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Solar panel cost in Swale (ME10)

See realistic solar installation costs, savings and payback for ME10 (Swale) 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
£7,307
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£699
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£10,166
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 1048 kWh/kW — 19 above the regional median (1029).

Read the full story

A typical roof here lands around 4.0 kW, with most eligible homes comfortably fitting within 3–6 kW. Each kilowatt of panels produces roughly 1048 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)
1048 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: £874, Upfront: £9,134, 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 2097 kWh 839 kWh 1258 kWh £224 £126 £349 £3,654 10.5 yrs £3,335
3 kW 3145 kWh 1258 kWh 1887 kWh £335 £189 £524 £5,481 10.5 yrs £5,003
4 kW 4193 kWh 1677 kWh 2516 kWh £447 £252 £699 £7,307 10.5 yrs £6,671
5 kW 5241 kWh 2097 kWh 3145 kWh £559 £314 £874 £9,134 10.5 yrs £8,339
6 kW 6290 kWh 2516 kWh 3774 kWh £671 £377 £1,048 £10,961 10.5 yrs £10,006
7 kW 7338 kWh 2935 kWh 4403 kWh £783 £440 £1,223 £12,788 10.5 yrs £11,674
8 kW 8386 kWh 3355 kWh 5032 kWh £895 £503 £1,398 £14,615 10.5 yrs £13,342

Assumptions: south-facing, sensible tilt; self-use shares from site rules; export at 10p baseline. Costs: panels £/kW = 1,827, battery £/kWh = 700.

3 kWh battery 5 kW example → Annual benefit: £1,048, Upfront: £11,234, Break-even: 10.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2097 kWh 1258 kWh 839 kWh £335 £84 £419 £5,754 13.7 yrs £2,633
3 kW 3145 kWh 1887 kWh 1258 kWh £503 £126 £629 £7,581 12.1 yrs £5,000
4 kW 4193 kWh 2516 kWh 1677 kWh £671 £168 £839 £9,407 11.2 yrs £7,367
5 kW 5241 kWh 3145 kWh 2097 kWh £839 £210 £1,048 £11,234 10.7 yrs £9,734
6 kW 6290 kWh 3774 kWh 2516 kWh £1,006 £252 £1,258 £13,061 10.4 yrs £12,100
7 kW 7338 kWh 4403 kWh 2935 kWh £1,174 £294 £1,468 £14,888 10.1 yrs £14,467
8 kW 8386 kWh 5032 kWh 3355 kWh £1,342 £335 £1,677 £16,715 10.0 yrs £16,834

Assumptions: south-facing, sensible tilt; self-use shares from site rules; export at 10p baseline. Costs: panels £/kW = 1,827, battery £/kWh = 700.

5 kWh battery 5 kW example → Annual benefit: £1,136, Upfront: £12,634, 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 2097 kWh 1468 kWh 629 kWh £391 £63 £454 £7,154 15.7 yrs £1,932
3 kW 3145 kWh 2201 kWh 943 kWh £587 £94 £681 £8,981 13.2 yrs £4,649
4 kW 4193 kWh 2935 kWh 1258 kWh £783 £126 £909 £10,807 11.9 yrs £7,365
5 kW 5241 kWh 3669 kWh 1572 kWh £979 £157 £1,136 £12,634 11.1 yrs £10,081
6 kW 6290 kWh 4403 kWh 1887 kWh £1,174 £189 £1,363 £14,461 10.6 yrs £12,797
7 kW 7338 kWh 5137 kWh 2201 kWh £1,370 £220 £1,590 £16,288 10.2 yrs £15,514
8 kW 8386 kWh 5870 kWh 2516 kWh £1,566 £252 £1,817 £18,115 10.0 yrs £18,230

Assumptions: south-facing, sensible tilt; self-use shares from site rules; export at 10p baseline. Costs: panels £/kW = 1,827, battery £/kWh = 700.

7.5 kWh battery 5 kW example → Annual benefit: £1,162, Upfront: £14,384, Break-even: 12.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2097 kWh 1531 kWh 566 kWh £408 £57 £465 £8,904 19.2 yrs £392
3 kW 3145 kWh 2296 kWh 849 kWh £612 £85 £697 £10,731 15.4 yrs £3,213
4 kW 4193 kWh 3061 kWh 1132 kWh £816 £113 £930 £12,557 13.5 yrs £6,034
5 kW 5241 kWh 3826 kWh 1415 kWh £1,020 £142 £1,162 £14,384 12.4 yrs £8,855
6 kW 6290 kWh 4592 kWh 1698 kWh £1,225 £170 £1,394 £16,211 11.6 yrs £11,677
7 kW 7338 kWh 5357 kWh 1981 kWh £1,429 £198 £1,627 £18,038 11.1 yrs £14,498
8 kW 8386 kWh 6122 kWh 2264 kWh £1,633 £226 £1,859 £19,865 10.7 yrs £17,319

Assumptions: south-facing, sensible tilt; self-use shares from site rules; export at 10p baseline. Costs: panels £/kW = 1,827, battery £/kWh = 700.

