Independent solar numbers for your postcode using official UK data
Home Regions Guides Compare quotes Solar assistant
Insights
Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag Roof Direction Penalty Winter Solar Reality Seasonal Solar Output

Solar panel cost in County Durham (DL15)

See realistic solar installation costs, savings and payback for DL15 (County Durham) 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
11.0 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£8,139
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£739
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£10,324
After paying itself off, you're this much ahead

Ready to Get Started?

Get your free quote from Blue Ape Renewables. They'll connect you with MCS-certified installers in your area and handle all the paperwork.

Get Solar Quote →
4.8★ Trustpilot • Octopus Energy trusted partner • MCS certified • No obligation
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 Northern, the current unit rate is 25.22p/kWh with a 64.29p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 918 kWh/kW — 8 below the regional median (926).

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 918 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 25.2p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
25.2p/kWh
Standing charge
64.3p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
918 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: £739, Upfront: £8,139, 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 1836 kWh 734 kWh 1102 kWh £185 £110 £295 £3,256 11.0 yrs £2,653
3 kW 2754 kWh 1102 kWh 1653 kWh £278 £165 £443 £4,883 11.0 yrs £3,979
4 kW 3672 kWh 1469 kWh 2203 kWh £370 £220 £591 £6,511 11.0 yrs £5,305
5 kW 4590 kWh 1836 kWh 2754 kWh £463 £275 £739 £8,139 11.0 yrs £6,632
6 kW 5509 kWh 2203 kWh 3305 kWh £556 £331 £886 £9,767 11.0 yrs £7,958
7 kW 6427 kWh 2571 kWh 3856 kWh £648 £386 £1,034 £11,394 11.0 yrs £9,284
8 kW 7345 kWh 2938 kWh 4407 kWh £741 £441 £1,182 £13,022 11.0 yrs £10,611

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: £878, Upfront: £10,239, Break-even: 11.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1836 kWh 1102 kWh 734 kWh £278 £73 £351 £5,356 15.2 yrs £1,671
3 kW 2754 kWh 1653 kWh 1102 kWh £417 £110 £527 £6,983 13.3 yrs £3,556
4 kW 3672 kWh 2203 kWh 1469 kWh £556 £147 £703 £8,611 12.3 yrs £5,441
5 kW 4590 kWh 2754 kWh 1836 kWh £695 £184 £878 £10,239 11.7 yrs £7,326
6 kW 5509 kWh 3305 kWh 2203 kWh £834 £220 £1,054 £11,867 11.3 yrs £9,212
7 kW 6427 kWh 3856 kWh 2571 kWh £972 £257 £1,230 £13,494 11.0 yrs £11,097
8 kW 7345 kWh 4407 kWh 2938 kWh £1,111 £294 £1,405 £15,122 10.8 yrs £12,982

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: £948, Upfront: £11,639, 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 1836 kWh 1285 kWh 551 kWh £324 £55 £379 £6,756 17.8 yrs £829
3 kW 2754 kWh 1928 kWh 826 kWh £486 £83 £569 £8,383 14.7 yrs £2,994
4 kW 3672 kWh 2571 kWh 1102 kWh £648 £110 £758 £10,011 13.2 yrs £5,159
5 kW 4590 kWh 3213 kWh 1377 kWh £810 £138 £948 £11,639 12.3 yrs £7,324
6 kW 5509 kWh 3856 kWh 1653 kWh £972 £165 £1,138 £13,267 11.7 yrs £9,488
7 kW 6427 kWh 4499 kWh 1928 kWh £1,135 £193 £1,327 £14,894 11.2 yrs £11,653
8 kW 7345 kWh 5141 kWh 2203 kWh £1,297 £220 £1,517 £16,522 10.9 yrs £13,818

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: £969, Upfront: £13,389, 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 1836 kWh 1340 kWh 496 kWh £338 £50 £388 £8,506 21.9 yrs £-753
3 kW 2754 kWh 2011 kWh 744 kWh £507 £74 £581 £10,133 17.4 yrs £1,496
4 kW 3672 kWh 2681 kWh 992 kWh £676 £99 £775 £11,761 15.2 yrs £3,744
5 kW 4590 kWh 3351 kWh 1239 kWh £845 £124 £969 £13,389 13.8 yrs £5,993
6 kW 5509 kWh 4021 kWh 1487 kWh £1,014 £149 £1,163 £15,017 12.9 yrs £8,241
7 kW 6427 kWh 4691 kWh 1735 kWh £1,183 £174 £1,357 £16,644 12.3 yrs £10,490
8 kW 7345 kWh 5362 kWh 1983 kWh £1,352 £198 £1,551 £18,272 11.8 yrs £12,739

