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Solar panel cost in Swale (ME12)

See realistic solar installation costs, savings and payback for ME12 (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
9.2 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£8,139
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£883
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£13,926
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 1059 kWh/kW — 30 above 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 1059 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)
1059 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: £883, Upfront: £8,139, Break-even: 9.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2118 kWh 847 kWh 1271 kWh £226 £127 £353 £3,256 9.2 yrs £3,805
3 kW 3177 kWh 1271 kWh 1906 kWh £339 £191 £530 £4,883 9.2 yrs £5,708
4 kW 4236 kWh 1694 kWh 2542 kWh £452 £254 £706 £6,511 9.2 yrs £7,610
5 kW 5295 kWh 2118 kWh 3177 kWh £565 £318 £883 £8,139 9.2 yrs £9,513
6 kW 6354 kWh 2542 kWh 3812 kWh £678 £381 £1,059 £9,767 9.2 yrs £11,415
7 kW 7413 kWh 2965 kWh 4448 kWh £791 £445 £1,236 £11,394 9.2 yrs £13,318
8 kW 8472 kWh 3389 kWh 5083 kWh £904 £508 £1,412 £13,022 9.2 yrs £15,220

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: £1,059, Upfront: £10,239, Break-even: 9.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2118 kWh 1271 kWh 847 kWh £339 £85 £424 £5,356 12.6 yrs £3,117
3 kW 3177 kWh 1906 kWh 1271 kWh £508 £127 £635 £6,983 11.0 yrs £5,726
4 kW 4236 kWh 2542 kWh 1694 kWh £678 £169 £847 £8,611 10.2 yrs £8,335
5 kW 5295 kWh 3177 kWh 2118 kWh £847 £212 £1,059 £10,239 9.7 yrs £10,944
6 kW 6354 kWh 3812 kWh 2542 kWh £1,017 £254 £1,271 £11,867 9.3 yrs £13,552
7 kW 7413 kWh 4448 kWh 2965 kWh £1,186 £297 £1,483 £13,494 9.1 yrs £16,161
8 kW 8472 kWh 5083 kWh 3389 kWh £1,356 £339 £1,695 £15,122 8.9 yrs £18,770

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: £1,147, Upfront: £11,639, 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 2118 kWh 1483 kWh 635 kWh £395 £64 £459 £6,756 14.7 yrs £2,424
3 kW 3177 kWh 2224 kWh 953 kWh £593 £95 £688 £8,383 12.2 yrs £5,385
4 kW 4236 kWh 2965 kWh 1271 kWh £791 £127 £918 £10,011 10.9 yrs £8,347
5 kW 5295 kWh 3707 kWh 1589 kWh £989 £159 £1,147 £11,639 10.1 yrs £11,309
6 kW 6354 kWh 4448 kWh 1906 kWh £1,186 £191 £1,377 £13,267 9.6 yrs £14,271
7 kW 7413 kWh 5189 kWh 2224 kWh £1,384 £222 £1,606 £14,894 9.3 yrs £17,232
8 kW 8472 kWh 5930 kWh 2542 kWh £1,582 £254 £1,836 £16,522 9.0 yrs £20,194

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: £1,174, Upfront: £13,389, Break-even: 11.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2118 kWh 1546 kWh 572 kWh £412 £57 £470 £8,506 18.1 yrs £885
3 kW 3177 kWh 2319 kWh 858 kWh £619 £86 £704 £10,133 14.4 yrs £3,953
4 kW 4236 kWh 3092 kWh 1144 kWh £825 £114 £939 £11,761 12.5 yrs £7,021
5 kW 5295 kWh 3865 kWh 1430 kWh £1,031 £143 £1,174 £13,389 11.4 yrs £10,088
6 kW 6354 kWh 4638 kWh 1716 kWh £1,237 £172 £1,409 £15,017 10.7 yrs £13,156
7 kW 7413 kWh 5412 kWh 2002 kWh £1,443 £200 £1,643 £16,644 10.1 yrs £16,224
8 kW 8472 kWh 6185 kWh 2287 kWh £1,649 £229 £1,878 £18,272 9.7 yrs £19,292

