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Solar panel cost in Manchester (M14)

See realistic solar installation costs, savings and payback for M14 (Manchester) 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
15.4 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£662
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£6,384
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

In North West, the current unit rate is 23.04p/kWh with a 46.92p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 870 kWh/kW — 0 above the regional median (870).

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 870 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 23.0p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
23.0p/kWh
Standing charge
46.9p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
870 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: £662, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 15.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1741 kWh 696 kWh 1045 kWh £160 £104 £265 £4,069 15.4 yrs £1,229
3 kW 2611 kWh 1045 kWh 1567 kWh £241 £157 £397 £6,104 15.4 yrs £1,844
4 kW 3482 kWh 1393 kWh 2089 kWh £321 £209 £530 £8,138 15.4 yrs £2,458
5 kW 4352 kWh 1741 kWh 2611 kWh £401 £261 £662 £10,173 15.4 yrs £3,073
6 kW 5223 kWh 2089 kWh 3134 kWh £481 £313 £795 £12,207 15.4 yrs £3,687
7 kW 6093 kWh 2437 kWh 3656 kWh £562 £366 £927 £14,242 15.4 yrs £4,302
8 kW 6964 kWh 2786 kWh 4178 kWh £642 £418 £1,060 £16,276 15.4 yrs £4,917

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: £776, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 15.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1741 kWh 1045 kWh 696 kWh £241 £70 £310 £6,169 19.9 yrs £37
3 kW 2611 kWh 1567 kWh 1045 kWh £361 £104 £465 £8,204 17.6 yrs £1,106
4 kW 3482 kWh 2089 kWh 1393 kWh £481 £139 £621 £10,238 16.5 yrs £2,174
5 kW 4352 kWh 2611 kWh 1741 kWh £602 £174 £776 £12,273 15.8 yrs £3,243
6 kW 5223 kWh 3134 kWh 2089 kWh £722 £209 £931 £14,307 15.4 yrs £4,312
7 kW 6093 kWh 3656 kWh 2437 kWh £842 £244 £1,086 £16,342 15.0 yrs £5,380
8 kW 6964 kWh 4178 kWh 2786 kWh £963 £279 £1,241 £18,376 14.8 yrs £6,449

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: £833, Upfront: £13,673, 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 1741 kWh 1219 kWh 522 kWh £281 £52 £333 £7,569 22.7 yrs £-909
3 kW 2611 kWh 1828 kWh 783 kWh £421 £78 £500 £9,604 19.2 yrs £387
4 kW 3482 kWh 2437 kWh 1045 kWh £562 £104 £666 £11,638 17.5 yrs £1,683
5 kW 4352 kWh 3047 kWh 1306 kWh £702 £131 £833 £13,673 16.4 yrs £2,978
6 kW 5223 kWh 3656 kWh 1567 kWh £842 £157 £999 £15,707 15.7 yrs £4,274
7 kW 6093 kWh 4265 kWh 1828 kWh £983 £183 £1,166 £17,742 15.2 yrs £5,569
8 kW 6964 kWh 4875 kWh 2089 kWh £1,123 £209 £1,332 £19,776 14.8 yrs £6,865

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: £850, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 18.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1741 kWh 1271 kWh 470 kWh £293 £47 £340 £9,319 27.4 yrs £-2,523
3 kW 2611 kWh 1906 kWh 705 kWh £439 £71 £510 £11,354 22.3 yrs £-1,159
4 kW 3482 kWh 2542 kWh 940 kWh £586 £94 £680 £13,388 19.7 yrs £205
5 kW 4352 kWh 3177 kWh 1175 kWh £732 £118 £850 £15,423 18.2 yrs £1,569
6 kW 5223 kWh 3813 kWh 1410 kWh £878 £141 £1,019 £17,457 17.1 yrs £2,932
7 kW 6093 kWh 4448 kWh 1645 kWh £1,025 £165 £1,189 £19,492 16.4 yrs £4,296
8 kW 6964 kWh 5084 kWh 1880 kWh £1,171 £188 £1,359 £21,526 15.8 yrs £5,660

