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Solar panel cost in Bolton (BL11)

See realistic solar installation costs, savings and payback for BL11 (Bolton) 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
11.4 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£8,139
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£716
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£9,757
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 North West, the current unit rate is 26.13p/kWh with a 47.61p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 870 kWh/kW — 0 above the regional median (870).

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 870 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 26.1p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
26.1p/kWh
Standing charge
47.6p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
870 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: £716, Upfront: £8,139, Break-even: 11.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1740 kWh 696 kWh 1044 kWh £182 £104 £286 £3,256 11.4 yrs £2,471
3 kW 2611 kWh 1044 kWh 1566 kWh £273 £157 £430 £4,883 11.4 yrs £3,707
4 kW 3481 kWh 1392 kWh 2089 kWh £364 £209 £573 £6,511 11.4 yrs £4,943
5 kW 4351 kWh 1740 kWh 2611 kWh £455 £261 £716 £8,139 11.4 yrs £6,178
6 kW 5221 kWh 2089 kWh 3133 kWh £546 £313 £859 £9,767 11.4 yrs £7,414
7 kW 6092 kWh 2437 kWh 3655 kWh £637 £365 £1,002 £11,394 11.4 yrs £8,650
8 kW 6962 kWh 2785 kWh 4177 kWh £728 £418 £1,145 £13,022 11.4 yrs £9,885

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: £856, Upfront: £10,239, Break-even: 12.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1740 kWh 1044 kWh 696 kWh £273 £70 £342 £5,356 15.6 yrs £1,494
3 kW 2611 kWh 1566 kWh 1044 kWh £409 £104 £514 £6,983 13.6 yrs £3,291
4 kW 3481 kWh 2089 kWh 1392 kWh £546 £139 £685 £8,611 12.6 yrs £5,088
5 kW 4351 kWh 2611 kWh 1740 kWh £682 £174 £856 £10,239 12.0 yrs £6,886
6 kW 5221 kWh 3133 kWh 2089 kWh £819 £209 £1,027 £11,867 11.5 yrs £8,683
7 kW 6092 kWh 3655 kWh 2437 kWh £955 £244 £1,199 £13,494 11.3 yrs £10,480
8 kW 6962 kWh 4177 kWh 2785 kWh £1,091 £278 £1,370 £15,122 11.0 yrs £12,277

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: £926, Upfront: £11,639, 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 1740 kWh 1218 kWh 522 kWh £318 £52 £371 £6,756 18.2 yrs £656
3 kW 2611 kWh 1827 kWh 783 kWh £478 £78 £556 £8,383 15.1 yrs £2,734
4 kW 3481 kWh 2437 kWh 1044 kWh £637 £104 £741 £10,011 13.5 yrs £4,811
5 kW 4351 kWh 3046 kWh 1305 kWh £796 £131 £926 £11,639 12.6 yrs £6,889
6 kW 5221 kWh 3655 kWh 1566 kWh £955 £157 £1,112 £13,267 11.9 yrs £8,967
7 kW 6092 kWh 4264 kWh 1827 kWh £1,114 £183 £1,297 £14,894 11.5 yrs £11,045
8 kW 6962 kWh 4873 kWh 2089 kWh £1,273 £209 £1,482 £16,522 11.1 yrs £13,123

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: £947, Upfront: £13,389, Break-even: 14.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1740 kWh 1271 kWh 470 kWh £332 £47 £379 £8,506 22.4 yrs £-926
3 kW 2611 kWh 1906 kWh 705 kWh £498 £70 £568 £10,133 17.8 yrs £1,236
4 kW 3481 kWh 2541 kWh 940 kWh £664 £94 £758 £11,761 15.5 yrs £3,398
5 kW 4351 kWh 3176 kWh 1175 kWh £830 £117 £947 £13,389 14.1 yrs £5,560
6 kW 5221 kWh 3812 kWh 1410 kWh £996 £141 £1,137 £15,017 13.2 yrs £7,722
7 kW 6092 kWh 4447 kWh 1645 kWh £1,162 £164 £1,326 £16,644 12.5 yrs £9,885
8 kW 6962 kWh 5082 kWh 1880 kWh £1,328 £188 £1,516 £18,272 12.1 yrs £12,047

