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Solar panel cost in Rochdale (OL16)

See realistic solar installation costs, savings and payback for OL16 (Rochdale) 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
14.1 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£8,138
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£579
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£6,336
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: 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 North West, the current unit rate is 28.45p/kWh with a 52.22p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 833 kWh/kW — 37 below the regional median (870).

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 833 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 28.4p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
28.4p/kWh
Standing charge
52.2p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
833 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: £724, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 14.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1666 kWh 666 kWh 999 kWh £190 £100 £289 £4,069 14.1 yrs £1,721
3 kW 2498 kWh 999 kWh 1499 kWh £284 £150 £434 £6,104 14.1 yrs £2,581
4 kW 3331 kWh 1332 kWh 1999 kWh £379 £200 £579 £8,138 14.1 yrs £3,441
5 kW 4164 kWh 1666 kWh 2498 kWh £474 £250 £724 £10,173 14.1 yrs £4,302
6 kW 4997 kWh 1999 kWh 2998 kWh £569 £300 £868 £12,207 14.1 yrs £5,162
7 kW 5830 kWh 2332 kWh 3498 kWh £663 £350 £1,013 £14,242 14.1 yrs £6,022
8 kW 6662 kWh 2665 kWh 3997 kWh £758 £400 £1,158 £16,276 14.1 yrs £6,883

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: £877, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 14.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1666 kWh 999 kWh 666 kWh £284 £67 £351 £6,169 17.6 yrs £850
3 kW 2498 kWh 1499 kWh 999 kWh £426 £100 £526 £8,204 15.6 yrs £2,325
4 kW 3331 kWh 1999 kWh 1332 kWh £569 £133 £702 £10,238 14.6 yrs £3,800
5 kW 4164 kWh 2498 kWh 1666 kWh £711 £167 £877 £12,273 14.0 yrs £5,275
6 kW 4997 kWh 2998 kWh 1999 kWh £853 £200 £1,053 £14,307 13.6 yrs £6,750
7 kW 5830 kWh 3498 kWh 2332 kWh £995 £233 £1,228 £16,342 13.3 yrs £8,225
8 kW 6662 kWh 3997 kWh 2665 kWh £1,137 £266 £1,404 £18,376 13.1 yrs £9,700

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: £954, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 14.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1666 kWh 1166 kWh 500 kWh £332 £50 £382 £7,569 19.8 yrs £65
3 kW 2498 kWh 1749 kWh 750 kWh £498 £75 £573 £9,604 16.8 yrs £1,847
4 kW 3331 kWh 2332 kWh 999 kWh £663 £100 £763 £11,638 15.2 yrs £3,629
5 kW 4164 kWh 2915 kWh 1249 kWh £829 £125 £954 £13,673 14.3 yrs £5,411
6 kW 4997 kWh 3498 kWh 1499 kWh £995 £150 £1,145 £15,707 13.7 yrs £7,194
7 kW 5830 kWh 4081 kWh 1749 kWh £1,161 £175 £1,336 £17,742 13.3 yrs £8,976
8 kW 6662 kWh 4664 kWh 1999 kWh £1,327 £200 £1,527 £19,776 13.0 yrs £10,758

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: £977, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 15.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1666 kWh 1216 kWh 450 kWh £346 £45 £391 £9,319 23.8 yrs £-1,501
3 kW 2498 kWh 1824 kWh 675 kWh £519 £67 £586 £11,354 19.4 yrs £373
4 kW 3331 kWh 2432 kWh 899 kWh £692 £90 £782 £13,388 17.1 yrs £2,248
5 kW 4164 kWh 3040 kWh 1124 kWh £865 £112 £977 £15,423 15.8 yrs £4,122
6 kW 4997 kWh 3648 kWh 1349 kWh £1,038 £135 £1,173 £17,457 14.9 yrs £5,997
7 kW 5830 kWh 4256 kWh 1574 kWh £1,211 £157 £1,368 £19,492 14.2 yrs £7,871
8 kW 6662 kWh 4864 kWh 1799 kWh £1,384 £180 £1,564 £21,526 13.8 yrs £9,746

