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Solar panel cost in Cardiff (CF14)

See realistic solar installation costs, savings and payback for CF14 (Cardiff) 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
9.8 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£8,139
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£834
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£12,699
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 South Wales, the current unit rate is 26.33p/kWh with a 57.84p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 1008 kWh/kW — 40 above the regional median (968).

Read the full story

A typical roof here lands around 5.0 kW, with most eligible homes comfortably fitting within 3–6 kW. Each kilowatt of panels produces roughly 1008 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 26.3p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
26.3p/kWh
Standing charge
57.8p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
1008 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: £834, Upfront: £8,139, Break-even: 9.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2017 kWh 807 kWh 1210 kWh £212 £121 £333 £3,256 9.8 yrs £3,412
3 kW 3025 kWh 1210 kWh 1815 kWh £319 £182 £500 £4,883 9.8 yrs £5,119
4 kW 4033 kWh 1613 kWh 2420 kWh £425 £242 £667 £6,511 9.8 yrs £6,825
5 kW 5042 kWh 2017 kWh 3025 kWh £531 £303 £834 £8,139 9.8 yrs £8,531
6 kW 6050 kWh 2420 kWh 3630 kWh £637 £363 £1,000 £9,767 9.8 yrs £10,237
7 kW 7058 kWh 2823 kWh 4235 kWh £743 £424 £1,167 £11,394 9.8 yrs £11,944
8 kW 8067 kWh 3227 kWh 4840 kWh £850 £484 £1,334 £13,022 9.8 yrs £13,650

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: £998, Upfront: £10,239, Break-even: 10.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2017 kWh 1210 kWh 807 kWh £319 £81 £399 £5,356 13.4 yrs £2,630
3 kW 3025 kWh 1815 kWh 1210 kWh £478 £121 £599 £6,983 11.7 yrs £4,995
4 kW 4033 kWh 2420 kWh 1613 kWh £637 £161 £799 £8,611 10.8 yrs £7,360
5 kW 5042 kWh 3025 kWh 2017 kWh £796 £202 £998 £10,239 10.3 yrs £9,725
6 kW 6050 kWh 3630 kWh 2420 kWh £956 £242 £1,198 £11,867 9.9 yrs £12,089
7 kW 7058 kWh 4235 kWh 2823 kWh £1,115 £282 £1,397 £13,494 9.7 yrs £14,454
8 kW 8067 kWh 4840 kWh 3227 kWh £1,274 £323 £1,597 £15,122 9.5 yrs £16,819

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: £1,080, Upfront: £11,639, Break-even: 10.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2017 kWh 1412 kWh 605 kWh £372 £61 £432 £6,756 15.6 yrs £1,888
3 kW 3025 kWh 2118 kWh 908 kWh £558 £91 £648 £8,383 12.9 yrs £4,583
4 kW 4033 kWh 2823 kWh 1210 kWh £743 £121 £864 £10,011 11.6 yrs £7,277
5 kW 5042 kWh 3529 kWh 1513 kWh £929 £151 £1,080 £11,639 10.8 yrs £9,971
6 kW 6050 kWh 4235 kWh 1815 kWh £1,115 £182 £1,297 £13,267 10.2 yrs £12,665
7 kW 7058 kWh 4941 kWh 2118 kWh £1,301 £212 £1,513 £14,894 9.8 yrs £15,360
8 kW 8067 kWh 5647 kWh 2420 kWh £1,487 £242 £1,729 £16,522 9.6 yrs £18,054

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: £1,105, Upfront: £13,389, Break-even: 12.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2017 kWh 1472 kWh 545 kWh £388 £54 £442 £8,506 19.2 yrs £336
3 kW 3025 kWh 2208 kWh 817 kWh £581 £82 £663 £10,133 15.3 yrs £3,129
4 kW 4033 kWh 2944 kWh 1089 kWh £775 £109 £884 £11,761 13.3 yrs £5,922
5 kW 5042 kWh 3680 kWh 1361 kWh £969 £136 £1,105 £13,389 12.1 yrs £8,715
6 kW 6050 kWh 4417 kWh 1634 kWh £1,163 £163 £1,326 £15,017 11.3 yrs £11,508
7 kW 7058 kWh 5153 kWh 1906 kWh £1,357 £191 £1,547 £16,644 10.8 yrs £14,301
8 kW 8067 kWh 5889 kWh 2178 kWh £1,551 £218 £1,768 £18,272 10.3 yrs £17,094

