Solar panel cost in Thanet (CT12)

See realistic solar installation costs, savings and payback for CT12 (Thanet) 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
8.9 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£8,139
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£912
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£14,664
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 5.0 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 26.7p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
26.7p/kWh
Standing charge
54.5p/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: £912, Upfront: £8,139, Break-even: 8.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2189 kWh 876 kWh 1313 kWh £234 £131 £365 £3,256 8.9 yrs £4,041
3 kW 3283 kWh 1313 kWh 1970 kWh £350 £197 £547 £4,883 8.9 yrs £6,062
4 kW 4378 kWh 1751 kWh 2627 kWh £467 £263 £730 £6,511 8.9 yrs £8,083
5 kW 5472 kWh 2189 kWh 3283 kWh £584 £328 £912 £8,139 8.9 yrs £10,104
6 kW 6567 kWh 2627 kWh 3940 kWh £701 £394 £1,095 £9,767 8.9 yrs £12,124
7 kW 7661 kWh 3064 kWh 4597 kWh £817 £460 £1,277 £11,394 8.9 yrs £14,145
8 kW 8756 kWh 3502 kWh 5253 kWh £934 £525 £1,459 £13,022 8.9 yrs £16,166

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: £1,095, 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 2189 kWh 1313 kWh 876 kWh £350 £88 £438 £5,356 12.2 yrs £3,401
3 kW 3283 kWh 1970 kWh 1313 kWh £525 £131 £657 £6,983 10.6 yrs £6,152
4 kW 4378 kWh 2627 kWh 1751 kWh £701 £175 £876 £8,611 9.8 yrs £8,902
5 kW 5472 kWh 3283 kWh 2189 kWh £876 £219 £1,095 £10,239 9.4 yrs £11,653
6 kW 6567 kWh 3940 kWh 2627 kWh £1,051 £263 £1,313 £11,867 9.0 yrs £14,403
7 kW 7661 kWh 4597 kWh 3064 kWh £1,226 £306 £1,532 £13,494 8.8 yrs £17,154
8 kW 8756 kWh 5253 kWh 3502 kWh £1,401 £350 £1,751 £15,122 8.6 yrs £19,904

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: £1,186, Upfront: £11,639, 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 2189 kWh 1532 kWh 657 kWh £409 £66 £474 £6,756 14.2 yrs £2,731
3 kW 3283 kWh 2298 kWh 985 kWh £613 £99 £711 £8,383 11.8 yrs £5,846
4 kW 4378 kWh 3064 kWh 1313 kWh £817 £131 £949 £10,011 10.6 yrs £8,962
5 kW 5472 kWh 3831 kWh 1642 kWh £1,022 £164 £1,186 £11,639 9.8 yrs £12,077
6 kW 6567 kWh 4597 kWh 1970 kWh £1,226 £197 £1,423 £13,267 9.3 yrs £15,192
7 kW 7661 kWh 5363 kWh 2298 kWh £1,430 £230 £1,660 £14,894 9.0 yrs £18,308
8 kW 8756 kWh 6129 kWh 2627 kWh £1,635 £263 £1,897 £16,522 8.7 yrs £21,423

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: £1,213, Upfront: £13,389, Break-even: 11.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2189 kWh 1598 kWh 591 kWh £426 £59 £485 £8,506 17.5 yrs £1,200
3 kW 3283 kWh 2397 kWh 887 kWh £639 £89 £728 £10,133 13.9 yrs £4,425
4 kW 4378 kWh 3196 kWh 1182 kWh £852 £118 £971 £11,761 12.1 yrs £7,650
5 kW 5472 kWh 3995 kWh 1478 kWh £1,065 £148 £1,213 £13,389 11.0 yrs £10,874
6 kW 6567 kWh 4794 kWh 1773 kWh £1,278 £177 £1,456 £15,017 10.3 yrs £14,099
7 kW 7661 kWh 5593 kWh 2069 kWh £1,492 £207 £1,698 £16,644 9.8 yrs £17,324
8 kW 8756 kWh 6392 kWh 2364 kWh £1,705 £236 £1,941 £18,272 9.4 yrs £20,549

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: £1,231, Upfront: £15,139, Break-even: 12.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2189 kWh 1642 kWh 547 kWh £438 £55 £493 £10,256 20.8 yrs £-404
3 kW 3283 kWh 2463 kWh 821 kWh £657 £82 £739 £11,883 16.1 yrs £2,894
4 kW 4378 kWh 3283 kWh 1094 kWh £876 £109 £985 £13,511 13.7 yrs £6,191
5 kW 5472 kWh 4104 kWh 1368 kWh £1,095 £137 £1,231 £15,139 12.3 yrs £9,489
6 kW 6567 kWh 4925 kWh 1642 kWh £1,314 £164 £1,478 £16,767 11.3 yrs £12,787
7 kW 7661 kWh 5746 kWh 1915 kWh £1,532 £192 £1,724 £18,394 10.7 yrs £16,085
8 kW 8756 kWh 6567 kWh 2189 kWh £1,751 £219 £1,970 £20,022 10.2 yrs £19,383

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: £1,250, Upfront: £17,589, Break-even: 14.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2189 kWh 1685 kWh 503 kWh £450 £50 £500 £12,706 25.4 yrs £-2,708
3 kW 3283 kWh 2528 kWh 755 kWh £674 £76 £750 £14,333 19.1 yrs £663
4 kW 4378 kWh 3371 kWh 1007 kWh £899 £101 £1,000 £15,961 16.0 yrs £4,033
5 kW 5472 kWh 4214 kWh 1259 kWh £1,124 £126 £1,250 £17,589 14.1 yrs £7,404
6 kW 6567 kWh 5056 kWh 1510 kWh £1,349 £151 £1,500 £19,217 12.8 yrs £10,775
7 kW 7661 kWh 5899 kWh 1762 kWh £1,573 £176 £1,750 £20,844 11.9 yrs £14,146
8 kW 8756 kWh 6742 kWh 2014 kWh £1,798 £201 £1,999 £22,472 11.2 yrs £17,517

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 Thanet

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 CT12

Monthly generation per kilowatt of solar panels

kWh 41 Jan 56 Feb 94 Mar 127 Apr 133 May 134 Jun 132 Jul 119 Aug 103 Sep 71 Oct 47 Nov 37 Dec
Best month Worst month Winter (Dec–Feb) Other months

Winter output: 49.0% 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 45 kWh per month; the average month produces around 91 kWh. So a typical 4 kW home system would generate roughly 179 kWh in winter, or 365 kWh in an average month.

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.67p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
54.45p/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
5.0kW
For houses & bungalows in this area

Local Property Data

Property Types

Houses: 57% • Flats: 22% • Bungalows: 18% Based on 6,987 properties

Coverage

Thanet (100%)

Areas Covered

Thanet Villages, Northwood, Newington, Cliffsend and Pegwell, Central Harbour, St Peters

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.