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Solar panel cost in Ards and North Down (BT21)

See realistic solar installation costs, savings and payback for BT21 (Ards and North Down) 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
£332
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£-1,469
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 922 kWh/kW — 69 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 922 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)
922 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 1844 kWh 738 kWh 1106 kWh £0 £111 £111 £3,256 29.4 yrs £-1,043
3 kW 2766 kWh 1106 kWh 1659 kWh £0 £166 £166 £4,883 29.4 yrs £-1,564
4 kW 3688 kWh 1475 kWh 2213 kWh £0 £221 £221 £6,511 29.4 yrs £-2,086
5 kW 4610 kWh 1844 kWh 2766 kWh £0 £277 £277 £8,139 29.4 yrs £-2,607
6 kW 5531 kWh 2213 kWh 3319 kWh £0 £332 £332 £9,767 29.4 yrs £-3,129
7 kW 6453 kWh 2581 kWh 3872 kWh £0 £387 £387 £11,394 29.4 yrs £-3,650
8 kW 7375 kWh 2950 kWh 4425 kWh £0 £443 £443 £13,022 29.4 yrs £-4,172

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: £184, Upfront: £10,239, Break-even: 55.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1844 kWh 1106 kWh 738 kWh £0 £74 £74 £5,356 72.6 yrs £-3,880
3 kW 2766 kWh 1659 kWh 1106 kWh £0 £111 £111 £6,983 63.1 yrs £-4,771
4 kW 3688 kWh 2213 kWh 1475 kWh £0 £148 £148 £8,611 58.4 yrs £-5,661
5 kW 4610 kWh 2766 kWh 1844 kWh £0 £184 £184 £10,239 55.5 yrs £-6,551
6 kW 5531 kWh 3319 kWh 2213 kWh £0 £221 £221 £11,867 53.6 yrs £-7,441
7 kW 6453 kWh 3872 kWh 2581 kWh £0 £258 £258 £13,494 52.3 yrs £-8,332
8 kW 7375 kWh 4425 kWh 2950 kWh £0 £295 £295 £15,122 51.3 yrs £-9,222

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: £138, Upfront: £11,639, Break-even: 84.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1844 kWh 1291 kWh 553 kWh £0 £55 £55 £6,756 122.1 yrs £-5,649
3 kW 2766 kWh 1936 kWh 830 kWh £0 £83 £83 £8,383 101.0 yrs £-6,724
4 kW 3688 kWh 2581 kWh 1106 kWh £0 £111 £111 £10,011 90.5 yrs £-7,798
5 kW 4610 kWh 3227 kWh 1383 kWh £0 £138 £138 £11,639 84.2 yrs £-8,873
6 kW 5531 kWh 3872 kWh 1659 kWh £0 £166 £166 £13,267 79.9 yrs £-9,948
7 kW 6453 kWh 4517 kWh 1936 kWh £0 £194 £194 £14,894 76.9 yrs £-11,022
8 kW 7375 kWh 5163 kWh 2213 kWh £0 £221 £221 £16,522 74.7 yrs £-12,097

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: £124, Upfront: £13,389, Break-even: 107.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1844 kWh 1346 kWh 498 kWh £0 £50 £50 £8,506 170.9 yrs £-7,510
3 kW 2766 kWh 2019 kWh 747 kWh £0 £75 £75 £10,133 135.7 yrs £-8,640
4 kW 3688 kWh 2692 kWh 996 kWh £0 £100 £100 £11,761 118.1 yrs £-9,770
5 kW 4610 kWh 3365 kWh 1245 kWh £0 £124 £124 £13,389 107.6 yrs £-10,900
6 kW 5531 kWh 4038 kWh 1493 kWh £0 £149 £149 £15,017 100.5 yrs £-12,030
7 kW 6453 kWh 4711 kWh 1742 kWh £0 £174 £174 £16,644 95.5 yrs £-13,160
8 kW 7375 kWh 5384 kWh 1991 kWh £0 £199 £199 £18,272 91.8 yrs £-14,289

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: 131.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1844 kWh 1383 kWh 461 kWh £0 £46 £46 £10,256 222.5 yrs £-9,334
3 kW 2766 kWh 2074 kWh 691 kWh £0 £69 £69 £11,883 171.9 yrs £-10,500
4 kW 3688 kWh 2766 kWh 922 kWh £0 £92 £92 £13,511 146.6 yrs £-11,667
5 kW 4610 kWh 3457 kWh 1152 kWh £0 £115 £115 £15,139 131.4 yrs £-12,834
6 kW 5531 kWh 4149 kWh 1383 kWh £0 £138 £138 £16,767 121.2 yrs £-14,001
7 kW 6453 kWh 4840 kWh 1613 kWh £0 £161 £161 £18,394 114.0 yrs £-15,168
8 kW 7375 kWh 5531 kWh 1844 kWh £0 £184 £184 £20,022 108.6 yrs £-16,334

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: 165.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1844 kWh 1420 kWh 424 kWh £0 £42 £42 £12,706 299.6 yrs £-11,857
3 kW 2766 kWh 2130 kWh 636 kWh £0 £64 £64 £14,333 225.3 yrs £-13,061
4 kW 3688 kWh 2839 kWh 848 kWh £0 £85 £85 £15,961 188.2 yrs £-14,265
5 kW 4610 kWh 3549 kWh 1060 kWh £0 £106 £106 £17,589 165.9 yrs £-15,468
6 kW 5531 kWh 4259 kWh 1272 kWh £0 £127 £127 £19,217 151.0 yrs £-16,672
7 kW 6453 kWh 4969 kWh 1484 kWh £0 £148 £148 £20,844 140.4 yrs £-17,876
8 kW 7375 kWh 5679 kWh 1696 kWh £0 £170 £170 £22,472 132.5 yrs £-19,079

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 Ards and North Down

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 BT21

Figures below are tailored to BT21 — click through for full league tables.

Aspect Penalty View ranking →
East −21.3% West −22.3%
Typical output loss versus a south-facing roof (lower is better)

Seasonal solar output in BT21

Monthly generation per kilowatt of solar panels

kWh 29 Jan 45 Feb 81 Mar 110 Apr 125 May 121 Jun 113 Jul 101 Aug 80 Sep 56 Oct 35 Nov 26 Dec
Best month Worst month Winter (Dec–Feb) Other months

Winter output: 43.7% 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 34 kWh per month; the average month produces around 77 kWh. So a typical 4 kW home system would generate roughly 134 kWh in winter, or 307 kWh in an average month.

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
0.00p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
0.00p/day
Local Sunshine
922kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~922 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

Ards and North Down (100%)

Areas Covered

Warren, Donaghadee, Loughries, Groomsport

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

BT19 (Ards and North Down)
≈6.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~956 kWh/kWp · +4% vs BT21
BT20 (Ards and North Down)
≈8.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~918 kWh/kWp · -0% vs BT21
BT23 (Ards and North Down)
≈11.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~902 kWh/kWp · -2% vs BT21
BT22 (Ards and North Down)
≈16.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~950 kWh/kWp · +3% vs BT21
BT16 (Lisburn and Castlereagh)
≈17.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~924 kWh/kWp · +0% vs BT21
BT18 (Ards and North Down)
≈18.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~918 kWh/kWp · -0% vs BT21

Similar sunshine across the UK

L11 (Liverpool)
~922 kWh/kWp · +0% vs BT21
NE4 (Newcastle upon Tyne)
~922 kWh/kWp · -0% vs BT21
L34 (Knowsley)
~922 kWh/kWp · -0% vs BT21