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: £1,192, Upfront: £15,139, Break-even: 12.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2118 kWh 1589 kWh 530 kWh £424 £53 £477 £10,256 21.5 yrs £-723
3 kW 3177 kWh 2383 kWh 794 kWh £635 £79 £715 £11,883 16.6 yrs £2,415
4 kW 4236 kWh 3177 kWh 1059 kWh £847 £106 £953 £13,511 14.2 yrs £5,553
5 kW 5295 kWh 3971 kWh 1324 kWh £1,059 £132 £1,192 £15,139 12.7 yrs £8,692
6 kW 6354 kWh 4766 kWh 1589 kWh £1,271 £159 £1,430 £16,767 11.7 yrs £11,830
7 kW 7413 kWh 5560 kWh 1853 kWh £1,483 £185 £1,668 £18,394 11.0 yrs £14,968
8 kW 8472 kWh 6354 kWh 2118 kWh £1,695 £212 £1,906 £20,022 10.5 yrs £18,107

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: £1,209, Upfront: £17,589, Break-even: 14.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2118 kWh 1631 kWh 487 kWh £435 £49 £484 £12,706 26.3 yrs £-3,032
3 kW 3177 kWh 2446 kWh 731 kWh £652 £73 £726 £14,333 19.8 yrs £177
4 kW 4236 kWh 3262 kWh 974 kWh £870 £97 £967 £15,961 16.5 yrs £3,386
5 kW 5295 kWh 4077 kWh 1218 kWh £1,087 £122 £1,209 £17,589 14.5 yrs £6,595
6 kW 6354 kWh 4893 kWh 1461 kWh £1,305 £146 £1,451 £19,217 13.2 yrs £9,804
7 kW 7413 kWh 5708 kWh 1705 kWh £1,522 £171 £1,693 £20,844 12.3 yrs £13,013
8 kW 8472 kWh 6524 kWh 1949 kWh £1,740 £195 £1,935 £22,472 11.6 yrs £16,221

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 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 ME12

Figures below are tailored to ME12 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1041 of 2182
5.0 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~10 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #166 of 2996
9.2 years (UK avg 10.8 years)
~£883 /yr • £8,139 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #969 of 2996
22.5% (UK avg 26.6%) drag on savings
£199 fixed • ~£883 /yr value
Aspect Penalty View ranking →
East −21.3% West −21.9%
Typical output loss versus a south-facing roof (lower is better)

Seasonal solar output in ME12

Monthly generation per kilowatt of solar panels

kWh 40 Jan 55 Feb 89 Mar 120 Apr 127 May 128 Jun 128 Jul 115 Aug 100 Sep 70 Oct 49 Nov 37 Dec
Best month Worst month Winter (Dec–Feb) Other months

Winter output: 49.9% 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 44 kWh per month; the average month produces around 88 kWh. So a typical 4 kW home system would generate roughly 176 kWh in winter, or 353 kWh in an average month.

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.67p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
54.45p/day
Local Sunshine
1059kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~1059 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: 65% • Flats: 16% • Bungalows: 18% Based on 11,034 properties

Coverage

Swale (100%)

Areas Covered

Sheerness, Sheppey East, Sheppey Central, Minster Cliffs, Queenborough and Halfway

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

ME11 (Swale)
≈3.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,055 kWh/kWp · -0% vs ME12
ME10 (Swale)
≈10.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,048 kWh/kWp · -1% vs ME12
ME9 (Swale)
≈10.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,048 kWh/kWp · -1% vs ME12
ME13 (Swale)
≈14.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,044 kWh/kWp · -1% vs ME12
ME8 (Medway)
≈14.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,034 kWh/kWp · -2% vs ME12
ME7 (Medway)
≈16.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,018 kWh/kWp · -4% vs ME12

Similar sunshine across the UK

IP3 (Ipswich)
~1,059 kWh/kWp · -0% vs ME12
IP15 (East Suffolk)
~1,059 kWh/kWp · -0% vs ME12
NR29 (Great Yarmouth)
~1,059 kWh/kWp · -0% vs ME12