Solar panel cost in Canterbury (CT5)

See realistic solar installation costs, savings and payback for CT5 (Canterbury) 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
£9,767
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£1,048
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£16,421
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 1047 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)
1047 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: £873, 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 2095 kWh 838 kWh 1257 kWh £223 £126 £349 £3,256 9.3 yrs £3,728
3 kW 3142 kWh 1257 kWh 1885 kWh £335 £189 £524 £4,883 9.3 yrs £5,592
4 kW 4190 kWh 1676 kWh 2514 kWh £447 £251 £698 £6,511 9.3 yrs £7,456
5 kW 5237 kWh 2095 kWh 3142 kWh £559 £314 £873 £8,139 9.3 yrs £9,320
6 kW 6285 kWh 2514 kWh 3771 kWh £670 £377 £1,048 £9,767 9.3 yrs £11,184
7 kW 7332 kWh 2933 kWh 4399 kWh £782 £440 £1,222 £11,394 9.3 yrs £13,047
8 kW 8379 kWh 3352 kWh 5028 kWh £894 £503 £1,397 £13,022 9.3 yrs £14,911

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 2095 kWh 1257 kWh 838 kWh £335 £84 £419 £5,356 12.8 yrs £3,025
3 kW 3142 kWh 1885 kWh 1257 kWh £503 £126 £629 £6,983 11.1 yrs £5,587
4 kW 4190 kWh 2514 kWh 1676 kWh £670 £168 £838 £8,611 10.3 yrs £8,149
5 kW 5237 kWh 3142 kWh 2095 kWh £838 £209 £1,048 £10,239 9.8 yrs £10,712
6 kW 6285 kWh 3771 kWh 2514 kWh £1,006 £251 £1,257 £11,867 9.4 yrs £13,274
7 kW 7332 kWh 4399 kWh 2933 kWh £1,173 £293 £1,467 £13,494 9.2 yrs £15,836
8 kW 8379 kWh 5028 kWh 3352 kWh £1,341 £335 £1,676 £15,122 9.0 yrs £18,399

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: £1,135, 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 2095 kWh 1466 kWh 628 kWh £391 £63 £454 £6,756 14.9 yrs £2,323
3 kW 3142 kWh 2200 kWh 943 kWh £587 £94 £681 £8,383 12.3 yrs £5,235
4 kW 4190 kWh 2933 kWh 1257 kWh £782 £126 £908 £10,011 11.0 yrs £8,146
5 kW 5237 kWh 3666 kWh 1571 kWh £978 £157 £1,135 £11,639 10.3 yrs £11,058
6 kW 6285 kWh 4399 kWh 1885 kWh £1,173 £189 £1,362 £13,267 9.7 yrs £13,969
7 kW 7332 kWh 5132 kWh 2200 kWh £1,369 £220 £1,589 £14,894 9.4 yrs £16,881
8 kW 8379 kWh 5866 kWh 2514 kWh £1,564 £251 £1,816 £16,522 9.1 yrs £19,792

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: £1,161, 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 2095 kWh 1529 kWh 566 kWh £408 £57 £464 £8,506 18.3 yrs £783
3 kW 3142 kWh 2294 kWh 848 kWh £612 £85 £697 £10,133 14.5 yrs £3,799
4 kW 4190 kWh 3058 kWh 1131 kWh £816 £113 £929 £11,761 12.7 yrs £6,815
5 kW 5237 kWh 3823 kWh 1414 kWh £1,020 £141 £1,161 £13,389 11.5 yrs £9,832
6 kW 6285 kWh 4588 kWh 1697 kWh £1,224 £170 £1,393 £15,017 10.8 yrs £12,848
7 kW 7332 kWh 5352 kWh 1980 kWh £1,427 £198 £1,625 £16,644 10.2 yrs £15,864
8 kW 8379 kWh 6117 kWh 2262 kWh £1,631 £226 £1,858 £18,272 9.8 yrs £18,880

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: £1,178, Upfront: £15,139, Break-even: 12.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2095 kWh 1571 kWh 524 kWh £419 £52 £471 £10,256 21.8 yrs £-828
3 kW 3142 kWh 2357 kWh 786 kWh £629 £79 £707 £11,883 16.8 yrs £2,258
4 kW 4190 kWh 3142 kWh 1047 kWh £838 £105 £943 £13,511 14.3 yrs £5,345
5 kW 5237 kWh 3928 kWh 1309 kWh £1,048 £131 £1,178 £15,139 12.8 yrs £8,431
6 kW 6285 kWh 4713 kWh 1571 kWh £1,257 £157 £1,414 £16,767 11.9 yrs £11,517
7 kW 7332 kWh 5499 kWh 1833 kWh £1,467 £183 £1,650 £18,394 11.1 yrs £14,603
8 kW 8379 kWh 6285 kWh 2095 kWh £1,676 £209 £1,886 £20,022 10.6 yrs £17,689

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: £1,196, 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 2095 kWh 1613 kWh 482 kWh £430 £48 £478 £12,706 26.6 yrs £-3,138
3 kW 3142 kWh 2420 kWh 723 kWh £645 £72 £718 £14,333 20.0 yrs £18
4 kW 4190 kWh 3226 kWh 964 kWh £860 £96 £957 £15,961 16.7 yrs £3,174
5 kW 5237 kWh 4033 kWh 1205 kWh £1,075 £120 £1,196 £17,589 14.7 yrs £6,330
6 kW 6285 kWh 4839 kWh 1445 kWh £1,291 £145 £1,435 £19,217 13.4 yrs £9,486
7 kW 7332 kWh 5646 kWh 1686 kWh £1,506 £169 £1,674 £20,844 12.4 yrs £12,642
8 kW 8379 kWh 6452 kWh 1927 kWh £1,721 £193 £1,914 £22,472 11.7 yrs £15,798

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 Canterbury

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 CT5

Monthly generation per kilowatt of solar panels

kWh 40 Jan 54 Feb 88 Mar 120 Apr 126 May 126 Jun 127 Jul 114 Aug 98 Sep 70 Oct 47 Nov 36 Dec
Best month Worst month Winter (Dec–Feb) Other months

Winter output: 49.6% of an average month (Dec–Feb)

Best / worst month: Jul / 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 87 kWh. So a typical 4 kW home system would generate roughly 173 kWh in winter, or 349 kWh in an average month.

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.67p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
54.45p/day
Local Sunshine
1047kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~1047 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: 55% • Flats: 21% • Bungalows: 22% Based on 9,255 properties

Coverage

Canterbury (100%)

Areas Covered

Gorrell, Seasalter, Chestfield, Swalecliffe, Tankerton, Blean Forest, Westgate

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.