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Solar panel cost in Medway (ME1)

See realistic solar installation costs, savings and payback for ME1 (Medway) 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
£8,139
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£848
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£13,071
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 South East, the current unit rate is 26.67p/kWh with a 54.45p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 1018 kWh/kW — 11 below the regional median (1029).

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 1018 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 26.7p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
26.7p/kWh
Standing charge
54.5p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
1018 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: £848, 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 2036 kWh 814 kWh 1222 kWh £217 £122 £339 £3,256 9.6 yrs £3,532
3 kW 3054 kWh 1222 kWh 1832 kWh £326 £183 £509 £4,883 9.6 yrs £5,297
4 kW 4072 kWh 1629 kWh 2443 kWh £434 £244 £679 £6,511 9.6 yrs £7,063
5 kW 5090 kWh 2036 kWh 3054 kWh £543 £305 £848 £8,139 9.6 yrs £8,829
6 kW 6108 kWh 2443 kWh 3665 kWh £652 £366 £1,018 £9,767 9.6 yrs £10,595
7 kW 7126 kWh 2850 kWh 4276 kWh £760 £428 £1,188 £11,394 9.6 yrs £12,360
8 kW 8144 kWh 3258 kWh 4886 kWh £869 £489 £1,357 £13,022 9.6 yrs £14,126

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: £1,018, 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 2036 kWh 1222 kWh 814 kWh £326 £81 £407 £5,356 13.2 yrs £2,789
3 kW 3054 kWh 1832 kWh 1222 kWh £489 £122 £611 £6,983 11.4 yrs £5,234
4 kW 4072 kWh 2443 kWh 1629 kWh £652 £163 £814 £8,611 10.6 yrs £7,678
5 kW 5090 kWh 3054 kWh 2036 kWh £814 £204 £1,018 £10,239 10.1 yrs £10,123
6 kW 6108 kWh 3665 kWh 2443 kWh £977 £244 £1,222 £11,867 9.7 yrs £12,567
7 kW 7126 kWh 4276 kWh 2850 kWh £1,140 £285 £1,425 £13,494 9.5 yrs £15,012
8 kW 8144 kWh 4886 kWh 3258 kWh £1,303 £326 £1,629 £15,122 9.3 yrs £17,457

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: £1,103, 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 2036 kWh 1425 kWh 611 kWh £380 £61 £441 £6,756 15.3 yrs £2,068
3 kW 3054 kWh 2138 kWh 916 kWh £570 £92 £662 £8,383 12.7 yrs £4,852
4 kW 4072 kWh 2850 kWh 1222 kWh £760 £122 £882 £10,011 11.3 yrs £7,636
5 kW 5090 kWh 3563 kWh 1527 kWh £950 £153 £1,103 £11,639 10.6 yrs £10,420
6 kW 6108 kWh 4276 kWh 1832 kWh £1,140 £183 £1,324 £13,267 10.0 yrs £13,204
7 kW 7126 kWh 4988 kWh 2138 kWh £1,330 £214 £1,544 £14,894 9.6 yrs £15,988
8 kW 8144 kWh 5701 kWh 2443 kWh £1,520 £244 £1,765 £16,522 9.4 yrs £18,772

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: £1,128, 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 2036 kWh 1486 kWh 550 kWh £396 £55 £451 £8,506 18.8 yrs £522
3 kW 3054 kWh 2229 kWh 825 kWh £595 £82 £677 £10,133 15.0 yrs £3,407
4 kW 4072 kWh 2973 kWh 1099 kWh £793 £110 £903 £11,761 13.0 yrs £6,293
5 kW 5090 kWh 3716 kWh 1374 kWh £991 £137 £1,128 £13,389 11.9 yrs £9,179
6 kW 6108 kWh 4459 kWh 1649 kWh £1,189 £165 £1,354 £15,017 11.1 yrs £12,065
7 kW 7126 kWh 5202 kWh 1924 kWh £1,387 £192 £1,580 £16,644 10.5 yrs £14,950
8 kW 8144 kWh 5945 kWh 2199 kWh £1,586 £220 £1,805 £18,272 10.1 yrs £17,836

