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Solar panel cost in Leicester (LE87)

See realistic solar installation costs, savings and payback for LE87 (Leicester) 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
10.5 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£8,139
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£775
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£11,232
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 East Midlands, the current unit rate is 25.10p/kWh with a 53.60p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 966 kWh/kW — 2 below the regional median (968).

Read the full story

A typical roof here lands around 5.0 kW, with most eligible homes comfortably fitting within 3–6 kW. Each kilowatt of panels produces roughly 966 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 25.1p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
25.1p/kWh
Standing charge
53.6p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
966 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: £775, Upfront: £8,139, Break-even: 10.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1932 kWh 773 kWh 1159 kWh £194 £116 £310 £3,256 10.5 yrs £2,943
3 kW 2898 kWh 1159 kWh 1739 kWh £291 £174 £465 £4,883 10.5 yrs £4,415
4 kW 3865 kWh 1546 kWh 2319 kWh £388 £232 £620 £6,511 10.5 yrs £5,886
5 kW 4831 kWh 1932 kWh 2898 kWh £485 £290 £775 £8,139 10.5 yrs £7,358
6 kW 5797 kWh 2319 kWh 3478 kWh £582 £348 £930 £9,767 10.5 yrs £8,830
7 kW 6763 kWh 2705 kWh 4058 kWh £679 £406 £1,085 £11,394 10.5 yrs £10,301
8 kW 7729 kWh 3092 kWh 4637 kWh £776 £464 £1,240 £13,022 10.5 yrs £11,773

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: £921, Upfront: £10,239, Break-even: 11.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1932 kWh 1159 kWh 773 kWh £291 £77 £368 £5,356 14.5 yrs £2,010
3 kW 2898 kWh 1739 kWh 1159 kWh £437 £116 £552 £6,983 12.6 yrs £4,065
4 kW 3865 kWh 2319 kWh 1546 kWh £582 £155 £737 £8,611 11.7 yrs £6,121
5 kW 4831 kWh 2898 kWh 1932 kWh £728 £193 £921 £10,239 11.1 yrs £8,176
6 kW 5797 kWh 3478 kWh 2319 kWh £873 £232 £1,105 £11,867 10.7 yrs £10,231
7 kW 6763 kWh 4058 kWh 2705 kWh £1,019 £271 £1,289 £13,494 10.5 yrs £12,286
8 kW 7729 kWh 4637 kWh 3092 kWh £1,164 £309 £1,473 £15,122 10.3 yrs £14,341

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: £994, Upfront: £11,639, Break-even: 11.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1932 kWh 1353 kWh 580 kWh £340 £58 £397 £6,756 17.0 yrs £1,194
3 kW 2898 kWh 2029 kWh 870 kWh £509 £87 £596 £8,383 14.1 yrs £3,541
4 kW 3865 kWh 2705 kWh 1159 kWh £679 £116 £795 £10,011 12.6 yrs £5,888
5 kW 4831 kWh 3381 kWh 1449 kWh £849 £145 £994 £11,639 11.7 yrs £8,235
6 kW 5797 kWh 4058 kWh 1739 kWh £1,019 £174 £1,192 £13,267 11.1 yrs £10,582
7 kW 6763 kWh 4734 kWh 2029 kWh £1,188 £203 £1,391 £14,894 10.7 yrs £12,929
8 kW 7729 kWh 5410 kWh 2319 kWh £1,358 £232 £1,590 £16,522 10.4 yrs £15,276

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: £1,016, Upfront: £13,389, Break-even: 13.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1932 kWh 1411 kWh 522 kWh £354 £52 £406 £8,506 20.9 yrs £-381
3 kW 2898 kWh 2116 kWh 783 kWh £531 £78 £609 £10,133 16.6 yrs £2,053
4 kW 3865 kWh 2821 kWh 1043 kWh £708 £104 £812 £11,761 14.5 yrs £4,488
5 kW 4831 kWh 3526 kWh 1304 kWh £885 £130 £1,016 £13,389 13.2 yrs £6,922
6 kW 5797 kWh 4232 kWh 1565 kWh £1,062 £157 £1,219 £15,017 12.3 yrs £9,357
7 kW 6763 kWh 4937 kWh 1826 kWh £1,239 £183 £1,422 £16,644 11.7 yrs £11,791
8 kW 7729 kWh 5642 kWh 2087 kWh £1,416 £209 £1,625 £18,272 11.2 yrs £14,226