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: £993, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 17.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1666 kWh 1249 kWh 416 kWh £355 £42 £397 £11,069 27.9 yrs £-3,128
3 kW 2498 kWh 1874 kWh 625 kWh £533 £62 £596 £13,104 22.0 yrs £-1,192
4 kW 3331 kWh 2498 kWh 833 kWh £711 £83 £794 £15,138 19.1 yrs £744
5 kW 4164 kWh 3123 kWh 1041 kWh £889 £104 £993 £17,173 17.3 yrs £2,680
6 kW 4997 kWh 3748 kWh 1249 kWh £1,066 £125 £1,191 £19,207 16.1 yrs £4,615
7 kW 5830 kWh 4372 kWh 1457 kWh £1,244 £146 £1,390 £21,242 15.3 yrs £6,551
8 kW 6662 kWh 4997 kWh 1666 kWh £1,422 £167 £1,588 £23,276 14.7 yrs £8,487

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: £1,008, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 19.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1666 kWh 1283 kWh 383 kWh £365 £38 £403 £13,519 33.5 yrs £-5,455
3 kW 2498 kWh 1924 kWh 575 kWh £547 £57 £605 £15,554 25.7 yrs £-3,458
4 kW 3331 kWh 2565 kWh 766 kWh £730 £77 £806 £17,588 21.8 yrs £-1,461
5 kW 4164 kWh 3206 kWh 958 kWh £912 £96 £1,008 £19,623 19.5 yrs £537
6 kW 4997 kWh 3848 kWh 1149 kWh £1,095 £115 £1,210 £21,657 17.9 yrs £2,534
7 kW 5830 kWh 4489 kWh 1341 kWh £1,277 £134 £1,411 £23,692 16.8 yrs £4,532
8 kW 6662 kWh 5130 kWh 1532 kWh £1,460 £153 £1,613 £25,726 16.0 yrs £6,529

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 OL16

Figures below are tailored to OL16 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1820 of 2182
4.4 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~9 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #2697 of 2997
14.1 years (UK avg 12.6 years)
~£579 /yr • £8,138 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2617 of 2997
32.9% (UK avg 24.6%) drag on savings
£191 fixed • ~£579 /yr value
Aspect Penalty View ranking →
East −18.8% West −18.3%
Typical output loss versus a south-facing roof (lower is better)

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
28.45p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
52.22p/day
Local Sunshine
833kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~833 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: 73% • Flats: 20% • Bungalows: 7% Based on 9,841 properties

Coverage

Rochdale (100%)

Areas Covered

Central Rochdale, Kingsway, Milnrow & Newhey, Smallbridge & Firgrove, Balderstone & Kirkholt, Wardle, Shore & West Littleborough, Milkstone & Deeplish + 3 more

Data Sources & Assumptions

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

Electricity rates: Ofgem price cap, Q1 2026

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 North West

OL11 (Rochdale)
≈2.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~833 kWh/kWp · -0% vs OL16
OL12 (Rochdale)
≈2.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~843 kWh/kWp · +1% vs OL16
OL15 (Rochdale)
≈4.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~834 kWh/kWp · +0% vs OL16
OL2 (Oldham)
≈5.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~832 kWh/kWp · -0% vs OL16
OL10 (Rochdale)
≈5.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~851 kWh/kWp · +2% vs OL16
OL95 (Oldham)
≈6.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~830 kWh/kWp · -0% vs OL16

Similar sunshine across the UK

ML11 (South Lanarkshire)
~833 kWh/kWp · +0% vs OL16
G46 (East Renfrewshire)
~833 kWh/kWp · -0% vs OL16
EH43 (Scottish Borders)
~833 kWh/kWp · +0% vs OL16