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Solar panel cost in Lisburn and Castlereagh (BT16)

See realistic solar installation costs, savings and payback for BT16 (Lisburn and Castlereagh) 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
29.4 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£9,767
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£333
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£-1,451
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 Northern Ireland, the current unit rate is 0.00p/kWh with a 0.00p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 924 kWh/kW — 67 below the regional median (991).

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 924 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 0.0p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
0.0p/kWh
Standing charge
0.0p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
924 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: £277, Upfront: £8,139, Break-even: 29.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1848 kWh 739 kWh 1109 kWh £0 £111 £111 £3,256 29.4 yrs £-1,038
3 kW 2772 kWh 1109 kWh 1663 kWh £0 £166 £166 £4,883 29.4 yrs £-1,557
4 kW 3696 kWh 1478 kWh 2217 kWh £0 £222 £222 £6,511 29.4 yrs £-2,076
5 kW 4620 kWh 1848 kWh 2772 kWh £0 £277 £277 £8,139 29.4 yrs £-2,595
6 kW 5544 kWh 2217 kWh 3326 kWh £0 £333 £333 £9,767 29.4 yrs £-3,114
7 kW 6467 kWh 2587 kWh 3880 kWh £0 £388 £388 £11,394 29.4 yrs £-3,633
8 kW 7391 kWh 2957 kWh 4435 kWh £0 £443 £443 £13,022 29.4 yrs £-4,152

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: £185, Upfront: £10,239, Break-even: 55.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1848 kWh 1109 kWh 739 kWh £0 £74 £74 £5,356 72.5 yrs £-3,877
3 kW 2772 kWh 1663 kWh 1109 kWh £0 £111 £111 £6,983 63.0 yrs £-4,766
4 kW 3696 kWh 2217 kWh 1478 kWh £0 £148 £148 £8,611 58.3 yrs £-5,654
5 kW 4620 kWh 2772 kWh 1848 kWh £0 £185 £185 £10,239 55.4 yrs £-6,543
6 kW 5544 kWh 3326 kWh 2217 kWh £0 £222 £222 £11,867 53.5 yrs £-7,432
7 kW 6467 kWh 3880 kWh 2587 kWh £0 £259 £259 £13,494 52.2 yrs £-8,320
8 kW 7391 kWh 4435 kWh 2957 kWh £0 £296 £296 £15,122 51.1 yrs £-9,209

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: £139, Upfront: £11,639, Break-even: 84.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1848 kWh 1293 kWh 554 kWh £0 £55 £55 £6,756 121.9 yrs £-5,647
3 kW 2772 kWh 1940 kWh 832 kWh £0 £83 £83 £8,383 100.8 yrs £-6,720
4 kW 3696 kWh 2587 kWh 1109 kWh £0 £111 £111 £10,011 90.3 yrs £-7,794
5 kW 4620 kWh 3234 kWh 1386 kWh £0 £139 £139 £11,639 84.0 yrs £-8,867
6 kW 5544 kWh 3880 kWh 1663 kWh £0 £166 £166 £13,267 79.8 yrs £-9,940
7 kW 6467 kWh 4527 kWh 1940 kWh £0 £194 £194 £14,894 76.8 yrs £-11,014
8 kW 7391 kWh 5174 kWh 2217 kWh £0 £222 £222 £16,522 74.5 yrs £-12,087

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: £125, Upfront: £13,389, Break-even: 107.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1848 kWh 1349 kWh 499 kWh £0 £50 £50 £8,506 170.5 yrs £-7,508
3 kW 2772 kWh 2023 kWh 748 kWh £0 £75 £75 £10,133 135.4 yrs £-8,637
4 kW 3696 kWh 2698 kWh 998 kWh £0 £100 £100 £11,761 117.9 yrs £-9,765
5 kW 4620 kWh 3372 kWh 1247 kWh £0 £125 £125 £13,389 107.3 yrs £-10,894
6 kW 5544 kWh 4047 kWh 1497 kWh £0 £150 £150 £15,017 100.3 yrs £-12,023
7 kW 6467 kWh 4721 kWh 1746 kWh £0 £175 £175 £16,644 95.3 yrs £-13,152
8 kW 7391 kWh 5396 kWh 1996 kWh £0 £200 £200 £18,272 91.6 yrs £-14,281

