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Solar panel cost in Darlington (DL1)

See realistic solar installation costs, savings and payback for DL1 (Darlington) 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
13.4 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£8,138
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£609
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£7,083
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: Bigger systems don’t shorten payback—cost and savings rise together per kW.
  • 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

Costs: Battery prices are typically £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 Northern, the current unit rate is 26.75p/kWh with a 60.93p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 911 kWh/kW — 14 below the regional median (926).

Read the full story

A typical roof here lands around 4.0 kW, with most eligible homes comfortably fitting within 3–6 kW. Each kilowatt of panels produces roughly 911 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 26.8p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
26.8p/kWh
Standing charge
60.9p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
911 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: £761, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 13.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1823 kWh 729 kWh 1094 kWh £195 £109 £304 £4,069 13.4 yrs £2,019
3 kW 2734 kWh 1094 kWh 1641 kWh £293 £164 £457 £6,104 13.4 yrs £3,029
4 kW 3646 kWh 1458 kWh 2187 kWh £390 £219 £609 £8,138 13.4 yrs £4,039
5 kW 4557 kWh 1823 kWh 2734 kWh £488 £273 £761 £10,173 13.4 yrs £5,048
6 kW 5469 kWh 2187 kWh 3281 kWh £585 £328 £913 £12,207 13.4 yrs £6,058
7 kW 6380 kWh 2552 kWh 3828 kWh £683 £383 £1,065 £14,242 13.4 yrs £7,068
8 kW 7292 kWh 2917 kWh 4375 kWh £780 £437 £1,218 £16,276 13.4 yrs £8,078

Assumptions: south-facing, sensible tilt; self-use shares from site rules; export at 10p baseline. Costs: panels £/kW = 2,035, battery £/kWh = 700.

3 kWh battery 5 kW example → Annual benefit: £914, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 13.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1823 kWh 1094 kWh 729 kWh £293 £73 £365 £6,169 16.9 yrs £1,141
3 kW 2734 kWh 1641 kWh 1094 kWh £439 £109 £548 £8,204 15.0 yrs £2,761
4 kW 3646 kWh 2187 kWh 1458 kWh £585 £146 £731 £10,238 14.0 yrs £4,381
5 kW 4557 kWh 2734 kWh 1823 kWh £731 £182 £914 £12,273 13.4 yrs £6,002
6 kW 5469 kWh 3281 kWh 2187 kWh £878 £219 £1,096 £14,307 13.0 yrs £7,622
7 kW 6380 kWh 3828 kWh 2552 kWh £1,024 £255 £1,279 £16,342 12.8 yrs £9,243
8 kW 7292 kWh 4375 kWh 2917 kWh £1,170 £292 £1,462 £18,376 12.6 yrs £10,863

Assumptions: south-facing, sensible tilt; self-use shares from site rules; export at 10p baseline. Costs: panels £/kW = 2,035, battery £/kWh = 700.

5 kWh battery 5 kW example → Annual benefit: £990, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 13.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1823 kWh 1276 kWh 547 kWh £341 £55 £396 £7,569 19.1 yrs £351
3 kW 2734 kWh 1914 kWh 820 kWh £512 £82 £594 £9,604 16.2 yrs £2,277
4 kW 3646 kWh 2552 kWh 1094 kWh £683 £109 £792 £11,638 14.7 yrs £4,203
5 kW 4557 kWh 3190 kWh 1367 kWh £853 £137 £990 £13,673 13.8 yrs £6,128
6 kW 5469 kWh 3828 kWh 1641 kWh £1,024 £164 £1,188 £15,707 13.2 yrs £8,054
7 kW 6380 kWh 4466 kWh 1914 kWh £1,195 £191 £1,386 £17,742 12.8 yrs £9,980
8 kW 7292 kWh 5104 kWh 2187 kWh £1,365 £219 £1,584 £19,776 12.5 yrs £11,906

Assumptions: south-facing, sensible tilt; self-use shares from site rules; export at 10p baseline. Costs: panels £/kW = 2,035, battery £/kWh = 700.

7.5 kWh battery 5 kW example → Annual benefit: £1,013, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 15.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1823 kWh 1331 kWh 492 kWh £356 £49 £405 £9,319 23.0 yrs £-1,215
3 kW 2734 kWh 1996 kWh 738 kWh £534 £74 £608 £11,354 18.7 yrs £802
4 kW 3646 kWh 2661 kWh 984 kWh £712 £98 £810 £13,388 16.5 yrs £2,819
5 kW 4557 kWh 3327 kWh 1230 kWh £890 £123 £1,013 £15,423 15.2 yrs £4,836
6 kW 5469 kWh 3992 kWh 1477 kWh £1,068 £148 £1,216 £17,457 14.4 yrs £6,854
7 kW 6380 kWh 4657 kWh 1723 kWh £1,246 £172 £1,418 £19,492 13.7 yrs £8,871
8 kW 7292 kWh 5323 kWh 1969 kWh £1,424 £197 £1,621 £21,526 13.3 yrs £10,888

Assumptions: south-facing, sensible tilt; self-use shares from site rules; export at 10p baseline. Costs: panels £/kW = 2,035, battery £/kWh = 700.

