Solar panel cost in Tendring (CO13)

See realistic solar installation costs, savings and payback for CO13 (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
9.0 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£9,767
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£1,086
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£17,394
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

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 1094 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)
1094 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: £905, Upfront: £8,139, Break-even: 9.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2188 kWh 875 kWh 1313 kWh £231 £131 £362 £3,256 9.0 yrs £3,987
3 kW 3282 kWh 1313 kWh 1969 kWh £346 £197 £543 £4,883 9.0 yrs £5,981
4 kW 4376 kWh 1750 kWh 2625 kWh £462 £263 £724 £6,511 9.0 yrs £7,975
5 kW 5470 kWh 2188 kWh 3282 kWh £577 £328 £905 £8,139 9.0 yrs £9,968
6 kW 6564 kWh 2625 kWh 3938 kWh £693 £394 £1,086 £9,767 9.0 yrs £11,962
7 kW 7658 kWh 3063 kWh 4595 kWh £808 £459 £1,267 £11,394 9.0 yrs £13,956
8 kW 8752 kWh 3501 kWh 5251 kWh £923 £525 £1,449 £13,022 9.0 yrs £15,949

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: £1,085, Upfront: £10,239, Break-even: 9.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2188 kWh 1313 kWh 875 kWh £346 £88 £434 £5,356 12.3 yrs £3,321
3 kW 3282 kWh 1969 kWh 1313 kWh £519 £131 £651 £6,983 10.7 yrs £6,031
4 kW 4376 kWh 2625 kWh 1750 kWh £693 £175 £868 £8,611 9.9 yrs £8,742
5 kW 5470 kWh 3282 kWh 2188 kWh £866 £219 £1,085 £10,239 9.4 yrs £11,452
6 kW 6564 kWh 3938 kWh 2625 kWh £1,039 £263 £1,301 £11,867 9.1 yrs £14,162
7 kW 7658 kWh 4595 kWh 3063 kWh £1,212 £306 £1,518 £13,494 8.9 yrs £16,873
8 kW 8752 kWh 5251 kWh 3501 kWh £1,385 £350 £1,735 £15,122 8.7 yrs £19,583

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: £1,174, Upfront: £11,639, Break-even: 9.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2188 kWh 1532 kWh 656 kWh £404 £66 £470 £6,756 14.4 yrs £2,638
3 kW 3282 kWh 2297 kWh 985 kWh £606 £98 £704 £8,383 11.9 yrs £5,706
4 kW 4376 kWh 3063 kWh 1313 kWh £808 £131 £939 £10,011 10.7 yrs £8,775
5 kW 5470 kWh 3829 kWh 1641 kWh £1,010 £164 £1,174 £11,639 9.9 yrs £11,844
6 kW 6564 kWh 4595 kWh 1969 kWh £1,212 £197 £1,409 £13,267 9.4 yrs £14,913
7 kW 7658 kWh 5360 kWh 2297 kWh £1,414 £230 £1,644 £14,894 9.1 yrs £17,982
8 kW 8752 kWh 6126 kWh 2625 kWh £1,616 £263 £1,879 £16,522 8.8 yrs £21,050

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: £1,201, Upfront: £13,389, Break-even: 11.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2188 kWh 1597 kWh 591 kWh £421 £59 £480 £8,506 17.7 yrs £1,103
3 kW 3282 kWh 2396 kWh 886 kWh £632 £89 £721 £10,133 14.1 yrs £4,279
4 kW 4376 kWh 3194 kWh 1181 kWh £843 £118 £961 £11,761 12.2 yrs £7,455
5 kW 5470 kWh 3993 kWh 1477 kWh £1,053 £148 £1,201 £13,389 11.1 yrs £10,631
6 kW 6564 kWh 4792 kWh 1772 kWh £1,264 £177 £1,441 £15,017 10.4 yrs £13,808
7 kW 7658 kWh 5590 kWh 2068 kWh £1,475 £207 £1,681 £16,644 9.9 yrs £16,984
8 kW 8752 kWh 6389 kWh 2363 kWh £1,685 £236 £1,922 £18,272 9.5 yrs £20,160

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: £1,219, Upfront: £15,139, Break-even: 12.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2188 kWh 1641 kWh 547 kWh £433 £55 £488 £10,256 21.0 yrs £-504
3 kW 3282 kWh 2461 kWh 820 kWh £649 £82 £731 £11,883 16.2 yrs £2,744
4 kW 4376 kWh 3282 kWh 1094 kWh £866 £109 £975 £13,511 13.9 yrs £5,992
5 kW 5470 kWh 4102 kWh 1367 kWh £1,082 £137 £1,219 £15,139 12.4 yrs £9,240
6 kW 6564 kWh 4923 kWh 1641 kWh £1,299 £164 £1,463 £16,767 11.5 yrs £12,488
7 kW 7658 kWh 5743 kWh 1914 kWh £1,515 £191 £1,707 £18,394 10.8 yrs £15,736
8 kW 8752 kWh 6564 kWh 2188 kWh £1,732 £219 £1,950 £20,022 10.3 yrs £18,984

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: £1,237, Upfront: £17,589, Break-even: 14.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2188 kWh 1685 kWh 503 kWh £444 £50 £495 £12,706 25.7 yrs £-2,811
3 kW 3282 kWh 2527 kWh 755 kWh £667 £75 £742 £14,333 19.3 yrs £509
4 kW 4376 kWh 3369 kWh 1006 kWh £889 £101 £989 £15,961 16.1 yrs £3,829
5 kW 5470 kWh 4212 kWh 1258 kWh £1,111 £126 £1,237 £17,589 14.2 yrs £7,148
6 kW 6564 kWh 5054 kWh 1510 kWh £1,333 £151 £1,484 £19,217 12.9 yrs £10,468
7 kW 7658 kWh 5896 kWh 1761 kWh £1,555 £176 £1,732 £20,844 12.0 yrs £13,788
8 kW 8752 kWh 6739 kWh 2013 kWh £1,778 £201 £1,979 £22,472 11.4 yrs £17,107

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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Seasonal solar output in CO13

Monthly generation per kilowatt of solar panels

kWh 40 Jan 56 Feb 91 Mar 125 Apr 133 May 135 Jun 134 Jul 120 Aug 102 Sep 71 Oct 49 Nov 36 Dec
Best month Worst month Winter (Dec–Feb) Other months

Winter output: 48.4% 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 44 kWh per month; the average month produces around 91 kWh. So a typical 4 kW home system would generate roughly 177 kWh in winter, or 365 kWh in an average month.

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.38p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
53.94p/day
Local Sunshine
1094kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~1094 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: 48% • Flats: 15% • Bungalows: 33% Based on 4,172 properties

Coverage

Tendring (100%)

Areas Covered

Frinton, Kirby-le-Soken & Hamford, Kirby Cross, Thorpe, Beaumont & Great Holland, Homelands

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.