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Solar panel cost in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BH18)

See realistic solar installation costs, savings and payback for BH18 (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
£9,767
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£1,067
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£16,919
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 1074 kWh/kW — 72 above the regional median (1001).

Read the full story

A typical roof here lands around 6.0 kW, with most eligible homes comfortably fitting within 3–6 kW. Each kilowatt of panels produces roughly 1074 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)
1074 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 2148 kWh 859 kWh 1289 kWh £227 £129 £356 £3,256 9.1 yrs £3,861
3 kW 3221 kWh 1289 kWh 1933 kWh £340 £193 £534 £4,883 9.1 yrs £5,791
4 kW 4295 kWh 1718 kWh 2577 kWh £454 £258 £712 £6,511 9.1 yrs £7,721
5 kW 5369 kWh 2148 kWh 3221 kWh £567 £322 £890 £8,139 9.1 yrs £9,651
6 kW 6443 kWh 2577 kWh 3866 kWh £681 £387 £1,067 £9,767 9.1 yrs £11,582
7 kW 7516 kWh 3007 kWh 4510 kWh £794 £451 £1,245 £11,394 9.1 yrs £13,512
8 kW 8590 kWh 3436 kWh 5154 kWh £908 £515 £1,423 £13,022 9.1 yrs £15,442

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: £1,066, 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 2148 kWh 1289 kWh 859 kWh £340 £86 £426 £5,356 12.6 yrs £3,171
3 kW 3221 kWh 1933 kWh 1289 kWh £511 £129 £639 £6,983 10.9 yrs £5,807
4 kW 4295 kWh 2577 kWh 1718 kWh £681 £172 £853 £8,611 10.1 yrs £8,442
5 kW 5369 kWh 3221 kWh 2148 kWh £851 £215 £1,066 £10,239 9.6 yrs £11,078
6 kW 6443 kWh 3866 kWh 2577 kWh £1,021 £258 £1,279 £11,867 9.3 yrs £13,713
7 kW 7516 kWh 4510 kWh 3007 kWh £1,191 £301 £1,492 £13,494 9.0 yrs £16,349
8 kW 8590 kWh 5154 kWh 3436 kWh £1,362 £344 £1,705 £15,122 8.9 yrs £18,984

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: £1,154, 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 2148 kWh 1503 kWh 644 kWh £397 £64 £462 £6,756 14.6 yrs £2,476
3 kW 3221 kWh 2255 kWh 966 kWh £596 £97 £692 £8,383 12.1 yrs £5,464
4 kW 4295 kWh 3007 kWh 1289 kWh £794 £129 £923 £10,011 10.8 yrs £8,453
5 kW 5369 kWh 3758 kWh 1611 kWh £993 £161 £1,154 £11,639 10.1 yrs £11,441
6 kW 6443 kWh 4510 kWh 1933 kWh £1,191 £193 £1,385 £13,267 9.6 yrs £14,429
7 kW 7516 kWh 5261 kWh 2255 kWh £1,390 £225 £1,616 £14,894 9.2 yrs £17,417
8 kW 8590 kWh 6013 kWh 2577 kWh £1,589 £258 £1,846 £16,522 8.9 yrs £20,405

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: £1,180, 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 2148 kWh 1568 kWh 580 kWh £414 £58 £472 £8,506 18.0 yrs £938
3 kW 3221 kWh 2352 kWh 870 kWh £621 £87 £708 £10,133 14.3 yrs £4,032
4 kW 4295 kWh 3135 kWh 1160 kWh £828 £116 £944 £11,761 12.5 yrs £7,126
5 kW 5369 kWh 3919 kWh 1450 kWh £1,035 £145 £1,180 £13,389 11.3 yrs £10,220
6 kW 6443 kWh 4703 kWh 1740 kWh £1,243 £174 £1,417 £15,017 10.6 yrs £13,314
7 kW 7516 kWh 5487 kWh 2029 kWh £1,450 £203 £1,653 £16,644 10.1 yrs £16,408
8 kW 8590 kWh 6271 kWh 2319 kWh £1,657 £232 £1,889 £18,272 9.7 yrs £19,502

