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Solar panel cost in City of London (EC2M)

See realistic solar installation costs, savings and payback for EC2M (City of London) 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
11.2 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£5,481
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£490
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£6,758
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 London, the current unit rate is 26.35p/kWh with a 44.78p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 987 kWh/kW — 4 below the regional median (991).

Read the full story

A typical roof here lands around 3.0 kW, with most eligible homes comfortably fitting within 3–6 kW. Each kilowatt of panels produces roughly 987 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 26.4p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
26.4p/kWh
Standing charge
44.8p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
987 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: £816, Upfront: £9,134, 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 1973 kWh 789 kWh 1184 kWh £208 £118 £326 £3,654 11.2 yrs £2,874
3 kW 2960 kWh 1184 kWh 1776 kWh £312 £178 £490 £5,481 11.2 yrs £4,310
4 kW 3946 kWh 1579 kWh 2368 kWh £416 £237 £653 £7,307 11.2 yrs £5,747
5 kW 4933 kWh 1973 kWh 2960 kWh £520 £296 £816 £9,134 11.2 yrs £7,184
6 kW 5920 kWh 2368 kWh 3552 kWh £624 £355 £979 £10,961 11.2 yrs £8,621
7 kW 6906 kWh 2762 kWh 4144 kWh £728 £414 £1,142 £12,788 11.2 yrs £10,058
8 kW 7893 kWh 3157 kWh 4736 kWh £832 £474 £1,305 £14,615 11.2 yrs £11,495

Assumptions: south-facing, sensible tilt; self-use shares from site rules; export at 10p baseline. Costs: panels £/kW = 1,827, battery £/kWh = 700.

3 kWh battery 5 kW example → Annual benefit: £977, Upfront: £11,234, 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 1973 kWh 1184 kWh 789 kWh £312 £79 £391 £5,754 14.7 yrs £2,064
3 kW 2960 kWh 1776 kWh 1184 kWh £468 £118 £586 £7,581 12.9 yrs £4,146
4 kW 3946 kWh 2368 kWh 1579 kWh £624 £158 £782 £9,407 12.0 yrs £6,228
5 kW 4933 kWh 2960 kWh 1973 kWh £780 £197 £977 £11,234 11.5 yrs £8,310
6 kW 5920 kWh 3552 kWh 2368 kWh £936 £237 £1,173 £13,061 11.1 yrs £10,392
7 kW 6906 kWh 4144 kWh 2762 kWh £1,092 £276 £1,368 £14,888 10.9 yrs £12,474
8 kW 7893 kWh 4736 kWh 3157 kWh £1,248 £316 £1,564 £16,715 10.7 yrs £14,557

Assumptions: south-facing, sensible tilt; self-use shares from site rules; export at 10p baseline. Costs: panels £/kW = 1,827, battery £/kWh = 700.

5 kWh battery 5 kW example → Annual benefit: £1,058, Upfront: £12,634, Break-even: 11.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1973 kWh 1381 kWh 592 kWh £364 £59 £423 £7,154 16.9 yrs £1,309
3 kW 2960 kWh 2072 kWh 888 kWh £546 £89 £635 £8,981 14.1 yrs £3,714
4 kW 3946 kWh 2762 kWh 1184 kWh £728 £118 £846 £10,807 12.8 yrs £6,119
5 kW 4933 kWh 3453 kWh 1480 kWh £910 £148 £1,058 £12,634 11.9 yrs £8,523
6 kW 5920 kWh 4144 kWh 1776 kWh £1,092 £178 £1,269 £14,461 11.4 yrs £10,928
7 kW 6906 kWh 4834 kWh 2072 kWh £1,274 £207 £1,481 £16,288 11.0 yrs £13,333
8 kW 7893 kWh 5525 kWh 2368 kWh £1,456 £237 £1,693 £18,115 10.7 yrs £15,737

Assumptions: south-facing, sensible tilt; self-use shares from site rules; export at 10p baseline. Costs: panels £/kW = 1,827, battery £/kWh = 700.

7.5 kWh battery 5 kW example → Annual benefit: £1,082, Upfront: £14,384, Break-even: 13.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1973 kWh 1440 kWh 533 kWh £380 £53 £433 £8,904 20.6 yrs £-247
3 kW 2960 kWh 2161 kWh 799 kWh £569 £80 £649 £10,731 16.5 yrs £2,254
4 kW 3946 kWh 2881 kWh 1066 kWh £759 £107 £866 £12,557 14.5 yrs £4,756
5 kW 4933 kWh 3601 kWh 1332 kWh £949 £133 £1,082 £14,384 13.3 yrs £7,257
6 kW 5920 kWh 4321 kWh 1598 kWh £1,139 £160 £1,298 £16,211 12.5 yrs £9,759
7 kW 6906 kWh 5042 kWh 1865 kWh £1,328 £186 £1,515 £18,038 11.9 yrs £12,260
8 kW 7893 kWh 5762 kWh 2131 kWh £1,518 £213 £1,731 £19,865 11.5 yrs £14,762

Assumptions: south-facing, sensible tilt; self-use shares from site rules; export at 10p baseline. Costs: panels £/kW = 1,827, battery £/kWh = 700.