10 kWh battery 5 kW example → Annual benefit: £1,179, Upfront: £16,134, Break-even: 13.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2097 kWh 1572 kWh 524 kWh £419 £52 £472 £10,654 22.6 yrs £-1,218
3 kW 3145 kWh 2359 kWh 786 kWh £629 £79 £708 £12,481 17.6 yrs £1,673
4 kW 4193 kWh 3145 kWh 1048 kWh £839 £105 £944 £14,307 15.2 yrs £4,564
5 kW 5241 kWh 3931 kWh 1310 kWh £1,048 £131 £1,179 £16,134 13.7 yrs £7,455
6 kW 6290 kWh 4717 kWh 1572 kWh £1,258 £157 £1,415 £17,961 12.7 yrs £10,346
7 kW 7338 kWh 5504 kWh 1835 kWh £1,468 £183 £1,651 £19,788 12.0 yrs £13,237
8 kW 8386 kWh 6290 kWh 2097 kWh £1,677 £210 £1,887 £21,615 11.5 yrs £16,128

Assumptions: south-facing, sensible tilt; self-use shares from site rules; export at 10p baseline. Costs: panels £/kW = 1,827, battery £/kWh = 700.

13.5 kWh battery 5 kW example → Annual benefit: £1,197, Upfront: £18,584, Break-even: 15.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2097 kWh 1614 kWh 482 kWh £431 £48 £479 £13,104 27.4 yrs £-3,528
3 kW 3145 kWh 2422 kWh 723 kWh £646 £72 £718 £14,931 20.8 yrs £-567
4 kW 4193 kWh 3229 kWh 964 kWh £861 £96 £958 £16,757 17.5 yrs £2,394
5 kW 5241 kWh 4036 kWh 1206 kWh £1,076 £121 £1,197 £18,584 15.5 yrs £5,354
6 kW 6290 kWh 4843 kWh 1447 kWh £1,292 £145 £1,436 £20,411 14.2 yrs £8,315
7 kW 7338 kWh 5650 kWh 1688 kWh £1,507 £169 £1,676 £22,238 13.3 yrs £11,276
8 kW 8386 kWh 6457 kWh 1929 kWh £1,722 £193 £1,915 £24,065 12.6 yrs £14,237

Assumptions: south-facing, sensible tilt; self-use shares from site rules; export at 10p baseline. Costs: panels £/kW = 1,827, 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 Swale

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 ME10

Figures below are tailored to ME10 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1792 of 2182
4.4 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~9 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #1559 of 2996
10.5 years (UK avg 10.8 years)
~£699 /yr • £7,307 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #1950 of 2996
28.5% (UK avg 26.6%) drag on savings
£199 fixed • ~£699 /yr value
Aspect Penalty View ranking →
East −20.7% West −21.2%
Typical output loss versus a south-facing roof (lower is better)

Seasonal solar output in ME10

Monthly generation per kilowatt of solar panels

kWh 40 Jan 53 Feb 87 Mar 119 Apr 125 May 126 Jun 128 Jul 115 Aug 100 Sep 71 Oct 48 Nov 37 Dec
Best month Worst month Winter (Dec–Feb) Other months

Winter output: 49.5% 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 43 kWh per month; the average month produces around 87 kWh. So a typical 4 kW home system would generate roughly 173 kWh in winter, or 349 kWh in an average month.

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.67p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
54.45p/day
Local Sunshine
1048kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~1048 kWh per year. A typical home uses ~2,700 kWh per year.
Typical System Size
4.0kW
For houses & bungalows in this area

Local Property Data

Property Types

Houses: 72% • Flats: 21% • Bungalows: 5% Based on 14,658 properties

Coverage

Swale (100%)

Areas Covered

Homewood, Murston, Roman, Chalkwell, Milton Regis, Woodstock, Borden and Grove Park, Kemsley + 3 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 South East

ME9 (Swale)
≈0.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,048 kWh/kWp · -0% vs ME10
ME11 (Swale)
≈8.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,055 kWh/kWp · +1% vs ME10
ME12 (Swale)
≈10.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,059 kWh/kWp · +1% vs ME10
ME8 (Medway)
≈10.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,034 kWh/kWp · -1% vs ME10
ME13 (Swale)
≈11.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,044 kWh/kWp · -0% vs ME10
ME7 (Medway)
≈13.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,018 kWh/kWp · -3% vs ME10

Similar sunshine across the UK

NR13 (Broadland)
~1,048 kWh/kWp · +0% vs ME10
TQ12 (Teignbridge)
~1,048 kWh/kWp · -0% vs ME10
PL24 (Cornwall)
~1,049 kWh/kWp · +0% vs ME10