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: £1,198, 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 2148 kWh 1611 kWh 537 kWh £426 £54 £479 £10,256 21.4 yrs £-671
3 kW 3221 kWh 2416 kWh 805 kWh £638 £81 £719 £11,883 16.5 yrs £2,493
4 kW 4295 kWh 3221 kWh 1074 kWh £851 £107 £958 £13,511 14.1 yrs £5,658
5 kW 5369 kWh 4027 kWh 1342 kWh £1,064 £134 £1,198 £15,139 12.6 yrs £8,822
6 kW 6443 kWh 4832 kWh 1611 kWh £1,277 £161 £1,438 £16,767 11.7 yrs £11,987
7 kW 7516 kWh 5637 kWh 1879 kWh £1,489 £188 £1,677 £18,394 11.0 yrs £15,151
8 kW 8590 kWh 6443 kWh 2148 kWh £1,702 £215 £1,917 £20,022 10.4 yrs £18,316

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: £1,216, 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 2148 kWh 1654 kWh 494 kWh £437 £49 £486 £12,706 26.1 yrs £-2,980
3 kW 3221 kWh 2480 kWh 741 kWh £655 £74 £729 £14,333 19.7 yrs £255
4 kW 4295 kWh 3307 kWh 988 kWh £874 £99 £973 £15,961 16.4 yrs £3,490
5 kW 5369 kWh 4134 kWh 1235 kWh £1,092 £123 £1,216 £17,589 14.5 yrs £6,725
6 kW 6443 kWh 4961 kWh 1482 kWh £1,311 £148 £1,459 £19,217 13.2 yrs £9,960
7 kW 7516 kWh 5788 kWh 1729 kWh £1,529 £173 £1,702 £20,844 12.2 yrs £13,195
8 kW 8590 kWh 6614 kWh 1976 kWh £1,748 £198 £1,945 £22,472 11.6 yrs £16,430

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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Understand DNO, G98 and G99 export limits

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Insights for BH18

Figures below are tailored to BH18 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #16 of 2182
7.6 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~16 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #126 of 2996
9.1 years (UK avg 10.8 years)
~£1,068 /yr • £9,767 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #162 of 2996
16.9% (UK avg 26.6%) drag on savings
£181 fixed • ~£1,068 /yr value
Aspect Penalty View ranking →
East −20.7% West −21.4%
Typical output loss versus a south-facing roof (lower is better)

Seasonal solar output in BH18

Monthly generation per kilowatt of solar panels

kWh 41 Jan 57 Feb 93 Mar 121 Apr 130 May 131 Jun 132 Jul 117 Aug 98 Sep 68 Oct 49 Nov 36 Dec
Best month Worst month Winter (Dec–Feb) Other months

Winter output: 50.0% 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 45 kWh per month; the average month produces around 89 kWh. So a typical 4 kW home system would generate roughly 179 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
1074kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~1074 kWh per year. A typical home uses ~2,700 kWh per year.
Typical System Size
6.0kW
For houses & bungalows in this area

Local Property Data

Property Types

Houses: 46% • Flats: 14% • Bungalows: 39% Based on 2,473 properties

Coverage

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (93%)|Dorset (7%)

Areas Covered

Broadstone, Canford Heath, Creekmoor, Corfe Mullen, Alderney & Bourne Valley

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

BH17 (Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole)
≈2.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,074 kWh/kWp · +0% vs BH18
BH16 (Dorset)
≈3.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,071 kWh/kWp · -0% vs BH18
BH15 (Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole)
≈4.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,073 kWh/kWp · -0% vs BH18
BH14 (Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole)
≈4.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,075 kWh/kWp · +0% vs BH18
BH11 (Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole)
≈5.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,081 kWh/kWp · +1% vs BH18
BH21 (Dorset)
≈5.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,071 kWh/kWp · -0% vs BH18

Similar sunshine across the UK

PL9 (Plymouth)
~1,073 kWh/kWp · -0% vs BH18
TN32 (Rother)
~1,073 kWh/kWp · -0% vs BH18
IP11 (East Suffolk)
~1,075 kWh/kWp · +0% vs BH18