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Solar panel cost in Oldham (OL4)

See realistic solar installation costs, savings and payback for OL4 (Oldham) 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
13.3 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£7,307
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£551
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£6,455
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 North West, the current unit rate is 26.13p/kWh with a 47.61p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 837 kWh/kW — 34 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 837 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 26.1p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
26.1p/kWh
Standing charge
47.6p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
837 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: £688, Upfront: £9,134, Break-even: 13.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1673 kWh 669 kWh 1004 kWh £175 £100 £275 £3,654 13.3 yrs £1,851
3 kW 2510 kWh 1004 kWh 1506 kWh £262 £151 £413 £5,481 13.3 yrs £2,777
4 kW 3346 kWh 1338 kWh 2008 kWh £350 £201 £551 £7,307 13.3 yrs £3,703
5 kW 4183 kWh 1673 kWh 2510 kWh £437 £251 £688 £9,134 13.3 yrs £4,629
6 kW 5019 kWh 2008 kWh 3012 kWh £525 £301 £826 £10,961 13.3 yrs £5,554
7 kW 5856 kWh 2342 kWh 3513 kWh £612 £351 £963 £12,788 13.3 yrs £6,480
8 kW 6692 kWh 2677 kWh 4015 kWh £699 £402 £1,101 £14,615 13.3 yrs £7,406

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: £823, Upfront: £11,234, Break-even: 13.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1673 kWh 1004 kWh 669 kWh £262 £67 £329 £5,754 17.5 yrs £831
3 kW 2510 kWh 1506 kWh 1004 kWh £393 £100 £494 £7,581 15.4 yrs £2,296
4 kW 3346 kWh 2008 kWh 1338 kWh £525 £134 £658 £9,407 14.3 yrs £3,762
5 kW 4183 kWh 2510 kWh 1673 kWh £656 £167 £823 £11,234 13.6 yrs £5,227
6 kW 5019 kWh 3012 kWh 2008 kWh £787 £201 £988 £13,061 13.2 yrs £6,693
7 kW 5856 kWh 3513 kWh 2342 kWh £918 £234 £1,152 £14,888 12.9 yrs £8,158
8 kW 6692 kWh 4015 kWh 2677 kWh £1,049 £268 £1,317 £16,715 12.7 yrs £9,624

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: £891, Upfront: £12,634, Break-even: 14.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1673 kWh 1171 kWh 502 kWh £306 £50 £356 £7,154 20.1 yrs £-29
3 kW 2510 kWh 1757 kWh 753 kWh £459 £75 £534 £8,981 16.8 yrs £1,706
4 kW 3346 kWh 2342 kWh 1004 kWh £612 £100 £712 £10,807 15.2 yrs £3,441
5 kW 4183 kWh 2928 kWh 1255 kWh £765 £125 £891 £12,634 14.2 yrs £5,177
6 kW 5019 kWh 3513 kWh 1506 kWh £918 £151 £1,069 £14,461 13.5 yrs £6,912
7 kW 5856 kWh 4099 kWh 1757 kWh £1,071 £176 £1,247 £16,288 13.1 yrs £8,647
8 kW 6692 kWh 4685 kWh 2008 kWh £1,224 £201 £1,425 £18,115 12.7 yrs £10,383

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: £911, Upfront: £14,384, 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 1673 kWh 1221 kWh 452 kWh £319 £45 £364 £8,904 24.4 yrs £-1,617
3 kW 2510 kWh 1832 kWh 678 kWh £479 £68 £546 £10,731 19.6 yrs £199
4 kW 3346 kWh 2443 kWh 903 kWh £638 £90 £729 £12,557 17.2 yrs £2,015
5 kW 4183 kWh 3053 kWh 1129 kWh £798 £113 £911 £14,384 15.8 yrs £3,831
6 kW 5019 kWh 3664 kWh 1355 kWh £957 £136 £1,093 £16,211 14.8 yrs £5,648
7 kW 5856 kWh 4275 kWh 1581 kWh £1,117 £158 £1,275 £18,038 14.1 yrs £7,464
8 kW 6692 kWh 4885 kWh 1807 kWh £1,277 £181 £1,457 £19,865 13.6 yrs £9,280

