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Solar panel cost in Maidstone (ME17)

See realistic solar installation costs, savings and payback for ME17 (Maidstone) 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
9.4 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£8,139
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£862
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£13,413
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 1034 kWh/kW — 5 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 1034 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)
1034 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: £862, Upfront: £8,139, Break-even: 9.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2069 kWh 828 kWh 1241 kWh £221 £124 £345 £3,256 9.4 yrs £3,641
3 kW 3103 kWh 1241 kWh 1862 kWh £331 £186 £517 £4,883 9.4 yrs £5,461
4 kW 4138 kWh 1655 kWh 2483 kWh £441 £248 £690 £6,511 9.4 yrs £7,282
5 kW 5172 kWh 2069 kWh 3103 kWh £552 £310 £862 £8,139 9.4 yrs £9,102
6 kW 6206 kWh 2483 kWh 3724 kWh £662 £372 £1,034 £9,767 9.4 yrs £10,923
7 kW 7241 kWh 2896 kWh 4344 kWh £772 £434 £1,207 £11,394 9.4 yrs £12,743
8 kW 8275 kWh 3310 kWh 4965 kWh £883 £497 £1,379 £13,022 9.4 yrs £14,564

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: £1,034, Upfront: £10,239, Break-even: 9.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2069 kWh 1241 kWh 828 kWh £331 £83 £414 £5,356 12.9 yrs £2,920
3 kW 3103 kWh 1862 kWh 1241 kWh £497 £124 £621 £6,983 11.3 yrs £5,431
4 kW 4138 kWh 2483 kWh 1655 kWh £662 £166 £828 £8,611 10.4 yrs £7,941
5 kW 5172 kWh 3103 kWh 2069 kWh £828 £207 £1,034 £10,239 9.9 yrs £10,451
6 kW 6206 kWh 3724 kWh 2483 kWh £993 £248 £1,241 £11,867 9.6 yrs £12,961
7 kW 7241 kWh 4344 kWh 2896 kWh £1,159 £290 £1,448 £13,494 9.3 yrs £15,471
8 kW 8275 kWh 4965 kWh 3310 kWh £1,324 £331 £1,655 £15,122 9.1 yrs £17,981

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: £1,121, Upfront: £11,639, Break-even: 10.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2069 kWh 1448 kWh 621 kWh £386 £62 £448 £6,756 15.1 yrs £2,210
3 kW 3103 kWh 2172 kWh 931 kWh £579 £93 £672 £8,383 12.5 yrs £5,065
4 kW 4138 kWh 2896 kWh 1241 kWh £772 £124 £897 £10,011 11.2 yrs £7,920
5 kW 5172 kWh 3620 kWh 1552 kWh £966 £155 £1,121 £11,639 10.4 yrs £10,775
6 kW 6206 kWh 4344 kWh 1862 kWh £1,159 £186 £1,345 £13,267 9.9 yrs £13,630
7 kW 7241 kWh 5068 kWh 2172 kWh £1,352 £217 £1,569 £14,894 9.5 yrs £16,485
8 kW 8275 kWh 5793 kWh 2483 kWh £1,545 £248 £1,793 £16,522 9.2 yrs £19,340

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: £1,147, Upfront: £13,389, 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 2069 kWh 1510 kWh 559 kWh £403 £56 £459 £8,506 18.5 yrs £667
3 kW 3103 kWh 2265 kWh 838 kWh £604 £84 £688 £10,133 14.7 yrs £3,625
4 kW 4138 kWh 3020 kWh 1117 kWh £806 £112 £917 £11,761 12.8 yrs £6,584
5 kW 5172 kWh 3775 kWh 1396 kWh £1,007 £140 £1,147 £13,389 11.7 yrs £9,542
6 kW 6206 kWh 4531 kWh 1676 kWh £1,208 £168 £1,376 £15,017 10.9 yrs £12,501
7 kW 7241 kWh 5286 kWh 1955 kWh £1,410 £195 £1,605 £16,644 10.4 yrs £15,459
8 kW 8275 kWh 6041 kWh 2234 kWh £1,611 £223 £1,835 £18,272 10.0 yrs £18,418