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: £961, Upfront: £15,139, Break-even: 15.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1740 kWh 1305 kWh 435 kWh £341 £44 £385 £10,256 26.7 yrs £-2,564
3 kW 2611 kWh 1958 kWh 653 kWh £512 £65 £577 £11,883 20.6 yrs £-345
4 kW 3481 kWh 2611 kWh 870 kWh £682 £87 £769 £13,511 17.6 yrs £1,873
5 kW 4351 kWh 3263 kWh 1088 kWh £853 £109 £961 £15,139 15.7 yrs £4,091
6 kW 5221 kWh 3916 kWh 1305 kWh £1,023 £131 £1,154 £16,767 14.5 yrs £6,309
7 kW 6092 kWh 4569 kWh 1523 kWh £1,194 £152 £1,346 £18,394 13.7 yrs £8,528
8 kW 6962 kWh 5221 kWh 1740 kWh £1,364 £174 £1,538 £20,022 13.0 yrs £10,746

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: £976, Upfront: £17,589, Break-even: 18.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1740 kWh 1340 kWh 400 kWh £350 £40 £390 £12,706 32.6 yrs £-4,901
3 kW 2611 kWh 2010 kWh 600 kWh £525 £60 £585 £14,333 24.5 yrs £-2,627
4 kW 3481 kWh 2680 kWh 801 kWh £700 £80 £780 £15,961 20.5 yrs £-353
5 kW 4351 kWh 3350 kWh 1001 kWh £875 £100 £976 £17,589 18.0 yrs £1,922
6 kW 5221 kWh 4020 kWh 1201 kWh £1,051 £120 £1,171 £19,217 16.4 yrs £4,196
7 kW 6092 kWh 4691 kWh 1401 kWh £1,226 £140 £1,366 £20,844 15.3 yrs £6,471
8 kW 6962 kWh 5361 kWh 1601 kWh £1,401 £160 £1,561 £22,472 14.4 yrs £8,745

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 Bolton

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 BL11

Figures below are tailored to BL11 — click through for full league tables.

Solar Payback Index Rank #2243 of 2996
11.4 years (UK avg 10.8 years)
~£716 /yr • £8,139 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #1282 of 2996
24.3% (UK avg 26.6%) drag on savings
£174 fixed • ~£716 /yr value
Aspect Penalty View ranking →
East −19.2% West −19.4%
Typical output loss versus a south-facing roof (lower is better)

Seasonal solar output in BL11

Monthly generation per kilowatt of solar panels

kWh 27 Jan 44 Feb 76 Mar 103 Apr 113 May 109 Jun 108 Jul 96 Aug 79 Sep 54 Oct 36 Nov 25 Dec
Best month Worst month Winter (Dec–Feb) Other months

Winter output: 44.2% 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 32 kWh per month; the average month produces around 73 kWh. So a typical 4 kW home system would generate roughly 128 kWh in winter, or 290 kWh in an average month.

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.13p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
47.61p/day
Local Sunshine
870kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~870 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

No EPC data available for this outcode

Coverage

Bolton (100%)

Areas Covered

Queens Park & Central

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 North West

BL3 (Bolton)
≈1.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~869 kWh/kWp · -0% vs BL11
BL1 (Bolton)
≈1.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~870 kWh/kWp · -0% vs BL11
BL78 (Bolton)
≈2.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~871 kWh/kWp · +0% vs BL11
BL2 (Bolton)
≈2.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~871 kWh/kWp · +0% vs BL11
BL4 (Bolton)
≈3.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~881 kWh/kWp · +1% vs BL11
M38 (Salford)
≈4.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~880 kWh/kWp · +1% vs BL11

Similar sunshine across the UK

LL26 (Conwy)
~870 kWh/kWp · +0% vs BL11
EH48 (West Lothian)
~870 kWh/kWp · +0% vs BL11
LL34 (Conwy)
~871 kWh/kWp · +0% vs BL11