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Solar panel cost in Tendring (CO12)

See realistic solar installation costs, savings and payback for CO12 (Tendring) 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
9.3 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£8,139
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£875
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£13,724
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 Eastern, the current unit rate is 26.38p/kWh with a 53.94p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 1057 kWh/kW — 48 above the regional median (1009).

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 1057 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 26.4p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
26.4p/kWh
Standing charge
53.9p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
1057 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: £875, Upfront: £8,139, Break-even: 9.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2113 kWh 845 kWh 1268 kWh £223 £127 £350 £3,256 9.3 yrs £3,741
3 kW 3170 kWh 1268 kWh 1902 kWh £335 £190 £525 £4,883 9.3 yrs £5,611
4 kW 4227 kWh 1691 kWh 2536 kWh £446 £254 £700 £6,511 9.3 yrs £7,481
5 kW 5284 kWh 2113 kWh 3170 kWh £558 £317 £875 £8,139 9.3 yrs £9,352
6 kW 6340 kWh 2536 kWh 3804 kWh £669 £380 £1,049 £9,767 9.3 yrs £11,222
7 kW 7397 kWh 2959 kWh 4438 kWh £781 £444 £1,224 £11,394 9.3 yrs £13,092
8 kW 8454 kWh 3381 kWh 5072 kWh £892 £507 £1,399 £13,022 9.3 yrs £14,963

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: £1,048, Upfront: £10,239, 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 2113 kWh 1268 kWh 845 kWh £335 £85 £419 £5,356 12.8 yrs £3,025
3 kW 3170 kWh 1902 kWh 1268 kWh £502 £127 £629 £6,983 11.1 yrs £5,588
4 kW 4227 kWh 2536 kWh 1691 kWh £669 £169 £838 £8,611 10.3 yrs £8,151
5 kW 5284 kWh 3170 kWh 2113 kWh £836 £211 £1,048 £10,239 9.8 yrs £10,713
6 kW 6340 kWh 3804 kWh 2536 kWh £1,004 £254 £1,257 £11,867 9.4 yrs £13,276
7 kW 7397 kWh 4438 kWh 2959 kWh £1,171 £296 £1,467 £13,494 9.2 yrs £15,839
8 kW 8454 kWh 5072 kWh 3381 kWh £1,338 £338 £1,676 £15,122 9.0 yrs £18,402

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: £1,134, Upfront: £11,639, 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 2113 kWh 1479 kWh 634 kWh £390 £63 £454 £6,756 14.9 yrs £2,318
3 kW 3170 kWh 2219 kWh 951 kWh £585 £95 £680 £8,383 12.3 yrs £5,227
4 kW 4227 kWh 2959 kWh 1268 kWh £781 £127 £907 £10,011 11.0 yrs £8,135
5 kW 5284 kWh 3698 kWh 1585 kWh £976 £159 £1,134 £11,639 10.3 yrs £11,044
6 kW 6340 kWh 4438 kWh 1902 kWh £1,171 £190 £1,361 £13,267 9.7 yrs £13,953
7 kW 7397 kWh 5178 kWh 2219 kWh £1,366 £222 £1,588 £14,894 9.4 yrs £16,862
8 kW 8454 kWh 5918 kWh 2536 kWh £1,561 £254 £1,815 £16,522 9.1 yrs £19,771

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: £1,160, Upfront: £13,389, Break-even: 11.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2113 kWh 1543 kWh 571 kWh £407 £57 £464 £8,506 18.3 yrs £775
3 kW 3170 kWh 2314 kWh 856 kWh £610 £86 £696 £10,133 14.6 yrs £3,788
4 kW 4227 kWh 3086 kWh 1141 kWh £814 £114 £928 £11,761 12.7 yrs £6,801
5 kW 5284 kWh 3857 kWh 1427 kWh £1,017 £143 £1,160 £13,389 11.5 yrs £9,814
6 kW 6340 kWh 4628 kWh 1712 kWh £1,221 £171 £1,392 £15,017 10.8 yrs £12,826
7 kW 7397 kWh 5400 kWh 1997 kWh £1,424 £200 £1,624 £16,644 10.2 yrs £15,839
8 kW 8454 kWh 6171 kWh 2282 kWh £1,628 £228 £1,856 £18,272 9.8 yrs £18,852

