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Solar panel cost in Newcastle-under-Lyme (CW3)

See realistic solar installation costs, savings and payback for CW3 (Newcastle-under-Lyme) 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
10.2 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£9,767
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£954
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£14,091
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 North Wales and Mersey, the current unit rate is 27.66p/kWh with a 70.76p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 932 kWh/kW — 2 above the regional median (930).

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 932 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 27.7p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
27.7p/kWh
Standing charge
70.8p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
932 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: £795, Upfront: £8,139, Break-even: 10.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1864 kWh 746 kWh 1119 kWh £206 £112 £318 £3,256 10.2 yrs £3,107
3 kW 2796 kWh 1119 kWh 1678 kWh £309 £168 £477 £4,883 10.2 yrs £4,660
4 kW 3728 kWh 1491 kWh 2237 kWh £413 £224 £636 £6,511 10.2 yrs £6,213
5 kW 4660 kWh 1864 kWh 2796 kWh £516 £280 £795 £8,139 10.2 yrs £7,767
6 kW 5593 kWh 2237 kWh 3356 kWh £619 £336 £954 £9,767 10.2 yrs £9,320
7 kW 6525 kWh 2610 kWh 3915 kWh £722 £391 £1,113 £11,394 10.2 yrs £10,873
8 kW 7457 kWh 2983 kWh 4474 kWh £825 £447 £1,272 £13,022 10.2 yrs £12,426

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: £960, Upfront: £10,239, Break-even: 10.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1864 kWh 1119 kWh 746 kWh £309 £75 £384 £5,356 13.9 yrs £2,323
3 kW 2796 kWh 1678 kWh 1119 kWh £464 £112 £576 £6,983 12.1 yrs £4,535
4 kW 3728 kWh 2237 kWh 1491 kWh £619 £149 £768 £8,611 11.2 yrs £6,747
5 kW 4660 kWh 2796 kWh 1864 kWh £773 £186 £960 £10,239 10.7 yrs £8,959
6 kW 5593 kWh 3356 kWh 2237 kWh £928 £224 £1,152 £11,867 10.3 yrs £11,170
7 kW 6525 kWh 3915 kWh 2610 kWh £1,083 £261 £1,344 £13,494 10.0 yrs £13,382
8 kW 7457 kWh 4474 kWh 2983 kWh £1,238 £298 £1,536 £15,122 9.8 yrs £15,594

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: £1,042, Upfront: £11,639, Break-even: 11.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1864 kWh 1305 kWh 559 kWh £361 £56 £417 £6,756 16.2 yrs £1,582
3 kW 2796 kWh 1957 kWh 839 kWh £541 £84 £625 £8,383 13.4 yrs £4,123
4 kW 3728 kWh 2610 kWh 1119 kWh £722 £112 £834 £10,011 12.0 yrs £6,664
5 kW 4660 kWh 3262 kWh 1398 kWh £902 £140 £1,042 £11,639 11.2 yrs £9,205
6 kW 5593 kWh 3915 kWh 1678 kWh £1,083 £168 £1,251 £13,267 10.6 yrs £11,746
7 kW 6525 kWh 4567 kWh 1957 kWh £1,263 £196 £1,459 £14,894 10.2 yrs £14,287
8 kW 7457 kWh 5220 kWh 2237 kWh £1,444 £224 £1,667 £16,522 9.9 yrs £16,828

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: £1,067, Upfront: £13,389, Break-even: 12.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1864 kWh 1361 kWh 503 kWh £376 £50 £427 £8,506 19.9 yrs £29
3 kW 2796 kWh 2041 kWh 755 kWh £565 £76 £640 £10,133 15.8 yrs £2,669
4 kW 3728 kWh 2722 kWh 1007 kWh £753 £101 £853 £11,761 13.8 yrs £5,309
5 kW 4660 kWh 3402 kWh 1258 kWh £941 £126 £1,067 £13,389 12.5 yrs £7,949
6 kW 5593 kWh 4083 kWh 1510 kWh £1,129 £151 £1,280 £15,017 11.7 yrs £10,588
7 kW 6525 kWh 4763 kWh 1762 kWh £1,317 £176 £1,494 £16,644 11.1 yrs £13,228
8 kW 7457 kWh 5443 kWh 2013 kWh £1,506 £201 £1,707 £18,272 10.7 yrs £15,868

