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Solar Panels in BS77 (Bristol, City of)

See if solar pays off for you in Bristol, City of — price, savings and payback in under a minute (official UK data).

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
12.2 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£12,207
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£1,002
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£12,855
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: Bigger systems don’t shorten payback—cost and savings rise together per kW.
  • 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

Costs: Battery prices are typically £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 26.82p/kWh with a 54.03p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 999 kWh/kW — 15 below the regional median (1013).

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 999 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 26.8p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
26.8p/kWh
Standing charge
54.0p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
999 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: £835, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 12.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1998 kWh 799 kWh 1199 kWh £214 £120 £334 £4,069 12.2 yrs £2,614
3 kW 2996 kWh 1199 kWh 1798 kWh £321 £180 £501 £6,104 12.2 yrs £3,921
4 kW 3995 kWh 1598 kWh 2397 kWh £429 £240 £668 £8,138 12.2 yrs £5,228
5 kW 4994 kWh 1998 kWh 2996 kWh £536 £300 £835 £10,173 12.2 yrs £6,535
6 kW 5993 kWh 2397 kWh 3596 kWh £643 £360 £1,002 £12,207 12.2 yrs £7,842
7 kW 6992 kWh 2797 kWh 4195 kWh £750 £419 £1,170 £14,242 12.2 yrs £9,150
8 kW 7990 kWh 3196 kWh 4794 kWh £857 £479 £1,337 £16,276 12.2 yrs £10,457

Assumptions: south-facing, sensible tilt; self-use shares from site rules; export at 10p baseline. Costs: panels £/kW = 2,035, battery £/kWh = 700.

3 kWh battery 5 kW example → Annual benefit: £1,003, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 12.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1998 kWh 1199 kWh 799 kWh £321 £80 £401 £6,169 15.4 yrs £1,858
3 kW 2996 kWh 1798 kWh 1199 kWh £482 £120 £602 £8,204 13.6 yrs £3,837
4 kW 3995 kWh 2397 kWh 1598 kWh £643 £160 £803 £10,238 12.8 yrs £5,816
5 kW 4994 kWh 2996 kWh 1998 kWh £804 £200 £1,003 £12,273 12.2 yrs £7,795
6 kW 5993 kWh 3596 kWh 2397 kWh £964 £240 £1,204 £14,307 11.9 yrs £9,774
7 kW 6992 kWh 4195 kWh 2797 kWh £1,125 £280 £1,405 £16,342 11.6 yrs £11,753
8 kW 7990 kWh 4794 kWh 3196 kWh £1,286 £320 £1,605 £18,376 11.4 yrs £13,733

Assumptions: south-facing, sensible tilt; self-use shares from site rules; export at 10p baseline. Costs: panels £/kW = 2,035, battery £/kWh = 700.

5 kWh battery 5 kW example → Annual benefit: £1,087, Upfront: £13,673, 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 1998 kWh 1398 kWh 599 kWh £375 £60 £435 £7,569 17.4 yrs £1,130
3 kW 2996 kWh 2097 kWh 899 kWh £563 £90 £652 £9,604 14.7 yrs £3,445
4 kW 3995 kWh 2797 kWh 1199 kWh £750 £120 £870 £11,638 13.4 yrs £5,760
5 kW 4994 kWh 3496 kWh 1498 kWh £938 £150 £1,087 £13,673 12.6 yrs £8,075
6 kW 5993 kWh 4195 kWh 1798 kWh £1,125 £180 £1,305 £15,707 12.0 yrs £10,390
7 kW 6992 kWh 4894 kWh 2097 kWh £1,313 £210 £1,522 £17,742 11.7 yrs £12,705
8 kW 7990 kWh 5593 kWh 2397 kWh £1,500 £240 £1,740 £19,776 11.4 yrs £15,021

Assumptions: south-facing, sensible tilt; self-use shares from site rules; export at 10p baseline. Costs: panels £/kW = 2,035, battery £/kWh = 700.

