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Solar panel cost in Portsmouth (PO5)

See realistic solar installation costs, savings and payback for PO5 (Portsmouth) 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
10.2 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£5,481
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£539
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£7,990
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 Southern, the current unit rate is 26.42p/kWh with a 49.70p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 1084 kWh/kW — 83 above the regional median (1001).

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 1084 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)
1084 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: £898, Upfront: £9,134, Break-even: 10.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2168 kWh 867 kWh 1301 kWh £229 £130 £359 £3,654 10.2 yrs £3,530
3 kW 3252 kWh 1301 kWh 1951 kWh £344 £195 £539 £5,481 10.2 yrs £5,296
4 kW 4336 kWh 1734 kWh 2602 kWh £458 £260 £718 £7,307 10.2 yrs £7,061
5 kW 5420 kWh 2168 kWh 3252 kWh £573 £325 £898 £9,134 10.2 yrs £8,826
6 kW 6504 kWh 2602 kWh 3903 kWh £687 £390 £1,078 £10,961 10.2 yrs £10,591
7 kW 7588 kWh 3035 kWh 4553 kWh £802 £455 £1,257 £12,788 10.2 yrs £12,356
8 kW 8672 kWh 3469 kWh 5203 kWh £916 £520 £1,437 £14,615 10.2 yrs £14,122

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: £1,076, Upfront: £11,234, Break-even: 10.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2168 kWh 1301 kWh 867 kWh £344 £87 £430 £5,754 13.4 yrs £2,854
3 kW 3252 kWh 1951 kWh 1301 kWh £516 £130 £646 £7,581 11.7 yrs £5,332
4 kW 4336 kWh 2602 kWh 1734 kWh £687 £173 £861 £9,407 10.9 yrs £7,809
5 kW 5420 kWh 3252 kWh 2168 kWh £859 £217 £1,076 £11,234 10.4 yrs £10,286
6 kW 6504 kWh 3903 kWh 2602 kWh £1,031 £260 £1,291 £13,061 10.1 yrs £12,763
7 kW 7588 kWh 4553 kWh 3035 kWh £1,203 £304 £1,506 £14,888 9.9 yrs £15,240
8 kW 8672 kWh 5203 kWh 3469 kWh £1,375 £347 £1,722 £16,715 9.7 yrs £17,718

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: £1,165, Upfront: £12,634, 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 2168 kWh 1518 kWh 650 kWh £401 £65 £466 £7,154 15.4 yrs £2,166
3 kW 3252 kWh 2276 kWh 976 kWh £601 £98 £699 £8,981 12.8 yrs £5,000
4 kW 4336 kWh 3035 kWh 1301 kWh £802 £130 £932 £10,807 11.6 yrs £7,833
5 kW 5420 kWh 3794 kWh 1626 kWh £1,002 £163 £1,165 £12,634 10.8 yrs £10,666
6 kW 6504 kWh 4553 kWh 1951 kWh £1,203 £195 £1,398 £14,461 10.3 yrs £13,499
7 kW 7588 kWh 5312 kWh 2276 kWh £1,403 £228 £1,631 £16,288 10.0 yrs £16,332
8 kW 8672 kWh 6071 kWh 2602 kWh £1,604 £260 £1,864 £18,115 9.7 yrs £19,166

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: £1,192, Upfront: £14,384, 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 2168 kWh 1583 kWh 585 kWh £418 £59 £477 £8,904 18.7 yrs £630
3 kW 3252 kWh 2374 kWh 878 kWh £627 £88 £715 £10,731 15.0 yrs £3,570
4 kW 4336 kWh 3165 kWh 1171 kWh £836 £117 £953 £12,557 13.2 yrs £6,510
5 kW 5420 kWh 3957 kWh 1463 kWh £1,045 £146 £1,192 £14,384 12.1 yrs £9,450
6 kW 6504 kWh 4748 kWh 1756 kWh £1,254 £176 £1,430 £16,211 11.3 yrs £12,390
7 kW 7588 kWh 5539 kWh 2049 kWh £1,464 £205 £1,668 £18,038 10.8 yrs £15,330
8 kW 8672 kWh 6331 kWh 2342 kWh £1,673 £234 £1,907 £19,865 10.4 yrs £18,270