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: £1,083, Upfront: £15,139, Break-even: 14.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1864 kWh 1398 kWh 466 kWh £387 £47 £433 £10,256 23.7 yrs £-1,589
3 kW 2796 kWh 2097 kWh 699 kWh £580 £70 £650 £11,883 18.3 yrs £1,117
4 kW 3728 kWh 2796 kWh 932 kWh £773 £93 £867 £13,511 15.6 yrs £3,822
5 kW 4660 kWh 3495 kWh 1165 kWh £967 £117 £1,083 £15,139 14.0 yrs £6,528
6 kW 5593 kWh 4194 kWh 1398 kWh £1,160 £140 £1,300 £16,767 12.9 yrs £9,233
7 kW 6525 kWh 4894 kWh 1631 kWh £1,354 £163 £1,517 £18,394 12.1 yrs £11,939
8 kW 7457 kWh 5593 kWh 1864 kWh £1,547 £186 £1,733 £20,022 11.6 yrs £14,645

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: £1,100, Upfront: £17,589, Break-even: 16.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1864 kWh 1435 kWh 429 kWh £397 £43 £440 £12,706 28.9 yrs £-3,907
3 kW 2796 kWh 2153 kWh 643 kWh £596 £64 £660 £14,333 21.7 yrs £-1,136
4 kW 3728 kWh 2871 kWh 858 kWh £794 £86 £880 £15,961 18.1 yrs £1,636
5 kW 4660 kWh 3589 kWh 1072 kWh £993 £107 £1,100 £17,589 16.0 yrs £4,407
6 kW 5593 kWh 4306 kWh 1286 kWh £1,191 £129 £1,320 £19,217 14.6 yrs £7,178
7 kW 6525 kWh 5024 kWh 1501 kWh £1,390 £150 £1,540 £20,844 13.5 yrs £9,950
8 kW 7457 kWh 5742 kWh 1715 kWh £1,588 £172 £1,760 £22,472 12.8 yrs £12,721

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 Newcastle-under-Lyme

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 CW3

Figures below are tailored to CW3 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #179 of 2182
6.2 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~13 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #1267 of 2996
10.2 years (UK avg 10.8 years)
~£954 /yr • £9,767 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #1726 of 2996
27.0% (UK avg 26.6%) drag on savings
£258 fixed • ~£954 /yr value
Aspect Penalty View ranking →
East −20.6% West −19.6%
Typical output loss versus a south-facing roof (lower is better)

Seasonal solar output in CW3

Monthly generation per kilowatt of solar panels

kWh 32 Jan 50 Feb 80 Mar 108 Apr 117 May 115 Jun 113 Jul 102 Aug 87 Sep 60 Oct 39 Nov 30 Dec
Best month Worst month Winter (Dec–Feb) Other months

Winter output: 48.1% 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 37 kWh per month; the average month produces around 78 kWh. So a typical 4 kW home system would generate roughly 149 kWh in winter, or 311 kWh in an average month.

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
27.66p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
70.76p/day
Local Sunshine
932kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~932 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: 71% • Flats: 9% • Bungalows: 18% Based on 2,476 properties

Coverage

Newcastle-under-Lyme (48%)|Cheshire East (41%)|Shropshire (11%)

Areas Covered

Madeley & Betley, Audlem, Market Drayton East & Rural, Crewe East, Wybunbury, Audley, Maer & Whitmore

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 North Wales and Mersey

CW98 (Cheshire East)
≈10.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~923 kWh/kWp · -1% vs CW3
CW2 (Cheshire East)
≈10.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~923 kWh/kWp · -1% vs CW3
CW1 (Cheshire East)
≈11.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~923 kWh/kWp · -1% vs CW3
CW5 (Cheshire East)
≈11.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~931 kWh/kWp · -0% vs CW3
ST7 (Newcastle-under-Lyme)
≈13.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~875 kWh/kWp · -6% vs CW3
CW11 (Cheshire East)
≈16.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~907 kWh/kWp · -3% vs CW3

Similar sunshine across the UK

B70 (Sandwell)
~932 kWh/kWp · -0% vs CW3
NE2 (Newcastle upon Tyne)
~932 kWh/kWp · -0% vs CW3
S65 (Rotherham)
~932 kWh/kWp · -0% vs CW3