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Solar panel cost in Mid Suffolk (IP30)

See realistic solar installation costs, savings and payback for IP30 (Mid Suffolk) 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
9.6 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£9,767
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£1,015
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£15,602
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 Eastern, the current unit rate is 26.38p/kWh with a 53.94p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 1022 kWh/kW — 13 above the regional median (1009).

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 1022 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
53.9p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
1022 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: £846, Upfront: £8,139, Break-even: 9.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2044 kWh 817 kWh 1226 kWh £216 £123 £338 £3,256 9.6 yrs £3,509
3 kW 3065 kWh 1226 kWh 1839 kWh £323 £184 £507 £4,883 9.6 yrs £5,264
4 kW 4087 kWh 1635 kWh 2452 kWh £431 £245 £676 £6,511 9.6 yrs £7,019
5 kW 5109 kWh 2044 kWh 3065 kWh £539 £307 £846 £8,139 9.6 yrs £8,774
6 kW 6131 kWh 2452 kWh 3678 kWh £647 £368 £1,015 £9,767 9.6 yrs £10,528
7 kW 7152 kWh 2861 kWh 4291 kWh £755 £429 £1,184 £11,394 9.6 yrs £12,283
8 kW 8174 kWh 3270 kWh 4904 kWh £863 £490 £1,353 £13,022 9.6 yrs £14,038

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: £1,013, Upfront: £10,239, Break-even: 10.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2044 kWh 1226 kWh 817 kWh £323 £82 £405 £5,356 13.2 yrs £2,748
3 kW 3065 kWh 1839 kWh 1226 kWh £485 £123 £608 £6,983 11.5 yrs £5,173
4 kW 4087 kWh 2452 kWh 1635 kWh £647 £163 £810 £8,611 10.6 yrs £7,597
5 kW 5109 kWh 3065 kWh 2044 kWh £809 £204 £1,013 £10,239 10.1 yrs £10,021
6 kW 6131 kWh 3678 kWh 2452 kWh £970 £245 £1,216 £11,867 9.8 yrs £12,445
7 kW 7152 kWh 4291 kWh 2861 kWh £1,132 £286 £1,418 £13,494 9.5 yrs £14,869
8 kW 8174 kWh 4904 kWh 3270 kWh £1,294 £327 £1,621 £15,122 9.3 yrs £17,293

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: £1,097, Upfront: £11,639, Break-even: 10.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2044 kWh 1430 kWh 613 kWh £377 £61 £439 £6,756 15.4 yrs £2,018
3 kW 3065 kWh 2146 kWh 920 kWh £566 £92 £658 £8,383 12.7 yrs £4,777
4 kW 4087 kWh 2861 kWh 1226 kWh £755 £123 £877 £10,011 11.4 yrs £7,536
5 kW 5109 kWh 3576 kWh 1533 kWh £943 £153 £1,097 £11,639 10.6 yrs £10,295
6 kW 6131 kWh 4291 kWh 1839 kWh £1,132 £184 £1,316 £13,267 10.1 yrs £13,053
7 kW 7152 kWh 5007 kWh 2146 kWh £1,321 £215 £1,535 £14,894 9.7 yrs £15,812
8 kW 8174 kWh 5722 kWh 2452 kWh £1,509 £245 £1,755 £16,522 9.4 yrs £18,571

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: £1,122, Upfront: £13,389, 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 2044 kWh 1492 kWh 552 kWh £394 £55 £449 £8,506 19.0 yrs £469
3 kW 3065 kWh 2238 kWh 828 kWh £590 £83 £673 £10,133 15.1 yrs £3,328
4 kW 4087 kWh 2984 kWh 1104 kWh £787 £110 £897 £11,761 13.1 yrs £6,187
5 kW 5109 kWh 3729 kWh 1379 kWh £984 £138 £1,122 £13,389 11.9 yrs £9,047
6 kW 6131 kWh 4475 kWh 1655 kWh £1,181 £166 £1,346 £15,017 11.2 yrs £11,906
7 kW 7152 kWh 5221 kWh 1931 kWh £1,377 £193 £1,570 £16,644 10.6 yrs £14,765
8 kW 8174 kWh 5967 kWh 2207 kWh £1,574 £221 £1,795 £18,272 10.2 yrs £17,625