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: £924, Upfront: £16,134, Break-even: 17.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1673 kWh 1255 kWh 418 kWh £328 £42 £370 £10,654 28.8 yrs £-3,260
3 kW 2510 kWh 1882 kWh 627 kWh £492 £63 £555 £12,481 22.5 yrs £-1,389
4 kW 3346 kWh 2510 kWh 837 kWh £656 £84 £739 £14,307 19.3 yrs £481
5 kW 4183 kWh 3137 kWh 1046 kWh £820 £105 £924 £16,134 17.5 yrs £2,351
6 kW 5019 kWh 3764 kWh 1255 kWh £984 £125 £1,109 £17,961 16.2 yrs £4,221
7 kW 5856 kWh 4392 kWh 1464 kWh £1,148 £146 £1,294 £19,788 15.3 yrs £6,092
8 kW 6692 kWh 5019 kWh 1673 kWh £1,312 £167 £1,479 £21,615 14.6 yrs £7,962

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: £938, Upfront: £18,584, Break-even: 19.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1673 kWh 1288 kWh 385 kWh £337 £38 £375 £13,104 34.9 yrs £-5,602
3 kW 2510 kWh 1932 kWh 577 kWh £505 £58 £563 £14,931 26.5 yrs £-3,677
4 kW 3346 kWh 2577 kWh 770 kWh £673 £77 £750 £16,757 22.3 yrs £-1,753
5 kW 4183 kWh 3221 kWh 962 kWh £842 £96 £938 £18,584 19.8 yrs £171
6 kW 5019 kWh 3865 kWh 1154 kWh £1,010 £115 £1,125 £20,411 18.1 yrs £2,095
7 kW 5856 kWh 4509 kWh 1347 kWh £1,178 £135 £1,313 £22,238 16.9 yrs £4,020
8 kW 6692 kWh 5153 kWh 1539 kWh £1,347 £154 £1,500 £24,065 16.0 yrs £5,944

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 Oldham

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 OL4

Figures below are tailored to OL4 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1450 of 2182
4.7 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~10 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #2851 of 2996
13.3 years (UK avg 10.8 years)
~£551 /yr • £7,307 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2331 of 2996
31.6% (UK avg 26.6%) drag on savings
£174 fixed • ~£551 /yr value
Aspect Penalty View ranking →
East −19.5% West −18.2%
Typical output loss versus a south-facing roof (lower is better)

Seasonal solar output in OL4

Monthly generation per kilowatt of solar panels

kWh 25 Jan 41 Feb 74 Mar 100 Apr 108 May 106 Jun 103 Jul 92 Aug 77 Sep 52 Oct 35 Nov 25 Dec
Best month Worst month Winter (Dec–Feb) Other months

Winter output: 43.3% of an average month (Dec–Feb)

Best / worst month: May / Jan

These figures show output per kilowatt (kW) of panels installed. In winter, a 1 kW system here produces about 30 kWh per month; the average month produces around 70 kWh. So a typical 4 kW home system would generate roughly 121 kWh in winter, or 279 kWh in an average month.

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.13p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
47.61p/day
Local Sunshine
837kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~837 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: 80% • Flats: 11% • Bungalows: 8% Based on 10,346 properties

Coverage

Oldham (100%)

Areas Covered

Saddleworth West & Lees, St Mary's, Waterhead, Saddleworth North, Saddleworth South, Alexandra, St James', Coldhurst + 1 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 North West

OL1 (Oldham)
≈1.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~829 kWh/kWp · -1% vs OL4
OL95 (Oldham)
≈2.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~830 kWh/kWp · -1% vs OL4
OL8 (Oldham)
≈3.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~837 kWh/kWp · -0% vs OL4
OL5 (Tameside)
≈3.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~803 kWh/kWp · -4% vs OL4
OL2 (Oldham)
≈4.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~832 kWh/kWp · -1% vs OL4
OL9 (Oldham)
≈4.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~831 kWh/kWp · -1% vs OL4

Similar sunshine across the UK

EH55 (West Lothian)
~837 kWh/kWp · +0% vs OL4
EH38 (Scottish Borders)
~837 kWh/kWp · +0% vs OL4
IV16 (Highland)
~836 kWh/kWp · -0% vs OL4