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Solar panel cost in Bristol, City of (BS13)

See realistic solar installation costs, savings and payback for BS13 (Bristol, City of) 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
11.1 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£7,307
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£661
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£9,213
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 Western, the current unit rate is 26.39p/kWh with a 57.89p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 998 kWh/kW — 16 below the regional median (1013).

Read the full story

A typical roof here lands around 4.0 kW, with most eligible homes comfortably fitting within 3–6 kW. Each kilowatt of panels produces roughly 998 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
57.9p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
998 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: £826, Upfront: £9,134, Break-even: 11.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1996 kWh 798 kWh 1197 kWh £211 £120 £330 £3,654 11.1 yrs £2,954
3 kW 2993 kWh 1197 kWh 1796 kWh £316 £180 £496 £5,481 11.1 yrs £4,432
4 kW 3991 kWh 1597 kWh 2395 kWh £421 £239 £661 £7,307 11.1 yrs £5,909
5 kW 4989 kWh 1996 kWh 2993 kWh £527 £299 £826 £9,134 11.1 yrs £7,386
6 kW 5987 kWh 2395 kWh 3592 kWh £632 £359 £991 £10,961 11.1 yrs £8,863
7 kW 6985 kWh 2794 kWh 4191 kWh £737 £419 £1,156 £12,788 11.1 yrs £10,340
8 kW 7983 kWh 3193 kWh 4790 kWh £843 £479 £1,322 £14,615 11.1 yrs £11,817

Assumptions: south-facing, sensible tilt; self-use shares from site rules; export at 10p baseline. Costs: panels £/kW = 1,827, battery £/kWh = 700.

3 kWh battery 5 kW example → Annual benefit: £990, Upfront: £11,234, 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 1996 kWh 1197 kWh 798 kWh £316 £80 £396 £5,754 14.5 yrs £2,163
3 kW 2993 kWh 1796 kWh 1197 kWh £474 £120 £594 £7,581 12.8 yrs £4,294
4 kW 3991 kWh 2395 kWh 1597 kWh £632 £160 £792 £9,407 11.9 yrs £6,425
5 kW 4989 kWh 2993 kWh 1996 kWh £790 £200 £990 £11,234 11.4 yrs £8,557
6 kW 5987 kWh 3592 kWh 2395 kWh £948 £239 £1,187 £13,061 11.0 yrs £10,688
7 kW 6985 kWh 4191 kWh 2794 kWh £1,106 £279 £1,385 £14,888 10.7 yrs £12,819
8 kW 7983 kWh 4790 kWh 3193 kWh £1,264 £319 £1,583 £16,715 10.6 yrs £14,951

Assumptions: south-facing, sensible tilt; self-use shares from site rules; export at 10p baseline. Costs: panels £/kW = 1,827, battery £/kWh = 700.

5 kWh battery 5 kW example → Annual benefit: £1,071, Upfront: £12,634, Break-even: 11.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1996 kWh 1397 kWh 599 kWh £369 £60 £429 £7,154 16.7 yrs £1,417
3 kW 2993 kWh 2095 kWh 898 kWh £553 £90 £643 £8,981 14.0 yrs £3,875
4 kW 3991 kWh 2794 kWh 1197 kWh £737 £120 £857 £10,807 12.6 yrs £6,334
5 kW 4989 kWh 3492 kWh 1497 kWh £922 £150 £1,071 £12,634 11.8 yrs £8,792
6 kW 5987 kWh 4191 kWh 1796 kWh £1,106 £180 £1,286 £14,461 11.2 yrs £11,251
7 kW 6985 kWh 4889 kWh 2095 kWh £1,290 £210 £1,500 £16,288 10.9 yrs £13,709
8 kW 7983 kWh 5588 kWh 2395 kWh £1,475 £239 £1,714 £18,115 10.6 yrs £16,168

Assumptions: south-facing, sensible tilt; self-use shares from site rules; export at 10p baseline. Costs: panels £/kW = 1,827, battery £/kWh = 700.

7.5 kWh battery 5 kW example → Annual benefit: £1,096, Upfront: £14,384, Break-even: 13.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1996 kWh 1457 kWh 539 kWh £384 £54 £438 £8,904 20.3 yrs £-137
3 kW 2993 kWh 2185 kWh 808 kWh £577 £81 £658 £10,731 16.3 yrs £2,420
4 kW 3991 kWh 2914 kWh 1078 kWh £769 £108 £877 £12,557 14.3 yrs £4,976
5 kW 4989 kWh 3642 kWh 1347 kWh £961 £135 £1,096 £14,384 13.1 yrs £7,533
6 kW 5987 kWh 4370 kWh 1616 kWh £1,153 £162 £1,315 £16,211 12.3 yrs £10,089
7 kW 6985 kWh 5099 kWh 1886 kWh £1,346 £189 £1,534 £18,038 11.8 yrs £12,646
8 kW 7983 kWh 5827 kWh 2155 kWh £1,538 £216 £1,753 £19,865 11.3 yrs £15,203

Assumptions: south-facing, sensible tilt; self-use shares from site rules; export at 10p baseline. Costs: panels £/kW = 1,827, battery £/kWh = 700.