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: £983, Upfront: £15,139, Break-even: 15.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1836 kWh 1377 kWh 459 kWh £347 £46 £393 £10,256 26.1 yrs £-2,391
3 kW 2754 kWh 2066 kWh 689 kWh £521 £69 £590 £11,883 20.1 yrs £-87
4 kW 3672 kWh 2754 kWh 918 kWh £695 £92 £786 £13,511 17.2 yrs £2,218
5 kW 4590 kWh 3443 kWh 1148 kWh £868 £115 £983 £15,139 15.4 yrs £4,522
6 kW 5509 kWh 4131 kWh 1377 kWh £1,042 £138 £1,180 £16,767 14.2 yrs £6,827
7 kW 6427 kWh 4820 kWh 1607 kWh £1,216 £161 £1,376 £18,394 13.4 yrs £9,131
8 kW 7345 kWh 5509 kWh 1836 kWh £1,389 £184 £1,573 £20,022 12.7 yrs £11,436

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: £997, Upfront: £17,589, Break-even: 17.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1836 kWh 1414 kWh 422 kWh £357 £42 £399 £12,706 31.9 yrs £-4,729
3 kW 2754 kWh 2121 kWh 633 kWh £535 £63 £598 £14,333 24.0 yrs £-2,369
4 kW 3672 kWh 2828 kWh 845 kWh £713 £84 £798 £15,961 20.0 yrs £-9
5 kW 4590 kWh 3535 kWh 1056 kWh £891 £106 £997 £17,589 17.6 yrs £2,352
6 kW 5509 kWh 4242 kWh 1267 kWh £1,070 £127 £1,196 £19,217 16.1 yrs £4,712
7 kW 6427 kWh 4949 kWh 1478 kWh £1,248 £148 £1,396 £20,844 14.9 yrs £7,072
8 kW 7345 kWh 5655 kWh 1689 kWh £1,426 £169 £1,595 £22,472 14.1 yrs £9,433

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 County Durham

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.

Compare solar quotes before you sign

Check what MCS certification means

Understand DNO, G98 and G99 export limits

New quote check

Want a quote sanity check for DL15?

Share the first part of your postcode and a few basics. We’ll help you check whether system size, battery, export and paperwork assumptions look sensible before you commit to installer conversations.

This is a practical sanity-check request, not an instant quote promise. The Blue Ape quote route above remains available if you already want installer introductions.

Request a quote sanity check →

Insights for DL15

Figures below are tailored to DL15 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1027 of 2182
5.0 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~11 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #1966 of 2996
11.0 years (UK avg 10.8 years)
~£738 /yr • £8,139 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2375 of 2996
31.8% (UK avg 26.6%) drag on savings
£235 fixed • ~£738 /yr value
Aspect Penalty View ranking →
East −22.0% West −20.8%
Typical output loss versus a south-facing roof (lower is better)

Seasonal solar output in DL15

Monthly generation per kilowatt of solar panels

kWh 33 Jan 48 Feb 81 Mar 106 Apr 117 May 110 Jun 114 Jul 103 Aug 84 Sep 56 Oct 39 Nov 27 Dec
Best month Worst month Winter (Dec–Feb) Other months

Winter output: 46.7% 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 36 kWh per month; the average month produces around 77 kWh. So a typical 4 kW home system would generate roughly 143 kWh in winter, or 306 kWh in an average month.

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.22p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
64.29p/day
Local Sunshine
918kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~918 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: 77% • Flats: 6% • Bungalows: 16% Based on 6,254 properties

Coverage

County Durham (100%)

Areas Covered

Crook, Willington & Hunwick, Bishop Auckland, Weardale, Deerness

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 Northern

DL14 (County Durham)
≈7.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~916 kWh/kWp · -0% vs DL15
DL16 (County Durham)
≈9.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~923 kWh/kWp · +1% vs DL15
DL13 (County Durham)
≈10.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~850 kWh/kWp · -7% vs DL15
DH7 (County Durham)
≈10.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~925 kWh/kWp · +1% vs DL15
DL4 (County Durham)
≈10.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~915 kWh/kWp · -0% vs DL15
DL17 (County Durham)
≈12.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~931 kWh/kWp · +1% vs DL15

Similar sunshine across the UK

NP2 (Caerphilly)
~918 kWh/kWp · -0% vs DL15
WA7 (Halton)
~918 kWh/kWp · +0% vs DL15
ST9 (Staffordshire Moorlands)
~918 kWh/kWp · +0% vs DL15