Solar explained to clever people by people who are not trying to be clever

Solar Panels in PO14 (Fareham)

See if solar pays off for you in Fareham — 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
11.4 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£894
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£12,187
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

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 1078 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 26.5p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
26.5p/kWh
Standing charge
44.6p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
1078 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: £894, Upfront: £10,173, 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 2156 kWh 862 kWh 1294 kWh £228 £129 £358 £4,069 11.4 yrs £3,086
3 kW 3234 kWh 1294 kWh 1941 kWh £343 £194 £537 £6,104 11.4 yrs £4,629
4 kW 4312 kWh 1725 kWh 2587 kWh £457 £259 £715 £8,138 11.4 yrs £6,172
5 kW 5390 kWh 2156 kWh 3234 kWh £571 £323 £894 £10,173 11.4 yrs £7,715
6 kW 6468 kWh 2587 kWh 3881 kWh £685 £388 £1,073 £12,207 11.4 yrs £9,258
7 kW 7546 kWh 3019 kWh 4528 kWh £799 £453 £1,252 £14,242 11.4 yrs £10,801
8 kW 8625 kWh 3450 kWh 5175 kWh £914 £517 £1,431 £16,276 11.4 yrs £12,344

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: £1,072, Upfront: £12,273, 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 2156 kWh 1294 kWh 862 kWh £343 £86 £429 £6,169 14.4 yrs £2,407
3 kW 3234 kWh 1941 kWh 1294 kWh £514 £129 £643 £8,204 12.8 yrs £4,661
4 kW 4312 kWh 2587 kWh 1725 kWh £685 £172 £858 £10,238 11.9 yrs £6,914
5 kW 5390 kWh 3234 kWh 2156 kWh £856 £216 £1,072 £12,273 11.4 yrs £9,168
6 kW 6468 kWh 3881 kWh 2587 kWh £1,028 £259 £1,286 £14,307 11.1 yrs £11,422
7 kW 7546 kWh 4528 kWh 3019 kWh £1,199 £302 £1,501 £16,342 10.9 yrs £13,675
8 kW 8625 kWh 5175 kWh 3450 kWh £1,370 £345 £1,715 £18,376 10.7 yrs £15,929

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: £1,161, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 11.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2156 kWh 1509 kWh 647 kWh £400 £65 £464 £7,569 16.3 yrs £1,718
3 kW 3234 kWh 2264 kWh 970 kWh £599 £97 £697 £9,604 13.8 yrs £4,327
4 kW 4312 kWh 3019 kWh 1294 kWh £799 £129 £929 £11,638 12.5 yrs £6,936
5 kW 5390 kWh 3773 kWh 1617 kWh £999 £162 £1,161 £13,673 11.8 yrs £9,545
6 kW 6468 kWh 4528 kWh 1941 kWh £1,199 £194 £1,393 £15,707 11.3 yrs £12,154
7 kW 7546 kWh 5283 kWh 2264 kWh £1,399 £226 £1,625 £17,742 10.9 yrs £14,763
8 kW 8625 kWh 6037 kWh 2587 kWh £1,599 £259 £1,857 £19,776 10.6 yrs £17,372

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: £1,188, Upfront: £15,423, 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 2156 kWh 1574 kWh 582 kWh £417 £58 £475 £9,319 19.6 yrs £181
3 kW 3234 kWh 2361 kWh 873 kWh £625 £87 £713 £11,354 15.9 yrs £2,897
4 kW 4312 kWh 3148 kWh 1164 kWh £834 £116 £950 £13,388 14.1 yrs £5,612
5 kW 5390 kWh 3935 kWh 1455 kWh £1,042 £146 £1,188 £15,423 13.0 yrs £8,328
6 kW 6468 kWh 4722 kWh 1746 kWh £1,250 £175 £1,425 £17,457 12.3 yrs £11,043
7 kW 7546 kWh 5509 kWh 2038 kWh £1,459 £204 £1,663 £19,492 11.7 yrs £13,759
8 kW 8625 kWh 6296 kWh 2329 kWh £1,667 £233 £1,900 £21,526 11.3 yrs £16,474

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: £1,205, Upfront: £17,173, 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 2156 kWh 1617 kWh 539 kWh £428 £54 £482 £11,069 23.0 yrs £-1,427
3 kW 3234 kWh 2426 kWh 809 kWh £642 £81 £723 £13,104 18.1 yrs £1,360
4 kW 4312 kWh 3234 kWh 1078 kWh £856 £108 £964 £15,138 15.7 yrs £4,146
5 kW 5390 kWh 4043 kWh 1348 kWh £1,071 £135 £1,205 £17,173 14.2 yrs £6,933
6 kW 6468 kWh 4851 kWh 1617 kWh £1,285 £162 £1,446 £19,207 13.3 yrs £9,720
7 kW 7546 kWh 5660 kWh 1887 kWh £1,499 £189 £1,687 £21,242 12.6 yrs £12,506
8 kW 8625 kWh 6468 kWh 2156 kWh £1,713 £216 £1,928 £23,276 12.1 yrs £15,293

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: £1,223, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 16.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2156 kWh 1660 kWh 496 kWh £440 £50 £489 £13,519 27.6 yrs £-3,735
3 kW 3234 kWh 2490 kWh 744 kWh £659 £74 £734 £15,554 21.2 yrs £-877
4 kW 4312 kWh 3320 kWh 992 kWh £879 £99 £978 £17,588 18.0 yrs £1,981
5 kW 5390 kWh 4151 kWh 1240 kWh £1,099 £124 £1,223 £19,623 16.0 yrs £4,838
6 kW 6468 kWh 4981 kWh 1488 kWh £1,319 £149 £1,468 £21,657 14.8 yrs £7,696
7 kW 7546 kWh 5811 kWh 1736 kWh £1,539 £174 £1,712 £23,692 13.8 yrs £10,554
8 kW 8625 kWh 6641 kWh 1984 kWh £1,759 £198 £1,957 £25,726 13.1 yrs £13,411

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.

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.48p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
44.62p/day
Local Sunshine
1078kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~1078 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: 64% • Flats: 17% • Bungalows: 17% Based on 7,354 properties

Coverage

Fareham (100%)

Areas Covered

Fort Fareham, Stubbington, Hill Head, Titchfield, Titchfield Common, Avenue, Fareham Town, Hook-with-Warsash

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.