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: £115, Upfront: £15,139, Break-even: 131.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1848 kWh 1386 kWh 462 kWh £0 £46 £46 £10,256 222.0 yrs £-9,332
3 kW 2772 kWh 2079 kWh 693 kWh £0 £69 £69 £11,883 171.5 yrs £-10,497
4 kW 3696 kWh 2772 kWh 924 kWh £0 £92 £92 £13,511 146.2 yrs £-11,663
5 kW 4620 kWh 3465 kWh 1155 kWh £0 £115 £115 £15,139 131.1 yrs £-12,829
6 kW 5544 kWh 4158 kWh 1386 kWh £0 £139 £139 £16,767 121.0 yrs £-13,995
7 kW 6467 kWh 4851 kWh 1617 kWh £0 £162 £162 £18,394 113.8 yrs £-15,161
8 kW 7391 kWh 5544 kWh 1848 kWh £0 £185 £185 £20,022 108.4 yrs £-16,326

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: £106, Upfront: £17,589, Break-even: 165.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1848 kWh 1423 kWh 425 kWh £0 £43 £43 £12,706 299.0 yrs £-11,856
3 kW 2772 kWh 2134 kWh 638 kWh £0 £64 £64 £14,333 224.8 yrs £-13,058
4 kW 3696 kWh 2846 kWh 850 kWh £0 £85 £85 £15,961 187.8 yrs £-14,261
5 kW 4620 kWh 3557 kWh 1063 kWh £0 £106 £106 £17,589 165.5 yrs £-15,464
6 kW 5544 kWh 4269 kWh 1275 kWh £0 £128 £128 £19,217 150.7 yrs £-16,667
7 kW 6467 kWh 4980 kWh 1488 kWh £0 £149 £149 £20,844 140.1 yrs £-17,869
8 kW 7391 kWh 5691 kWh 1700 kWh £0 £170 £170 £22,472 132.2 yrs £-19,072

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 Lisburn and Castlereagh

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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This is a practical sanity-check request, not an instant quote promise. The Blue Ape quote route above remains available if you already want installer introductions.

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Insights for BT16

Figures below are tailored to BT16 — click through for full league tables.

Aspect Penalty View ranking →
East −21.5% West −21.1%
Typical output loss versus a south-facing roof (lower is better)

Seasonal solar output in BT16

Monthly generation per kilowatt of solar panels

kWh 32 Jan 48 Feb 82 Mar 109 Apr 122 May 116 Jun 110 Jul 99 Aug 82 Sep 58 Oct 39 Nov 27 Dec
Best month Worst month Winter (Dec–Feb) Other months

Winter output: 46.4% 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 36 kWh per month; the average month produces around 77 kWh. So a typical 4 kW home system would generate roughly 143 kWh in winter, or 308 kWh in an average month.

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
0.00p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
0.00p/day
Local Sunshine
924kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~924 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

Lisburn and Castlereagh (98%)|Ards and North Down (2%)|Belfast (1%)

Areas Covered

Carrowreagh, Graham's Bridge, Enler, Dundonald, Ballyhanwood, Cultra, Stormont, Scrabo + 2 more

Data Sources & Assumptions

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

Electricity rates: Ofgem price cap,

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 Northern Ireland

BT4 (Belfast)
≈4.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~892 kWh/kWp · -3% vs BT16
BT5 (Belfast)
≈5.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~892 kWh/kWp · -3% vs BT16
BT18 (Ards and North Down)
≈5.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~918 kWh/kWp · -1% vs BT16
BT23 (Ards and North Down)
≈6.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~902 kWh/kWp · -2% vs BT16
BT6 (Belfast)
≈6.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~892 kWh/kWp · -3% vs BT16
BT3 (Belfast)
≈7.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~885 kWh/kWp · -4% vs BT16

Similar sunshine across the UK

LL16 (Denbighshire)
~924 kWh/kWp · +0% vs BT16
DY5 (Dudley)
~924 kWh/kWp · +0% vs BT16
S14 (Sheffield)
~924 kWh/kWp · -0% vs BT16