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: £1,030, Upfront: £15,139, 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 1932 kWh 1449 kWh 483 kWh £364 £48 £412 £10,256 24.9 yrs £-2,014
3 kW 2898 kWh 2174 kWh 725 kWh £546 £72 £618 £11,883 19.2 yrs £478
4 kW 3865 kWh 2898 kWh 966 kWh £728 £97 £824 £13,511 16.4 yrs £2,971
5 kW 4831 kWh 3623 kWh 1208 kWh £909 £121 £1,030 £15,139 14.7 yrs £5,464
6 kW 5797 kWh 4348 kWh 1449 kWh £1,091 £145 £1,236 £16,767 13.6 yrs £7,957
7 kW 6763 kWh 5072 kWh 1691 kWh £1,273 £169 £1,442 £18,394 12.8 yrs £10,450
8 kW 7729 kWh 5797 kWh 1932 kWh £1,455 £193 £1,648 £20,022 12.1 yrs £12,943

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: £1,045, Upfront: £17,589, Break-even: 16.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1932 kWh 1488 kWh 444 kWh £373 £44 £418 £12,706 30.4 yrs £-4,348
3 kW 2898 kWh 2232 kWh 667 kWh £560 £67 £627 £14,333 22.9 yrs £-1,796
4 kW 3865 kWh 2976 kWh 889 kWh £747 £89 £836 £15,961 19.1 yrs £755
5 kW 4831 kWh 3720 kWh 1111 kWh £934 £111 £1,045 £17,589 16.8 yrs £3,306
6 kW 5797 kWh 4464 kWh 1333 kWh £1,120 £133 £1,254 £19,217 15.3 yrs £5,857
7 kW 6763 kWh 5207 kWh 1555 kWh £1,307 £156 £1,463 £20,844 14.3 yrs £8,408
8 kW 7729 kWh 5951 kWh 1778 kWh £1,494 £178 £1,672 £22,472 13.4 yrs £10,959

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 Leicester

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.

Compare solar quotes before you sign

Check what MCS certification means

Understand DNO, G98 and G99 export limits

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Insights for LE87

Figures below are tailored to LE87 — click through for full league tables.

Solar Payback Index Rank #1554 of 2996
10.5 years (UK avg 10.8 years)
~£775 /yr • £8,139 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #1472 of 2996
25.3% (UK avg 26.6%) drag on savings
£196 fixed • ~£775 /yr value
Aspect Penalty View ranking →
East −21.6% West −19.7%
Typical output loss versus a south-facing roof (lower is better)

Seasonal solar output in LE87

Monthly generation per kilowatt of solar panels

kWh 36 Jan 51 Feb 82 Mar 109 Apr 118 May 115 Jun 118 Jul 107 Aug 90 Sep 63 Oct 43 Nov 33 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 40 kWh per month; the average month produces around 81 kWh. So a typical 4 kW home system would generate roughly 160 kWh in winter, or 322 kWh in an average month.

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.10p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
53.60p/day
Local Sunshine
966kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~966 kWh per year. A typical home uses ~2,700 kWh per year.
Typical System Size
5.0kW
For houses & bungalows in this area

Local Property Data

Property Types

No EPC data available for this outcode

Coverage

Leicester (93%)|Blaby (4%)|Oadby and Wigston (4%)

Areas Covered

Castle, Wigston All Saints, Cosby & South Whetstone

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 East Midlands

LE1 (Leicester)
≈0.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~952 kWh/kWp · -1% vs LE87
LE21 (Leicester)
≈0.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~952 kWh/kWp · -1% vs LE87
LE41 (Leicester)
≈2.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~954 kWh/kWp · -1% vs LE87
LE5 (Leicester)
≈2.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~959 kWh/kWp · -1% vs LE87
LE4 (Leicester)
≈2.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~952 kWh/kWp · -1% vs LE87
LE2 (Leicester)
≈2.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~952 kWh/kWp · -1% vs LE87

Similar sunshine across the UK

YO16 (East Riding of Yorkshire)
~966 kWh/kWp · +0% vs LE87
NP4 (Torfaen)
~966 kWh/kWp · -0% vs LE87
WR3 (Worcester)
~966 kWh/kWp · -0% vs LE87