10 kWh battery 5 kW example → Annual benefit: £1,028, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 16.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1823 kWh 1367 kWh 456 kWh £366 £46 £411 £11,069 26.9 yrs £-2,843
3 kW 2734 kWh 2051 kWh 684 kWh £549 £68 £617 £13,104 21.2 yrs £-765
4 kW 3646 kWh 2734 kWh 911 kWh £731 £91 £823 £15,138 18.4 yrs £1,313
5 kW 4557 kWh 3418 kWh 1139 kWh £914 £114 £1,028 £17,173 16.7 yrs £3,392
6 kW 5469 kWh 4101 kWh 1367 kWh £1,097 £137 £1,234 £19,207 15.6 yrs £5,470
7 kW 6380 kWh 4785 kWh 1595 kWh £1,280 £160 £1,440 £21,242 14.8 yrs £7,549
8 kW 7292 kWh 5469 kWh 1823 kWh £1,463 £182 £1,645 £23,276 14.1 yrs £9,627

Assumptions: south-facing, sensible tilt; self-use shares from site rules; export at 10p baseline. Costs: panels £/kW = 2,035, battery £/kWh = 700.

13.5 kWh battery 5 kW example → Annual benefit: £1,043, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 18.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1823 kWh 1404 kWh 419 kWh £375 £42 £417 £13,519 32.4 yrs £-5,171
3 kW 2734 kWh 2105 kWh 629 kWh £563 £63 £626 £15,554 24.8 yrs £-3,032
4 kW 3646 kWh 2807 kWh 839 kWh £751 £84 £835 £17,588 21.1 yrs £-892
5 kW 4557 kWh 3509 kWh 1048 kWh £939 £105 £1,043 £19,623 18.8 yrs £1,247
6 kW 5469 kWh 4211 kWh 1258 kWh £1,126 £126 £1,252 £21,657 17.3 yrs £3,387
7 kW 6380 kWh 4913 kWh 1467 kWh £1,314 £147 £1,461 £23,692 16.2 yrs £5,526
8 kW 7292 kWh 5614 kWh 1677 kWh £1,502 £168 £1,670 £25,726 15.4 yrs £7,665

Assumptions: south-facing, sensible tilt; self-use shares from site rules; export at 10p baseline. Costs: panels £/kW = 2,035, 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.

Insights for DL1

Figures below are tailored to DL1 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1729 of 2182
4.5 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~9 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #2376 of 2997
13.4 years (UK avg 12.6 years)
~£609 /yr • £8,138 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2734 of 2997
36.5% (UK avg 24.6%) drag on savings
£222 fixed • ~£609 /yr value
Aspect Penalty View ranking →
East −21.6% West −21.0%
Typical output loss versus a south-facing roof (lower is better)

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.75p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
60.93p/day
Local Sunshine
911kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~911 kWh per year. A typical home uses ~2,700 kWh per year.
Typical System Size
4.0kW
For houses & bungalows in this area

Local Property Data

Property Types

Houses: 73% • Flats: 20% • Bungalows: 6% Based on 15,246 properties

Coverage

Darlington (100%)

Areas Covered

Park East, Bank Top & Lascelles, Stephenson, Haughton & Springfield, Red Hall & Lingfield, Eastbourne, North Road, Whinfield + 4 more

Data Sources & Assumptions

Solar yield: PVGIS (EU Joint Research Centre), January 2025 data

Electricity rates: Ofgem price cap, Q1 2026

Installation costs: MCS certified installer data, March 2025

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 Northern

DL2 (Darlington)
≈0.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~922 kWh/kWp · +1% vs DL1
DL98 (Darlington)
≈1.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~912 kWh/kWp · +0% vs DL1
DL3 (Darlington)
≈1.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~924 kWh/kWp · +1% vs DL1
DL5 (County Durham)
≈10.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~923 kWh/kWp · +1% vs DL1
TS16 (Stockton-on-Tees)
≈12.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~920 kWh/kWp · +1% vs DL1
DL4 (County Durham)
≈13.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~915 kWh/kWp · +0% vs DL1

Similar sunshine across the UK

S36 (Barnsley)
~911 kWh/kWp · +0% vs DL1
DD3 (Dundee City)
~911 kWh/kWp · -0% vs DL1
EH35 (East Lothian)
~911 kWh/kWp · -0% vs DL1