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

Solar Panels in KT20 (Reigate and Banstead)

See if solar pays off for you in Reigate and Banstead — 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
12.2 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£12,207
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£1,004
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£12,902
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 998 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 26.9p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
26.9p/kWh
Standing charge
47.6p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
998 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: £837, Upfront: £10,173, 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 1997 kWh 799 kWh 1198 kWh £215 £120 £335 £4,069 12.2 yrs £2,627
3 kW 2995 kWh 1198 kWh 1797 kWh £322 £180 £502 £6,104 12.2 yrs £3,940
4 kW 3993 kWh 1597 kWh 2396 kWh £430 £240 £670 £8,138 12.2 yrs £5,253
5 kW 4991 kWh 1997 kWh 2995 kWh £537 £299 £837 £10,173 12.2 yrs £6,567
6 kW 5990 kWh 2396 kWh 3594 kWh £645 £359 £1,004 £12,207 12.2 yrs £7,880
7 kW 6988 kWh 2795 kWh 4193 kWh £752 £419 £1,172 £14,242 12.2 yrs £9,193
8 kW 7986 kWh 3195 kWh 4792 kWh £860 £479 £1,339 £16,276 12.2 yrs £10,507

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: £1,006, 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 1997 kWh 1198 kWh 799 kWh £322 £80 £402 £6,169 15.3 yrs £1,878
3 kW 2995 kWh 1797 kWh 1198 kWh £484 £120 £604 £8,204 13.6 yrs £3,867
4 kW 3993 kWh 2396 kWh 1597 kWh £645 £160 £805 £10,238 12.7 yrs £5,856
5 kW 4991 kWh 2995 kWh 1997 kWh £806 £200 £1,006 £12,273 12.2 yrs £7,845
6 kW 5990 kWh 3594 kWh 2396 kWh £967 £240 £1,207 £14,307 11.9 yrs £9,834
7 kW 6988 kWh 4193 kWh 2795 kWh £1,129 £280 £1,408 £16,342 11.6 yrs £11,823
8 kW 7986 kWh 4792 kWh 3195 kWh £1,290 £319 £1,609 £18,376 11.4 yrs £13,812

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: £1,090, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 12.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1997 kWh 1398 kWh 599 kWh £376 £60 £436 £7,569 17.4 yrs £1,154
3 kW 2995 kWh 2096 kWh 898 kWh £564 £90 £654 £9,604 14.7 yrs £3,480
4 kW 3993 kWh 2795 kWh 1198 kWh £752 £120 £872 £11,638 13.3 yrs £5,807
5 kW 4991 kWh 3494 kWh 1497 kWh £941 £150 £1,090 £13,673 12.5 yrs £8,134
6 kW 5990 kWh 4193 kWh 1797 kWh £1,129 £180 £1,308 £15,707 12.0 yrs £10,461
7 kW 6988 kWh 4892 kWh 2096 kWh £1,317 £210 £1,526 £17,742 11.6 yrs £12,788
8 kW 7986 kWh 5590 kWh 2396 kWh £1,505 £240 £1,745 £19,776 11.3 yrs £15,115

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: £1,116, Upfront: £15,423, 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 1997 kWh 1458 kWh 539 kWh £392 £54 £446 £9,319 20.9 yrs £-394
3 kW 2995 kWh 2186 kWh 809 kWh £589 £81 £669 £11,354 17.0 yrs £2,034
4 kW 3993 kWh 2915 kWh 1078 kWh £785 £108 £893 £13,388 15.0 yrs £4,463
5 kW 4991 kWh 3644 kWh 1348 kWh £981 £135 £1,116 £15,423 13.8 yrs £6,891
6 kW 5990 kWh 4373 kWh 1617 kWh £1,177 £162 £1,339 £17,457 13.0 yrs £9,319
7 kW 6988 kWh 5101 kWh 1887 kWh £1,373 £189 £1,562 £19,492 12.5 yrs £11,747
8 kW 7986 kWh 5830 kWh 2156 kWh £1,569 £216 £1,785 £21,526 12.1 yrs £14,175

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: £1,133, 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 1997 kWh 1497 kWh 499 kWh £403 £50 £453 £11,069 24.4 yrs £-2,009
3 kW 2995 kWh 2246 kWh 749 kWh £605 £75 £680 £13,104 19.3 yrs £487
4 kW 3993 kWh 2995 kWh 998 kWh £806 £100 £906 £15,138 16.7 yrs £2,983
5 kW 4991 kWh 3744 kWh 1248 kWh £1,008 £125 £1,133 £17,173 15.2 yrs £5,479
6 kW 5990 kWh 4492 kWh 1497 kWh £1,209 £150 £1,359 £19,207 14.1 yrs £7,974
7 kW 6988 kWh 5241 kWh 1747 kWh £1,411 £175 £1,586 £21,242 13.4 yrs £10,470
8 kW 7986 kWh 5990 kWh 1997 kWh £1,612 £200 £1,812 £23,276 12.8 yrs £12,966

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: £1,149, 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 1997 kWh 1537 kWh 459 kWh £414 £46 £460 £13,519 29.4 yrs £-4,323
3 kW 2995 kWh 2306 kWh 689 kWh £621 £69 £690 £15,554 22.6 yrs £-1,760
4 kW 3993 kWh 3075 kWh 918 kWh £828 £92 £920 £17,588 19.1 yrs £803
5 kW 4991 kWh 3843 kWh 1148 kWh £1,035 £115 £1,149 £19,623 17.1 yrs £3,366
6 kW 5990 kWh 4612 kWh 1378 kWh £1,242 £138 £1,379 £21,657 15.7 yrs £5,930
7 kW 6988 kWh 5381 kWh 1607 kWh £1,449 £161 £1,609 £23,692 14.7 yrs £8,493
8 kW 7986 kWh 6149 kWh 1837 kWh £1,655 £184 £1,839 £25,726 14.0 yrs £11,056

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
26.92p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
47.60p/day
Local Sunshine
998kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~998 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: 63% • Flats: 22% • Bungalows: 6% Based on 5,638 properties

Coverage

Reigate and Banstead (95%)|Mole Valley (5%)

Areas Covered

Lower Kingswood, Tadworth & Walton, Chipstead, Kingswood & Woodmansterne, Tattenham Corner & Preston, Brockham, Betchworth, Buckland + 4 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.