7.5 kWh battery 5 kW example → Annual benefit: £1,113, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 13.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1998 kWh 1458 kWh 539 kWh £391 £54 £445 £9,319 20.9 yrs £-418
3 kW 2996 kWh 2187 kWh 809 kWh £587 £81 £668 £11,354 17.0 yrs £1,998
4 kW 3995 kWh 2916 kWh 1079 kWh £782 £108 £890 £13,388 15.0 yrs £4,413
5 kW 4994 kWh 3646 kWh 1348 kWh £978 £135 £1,113 £15,423 13.9 yrs £6,829
6 kW 5993 kWh 4375 kWh 1618 kWh £1,173 £162 £1,335 £17,457 13.1 yrs £9,245
7 kW 6992 kWh 5104 kWh 1888 kWh £1,369 £189 £1,558 £19,492 12.5 yrs £11,661
8 kW 7990 kWh 5833 kWh 2157 kWh £1,564 £216 £1,780 £21,526 12.1 yrs £14,077

Assumptions: south-facing, sensible tilt; self-use shares from site rules; export at 10p baseline. Costs: panels £/kW = 2,035, battery £/kWh = 700.

10 kWh battery 5 kW example → Annual benefit: £1,129, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 15.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1998 kWh 1498 kWh 499 kWh £402 £50 £452 £11,069 24.5 yrs £-2,034
3 kW 2996 kWh 2247 kWh 749 kWh £603 £75 £678 £13,104 19.3 yrs £449
4 kW 3995 kWh 2996 kWh 999 kWh £804 £100 £904 £15,138 16.8 yrs £2,932
5 kW 4994 kWh 3746 kWh 1248 kWh £1,005 £125 £1,129 £17,173 15.2 yrs £5,415
6 kW 5993 kWh 4495 kWh 1498 kWh £1,205 £150 £1,355 £19,207 14.2 yrs £7,898
7 kW 6992 kWh 5244 kWh 1748 kWh £1,406 £175 £1,581 £21,242 13.4 yrs £10,381
8 kW 7990 kWh 5993 kWh 1998 kWh £1,607 £200 £1,807 £23,276 12.9 yrs £12,864

Assumptions: south-facing, sensible tilt; self-use shares from site rules; export at 10p baseline. Costs: panels £/kW = 2,035, battery £/kWh = 700.

13.5 kWh battery 5 kW example → Annual benefit: £1,146, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 17.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1998 kWh 1538 kWh 459 kWh £413 £46 £458 £13,519 29.5 yrs £-4,349
3 kW 2996 kWh 2307 kWh 689 kWh £619 £69 £688 £15,554 22.6 yrs £-1,799
4 kW 3995 kWh 3076 kWh 919 kWh £825 £92 £917 £17,588 19.2 yrs £751
5 kW 4994 kWh 3845 kWh 1149 kWh £1,031 £115 £1,146 £19,623 17.1 yrs £3,301
6 kW 5993 kWh 4614 kWh 1378 kWh £1,238 £138 £1,375 £21,657 15.7 yrs £5,852
7 kW 6992 kWh 5384 kWh 1608 kWh £1,444 £161 £1,605 £23,692 14.8 yrs £8,402
8 kW 7990 kWh 6153 kWh 1838 kWh £1,650 £184 £1,834 £25,726 14.0 yrs £10,952

Assumptions: south-facing, sensible tilt; self-use shares from site rules; export at 10p baseline. Costs: panels £/kW = 2,035, 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.

Insights for BS77

Figures below are tailored to BS77 — click through for full league tables.

Solar Payback Index Rank #606 of 2997
10.6 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£1,154 /yr • £12,207 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #767 of 2997
17.1% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£197 fixed • ~£1,154 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.82p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
54.03p/day
Local Sunshine
999kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~999 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

No EPC data available for this outcode

Coverage

Bristol, City of (100%)

Areas Covered

Bedminster

Data Sources & Assumptions

Solar yield: PVGIS (EU Joint Research Centre), January 2025 data

Electricity rates: Ofgem price cap, Q4 2025

Installation costs: MCS certified installer data, March 2025

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)
≈0.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~994 kWh/kWp · -0% vs BS77
BS1 (Bristol, City of)
≈1.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~994 kWh/kWp · -0% vs BS77
BS8 (Bristol, City of)
≈2.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~996 kWh/kWp · -0% vs BS77
BS4 (Bristol, City of)
≈2.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~994 kWh/kWp · -1% vs BS77
BS98 (Bristol, City of)
≈2.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~992 kWh/kWp · -1% vs BS77
BS2 (Bristol, City of)
≈2.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~992 kWh/kWp · -1% vs BS77

Similar sunshine across the UK

AL7 (Welwyn Hatfield)
~999 kWh/kWp · -0% vs BS77
NR4 (Norwich)
~999 kWh/kWp · -0% vs BS77
LN5 (Lincoln)
~999 kWh/kWp · +0% vs BS77