10 kWh battery 5 kW example → Annual benefit: £1,112, Upfront: £16,134, 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 1996 kWh 1497 kWh 499 kWh £395 £50 £445 £10,654 23.9 yrs £-1,756
3 kW 2993 kWh 2245 kWh 748 kWh £592 £75 £667 £12,481 18.7 yrs £866
4 kW 3991 kWh 2993 kWh 998 kWh £790 £100 £890 £14,307 16.1 yrs £3,488
5 kW 4989 kWh 3742 kWh 1247 kWh £987 £125 £1,112 £16,134 14.5 yrs £6,110
6 kW 5987 kWh 4490 kWh 1497 kWh £1,185 £150 £1,335 £17,961 13.5 yrs £8,732
7 kW 6985 kWh 5239 kWh 1746 kWh £1,382 £175 £1,557 £19,788 12.7 yrs £11,354
8 kW 7983 kWh 5987 kWh 1996 kWh £1,580 £200 £1,780 £21,615 12.1 yrs £13,976

Assumptions: south-facing, sensible tilt; self-use shares from site rules; export at 10p baseline. Costs: panels £/kW = 1,827, battery £/kWh = 700.

13.5 kWh battery 5 kW example → Annual benefit: £1,129, Upfront: £18,584, Break-even: 16.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1996 kWh 1537 kWh 459 kWh £406 £46 £451 £13,104 29.0 yrs £-4,075
3 kW 2993 kWh 2305 kWh 689 kWh £608 £69 £677 £14,931 22.0 yrs £-1,388
4 kW 3991 kWh 3073 kWh 918 kWh £811 £92 £903 £16,757 18.6 yrs £1,300
5 kW 4989 kWh 3842 kWh 1148 kWh £1,014 £115 £1,129 £18,584 16.5 yrs £3,987
6 kW 5987 kWh 4610 kWh 1377 kWh £1,217 £138 £1,354 £20,411 15.1 yrs £6,674
7 kW 6985 kWh 5378 kWh 1607 kWh £1,419 £161 £1,580 £22,238 14.1 yrs £9,362
8 kW 7983 kWh 6147 kWh 1836 kWh £1,622 £184 £1,806 £24,065 13.3 yrs £12,049

Assumptions: south-facing, sensible tilt; self-use shares from site rules; export at 10p baseline. Costs: panels £/kW = 1,827, 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 Bristol, City of

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 BS13

Figures below are tailored to BS13 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1718 of 2182
4.5 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~10 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #2063 of 2996
11.1 years (UK avg 10.8 years)
~£661 /yr • £7,307 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2399 of 2996
31.9% (UK avg 26.6%) drag on savings
£211 fixed • ~£661 /yr value
Aspect Penalty View ranking →
East −20.3% West −20.7%
Typical output loss versus a south-facing roof (lower is better)

Seasonal solar output in BS13

Monthly generation per kilowatt of solar panels

kWh 38 Jan 53 Feb 86 Mar 114 Apr 123 May 119 Jun 121 Jul 107 Aug 93 Sep 66 Oct 44 Nov 32 Dec
Best month Worst month Winter (Dec–Feb) Other months

Winter output: 49.7% 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 41 kWh per month; the average month produces around 83 kWh. So a typical 4 kW home system would generate roughly 165 kWh in winter, or 333 kWh in an average month.

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.39p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
57.89p/day
Local Sunshine
998kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~998 kWh per year. A typical home uses ~2,700 kWh per year.
Typical System Size
4.0kW
For houses & bungalows in this area

Local Property Data

Property Types

Houses: 61% • Flats: 32% • Bungalows: 4% Based on 7,560 properties

Coverage

Bristol, City of (99%)|North Somerset (1%)

Areas Covered

Hartcliffe and Withywood, Bishopsworth, Hengrove and Whitchurch Park, Winford, Bedminster

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 Western

BS3 (Bristol, City of)
≈3.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~994 kWh/kWp · -0% vs BS13
BS77 (Bristol, City of)
≈3.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~999 kWh/kWp · +0% vs BS13
BS14 (Bristol, City of)
≈3.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~994 kWh/kWp · -0% vs BS13
BS41 (North Somerset)
≈4.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,004 kWh/kWp · +1% vs BS13
BS4 (Bristol, City of)
≈4.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~994 kWh/kWp · -0% vs BS13
BS1 (Bristol, City of)
≈5.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~994 kWh/kWp · -0% vs BS13

Similar sunshine across the UK

RG7 (West Berkshire)
~998 kWh/kWp · +0% vs BS13
FY2 (Blackpool)
~998 kWh/kWp · +0% vs BS13
NR12 (North Norfolk)
~998 kWh/kWp · -0% vs BS13