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Solar panel cost in South Gloucestershire (BS16)

See realistic solar installation costs, savings and payback for BS16 (South Gloucestershire) 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
9.9 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£8,139
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£819
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£12,333
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 989 kWh/kW — 24 below the regional median (1013).

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 989 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)
989 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: £819, Upfront: £8,139, Break-even: 9.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1978 kWh 791 kWh 1187 kWh £209 £119 £328 £3,256 9.9 yrs £3,295
3 kW 2968 kWh 1187 kWh 1781 kWh £313 £178 £491 £4,883 9.9 yrs £4,943
4 kW 3957 kWh 1583 kWh 2374 kWh £418 £237 £655 £6,511 9.9 yrs £6,591
5 kW 4946 kWh 1978 kWh 2968 kWh £522 £297 £819 £8,139 9.9 yrs £8,239
6 kW 5935 kWh 2374 kWh 3561 kWh £627 £356 £983 £9,767 9.9 yrs £9,886
7 kW 6924 kWh 2770 kWh 4155 kWh £731 £415 £1,146 £11,394 9.9 yrs £11,534
8 kW 7914 kWh 3165 kWh 4748 kWh £835 £475 £1,310 £13,022 9.9 yrs £13,182

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: £981, Upfront: £10,239, Break-even: 10.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1978 kWh 1187 kWh 791 kWh £313 £79 £392 £5,356 13.6 yrs £2,492
3 kW 2968 kWh 1781 kWh 1187 kWh £470 £119 £589 £6,983 11.9 yrs £4,789
4 kW 3957 kWh 2374 kWh 1583 kWh £627 £158 £785 £8,611 11.0 yrs £7,085
5 kW 4946 kWh 2968 kWh 1978 kWh £783 £198 £981 £10,239 10.4 yrs £9,381
6 kW 5935 kWh 3561 kWh 2374 kWh £940 £237 £1,177 £11,867 10.1 yrs £11,677
7 kW 6924 kWh 4155 kWh 2770 kWh £1,096 £277 £1,373 £13,494 9.8 yrs £13,974
8 kW 7914 kWh 4748 kWh 3165 kWh £1,253 £317 £1,570 £15,122 9.6 yrs £16,270

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: £1,062, Upfront: £11,639, Break-even: 11.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1978 kWh 1385 kWh 594 kWh £365 £59 £425 £6,756 15.9 yrs £1,741
3 kW 2968 kWh 2077 kWh 890 kWh £548 £89 £637 £8,383 13.2 yrs £4,362
4 kW 3957 kWh 2770 kWh 1187 kWh £731 £119 £850 £10,011 11.8 yrs £6,982
5 kW 4946 kWh 3462 kWh 1484 kWh £914 £148 £1,062 £11,639 11.0 yrs £9,603
6 kW 5935 kWh 4155 kWh 1781 kWh £1,096 £178 £1,274 £13,267 10.4 yrs £12,223
7 kW 6924 kWh 4847 kWh 2077 kWh £1,279 £208 £1,487 £14,894 10.0 yrs £14,844
8 kW 7914 kWh 5540 kWh 2374 kWh £1,462 £237 £1,699 £16,522 9.7 yrs £17,464

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: £1,086, Upfront: £13,389, Break-even: 12.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1978 kWh 1444 kWh 534 kWh £381 £53 £435 £8,506 19.6 yrs £186
3 kW 2968 kWh 2166 kWh 801 kWh £572 £80 £652 £10,133 15.5 yrs £2,903
4 kW 3957 kWh 2888 kWh 1068 kWh £762 £107 £869 £11,761 13.5 yrs £5,621
5 kW 4946 kWh 3611 kWh 1335 kWh £953 £134 £1,086 £13,389 12.3 yrs £8,339
6 kW 5935 kWh 4333 kWh 1603 kWh £1,143 £160 £1,304 £15,017 11.5 yrs £11,057
7 kW 6924 kWh 5055 kWh 1870 kWh £1,334 £187 £1,521 £16,644 10.9 yrs £13,774
8 kW 7914 kWh 5777 kWh 2137 kWh £1,525 £214 £1,738 £18,272 10.5 yrs £16,492

