Solar panel cost in Isle of Wight (PO38)

See realistic solar installation costs, savings and payback for PO38 (Isle of Wight) 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

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System Size

Roof Direction

Battery Storage

Export Value

Your Numbers

Break-even
8.7 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£9,767
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£1,119
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£18,201
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

Read the full story

A typical roof here lands around 6.0 kW, with most eligible homes comfortably fitting within 3–6 kW. Each kilowatt of panels produces roughly 1125 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 26.4p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
26.4p/kWh
Standing charge
49.7p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
1125 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: £932, Upfront: £8,139, Break-even: 8.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2251 kWh 900 kWh 1350 kWh £238 £135 £373 £3,256 8.7 yrs £4,202
3 kW 3376 kWh 1350 kWh 2026 kWh £357 £203 £559 £4,883 8.7 yrs £6,304
4 kW 4501 kWh 1801 kWh 2701 kWh £476 £270 £746 £6,511 8.7 yrs £8,405
5 kW 5627 kWh 2251 kWh 3376 kWh £595 £338 £932 £8,139 8.7 yrs £10,506
6 kW 6752 kWh 2701 kWh 4051 kWh £714 £405 £1,119 £9,767 8.7 yrs £12,607
7 kW 7877 kWh 3151 kWh 4726 kWh £832 £473 £1,305 £11,394 8.7 yrs £14,708
8 kW 9003 kWh 3601 kWh 5402 kWh £951 £540 £1,492 £13,022 8.7 yrs £16,810

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: £1,117, Upfront: £10,239, Break-even: 9.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2251 kWh 1350 kWh 900 kWh £357 £90 £447 £5,356 12.0 yrs £3,581
3 kW 3376 kWh 2026 kWh 1350 kWh £535 £135 £670 £6,983 10.4 yrs £6,421
4 kW 4501 kWh 2701 kWh 1801 kWh £714 £180 £894 £8,611 9.6 yrs £9,261
5 kW 5627 kWh 3376 kWh 2251 kWh £892 £225 £1,117 £10,239 9.2 yrs £12,102
6 kW 6752 kWh 4051 kWh 2701 kWh £1,070 £270 £1,340 £11,867 8.9 yrs £14,942
7 kW 7877 kWh 4726 kWh 3151 kWh £1,249 £315 £1,564 £13,494 8.6 yrs £17,782
8 kW 9003 kWh 5402 kWh 3601 kWh £1,427 £360 £1,787 £15,122 8.5 yrs £20,623

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: £1,209, Upfront: £11,639, Break-even: 9.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2251 kWh 1575 kWh 675 kWh £416 £68 £484 £6,756 14.0 yrs £2,920
3 kW 3376 kWh 2363 kWh 1013 kWh £624 £101 £726 £8,383 11.6 yrs £6,130
4 kW 4501 kWh 3151 kWh 1350 kWh £832 £135 £968 £10,011 10.3 yrs £9,340
5 kW 5627 kWh 3939 kWh 1688 kWh £1,041 £169 £1,209 £11,639 9.6 yrs £12,549
6 kW 6752 kWh 4726 kWh 2026 kWh £1,249 £203 £1,451 £13,267 9.1 yrs £15,759
7 kW 7877 kWh 5514 kWh 2363 kWh £1,457 £236 £1,693 £14,894 8.8 yrs £18,969
8 kW 9003 kWh 6302 kWh 2701 kWh £1,665 £270 £1,935 £16,522 8.5 yrs £22,179

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: £1,237, Upfront: £13,389, Break-even: 10.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2251 kWh 1643 kWh 608 kWh £434 £61 £495 £8,506 17.2 yrs £1,392
3 kW 3376 kWh 2465 kWh 912 kWh £651 £91 £742 £10,133 13.7 yrs £4,712
4 kW 4501 kWh 3286 kWh 1215 kWh £868 £122 £990 £11,761 11.9 yrs £8,033
5 kW 5627 kWh 4108 kWh 1519 kWh £1,085 £152 £1,237 £13,389 10.8 yrs £11,354
6 kW 6752 kWh 4929 kWh 1823 kWh £1,302 £182 £1,485 £15,017 10.1 yrs £14,675
7 kW 7877 kWh 5751 kWh 2127 kWh £1,519 £213 £1,732 £16,644 9.6 yrs £17,995
8 kW 9003 kWh 6572 kWh 2431 kWh £1,736 £243 £1,979 £18,272 9.2 yrs £21,316

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: £1,256, Upfront: £15,139, Break-even: 12.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2251 kWh 1688 kWh 563 kWh £446 £56 £502 £10,256 20.4 yrs £-211
3 kW 3376 kWh 2532 kWh 844 kWh £669 £84 £753 £11,883 15.8 yrs £3,184
4 kW 4501 kWh 3376 kWh 1125 kWh £892 £113 £1,004 £13,511 13.5 yrs £6,579
5 kW 5627 kWh 4220 kWh 1407 kWh £1,115 £141 £1,256 £15,139 12.1 yrs £9,973
6 kW 6752 kWh 5064 kWh 1688 kWh £1,338 £169 £1,507 £16,767 11.1 yrs £13,368
7 kW 7877 kWh 5908 kWh 1969 kWh £1,561 £197 £1,758 £18,394 10.5 yrs £16,763
8 kW 9003 kWh 6752 kWh 2251 kWh £1,784 £225 £2,009 £20,022 10.0 yrs £20,157

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: £1,274, Upfront: £17,589, Break-even: 13.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2251 kWh 1733 kWh 518 kWh £458 £52 £510 £12,706 24.9 yrs £-2,513
3 kW 3376 kWh 2600 kWh 776 kWh £687 £78 £764 £14,333 18.7 yrs £956
4 kW 4501 kWh 3466 kWh 1035 kWh £916 £104 £1,019 £15,961 15.7 yrs £4,424
5 kW 5627 kWh 4333 kWh 1294 kWh £1,145 £129 £1,274 £17,589 13.8 yrs £7,893
6 kW 6752 kWh 5199 kWh 1553 kWh £1,374 £155 £1,529 £19,217 12.6 yrs £11,362
7 kW 7877 kWh 6066 kWh 1812 kWh £1,603 £181 £1,784 £20,844 11.7 yrs £14,830
8 kW 9003 kWh 6932 kWh 2071 kWh £1,831 £207 £2,039 £22,472 11.0 yrs £18,299

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 Isle of Wight

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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Seasonal solar output in PO38

Monthly generation per kilowatt of solar panels

kWh 38 Jan 56 Feb 98 Mar 131 Apr 139 May 140 Jun 143 Jul 126 Aug 104 Sep 69 Oct 47 Nov 34 Dec
Best month Worst month Winter (Dec–Feb) Other months

Winter output: 45.8% of an average month (Dec–Feb)

Best / worst month: Jul / Dec

These figures show output per kilowatt (kW) of panels installed. In winter, a 1 kW system here produces about 43 kWh per month; the average month produces around 94 kWh. So a typical 4 kW home system would generate roughly 172 kWh in winter, or 375 kWh in an average month.

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.42p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
49.70p/day
Local Sunshine
1125kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~1125 kWh per year. A typical home uses ~2,700 kWh per year.
Typical System Size
6.0kW
For houses & bungalows in this area

Local Property Data

Property Types

Houses: 49% • Flats: 27% • Bungalows: 22% Based on 4,470 properties

Coverage

Isle of Wight (100%)

Areas Covered

Ventnor & St Lawrence, Chale, Niton & Shorwell, Wroxall, Lowtherville & Bonchurch, Central Rural, Newchurch, Havenstreet & Ashey + 2 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.