Solar panel cost in Lewes (BN25)

See realistic solar installation costs, savings and payback for BN25 (Lewes) 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
8.6 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£9,767
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£1,131
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£18,506
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

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 1131 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
54.5p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
1131 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: £942, Upfront: £8,139, Break-even: 8.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2262 kWh 905 kWh 1357 kWh £241 £136 £377 £3,256 8.6 yrs £4,284
3 kW 3392 kWh 1357 kWh 2035 kWh £362 £204 £565 £4,883 8.6 yrs £6,426
4 kW 4523 kWh 1809 kWh 2714 kWh £483 £271 £754 £6,511 8.6 yrs £8,568
5 kW 5654 kWh 2262 kWh 3392 kWh £603 £339 £942 £8,139 8.6 yrs £10,710
6 kW 6785 kWh 2714 kWh 4071 kWh £724 £407 £1,131 £9,767 8.6 yrs £12,851
7 kW 7916 kWh 3166 kWh 4749 kWh £844 £475 £1,319 £11,394 8.6 yrs £14,993
8 kW 9046 kWh 3619 kWh 5428 kWh £965 £543 £1,508 £13,022 8.6 yrs £17,135

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: £1,131, Upfront: £10,239, 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 2262 kWh 1357 kWh 905 kWh £362 £90 £452 £5,356 11.8 yrs £3,692
3 kW 3392 kWh 2035 kWh 1357 kWh £543 £136 £679 £6,983 10.3 yrs £6,588
4 kW 4523 kWh 2714 kWh 1809 kWh £724 £181 £905 £8,611 9.5 yrs £9,484
5 kW 5654 kWh 3392 kWh 2262 kWh £905 £226 £1,131 £10,239 9.1 yrs £12,380
6 kW 6785 kWh 4071 kWh 2714 kWh £1,086 £271 £1,357 £11,867 8.7 yrs £15,276
7 kW 7916 kWh 4749 kWh 3166 kWh £1,267 £317 £1,583 £13,494 8.5 yrs £18,172
8 kW 9046 kWh 5428 kWh 3619 kWh £1,448 £362 £1,809 £15,122 8.4 yrs £21,067

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: £1,225, Upfront: £11,639, Break-even: 9.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2262 kWh 1583 kWh 678 kWh £422 £68 £490 £6,756 13.8 yrs £3,046
3 kW 3392 kWh 2375 kWh 1018 kWh £633 £102 £735 £8,383 11.4 yrs £6,319
4 kW 4523 kWh 3166 kWh 1357 kWh £844 £136 £980 £10,011 10.2 yrs £9,592
5 kW 5654 kWh 3958 kWh 1696 kWh £1,056 £170 £1,225 £11,639 9.5 yrs £12,865
6 kW 6785 kWh 4749 kWh 2035 kWh £1,267 £204 £1,470 £13,267 9.0 yrs £16,138
7 kW 7916 kWh 5541 kWh 2375 kWh £1,478 £237 £1,715 £14,894 8.7 yrs £19,411
8 kW 9046 kWh 6333 kWh 2714 kWh £1,689 £271 £1,960 £16,522 8.4 yrs £22,684

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: £1,253, Upfront: £13,389, Break-even: 10.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2262 kWh 1651 kWh 611 kWh £440 £61 £501 £8,506 17.0 yrs £1,522
3 kW 3392 kWh 2476 kWh 916 kWh £660 £92 £752 £10,133 13.5 yrs £4,908
4 kW 4523 kWh 3302 kWh 1221 kWh £881 £122 £1,003 £11,761 11.7 yrs £8,294
5 kW 5654 kWh 4127 kWh 1527 kWh £1,101 £153 £1,253 £13,389 10.7 yrs £11,680
6 kW 6785 kWh 4953 kWh 1832 kWh £1,321 £183 £1,504 £15,017 10.0 yrs £15,066
7 kW 7916 kWh 5778 kWh 2137 kWh £1,541 £214 £1,755 £16,644 9.5 yrs £18,452
8 kW 9046 kWh 6604 kWh 2443 kWh £1,761 £244 £2,006 £18,272 9.1 yrs £21,838

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: £1,272, Upfront: £15,139, Break-even: 11.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2262 kWh 1696 kWh 565 kWh £452 £57 £509 £10,256 20.2 yrs £-77
3 kW 3392 kWh 2544 kWh 848 kWh £679 £85 £763 £11,883 15.6 yrs £3,384
4 kW 4523 kWh 3392 kWh 1131 kWh £905 £113 £1,018 £13,511 13.3 yrs £6,846
5 kW 5654 kWh 4241 kWh 1414 kWh £1,131 £141 £1,272 £15,139 11.9 yrs £10,307
6 kW 6785 kWh 5089 kWh 1696 kWh £1,357 £170 £1,527 £16,767 11.0 yrs £13,769
7 kW 7916 kWh 5937 kWh 1979 kWh £1,583 £198 £1,781 £18,394 10.3 yrs £17,230
8 kW 9046 kWh 6785 kWh 2262 kWh £1,810 £226 £2,036 £20,022 9.8 yrs £20,692

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: £1,291, Upfront: £17,589, Break-even: 13.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2262 kWh 1741 kWh 520 kWh £464 £52 £516 £12,706 24.6 yrs £-2,376
3 kW 3392 kWh 2612 kWh 780 kWh £697 £78 £775 £14,333 18.5 yrs £1,161
4 kW 4523 kWh 3483 kWh 1040 kWh £929 £104 £1,033 £15,961 15.5 yrs £4,697
5 kW 5654 kWh 4354 kWh 1300 kWh £1,161 £130 £1,291 £17,589 13.6 yrs £8,234
6 kW 6785 kWh 5224 kWh 1561 kWh £1,393 £156 £1,549 £19,217 12.4 yrs £11,771
7 kW 7916 kWh 6095 kWh 1821 kWh £1,626 £182 £1,808 £20,844 11.5 yrs £15,308
8 kW 9046 kWh 6966 kWh 2081 kWh £1,858 £208 £2,066 £22,472 10.9 yrs £18,845

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 Lewes

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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Seasonal solar output in BN25

Monthly generation per kilowatt of solar panels

kWh 41 Jan 57 Feb 97 Mar 130 Apr 137 May 141 Jun 143 Jul 126 Aug 104 Sep 71 Oct 46 Nov 37 Dec
Best month Worst month Winter (Dec–Feb) Other months

Winter output: 47.8% 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 94 kWh. So a typical 4 kW home system would generate roughly 180 kWh in winter, or 377 kWh in an average month.

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.67p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
54.45p/day
Local Sunshine
1131kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~1131 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: 47% • Flats: 28% • Bungalows: 23% Based on 6,676 properties

Coverage

Lewes (99%)|Wealden (1%)

Areas Covered

Seaford Central, Seaford South, Seaford East, Seaford West, Seaford North, South Downs, Ouse Valley & Ringmer, Arlington

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.