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Solar panel cost in Cumberland (CA7)

See realistic solar installation costs, savings and payback for CA7 (Cumberland) 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
14.7 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£12,207
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£831
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£8,562
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 North West, the current unit rate is 23.04p/kWh with a 46.92p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 910 kWh/kW — 40 above the regional median (870).

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 910 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 23.0p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
23.0p/kWh
Standing charge
46.9p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
910 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: £692, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 14.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1820 kWh 728 kWh 1092 kWh £168 £109 £277 £4,069 14.7 yrs £1,469
3 kW 2730 kWh 1092 kWh 1638 kWh £252 £164 £415 £6,104 14.7 yrs £2,204
4 kW 3640 kWh 1456 kWh 2184 kWh £335 £218 £554 £8,138 14.7 yrs £2,939
5 kW 4550 kWh 1820 kWh 2730 kWh £419 £273 £692 £10,173 14.7 yrs £3,673
6 kW 5460 kWh 2184 kWh 3276 kWh £503 £328 £831 £12,207 14.7 yrs £4,408
7 kW 6370 kWh 2548 kWh 3822 kWh £587 £382 £969 £14,242 14.7 yrs £5,143
8 kW 7280 kWh 2912 kWh 4368 kWh £671 £437 £1,108 £16,276 14.7 yrs £5,877

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: £811, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 15.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1820 kWh 1092 kWh 728 kWh £252 £73 £324 £6,169 19.0 yrs £319
3 kW 2730 kWh 1638 kWh 1092 kWh £377 £109 £487 £8,204 16.9 yrs £1,528
4 kW 3640 kWh 2184 kWh 1456 kWh £503 £146 £649 £10,238 15.8 yrs £2,737
5 kW 4550 kWh 2730 kWh 1820 kWh £629 £182 £811 £12,273 15.1 yrs £3,947
6 kW 5460 kWh 3276 kWh 2184 kWh £755 £218 £973 £14,307 14.7 yrs £5,156
7 kW 6370 kWh 3822 kWh 2548 kWh £881 £255 £1,135 £16,342 14.4 yrs £6,365
8 kW 7280 kWh 4368 kWh 2912 kWh £1,006 £291 £1,298 £18,376 14.2 yrs £7,575

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: £870, Upfront: £13,673, 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 1820 kWh 1274 kWh 546 kWh £294 £55 £348 £7,569 21.7 yrs £-607
3 kW 2730 kWh 1911 kWh 819 kWh £440 £82 £522 £9,604 18.4 yrs £840
4 kW 3640 kWh 2548 kWh 1092 kWh £587 £109 £696 £11,638 16.7 yrs £2,287
5 kW 4550 kWh 3185 kWh 1365 kWh £734 £136 £870 £13,673 15.7 yrs £3,733
6 kW 5460 kWh 3822 kWh 1638 kWh £881 £164 £1,044 £15,707 15.0 yrs £5,180
7 kW 6370 kWh 4459 kWh 1911 kWh £1,027 £191 £1,218 £17,742 14.6 yrs £6,626
8 kW 7280 kWh 5096 kWh 2184 kWh £1,174 £218 £1,392 £19,776 14.2 yrs £8,073

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: £888, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 17.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1820 kWh 1329 kWh 491 kWh £306 £49 £355 £9,319 26.2 yrs £-2,214
3 kW 2730 kWh 1993 kWh 737 kWh £459 £74 £533 £11,354 21.3 yrs £-697
4 kW 3640 kWh 2657 kWh 983 kWh £612 £98 £710 £13,388 18.8 yrs £821
5 kW 4550 kWh 3321 kWh 1228 kWh £765 £123 £888 £15,423 17.4 yrs £2,339
6 kW 5460 kWh 3986 kWh 1474 kWh £918 £147 £1,066 £17,457 16.4 yrs £3,857
7 kW 6370 kWh 4650 kWh 1720 kWh £1,071 £172 £1,243 £19,492 15.7 yrs £5,375
8 kW 7280 kWh 5314 kWh 1966 kWh £1,224 £197 £1,421 £21,526 15.1 yrs £6,893