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: £861, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 19.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1741 kWh 1306 kWh 435 kWh £301 £44 £344 £11,069 32.1 yrs £-4,182
3 kW 2611 kWh 1959 kWh 653 kWh £451 £65 £517 £13,104 25.4 yrs £-2,773
4 kW 3482 kWh 2611 kWh 870 kWh £602 £87 £689 £15,138 22.0 yrs £-1,363
5 kW 4352 kWh 3264 kWh 1088 kWh £752 £109 £861 £17,173 19.9 yrs £46
6 kW 5223 kWh 3917 kWh 1306 kWh £903 £131 £1,033 £19,207 18.6 yrs £1,455
7 kW 6093 kWh 4570 kWh 1523 kWh £1,053 £152 £1,205 £21,242 17.6 yrs £2,864
8 kW 6964 kWh 5223 kWh 1741 kWh £1,203 £174 £1,377 £23,276 16.9 yrs £4,273

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: £872, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 22.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1741 kWh 1341 kWh 400 kWh £309 £40 £349 £13,519 38.7 yrs £-6,541
3 kW 2611 kWh 2011 kWh 601 kWh £463 £60 £523 £15,554 29.7 yrs £-5,086
4 kW 3482 kWh 2681 kWh 801 kWh £618 £80 £698 £17,588 25.2 yrs £-3,632
5 kW 4352 kWh 3351 kWh 1001 kWh £772 £100 £872 £19,623 22.5 yrs £-2,177
6 kW 5223 kWh 4022 kWh 1201 kWh £927 £120 £1,047 £21,657 20.7 yrs £-723
7 kW 6093 kWh 4692 kWh 1401 kWh £1,081 £140 £1,221 £23,692 19.4 yrs £732
8 kW 6964 kWh 5362 kWh 1602 kWh £1,235 £160 £1,396 £25,726 18.4 yrs £2,186

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.

Insights for M14

Figures below are tailored to M14 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1760 of 2182
4.4 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~9 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #2395 of 2997
13.4 years (UK avg 12.6 years)
~£756 /yr • £10,173 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #1968 of 2997
25.2% (UK avg 24.6%) drag on savings
£191 fixed • ~£756 /yr value
Aspect Penalty View ranking →
East −20.5% West −18.8%
Typical output loss versus a south-facing roof (lower is better)

Seasonal solar output in M14

Monthly generation per kilowatt of solar panels

kWh 27 Jan 45 Feb 77 Mar 102 Apr 110 May 108 Jun 106 Jul 96 Aug 80 Sep 56 Oct 37 Nov 28 Dec
Best month Worst month Winter (Dec–Feb) Other months

Winter output: 45.6% of an average month (Dec–Feb)

Best / worst month: May / Jan

These figures show output per kilowatt (kW) of panels installed. In winter, a 1 kW system here produces about 33 kWh per month; the average month produces around 73 kWh. So a typical 4 kW home system would generate roughly 132 kWh in winter, or 290 kWh in an average month.

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
23.04p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
46.92p/day
Local Sunshine
870kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~870 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

Houses: 62% • Flats: 36% • Bungalows: 0% Based on 16,202 properties

Coverage

Manchester (100%)

Areas Covered

Old Moat, Moss Side, Fallowfield, Rusholme, Withington, Whalley Range, Ardwick, Hulme + 1 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.

Compare nearby areas

Nearby in North West

M52 (Manchester)
≈0.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~871 kWh/kWp · +0% vs M14
M19 (Manchester)
≈1.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~861 kWh/kWp · -1% vs M14
M13 (Manchester)
≈2.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~861 kWh/kWp · -1% vs M14
M20 (Manchester)
≈2.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~870 kWh/kWp · -0% vs M14
M12 (Manchester)
≈2.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~861 kWh/kWp · -1% vs M14
M16 (Trafford)
≈3.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~868 kWh/kWp · -0% vs M14

Similar sunshine across the UK

EH48 (West Lothian)
~870 kWh/kWp · -0% vs M14
LL26 (Conwy)
~870 kWh/kWp · -0% vs M14
LL34 (Conwy)
~871 kWh/kWp · +0% vs M14