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: £1,164, Upfront: £15,139, Break-even: 13.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2069 kWh 1552 kWh 517 kWh £414 £52 £466 £10,256 22.0 yrs £-945
3 kW 3103 kWh 2327 kWh 776 kWh £621 £78 £698 £11,883 17.0 yrs £2,082
4 kW 4138 kWh 3103 kWh 1034 kWh £828 £103 £931 £13,511 14.5 yrs £5,110
5 kW 5172 kWh 3879 kWh 1293 kWh £1,035 £129 £1,164 £15,139 13.0 yrs £8,137
6 kW 6206 kWh 4655 kWh 1552 kWh £1,241 £155 £1,397 £16,767 12.0 yrs £11,165
7 kW 7241 kWh 5430 kWh 1810 kWh £1,448 £181 £1,629 £18,394 11.3 yrs £14,192
8 kW 8275 kWh 6206 kWh 2069 kWh £1,655 £207 £1,862 £20,022 10.8 yrs £17,220

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: £1,181, Upfront: £17,589, Break-even: 14.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2069 kWh 1593 kWh 476 kWh £425 £48 £472 £12,706 26.9 yrs £-3,257
3 kW 3103 kWh 2389 kWh 714 kWh £637 £71 £709 £14,333 20.2 yrs £-161
4 kW 4138 kWh 3186 kWh 952 kWh £850 £95 £945 £15,961 16.9 yrs £2,936
5 kW 5172 kWh 3982 kWh 1190 kWh £1,062 £119 £1,181 £17,589 14.9 yrs £6,032
6 kW 6206 kWh 4779 kWh 1427 kWh £1,275 £143 £1,417 £19,217 13.6 yrs £9,129
7 kW 7241 kWh 5575 kWh 1665 kWh £1,487 £167 £1,653 £20,844 12.6 yrs £12,225
8 kW 8275 kWh 6372 kWh 1903 kWh £1,699 £190 £1,890 £22,472 11.9 yrs £15,322

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 Maidstone

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 ME17

Figures below are tailored to ME17 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #542 of 2182
5.5 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~12 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #237 of 2996
9.4 years (UK avg 10.8 years)
~£862 /yr • £8,139 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #1020 of 2996
23.1% (UK avg 26.6%) drag on savings
£199 fixed • ~£862 /yr value
Aspect Penalty View ranking →
East −20.3% West −20.7%
Typical output loss versus a south-facing roof (lower is better)

Seasonal solar output in ME17

Monthly generation per kilowatt of solar panels

kWh 39 Jan 51 Feb 86 Mar 118 Apr 124 May 127 Jun 126 Jul 114 Aug 99 Sep 70 Oct 47 Nov 35 Dec
Best month Worst month Winter (Dec–Feb) Other months

Winter output: 48.5% of an average month (Dec–Feb)

Best / worst month: Jun / 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 86 kWh. So a typical 4 kW home system would generate roughly 167 kWh in winter, or 345 kWh in an average month.

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.67p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
54.45p/day
Local Sunshine
1034kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~1034 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: 74% • Flats: 12% • Bungalows: 13% Based on 8,225 properties

Coverage

Maidstone (100%)

Areas Covered

Harrietsham, Lenham & North Downs, Leeds & Langley, Headcorn & Sutton Valence, Boughton Monchelsea & Chart Sutton, Coxheath & Farleigh, Penenden Heath, Loose & Linton + 4 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

ME15 (Maidstone)
≈5.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,044 kWh/kWp · +1% vs ME17
ME14 (Maidstone)
≈6.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,024 kWh/kWp · -1% vs ME17
ME99 (Maidstone)
≈7.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,017 kWh/kWp · -2% vs ME17
ME16 (Maidstone)
≈8.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,027 kWh/kWp · -1% vs ME17
TN27 (Ashford)
≈9.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,042 kWh/kWp · +1% vs ME17
ME18 (Maidstone)
≈12.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,032 kWh/kWp · -0% vs ME17

Similar sunshine across the UK

PE24 (East Lindsey)
~1,034 kWh/kWp · -0% vs ME17
SO40 (New Forest)
~1,035 kWh/kWp · +0% vs ME17
TQ10 (South Hams)
~1,034 kWh/kWp · -0% vs ME17