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: £900, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 19.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1820 kWh 1365 kWh 455 kWh £314 £45 £360 £11,069 30.7 yrs £-3,869
3 kW 2730 kWh 2047 kWh 682 kWh £472 £68 £540 £13,104 24.3 yrs £-2,304
4 kW 3640 kWh 2730 kWh 910 kWh £629 £91 £720 £15,138 21.0 yrs £-739
5 kW 4550 kWh 3412 kWh 1137 kWh £786 £114 £900 £17,173 19.1 yrs £826
6 kW 5460 kWh 4095 kWh 1365 kWh £943 £136 £1,080 £19,207 17.8 yrs £2,392
7 kW 6370 kWh 4777 kWh 1592 kWh £1,101 £159 £1,260 £21,242 16.9 yrs £3,957
8 kW 7280 kWh 5460 kWh 1820 kWh £1,258 £182 £1,440 £23,276 16.2 yrs £5,522

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: £912, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 21.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1820 kWh 1401 kWh 419 kWh £323 £42 £365 £13,519 37.1 yrs £-6,224
3 kW 2730 kWh 2102 kWh 628 kWh £484 £63 £547 £15,554 28.4 yrs £-4,612
4 kW 3640 kWh 2803 kWh 837 kWh £646 £84 £729 £17,588 24.1 yrs £-2,999
5 kW 4550 kWh 3503 kWh 1046 kWh £807 £105 £912 £19,623 21.5 yrs £-1,386
6 kW 5460 kWh 4204 kWh 1256 kWh £969 £126 £1,094 £21,657 19.8 yrs £227
7 kW 6370 kWh 4905 kWh 1465 kWh £1,130 £147 £1,277 £23,692 18.6 yrs £1,839
8 kW 7280 kWh 5605 kWh 1674 kWh £1,291 £167 £1,459 £25,726 17.6 yrs £3,452

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 CA7

Figures below are tailored to CA7 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #245 of 2182
6.0 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~13 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #1890 of 2997
12.9 years (UK avg 12.6 years)
~£949 /yr • £12,207 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #914 of 2997
20.1% (UK avg 24.6%) drag on savings
£191 fixed • ~£949 /yr value
Aspect Penalty View ranking →
East −19.9% West −21.1%
Typical output loss versus a south-facing roof (lower is better)

Seasonal solar output in CA7

Monthly generation per kilowatt of solar panels

kWh 27 Jan 46 Feb 78 Mar 108 Apr 123 May 116 Jun 115 Jul 103 Aug 79 Sep 55 Oct 36 Nov 24 Dec
Best month Worst month Winter (Dec–Feb) Other months

Winter output: 42.7% 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 32 kWh per month; the average month produces around 76 kWh. So a typical 4 kW home system would generate roughly 130 kWh in winter, or 303 kWh in an average month.

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
23.04p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
46.92p/day
Local Sunshine
910kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~910 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

Houses: 72% • Flats: 5% • Bungalows: 21% Based on 6,507 properties

Coverage

Cumberland (99%)|Westmorland and Furness (1%)

Areas Covered

Wigton, Aspatria, Solway Coast, Thursby, Bothel and Wharrels, Dearham and Broughton, Hesket and Lazonby, Denton Holme + 1 more

Data Sources & Assumptions

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

Electricity rates: Ofgem price cap, Q1 2026

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 North West

CA5 (Cumberland)
≈2.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~854 kWh/kWp · -6% vs CA7
CA13 (Cumberland)
≈19.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~812 kWh/kWp · -11% vs CA7
CA2 (Cumberland)
≈19.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~885 kWh/kWp · -3% vs CA7
CA99 (Cumberland)
≈20.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~886 kWh/kWp · -3% vs CA7
CA15 (Cumberland)
≈20.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~915 kWh/kWp · +1% vs CA7
CA3 (Cumberland)
≈21.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~884 kWh/kWp · -3% vs CA7

Similar sunshine across the UK

DL6 (North Yorkshire)
~910 kWh/kWp · -0% vs CA7
NE26 (North Tyneside)
~910 kWh/kWp · -0% vs CA7
WA4 (Warrington)
~910 kWh/kWp · +0% vs CA7