10 kWh battery 5 kW example → Annual benefit: £1,098, Upfront: £16,134, 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 1973 kWh 1480 kWh 493 kWh £390 £49 £439 £10,654 24.3 yrs £-1,868
3 kW 2960 kWh 2220 kWh 740 kWh £585 £74 £659 £12,481 18.9 yrs £698
4 kW 3946 kWh 2960 kWh 987 kWh £780 £99 £879 £14,307 16.3 yrs £3,264
5 kW 4933 kWh 3700 kWh 1233 kWh £975 £123 £1,098 £16,134 14.7 yrs £5,830
6 kW 5920 kWh 4440 kWh 1480 kWh £1,170 £148 £1,318 £17,961 13.6 yrs £8,396
7 kW 6906 kWh 5180 kWh 1727 kWh £1,365 £173 £1,537 £19,788 12.9 yrs £10,962
8 kW 7893 kWh 5920 kWh 1973 kWh £1,560 £197 £1,757 £21,615 12.3 yrs £13,528

Assumptions: south-facing, sensible tilt; self-use shares from site rules; export at 10p baseline. Costs: panels £/kW = 1,827, battery £/kWh = 700.

13.5 kWh battery 5 kW example → Annual benefit: £1,114, Upfront: £18,584, 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 1973 kWh 1519 kWh 454 kWh £400 £45 £446 £13,104 29.4 yrs £-4,189
3 kW 2960 kWh 2279 kWh 681 kWh £601 £68 £669 £14,931 22.3 yrs £-1,558
4 kW 3946 kWh 3039 kWh 908 kWh £801 £91 £891 £16,757 18.8 yrs £1,072
5 kW 4933 kWh 3798 kWh 1135 kWh £1,001 £113 £1,114 £18,584 16.7 yrs £3,703
6 kW 5920 kWh 4558 kWh 1362 kWh £1,201 £136 £1,337 £20,411 15.3 yrs £6,333
7 kW 6906 kWh 5318 kWh 1588 kWh £1,401 £159 £1,560 £22,238 14.3 yrs £8,964
8 kW 7893 kWh 6077 kWh 1815 kWh £1,601 £182 £1,783 £24,065 13.5 yrs £11,594

Assumptions: south-facing, sensible tilt; self-use shares from site rules; export at 10p baseline. Costs: panels £/kW = 1,827, 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 City of London

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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Understand DNO, G98 and G99 export limits

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Insights for EC2M

Figures below are tailored to EC2M — click through for full league tables.

Solar Payback Index Rank #1067 of 2996
10.0 years (UK avg 10.8 years)
~£979 /yr • £9,767 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #56 of 2996
16.6% (UK avg 26.6%) drag on savings
£163 fixed • ~£979 /yr value
Aspect Penalty View ranking →
East −22.5% West −19.2%
Typical output loss versus a south-facing roof (lower is better)

Seasonal solar output in EC2M

Monthly generation per kilowatt of solar panels

kWh 40 Jan 52 Feb 84 Mar 111 Apr 116 May 119 Jun 120 Jul 107 Aug 92 Sep 66 Oct 46 Nov 34 Dec
Best month Worst month Winter (Dec–Feb) Other months

Winter output: 50.9% 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 42 kWh per month; the average month produces around 82 kWh. So a typical 4 kW home system would generate roughly 167 kWh in winter, or 329 kWh in an average month.

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.35p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
44.78p/day
Local Sunshine
987kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~987 kWh per year. A typical home uses ~2,700 kWh per year.
Typical System Size
3.0kW
For eligible homes in this area

⚠️ This area is predominantly flats. Many residents require freeholder approval for solar installations. System size shown reflects houses and bungalows only.

Local Property Data

Property Types

Houses: 3% • Flats: 94% • Bungalows: 0% Based on 88 properties

Coverage

City of London (83%)|Islington (15%)|Tower Hamlets (1%)|Hackney (1%)

Areas Covered

Bishopsgate, Coleman Street, Broad Street, Clerkenwell, Bunhill, Cornhill, Spitalfields & Banglatown, Hoxton East & Shoreditch

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 London

EC2N (City of London)
≈0.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~989 kWh/kWp · +0% vs EC2M
EC2R (City of London)
≈0.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~989 kWh/kWp · +0% vs EC2M
EC3B (City of London)
≈0.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~989 kWh/kWp · +0% vs EC2M
EC3A (City of London)
≈0.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~989 kWh/kWp · +0% vs EC2M
EC3V (City of London)
≈0.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~987 kWh/kWp · -0% vs EC2M
EC2A (Hackney)
≈0.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~989 kWh/kWp · +0% vs EC2M

Similar sunshine across the UK

LU2 (Luton)
~987 kWh/kWp · +0% vs EC2M
LA16 (Westmorland and Furness)
~987 kWh/kWp · -0% vs EC2M
OX1 (Oxford)
~987 kWh/kWp · +0% vs EC2M