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: £1,139, Upfront: £15,139, 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 2044 kWh 1533 kWh 511 kWh £404 £51 £455 £10,256 22.5 yrs £-1,147
3 kW 3065 kWh 2299 kWh 766 kWh £606 £77 £683 £11,883 17.4 yrs £1,779
4 kW 4087 kWh 3065 kWh 1022 kWh £809 £102 £911 £13,511 14.8 yrs £4,705
5 kW 5109 kWh 3832 kWh 1277 kWh £1,011 £128 £1,139 £15,139 13.3 yrs £7,631
6 kW 6131 kWh 4598 kWh 1533 kWh £1,213 £153 £1,366 £16,767 12.3 yrs £10,558
7 kW 7152 kWh 5364 kWh 1788 kWh £1,415 £179 £1,594 £18,394 11.5 yrs £13,484
8 kW 8174 kWh 6131 kWh 2044 kWh £1,617 £204 £1,822 £20,022 11.0 yrs £16,410

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: £1,155, Upfront: £17,589, 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 2044 kWh 1574 kWh 470 kWh £415 £47 £462 £12,706 27.5 yrs £-3,464
3 kW 3065 kWh 2360 kWh 705 kWh £623 £71 £693 £14,333 20.7 yrs £-470
4 kW 4087 kWh 3147 kWh 940 kWh £830 £94 £924 £15,961 17.3 yrs £2,523
5 kW 5109 kWh 3934 kWh 1175 kWh £1,038 £118 £1,155 £17,589 15.2 yrs £5,516
6 kW 6131 kWh 4721 kWh 1410 kWh £1,245 £141 £1,386 £19,217 13.9 yrs £8,509
7 kW 7152 kWh 5507 kWh 1645 kWh £1,453 £165 £1,617 £20,844 12.9 yrs £11,503
8 kW 8174 kWh 6294 kWh 1880 kWh £1,660 £188 £1,848 £22,472 12.2 yrs £14,496

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 Mid Suffolk

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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Check what MCS certification means

Understand DNO, G98 and G99 export limits

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Insights for IP30

Figures below are tailored to IP30 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #369 of 2182
5.8 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~12 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #365 of 2996
9.6 years (UK avg 10.8 years)
~£1,015 /yr • £9,767 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #379 of 2996
19.4% (UK avg 26.6%) drag on savings
£197 fixed • ~£1,015 /yr value
Aspect Penalty View ranking →
East −22.4% West −20.2%
Typical output loss versus a south-facing roof (lower is better)

Seasonal solar output in IP30

Monthly generation per kilowatt of solar panels

kWh 39 Jan 53 Feb 86 Mar 117 Apr 121 May 122 Jun 122 Jul 112 Aug 97 Sep 68 Oct 48 Nov 35 Dec
Best month Worst month Winter (Dec–Feb) Other months

Winter output: 49.9% of an average month (Dec–Feb)

Best / worst month: Jun / Dec

These figures show output per kilowatt (kW) of panels installed. In winter, a 1 kW system here produces about 43 kWh per month; the average month produces around 85 kWh. So a typical 4 kW home system would generate roughly 170 kWh in winter, or 341 kWh in an average month.

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.38p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
53.94p/day
Local Sunshine
1022kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~1022 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: 76% • Flats: 5% • Bungalows: 18% Based on 4,488 properties

Coverage

Mid Suffolk (59%)|West Suffolk (30%)|Babergh (11%)

Areas Covered

Elmswell & Woolpit, Rattlesden, Rougham, Lavenham, Thurston, Horringer, Abbeygate, North West Cosford + 2 more

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 Eastern

IP31 (West Suffolk)
≈7.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,016 kWh/kWp · -1% vs IP30
IP33 (West Suffolk)
≈9.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,015 kWh/kWp · -1% vs IP30
IP32 (West Suffolk)
≈10.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,013 kWh/kWp · -1% vs IP30
IP14 (Mid Suffolk)
≈10.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,029 kWh/kWp · +1% vs IP30
IP29 (West Suffolk)
≈12.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,013 kWh/kWp · -1% vs IP30
IP7 (Babergh)
≈20.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,050 kWh/kWp · +3% vs IP30

Similar sunshine across the UK

DA1 (Dartford)
~1,022 kWh/kWp · +0% vs IP30
GU6 (Waverley)
~1,021 kWh/kWp · -0% vs IP30
TR11 (Cornwall)
~1,021 kWh/kWp · -0% vs IP30