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: £1,103, Upfront: £15,139, Break-even: 13.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1978 kWh 1484 kWh 495 kWh £392 £49 £441 £10,256 23.3 yrs £-1,435
3 kW 2968 kWh 2226 kWh 742 kWh £587 £74 £662 £11,883 18.0 yrs £1,348
4 kW 3957 kWh 2968 kWh 989 kWh £783 £99 £882 £13,511 15.3 yrs £4,131
5 kW 4946 kWh 3710 kWh 1237 kWh £979 £124 £1,103 £15,139 13.7 yrs £6,913
6 kW 5935 kWh 4451 kWh 1484 kWh £1,175 £148 £1,323 £16,767 12.7 yrs £9,696
7 kW 6924 kWh 5193 kWh 1731 kWh £1,371 £173 £1,544 £18,394 11.9 yrs £12,478
8 kW 7914 kWh 5935 kWh 1978 kWh £1,566 £198 £1,764 £20,022 11.3 yrs £15,261

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: £1,119, Upfront: £17,589, 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 1978 kWh 1523 kWh 455 kWh £402 £46 £448 £12,706 28.4 yrs £-3,755
3 kW 2968 kWh 2285 kWh 683 kWh £603 £68 £671 £14,333 21.4 yrs £-908
4 kW 3957 kWh 3047 kWh 910 kWh £804 £91 £895 £15,961 17.8 yrs £1,940
5 kW 4946 kWh 3808 kWh 1138 kWh £1,005 £114 £1,119 £17,589 15.7 yrs £4,787
6 kW 5935 kWh 4570 kWh 1365 kWh £1,206 £137 £1,343 £19,217 14.3 yrs £7,635
7 kW 6924 kWh 5332 kWh 1593 kWh £1,407 £159 £1,566 £20,844 13.3 yrs £10,482
8 kW 7914 kWh 6094 kWh 1820 kWh £1,608 £182 £1,790 £22,472 12.6 yrs £13,330

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 South Gloucestershire

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 BS16

Figures below are tailored to BS16 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1213 of 2182
4.9 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~10 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #767 of 2996
9.9 years (UK avg 10.8 years)
~£819 /yr • £8,139 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #1570 of 2996
25.8% (UK avg 26.6%) drag on savings
£211 fixed • ~£819 /yr value
Aspect Penalty View ranking →
East −20.2% West −20.4%
Typical output loss versus a south-facing roof (lower is better)

Seasonal solar output in BS16

Monthly generation per kilowatt of solar panels

kWh 38 Jan 52 Feb 85 Mar 112 Apr 122 May 119 Jun 121 Jul 107 Aug 92 Sep 65 Oct 44 Nov 33 Dec
Best month Worst month Winter (Dec–Feb) Other months

Winter output: 49.9% 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 82 kWh. So a typical 4 kW home system would generate roughly 165 kWh in winter, or 330 kWh in an average month.

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.39p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
57.89p/day
Local Sunshine
989kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~989 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: 67% • Flats: 29% • Bungalows: 4% Based on 23,438 properties

Coverage

South Gloucestershire (53%)|Bristol, City of (47%)

Areas Covered

Frome Vale, Frenchay & Downend, Staple Hill & Mangotsfield, Emersons Green, Hillfields, Eastville, Boyd Valley, Stoke Park & Cheswick + 4 more

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

BS15 (South Gloucestershire)
≈3.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~989 kWh/kWp · -0% vs BS16
BS5 (Bristol, City of)
≈3.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~992 kWh/kWp · +0% vs BS16
BS7 (Bristol, City of)
≈4.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~992 kWh/kWp · +0% vs BS16
BS99 (Bristol, City of)
≈4.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~992 kWh/kWp · +0% vs BS16
BS2 (Bristol, City of)
≈5.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~992 kWh/kWp · +0% vs BS16
BS98 (Bristol, City of)
≈5.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~992 kWh/kWp · +0% vs BS16

Similar sunshine across the UK

E8 (Hackney)
~989 kWh/kWp · +0% vs BS16
W1H (Westminster)
~989 kWh/kWp · +0% vs BS16
W1U (Westminster)
~989 kWh/kWp · +0% vs BS16