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: £1,122, Upfront: £15,139, Break-even: 13.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2017 kWh 1513 kWh 504 kWh £398 £50 £449 £10,256 22.9 yrs £-1,282
3 kW 3025 kWh 2269 kWh 756 kWh £597 £76 £673 £11,883 17.7 yrs £1,577
4 kW 4033 kWh 3025 kWh 1008 kWh £796 £101 £897 £13,511 15.1 yrs £4,436
5 kW 5042 kWh 3781 kWh 1260 kWh £996 £126 £1,122 £15,139 13.5 yrs £7,294
6 kW 6050 kWh 4538 kWh 1513 kWh £1,195 £151 £1,346 £16,767 12.5 yrs £10,153
7 kW 7058 kWh 5294 kWh 1765 kWh £1,394 £176 £1,570 £18,394 11.7 yrs £13,012
8 kW 8067 kWh 6050 kWh 2017 kWh £1,593 £202 £1,795 £20,022 11.2 yrs £15,871

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: £1,138, Upfront: £17,589, Break-even: 15.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2017 kWh 1553 kWh 464 kWh £409 £46 £455 £12,706 27.9 yrs £-3,600
3 kW 3025 kWh 2329 kWh 696 kWh £613 £70 £683 £14,333 21.0 yrs £-676
4 kW 4033 kWh 3106 kWh 928 kWh £818 £93 £911 £15,961 17.5 yrs £2,249
5 kW 5042 kWh 3882 kWh 1160 kWh £1,022 £116 £1,138 £17,589 15.5 yrs £5,174
6 kW 6050 kWh 4659 kWh 1392 kWh £1,227 £139 £1,366 £19,217 14.1 yrs £8,099
7 kW 7058 kWh 5435 kWh 1623 kWh £1,431 £162 £1,593 £20,844 13.1 yrs £11,023
8 kW 8067 kWh 6211 kWh 1855 kWh £1,635 £186 £1,821 £22,472 12.3 yrs £13,948

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 Cardiff

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 CF14

Figures below are tailored to CF14 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #807 of 2182
5.2 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~11 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #590 of 2996
9.8 years (UK avg 10.8 years)
~£833 /yr • £8,139 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #1458 of 2996
25.3% (UK avg 26.6%) drag on savings
£211 fixed • ~£833 /yr value
Aspect Penalty View ranking →
East −19.6% West −21.5%
Typical output loss versus a south-facing roof (lower is better)

Seasonal solar output in CF14

Monthly generation per kilowatt of solar panels

kWh 37 Jan 53 Feb 87 Mar 115 Apr 127 May 125 Jun 124 Jul 109 Aug 93 Sep 65 Oct 43 Nov 32 Dec
Best month Worst month Winter (Dec–Feb) Other months

Winter output: 48.3% 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 41 kWh per month; the average month produces around 84 kWh. So a typical 4 kW home system would generate roughly 162 kWh in winter, or 336 kWh in an average month.

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.33p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
57.84p/day
Local Sunshine
1008kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~1008 kWh per year. A typical home uses ~2,700 kWh per year.
Typical System Size
5.0kW
For houses & bungalows in this area

Local Property Data

Property Types

Houses: 64% • Flats: 28% • Bungalows: 7% Based on 18,646 properties

Coverage

Cardiff (100%)

Areas Covered

Llanishen, Whitchurch and Tongwynlais, Rhiwbina, Heath, Lisvane and Thornhill, Llandaff North, Gabalfa, Cyncoed + 3 more

Data Sources & Assumptions

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

Electricity rates: Ofgem price cap, Q3 2026

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 South Wales

CF4 (Cardiff)
≈1.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,013 kWh/kWp · +1% vs CF14
CF23 (Cardiff)
≈3.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,004 kWh/kWp · -0% vs CF14
CF2 (Cardiff)
≈3.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,009 kWh/kWp · +0% vs CF14
CF24 (Cardiff)
≈4.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,009 kWh/kWp · +0% vs CF14
CF15 (Cardiff)
≈4.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~985 kWh/kWp · -2% vs CF14
CF95 (Cardiff)
≈4.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,009 kWh/kWp · +0% vs CF14

Similar sunshine across the UK

RH11 (Crawley)
~1,008 kWh/kWp · +0% vs CF14
PE15 (Fenland)
~1,008 kWh/kWp · -0% vs CF14
SG9 (East Hertfordshire)
~1,009 kWh/kWp · +0% vs CF14