Solar explained to clever people by people who are not trying to be clever

Solar Panels in GU34 (East Hampshire)

See if solar pays off for you in East Hampshire — price, savings and payback in under a minute (official UK data).

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
12.1 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£12,207
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£1,005
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£12,920
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 1010 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 26.5p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
26.5p/kWh
Standing charge
44.6p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
1010 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: £838, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 12.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2019 kWh 808 kWh 1212 kWh £214 £121 £335 £4,069 12.1 yrs £2,631
3 kW 3029 kWh 1212 kWh 1817 kWh £321 £182 £503 £6,104 12.1 yrs £3,947
4 kW 4038 kWh 1615 kWh 2423 kWh £428 £242 £670 £8,138 12.1 yrs £5,263
5 kW 5048 kWh 2019 kWh 3029 kWh £535 £303 £838 £10,173 12.1 yrs £6,579
6 kW 6058 kWh 2423 kWh 3635 kWh £642 £363 £1,005 £12,207 12.1 yrs £7,894
7 kW 7067 kWh 2827 kWh 4240 kWh £749 £424 £1,173 £14,242 12.1 yrs £9,210
8 kW 8077 kWh 3231 kWh 4846 kWh £855 £485 £1,340 £16,276 12.1 yrs £10,526

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: £1,004, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 12.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2019 kWh 1212 kWh 808 kWh £321 £81 £402 £6,169 15.4 yrs £1,863
3 kW 3029 kWh 1817 kWh 1212 kWh £481 £121 £602 £8,204 13.6 yrs £3,844
4 kW 4038 kWh 2423 kWh 1615 kWh £642 £162 £803 £10,238 12.7 yrs £5,825
5 kW 5048 kWh 3029 kWh 2019 kWh £802 £202 £1,004 £12,273 12.2 yrs £7,806
6 kW 6058 kWh 3635 kWh 2423 kWh £962 £242 £1,205 £14,307 11.9 yrs £9,788
7 kW 7067 kWh 4240 kWh 2827 kWh £1,123 £283 £1,406 £16,342 11.6 yrs £11,769
8 kW 8077 kWh 4846 kWh 3231 kWh £1,283 £323 £1,606 £18,376 11.4 yrs £13,750

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: £1,087, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 12.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2019 kWh 1413 kWh 606 kWh £374 £61 £435 £7,569 17.4 yrs £1,128
3 kW 3029 kWh 2120 kWh 909 kWh £561 £91 £652 £9,604 14.7 yrs £3,442
4 kW 4038 kWh 2827 kWh 1212 kWh £749 £121 £870 £11,638 13.4 yrs £5,756
5 kW 5048 kWh 3534 kWh 1514 kWh £936 £151 £1,087 £13,673 12.6 yrs £8,070
6 kW 6058 kWh 4240 kWh 1817 kWh £1,123 £182 £1,305 £15,707 12.0 yrs £10,384
7 kW 7067 kWh 4947 kWh 2120 kWh £1,310 £212 £1,522 £17,742 11.7 yrs £12,698
8 kW 8077 kWh 5654 kWh 2423 kWh £1,497 £242 £1,739 £19,776 11.4 yrs £15,012

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: £1,112, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 13.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2019 kWh 1474 kWh 545 kWh £390 £55 £445 £9,319 20.9 yrs £-422
3 kW 3029 kWh 2211 kWh 818 kWh £585 £82 £667 £11,354 17.0 yrs £1,992
4 kW 4038 kWh 2948 kWh 1090 kWh £781 £109 £890 £13,388 15.0 yrs £4,405
5 kW 5048 kWh 3685 kWh 1363 kWh £976 £136 £1,112 £15,423 13.9 yrs £6,819
6 kW 6058 kWh 4422 kWh 1636 kWh £1,171 £164 £1,335 £17,457 13.1 yrs £9,233
7 kW 7067 kWh 5159 kWh 1908 kWh £1,366 £191 £1,557 £19,492 12.5 yrs £11,647
8 kW 8077 kWh 5896 kWh 2181 kWh £1,561 £218 £1,779 £21,526 12.1 yrs £14,061

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: £1,129, Upfront: £17,173, 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 2019 kWh 1514 kWh 505 kWh £401 £50 £451 £11,069 24.5 yrs £-2,039
3 kW 3029 kWh 2272 kWh 757 kWh £602 £76 £677 £13,104 19.3 yrs £441
4 kW 4038 kWh 3029 kWh 1010 kWh £802 £101 £903 £15,138 16.8 yrs £2,922
5 kW 5048 kWh 3786 kWh 1262 kWh £1,003 £126 £1,129 £17,173 15.2 yrs £5,402
6 kW 6058 kWh 4543 kWh 1514 kWh £1,203 £151 £1,354 £19,207 14.2 yrs £7,883
7 kW 7067 kWh 5300 kWh 1767 kWh £1,404 £177 £1,580 £21,242 13.4 yrs £10,363
8 kW 8077 kWh 6058 kWh 2019 kWh £1,604 £202 £1,806 £23,276 12.9 yrs £12,843

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: £1,145, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 17.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2019 kWh 1555 kWh 464 kWh £412 £46 £458 £13,519 29.5 yrs £-4,356
3 kW 3029 kWh 2332 kWh 697 kWh £618 £70 £687 £15,554 22.6 yrs £-1,809
4 kW 4038 kWh 3110 kWh 929 kWh £823 £93 £916 £17,588 19.2 yrs £738
5 kW 5048 kWh 3887 kWh 1161 kWh £1,029 £116 £1,145 £19,623 17.1 yrs £3,285
6 kW 6058 kWh 4664 kWh 1393 kWh £1,235 £139 £1,374 £21,657 15.8 yrs £5,832
7 kW 7067 kWh 5442 kWh 1625 kWh £1,441 £163 £1,604 £23,692 14.8 yrs £8,379
8 kW 8077 kWh 6219 kWh 1858 kWh £1,647 £186 £1,833 £25,726 14.0 yrs £10,926

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.

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.48p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
44.62p/day
Local Sunshine
1010kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~1010 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: 67% • Flats: 22% • Bungalows: 9% Based on 9,367 properties

Coverage

East Hampshire (100%)

Areas Covered

Alton Westbrooke, Four Marks & Medstead, Bentworth & Froyle, Binsted, Bentley & Selborne, Alton Ashdell, Alton Eastbrooke, Alton Holybourne + 7 more

Data Sources & Assumptions

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

Electricity rates: Ofgem price cap, Q4 2025

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.