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: £1,177, Upfront: £15,139, Break-even: 12.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2113 kWh 1585 kWh 528 kWh £418 £53 £471 £10,256 21.8 yrs £-836
3 kW 3170 kWh 2378 kWh 793 kWh £627 £79 £706 £11,883 16.8 yrs £2,246
4 kW 4227 kWh 3170 kWh 1057 kWh £836 £106 £942 £13,511 14.3 yrs £5,328
5 kW 5284 kWh 3963 kWh 1321 kWh £1,045 £132 £1,177 £15,139 12.9 yrs £8,410
6 kW 6340 kWh 4755 kWh 1585 kWh £1,254 £159 £1,413 £16,767 11.9 yrs £11,492
7 kW 7397 kWh 5548 kWh 1849 kWh £1,463 £185 £1,648 £18,394 11.2 yrs £14,574
8 kW 8454 kWh 6340 kWh 2113 kWh £1,673 £211 £1,884 £20,022 10.6 yrs £17,656

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: £1,195, Upfront: £17,589, 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 2113 kWh 1627 kWh 486 kWh £429 £49 £478 £12,706 26.6 yrs £-3,148
3 kW 3170 kWh 2441 kWh 729 kWh £644 £73 £717 £14,333 20.0 yrs £4
4 kW 4227 kWh 3255 kWh 972 kWh £859 £97 £956 £15,961 16.7 yrs £3,155
5 kW 5284 kWh 4068 kWh 1215 kWh £1,073 £122 £1,195 £17,589 14.7 yrs £6,306
6 kW 6340 kWh 4882 kWh 1458 kWh £1,288 £146 £1,434 £19,217 13.4 yrs £9,457
7 kW 7397 kWh 5696 kWh 1701 kWh £1,503 £170 £1,673 £20,844 12.5 yrs £12,608
8 kW 8454 kWh 6509 kWh 1944 kWh £1,717 £194 £1,912 £22,472 11.8 yrs £15,759

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 Tendring

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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Check what MCS certification means

Understand DNO, G98 and G99 export limits

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Insights for CO12

Figures below are tailored to CO12 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1198 of 2182
4.9 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~10 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #189 of 2996
9.3 years (UK avg 10.8 years)
~£875 /yr • £8,139 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #967 of 2996
22.5% (UK avg 26.6%) drag on savings
£197 fixed • ~£875 /yr value
Aspect Penalty View ranking →
East −22.2% West −21.9%
Typical output loss versus a south-facing roof (lower is better)

Seasonal solar output in CO12

Monthly generation per kilowatt of solar panels

kWh 40 Jan 54 Feb 88 Mar 121 Apr 128 May 129 Jun 129 Jul 115 Aug 99 Sep 70 Oct 48 Nov 35 Dec
Best month Worst month Winter (Dec–Feb) Other months

Winter output: 49.1% of an average month (Dec–Feb)

Best / worst month: Jun / Dec

These figures show output per kilowatt (kW) of panels installed. In winter, a 1 kW system here produces about 43 kWh per month; the average month produces around 88 kWh. So a typical 4 kW home system would generate roughly 173 kWh in winter, or 352 kWh in an average month.

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.38p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
53.94p/day
Local Sunshine
1057kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~1057 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: 62% • Flats: 21% • Bungalows: 14% Based on 6,344 properties

Coverage

Tendring (100%)

Areas Covered

Harwich & Kingsway, Dovercourt All Saints, Dovercourt Vines & Parkeston, The Oakleys & Wix, Dovercourt Bay, Dovercourt Tollgate, Stour Valley, Thorpe + 1 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 Eastern

IP11 (East Suffolk)
≈6.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,075 kWh/kWp · +2% vs CO12
IP10 (East Suffolk)
≈8.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,068 kWh/kWp · +1% vs CO12
CO14 (Tendring)
≈9.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,087 kWh/kWp · +3% vs CO12
IP9 (Babergh)
≈10.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,054 kWh/kWp · -0% vs CO12
CO13 (Tendring)
≈10.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,094 kWh/kWp · +4% vs CO12
IP3 (Ipswich)
≈13.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,059 kWh/kWp · +0% vs CO12

Similar sunshine across the UK

TN12 (Tunbridge Wells)
~1,056 kWh/kWp · -0% vs CO12
BH24 (New Forest)
~1,056 kWh/kWp · -0% vs CO12
TQ9 (South Hams)
~1,058 kWh/kWp · +0% vs CO12