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: £1,145, Upfront: £15,139, 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 2036 kWh 1527 kWh 509 kWh £407 £51 £458 £10,256 22.4 yrs £-1,093
3 kW 3054 kWh 2290 kWh 763 kWh £611 £76 £687 £11,883 17.3 yrs £1,861
4 kW 4072 kWh 3054 kWh 1018 kWh £814 £102 £916 £13,511 14.7 yrs £4,815
5 kW 5090 kWh 3817 kWh 1272 kWh £1,018 £127 £1,145 £15,139 13.2 yrs £7,768
6 kW 6108 kWh 4581 kWh 1527 kWh £1,222 £153 £1,374 £16,767 12.2 yrs £10,722
7 kW 7126 kWh 5344 kWh 1781 kWh £1,425 £178 £1,603 £18,394 11.5 yrs £13,676
8 kW 8144 kWh 6108 kWh 2036 kWh £1,629 £204 £1,833 £20,022 10.9 yrs £16,629

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: £1,162, Upfront: £17,589, Break-even: 15.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2036 kWh 1568 kWh 468 kWh £418 £47 £465 £12,706 27.3 yrs £-3,407
3 kW 3054 kWh 2352 kWh 702 kWh £627 £70 £697 £14,333 20.6 yrs £-385
4 kW 4072 kWh 3135 kWh 937 kWh £836 £94 £930 £15,961 17.2 yrs £2,636
5 kW 5090 kWh 3919 kWh 1171 kWh £1,045 £117 £1,162 £17,589 15.1 yrs £5,658
6 kW 6108 kWh 4703 kWh 1405 kWh £1,254 £140 £1,395 £19,217 13.8 yrs £8,679
7 kW 7126 kWh 5487 kWh 1639 kWh £1,463 £164 £1,627 £20,844 12.8 yrs £11,701
8 kW 8144 kWh 6271 kWh 1873 kWh £1,672 £187 £1,860 £22,472 12.1 yrs £14,722

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 Medway

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 ME1

Figures below are tailored to ME1 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1890 of 2182
4.3 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~9 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #372 of 2996
9.6 years (UK avg 10.8 years)
~£848 /yr • £8,139 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #1083 of 2996
23.5% (UK avg 26.6%) drag on savings
£199 fixed • ~£848 /yr value
Aspect Penalty View ranking →
East −20.9% West −20.4%
Typical output loss versus a south-facing roof (lower is better)

Seasonal solar output in ME1

Monthly generation per kilowatt of solar panels

kWh 38 Jan 51 Feb 84 Mar 115 Apr 121 May 123 Jun 125 Jul 112 Aug 97 Sep 69 Oct 47 Nov 36 Dec
Best month Worst month Winter (Dec–Feb) Other months

Winter output: 49.3% of an average month (Dec–Feb)

Best / worst month: Jul / Dec

These figures show output per kilowatt (kW) of panels installed. In winter, a 1 kW system here produces about 42 kWh per month; the average month produces around 85 kWh. So a typical 4 kW home system would generate roughly 167 kWh in winter, or 339 kWh in an average month.

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.67p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
54.45p/day
Local Sunshine
1018kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~1018 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: 58% • Flats: 36% • Bungalows: 4% Based on 10,041 properties

Coverage

Medway (88%)|Tonbridge and Malling (12%)

Areas Covered

Rochester West & Borstal, Rochester East & Warren Wood, Aylesford North & North Downs, Fort Pitt, Strood North & Frindsbury, Fort Horsted

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 South East

ME4 (Medway)
≈1.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,040 kWh/kWp · +2% vs ME1
ME2 (Medway)
≈1.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,016 kWh/kWp · -0% vs ME1
ME7 (Medway)
≈3.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,018 kWh/kWp · +0% vs ME1
ME5 (Medway)
≈4.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,017 kWh/kWp · -0% vs ME1
ME3 (Medway)
≈5.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,058 kWh/kWp · +4% vs ME1
ME8 (Medway)
≈6.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,034 kWh/kWp · +2% vs ME1

Similar sunshine across the UK

TA15 (Somerset)
~1,018 kWh/kWp · +0% vs ME1
NR24 (North Norfolk)
~1,018 kWh/kWp · -0% vs ME1
TA14 (Somerset)
~1,018 kWh/kWp · +0% vs ME1