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Solar panel cost in Mid and East Antrim (BT42)

See realistic solar installation costs, savings and payback for BT42 (Mid and East Antrim) 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
32.4 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£9,767
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£302
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£-2,222
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 838 kWh/kW — 152 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 838 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)
838 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: £251, Upfront: £8,139, Break-even: 32.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1677 kWh 671 kWh 1006 kWh £0 £101 £101 £3,256 32.4 yrs £-1,244
3 kW 2515 kWh 1006 kWh 1509 kWh £0 £151 £151 £4,883 32.4 yrs £-1,866
4 kW 3353 kWh 1341 kWh 2012 kWh £0 £201 £201 £6,511 32.4 yrs £-2,487
5 kW 4191 kWh 1677 kWh 2515 kWh £0 £251 £251 £8,139 32.4 yrs £-3,109
6 kW 5030 kWh 2012 kWh 3018 kWh £0 £302 £302 £9,767 32.4 yrs £-3,731
7 kW 5868 kWh 2347 kWh 3521 kWh £0 £352 £352 £11,394 32.4 yrs £-4,353
8 kW 6706 kWh 2682 kWh 4024 kWh £0 £402 £402 £13,022 32.4 yrs £-4,975

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: £168, Upfront: £10,239, Break-even: 61.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1677 kWh 1006 kWh 671 kWh £0 £67 £67 £5,356 79.9 yrs £-4,014
3 kW 2515 kWh 1509 kWh 1006 kWh £0 £101 £101 £6,983 69.4 yrs £-4,971
4 kW 3353 kWh 2012 kWh 1341 kWh £0 £134 £134 £8,611 64.2 yrs £-5,929
5 kW 4191 kWh 2515 kWh 1677 kWh £0 £168 £168 £10,239 61.1 yrs £-6,886
6 kW 5030 kWh 3018 kWh 2012 kWh £0 £201 £201 £11,867 59.0 yrs £-7,843
7 kW 5868 kWh 3521 kWh 2347 kWh £0 £235 £235 £13,494 57.5 yrs £-8,800
8 kW 6706 kWh 4024 kWh 2682 kWh £0 £268 £268 £15,122 56.4 yrs £-9,757

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: £126, Upfront: £11,639, Break-even: 92.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1677 kWh 1174 kWh 503 kWh £0 £50 £50 £6,756 134.3 yrs £-5,750
3 kW 2515 kWh 1760 kWh 754 kWh £0 £75 £75 £8,383 111.1 yrs £-6,874
4 kW 3353 kWh 2347 kWh 1006 kWh £0 £101 £101 £10,011 99.5 yrs £-7,999
5 kW 4191 kWh 2934 kWh 1257 kWh £0 £126 £126 £11,639 92.6 yrs £-9,124
6 kW 5030 kWh 3521 kWh 1509 kWh £0 £151 £151 £13,267 87.9 yrs £-10,249
7 kW 5868 kWh 4108 kWh 1760 kWh £0 £176 £176 £14,894 84.6 yrs £-11,374
8 kW 6706 kWh 4694 kWh 2012 kWh £0 £201 £201 £16,522 82.1 yrs £-12,498

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: £113, Upfront: £13,389, Break-even: 118.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1677 kWh 1224 kWh 453 kWh £0 £45 £45 £8,506 187.9 yrs £-7,600
3 kW 2515 kWh 1836 kWh 679 kWh £0 £68 £68 £10,133 149.2 yrs £-8,775
4 kW 3353 kWh 2448 kWh 905 kWh £0 £91 £91 £11,761 129.9 yrs £-9,950
5 kW 4191 kWh 3060 kWh 1132 kWh £0 £113 £113 £13,389 118.3 yrs £-11,125
6 kW 5030 kWh 3672 kWh 1358 kWh £0 £136 £136 £15,017 110.6 yrs £-12,301
7 kW 5868 kWh 4284 kWh 1584 kWh £0 £158 £158 £16,644 105.1 yrs £-13,476
8 kW 6706 kWh 4895 kWh 1811 kWh £0 £181 £181 £18,272 100.9 yrs £-14,651