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: £1,210, Upfront: £16,134, 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 2168 kWh 1626 kWh 542 kWh £430 £54 £484 £10,654 22.0 yrs £-978
3 kW 3252 kWh 2439 kWh 813 kWh £644 £81 £726 £12,481 17.2 yrs £2,034
4 kW 4336 kWh 3252 kWh 1084 kWh £859 £108 £968 £14,307 14.8 yrs £5,045
5 kW 5420 kWh 4065 kWh 1355 kWh £1,074 £136 £1,210 £16,134 13.3 yrs £8,056
6 kW 6504 kWh 4878 kWh 1626 kWh £1,289 £163 £1,451 £17,961 12.4 yrs £11,067
7 kW 7588 kWh 5691 kWh 1897 kWh £1,504 £190 £1,693 £19,788 11.7 yrs £14,078
8 kW 8672 kWh 6504 kWh 2168 kWh £1,718 £217 £1,935 £21,615 11.2 yrs £17,089

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: £1,227, Upfront: £18,584, Break-even: 15.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2168 kWh 1669 kWh 499 kWh £441 £50 £491 £13,104 26.7 yrs £-3,285
3 kW 3252 kWh 2504 kWh 748 kWh £662 £75 £736 £14,931 20.3 yrs £-203
4 kW 4336 kWh 3339 kWh 997 kWh £882 £100 £982 £16,757 17.1 yrs £2,880
5 kW 5420 kWh 4174 kWh 1247 kWh £1,103 £125 £1,227 £18,584 15.1 yrs £5,962
6 kW 6504 kWh 5008 kWh 1496 kWh £1,323 £150 £1,473 £20,411 13.9 yrs £9,044
7 kW 7588 kWh 5843 kWh 1745 kWh £1,544 £175 £1,718 £22,238 12.9 yrs £12,127
8 kW 8672 kWh 6678 kWh 1995 kWh £1,764 £199 £1,964 £24,065 12.3 yrs £15,209

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 Portsmouth

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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Understand DNO, G98 and G99 export limits

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Insights for PO5

Figures below are tailored to PO5 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #2143 of 2182
3.7 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~8 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #148 of 2996
9.1 years (UK avg 10.8 years)
~£1,078 /yr • £9,767 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #158 of 2996
16.8% (UK avg 26.6%) drag on savings
£181 fixed • ~£1,078 /yr value
Aspect Penalty View ranking →
East −20.8% West −22.2%
Typical output loss versus a south-facing roof (lower is better)

Seasonal solar output in PO5

Monthly generation per kilowatt of solar panels

kWh 41 Jan 56 Feb 93 Mar 123 Apr 131 May 134 Jun 135 Jul 117 Aug 99 Sep 69 Oct 48 Nov 37 Dec
Best month Worst month Winter (Dec–Feb) Other months

Winter output: 49.3% 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 45 kWh per month; the average month produces around 90 kWh. So a typical 4 kW home system would generate roughly 178 kWh in winter, or 361 kWh in an average month.

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.42p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
49.70p/day
Local Sunshine
1084kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~1084 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: 25% • Flats: 67% • Bungalows: 0% Based on 10,833 properties

Coverage

Portsmouth (100%)

Areas Covered

St Jude, St Thomas, Charles Dickens, Central Southsea, Eastney and Craneswater

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 Southern

PO1 (Portsmouth)
≈1.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,084 kWh/kWp · +0% vs PO5
PO4 (Portsmouth)
≈1.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,084 kWh/kWp · -0% vs PO5
PO2 (Portsmouth)
≈3.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,096 kWh/kWp · +1% vs PO5
PO3 (Portsmouth)
≈3.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,096 kWh/kWp · +1% vs PO5
PO12 (Gosport)
≈4.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,072 kWh/kWp · -1% vs PO5
PO6 (Portsmouth)
≈6.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,090 kWh/kWp · +1% vs PO5

Similar sunshine across the UK

BN6 (Mid Sussex)
~1,084 kWh/kWp · +0% vs PO5
TR19 (Cornwall)
~1,083 kWh/kWp · -0% vs PO5
SS5 (Rochford)
~1,083 kWh/kWp · -0% vs PO5