valley, Newtown & Heatherlands, Talbot & Branksome Woods, Canford Heath, Canford Cliffs, Penn Hill, Westbourne & West Cliff

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 Southern

BH11 (Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole)
≈2.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,081 kWh/kWp · +1% vs BH12
BH4 (Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole)
≈2.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,075 kWh/kWp · -0% vs BH12
BH14 (Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole)
≈2.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,075 kWh/kWp · +0% vs BH12
BH3 (Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole)
≈2.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,087 kWh/kWp · +1% vs BH12
BH10 (Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole)
≈2.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,075 kWh/kWp · +0% vs BH12
BH13 (Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole)
≈3.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,075 kWh/kWp · -0% vs BH12

Similar sunshine across the UK

IP11 (East Suffolk)
~1,075 kWh/kWp · -0% vs BH12
PL11 (Cornwall)
~1,075 kWh/kWp · +0% vs BH12
TQ5 (Torbay)
~1,075 kWh/kWp · +0% vs BH12