Solar explained to clever people by people who are not trying to be clever
Home Regions
Insights
Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in MK1 (Milton Keynes)

See if solar pays off for you in Milton Keynes — price, savings and payback in under a minute (official UK data).

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
12.8 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£6,104
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£475
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£5,784
After paying itself off, you're this much ahead

Ready to Get Started?

Get your free quote from Blue Ape Renewables. They'll connect you with MCS-certified installers in your area and handle all the paperwork.

Get Solar Quote →
4.8★ Trustpilot • Octopus Energy trusted partner • MCS certified • No obligation
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 East Midlands, the current unit rate is 25.55p/kWh with a 49.09p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 977 kWh/kW — 9 above the regional median (968).

Read the full story

A typical roof here lands around 3.0 kW, with most eligible homes comfortably fitting within 3–6 kW. Each kilowatt of panels produces roughly 977 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 25.6p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
25.6p/kWh
Standing charge
49.1p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
977 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: £792, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 12.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1954 kWh 782 kWh 1173 kWh £200 £117 £317 £4,069 12.8 yrs £2,271
3 kW 2931 kWh 1173 kWh 1759 kWh £300 £176 £475 £6,104 12.8 yrs £3,406
4 kW 3909 kWh 1563 kWh 2345 kWh £399 £235 £634 £8,138 12.8 yrs £4,542
5 kW 4886 kWh 1954 kWh 2931 kWh £499 £293 £792 £10,173 12.8 yrs £5,677
6 kW 5863 kWh 2345 kWh 3518 kWh £599 £352 £951 £12,207 12.8 yrs £6,812
7 kW 6840 kWh 2736 kWh 4104 kWh £699 £410 £1,109 £14,242 12.8 yrs £7,948
8 kW 7817 kWh 3127 kWh 4690 kWh £799 £469 £1,268 £16,276 12.8 yrs £9,083

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: £944, Upfront: £12,273, 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 1954 kWh 1173 kWh 782 kWh £300 £78 £378 £6,169 16.3 yrs £1,386
3 kW 2931 kWh 1759 kWh 1173 kWh £449 £117 £567 £8,204 14.5 yrs £3,130
4 kW 3909 kWh 2345 kWh 1563 kWh £599 £156 £756 £10,238 13.6 yrs £4,873
5 kW 4886 kWh 2931 kWh 1954 kWh £749 £195 £944 £12,273 13.0 yrs £6,616
6 kW 5863 kWh 3518 kWh 2345 kWh £899 £235 £1,133 £14,307 12.6 yrs £8,359
7 kW 6840 kWh 4104 kWh 2736 kWh £1,049 £274 £1,322 £16,342 12.4 yrs £10,102
8 kW 7817 kWh 4690 kWh 3127 kWh £1,198 £313 £1,511 £18,376 12.2 yrs £11,846

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: £1,020, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 13.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1954 kWh 1368 kWh 586 kWh £350 £59 £408 £7,569 18.5 yrs £594
3 kW 2931 kWh 2052 kWh 879 kWh £524 £88 £612 £9,604 15.7 yrs £2,641
4 kW 3909 kWh 2736 kWh 1173 kWh £699 £117 £816 £11,638 14.3 yrs £4,688
5 kW 4886 kWh 3420 kWh 1466 kWh £874 £147 £1,020 £13,673 13.4 yrs £6,735
6 kW 5863 kWh 4104 kWh 1759 kWh £1,049 £176 £1,224 £15,707 12.8 yrs £8,783
7 kW 6840 kWh 4788 kWh 2052 kWh £1,223 £205 £1,429 £17,742 12.4 yrs £10,830
8 kW 7817 kWh 5472 kWh 2345 kWh £1,398 £235 £1,633 £19,776 12.1 yrs £12,877

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: £1,043, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 14.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1954 kWh 1427 kWh 528 kWh £365 £53 £417 £9,319 22.3 yrs £-973
3 kW 2931 kWh 2140 kWh 791 kWh £547 £79 £626 £11,354 18.1 yrs £1,165
4 kW 3909 kWh 2853 kWh 1055 kWh £729 £106 £835 £13,388 16.0 yrs £3,303
5 kW 4886 kWh 3567 kWh 1319 kWh £911 £132 £1,043 £15,423 14.8 yrs £5,441
6 kW 5863 kWh 4280 kWh 1583 kWh £1,094 £158 £1,252 £17,457 13.9 yrs £7,580
7 kW 6840 kWh 4993 kWh 1847 kWh £1,276 £185 £1,460 £19,492 13.3 yrs £9,718
8 kW 7817 kWh 5707 kWh 2111 kWh £1,458 £211 £1,669 £21,526 12.9 yrs £11,856