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: £105, Upfront: £15,139, Break-even: 144.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1677 kWh 1257 kWh 419 kWh £0 £42 £42 £10,256 244.7 yrs £-9,417
3 kW 2515 kWh 1886 kWh 629 kWh £0 £63 £63 £11,883 189.0 yrs £-10,626
4 kW 3353 kWh 2515 kWh 838 kWh £0 £84 £84 £13,511 161.2 yrs £-11,834
5 kW 4191 kWh 3144 kWh 1048 kWh £0 £105 £105 £15,139 144.5 yrs £-13,043
6 kW 5030 kWh 3772 kWh 1257 kWh £0 £126 £126 £16,767 133.3 yrs £-14,252
7 kW 5868 kWh 4401 kWh 1467 kWh £0 £147 £147 £18,394 125.4 yrs £-15,460
8 kW 6706 kWh 5030 kWh 1677 kWh £0 £168 £168 £20,022 119.4 yrs £-16,669

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: £96, Upfront: £17,589, Break-even: 182.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1677 kWh 1291 kWh 386 kWh £0 £39 £39 £12,706 329.5 yrs £-11,934
3 kW 2515 kWh 1936 kWh 578 kWh £0 £58 £58 £14,333 247.8 yrs £-13,176
4 kW 3353 kWh 2582 kWh 771 kWh £0 £77 £77 £15,961 207.0 yrs £-14,419
5 kW 4191 kWh 3227 kWh 964 kWh £0 £96 £96 £17,589 182.5 yrs £-15,661
6 kW 5030 kWh 3873 kWh 1157 kWh £0 £116 £116 £19,217 166.1 yrs £-16,903
7 kW 5868 kWh 4518 kWh 1350 kWh £0 £135 £135 £20,844 154.4 yrs £-18,145
8 kW 6706 kWh 5164 kWh 1542 kWh £0 £154 £154 £22,472 145.7 yrs £-19,387

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 Mid and East Antrim

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 BT42

Figures below are tailored to BT42 — click through for full league tables.

Aspect Penalty View ranking →
East −19.3% West −19.1%
Typical output loss versus a south-facing roof (lower is better)

Seasonal solar output in BT42

Monthly generation per kilowatt of solar panels

kWh 24 Jan 41 Feb 73 Mar 103 Apr 116 May 108 Jun 103 Jul 93 Aug 73 Sep 52 Oct 33 Nov 19 Dec
Best month Worst month Winter (Dec–Feb) Other months

Winter output: 40.2% 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 28 kWh per month; the average month produces around 70 kWh. So a typical 4 kW home system would generate roughly 112 kWh in winter, or 279 kWh in an average month.

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
0.00p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
0.00p/day
Local Sunshine
838kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~838 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

Mid and East Antrim (97%)|Antrim and Newtownabbey (3%)

Areas Covered

Galgorm, Kells, Glenwhirry, Ballee and Harryville, Ardeevin, Ballykeel, Slemish, Ahoghill + 4 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

BT43 (Mid and East Antrim)
≈2.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~838 kWh/kWp · +0% vs BT42
BT44 (Causeway Coast and Glens)
≈13.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~868 kWh/kWp · +4% vs BT42
BT41 (Antrim and Newtownabbey)
≈15.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~866 kWh/kWp · +3% vs BT42
BT39 (Antrim and Newtownabbey)
≈20.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~881 kWh/kWp · +5% vs BT42
BT45 (Mid Ulster)
≈24.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~867 kWh/kWp · +3% vs BT42
BT46 (Mid Ulster)
≈24.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~852 kWh/kWp · +2% vs BT42

Similar sunshine across the UK

G33 (Glasgow City)
~838 kWh/kWp · -0% vs BT42
KW3 (Highland)
~838 kWh/kWp · -0% vs BT42
OL13 (Rossendale)
~838 kWh/kWp · +0% vs BT42