Solar panel cost in Forest of Dean (GL19)

See realistic solar installation costs, savings and payback for GL19 (Forest of Dean) 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
13.8 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£12,207
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£884
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£9,896
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

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 984 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 22.4p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
22.4p/kWh
Standing charge
59.3p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
984 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: £737, Upfront: £10,173, 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 1968 kWh 787 kWh 1181 kWh £177 £118 £295 £4,069 13.8 yrs £1,825
3 kW 2952 kWh 1181 kWh 1771 kWh £265 £177 £442 £6,104 13.8 yrs £2,738
4 kW 3936 kWh 1574 kWh 2361 kWh £353 £236 £589 £8,138 13.8 yrs £3,650
5 kW 4920 kWh 1968 kWh 2952 kWh £442 £295 £737 £10,173 13.8 yrs £4,563
6 kW 5904 kWh 2361 kWh 3542 kWh £530 £354 £884 £12,207 13.8 yrs £5,476
7 kW 6888 kWh 2755 kWh 4133 kWh £618 £413 £1,031 £14,242 13.8 yrs £6,388
8 kW 7872 kWh 3149 kWh 4723 kWh £707 £472 £1,179 £16,276 13.8 yrs £7,301

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: £859, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 14.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1968 kWh 1181 kWh 787 kWh £265 £79 £344 £6,169 18.0 yrs £704
3 kW 2952 kWh 1771 kWh 1181 kWh £397 £118 £516 £8,204 15.9 yrs £2,107
4 kW 3936 kWh 2361 kWh 1574 kWh £530 £157 £687 £10,238 14.9 yrs £3,509
5 kW 4920 kWh 2952 kWh 1968 kWh £662 £197 £859 £12,273 14.3 yrs £4,911
6 kW 5904 kWh 3542 kWh 2361 kWh £795 £236 £1,031 £14,307 13.9 yrs £6,313
7 kW 6888 kWh 4133 kWh 2755 kWh £927 £276 £1,203 £16,342 13.6 yrs £7,716
8 kW 7872 kWh 4723 kWh 3149 kWh £1,060 £315 £1,375 £18,376 13.4 yrs £9,118

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: £920, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 14.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1968 kWh 1378 kWh 590 kWh £309 £59 £368 £7,569 20.6 yrs £-206
3 kW 2952 kWh 2066 kWh 886 kWh £464 £89 £552 £9,604 17.4 yrs £1,441
4 kW 3936 kWh 2755 kWh 1181 kWh £618 £118 £736 £11,638 15.8 yrs £3,088
5 kW 4920 kWh 3444 kWh 1476 kWh £773 £148 £920 £13,673 14.9 yrs £4,735
6 kW 5904 kWh 4133 kWh 1771 kWh £927 £177 £1,104 £15,707 14.2 yrs £6,382
7 kW 6888 kWh 4821 kWh 2066 kWh £1,082 £207 £1,289 £17,742 13.8 yrs £8,029
8 kW 7872 kWh 5510 kWh 2361 kWh £1,236 £236 £1,473 £19,776 13.4 yrs £9,676

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: £939, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 16.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1968 kWh 1437 kWh 531 kWh £322 £53 £375 £9,319 24.8 yrs £-1,809
3 kW 2952 kWh 2155 kWh 797 kWh £484 £80 £563 £11,354 20.2 yrs £-89
4 kW 3936 kWh 2873 kWh 1063 kWh £645 £106 £751 £13,388 17.8 yrs £1,632
5 kW 4920 kWh 3591 kWh 1328 kWh £806 £133 £939 £15,423 16.4 yrs £3,352
6 kW 5904 kWh 4310 kWh 1594 kWh £967 £159 £1,126 £17,457 15.5 yrs £5,073
7 kW 6888 kWh 5028 kWh 1860 kWh £1,128 £186 £1,314 £19,492 14.8 yrs £6,793
8 kW 7872 kWh 5746 kWh 2125 kWh £1,289 £213 £1,502 £21,526 14.3 yrs £8,514

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: £951, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 18.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1968 kWh 1476 kWh 492 kWh £331 £49 £380 £11,069 29.1 yrs £-3,461
3 kW 2952 kWh 2214 kWh 738 kWh £497 £74 £571 £13,104 23.0 yrs £-1,692
4 kW 3936 kWh 2952 kWh 984 kWh £662 £98 £761 £15,138 19.9 yrs £78
5 kW 4920 kWh 3690 kWh 1230 kWh £828 £123 £951 £17,173 18.1 yrs £1,847
6 kW 5904 kWh 4428 kWh 1476 kWh £994 £148 £1,141 £19,207 16.8 yrs £3,617
7 kW 6888 kWh 5166 kWh 1722 kWh £1,159 £172 £1,331 £21,242 16.0 yrs £5,386
8 kW 7872 kWh 5904 kWh 1968 kWh £1,325 £197 £1,522 £23,276 15.3 yrs £7,156

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: £963, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 20.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1968 kWh 1515 kWh 453 kWh £340 £45 £385 £13,519 35.1 yrs £-5,813
3 kW 2952 kWh 2273 kWh 679 kWh £510 £68 £578 £15,554 26.9 yrs £-3,995
4 kW 3936 kWh 3031 kWh 905 kWh £680 £91 £771 £17,588 22.8 yrs £-2,176
5 kW 4920 kWh 3788 kWh 1132 kWh £850 £113 £963 £19,623 20.4 yrs £-358
6 kW 5904 kWh 4546 kWh 1358 kWh £1,020 £136 £1,156 £21,657 18.7 yrs £1,460
7 kW 6888 kWh 5303 kWh 1584 kWh £1,190 £158 £1,349 £23,692 17.6 yrs £3,279
8 kW 7872 kWh 6061 kWh 1810 kWh £1,360 £181 £1,541 £25,726 16.7 yrs £5,097

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.

Seasonal solar output in GL19

Monthly generation per kilowatt of solar panels

kWh 37 Jan 53 Feb 84 Mar 111 Apr 121 May 119 Jun 120 Jul 107 Aug 91 Sep 64 Oct 43 Nov 31 Dec
Best month Worst month Winter (Dec–Feb) Other months

Winter output: 49.7% 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 41 kWh per month; the average month produces around 82 kWh. So a typical 4 kW home system would generate roughly 163 kWh in winter, or 328 kWh in an average month.

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
22.44p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
59.34p/day
Local Sunshine
984kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~984 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: 77% • Flats: 3% • Bungalows: 20% Based on 2,303 properties

Coverage

Forest of Dean (47%)|Tewkesbury (33%)|Malvern Hills (12%)|Gloucester (8%)

Areas Covered

Hartpury & Redmarley, Highnam with Haw Bridge, Severn Vale North, Longhope & Huntley, Longdon, Barnwood, Newent & Taynton, Quedgeley Fieldcourt + 2 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.