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: £1,058, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 16.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1954 kWh 1466 kWh 489 kWh £374 £49 £423 £11,069 26.1 yrs £-2,602
3 kW 2931 kWh 2199 kWh 733 kWh £562 £73 £635 £13,104 20.6 yrs £-403
4 kW 3909 kWh 2931 kWh 977 kWh £749 £98 £847 £15,138 17.9 yrs £1,796
5 kW 4886 kWh 3664 kWh 1221 kWh £936 £122 £1,058 £17,173 16.2 yrs £3,995
6 kW 5863 kWh 4397 kWh 1466 kWh £1,123 £147 £1,270 £19,207 15.1 yrs £6,194
7 kW 6840 kWh 5130 kWh 1710 kWh £1,311 £171 £1,482 £21,242 14.3 yrs £8,393
8 kW 7817 kWh 5863 kWh 1954 kWh £1,498 £195 £1,693 £23,276 13.7 yrs £10,592

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: £1,074, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 18.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1954 kWh 1505 kWh 449 kWh £384 £45 £429 £13,519 31.5 yrs £-4,930
3 kW 2931 kWh 2257 kWh 674 kWh £577 £67 £644 £15,554 24.1 yrs £-2,671
4 kW 3909 kWh 3010 kWh 899 kWh £769 £90 £859 £17,588 20.5 yrs £-411
5 kW 4886 kWh 3762 kWh 1124 kWh £961 £112 £1,074 £19,623 18.3 yrs £1,849
6 kW 5863 kWh 4514 kWh 1348 kWh £1,153 £135 £1,288 £21,657 16.8 yrs £4,109
7 kW 6840 kWh 5267 kWh 1573 kWh £1,346 £157 £1,503 £23,692 15.8 yrs £6,369
8 kW 7817 kWh 6019 kWh 1798 kWh £1,538 £180 £1,718 £25,726 15.0 yrs £8,629

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 MK1

Figures below are tailored to MK1 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #2182 of 2182
2.2 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~5 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #1547 of 2997
11.2 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£1,088 /yr • £12,207 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #632 of 2997
16.5% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£179 fixed • ~£1,088 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.55p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
49.09p/day
Local Sunshine
977kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~977 kWh per year. A typical home uses ~2,700 kWh per year.
Typical System Size
3.0kW
For eligible homes in this area

⚠️ This area is predominantly flats. Many residents require freeholder approval for solar installations. System size shown reflects houses and bungalows only.

Local Property Data

Property Types

Houses: 21% • Flats: 73% • Bungalows: 7% Based on 266 properties

Coverage

Milton Keynes (99%)|Buckinghamshire (1%)

Areas Covered

Bletchley East, Bletchley Park, Central Milton Keynes, Woughton & Fishermead, Bletchley West, Bradwell, Danesborough & Walton, Stantonbury + 4 more

Data Sources & Assumptions

Solar yield: PVGIS (EU Joint Research Centre), January 2025 data

Electricity rates: Ofgem price cap, Q4 2025

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 East Midlands

MK2 (Milton Keynes)
≈1.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~985 kWh/kWp · +1% vs MK1
MK3 (Milton Keynes)
≈1.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~985 kWh/kWp · +1% vs MK1
MK7 (Milton Keynes)
≈2.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~977 kWh/kWp · +0% vs MK1
MK6 (Milton Keynes)
≈3.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~985 kWh/kWp · +1% vs MK1
MK4 (Milton Keynes)
≈3.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~985 kWh/kWp · +1% vs MK1
MK17 (Milton Keynes)
≈3.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~990 kWh/kWp · +1% vs MK1

Similar sunshine across the UK

WR10 (Wychavon)
~977 kWh/kWp · +0% vs MK1
GL14 (Forest of Dean)
~977 kWh/kWp · -0% vs MK1
GL20 (Tewkesbury)
~977 kWh/kWp · +0% vs MK1