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Solar panel cost in Preston (PR0)

See realistic solar installation costs, savings and payback for PR0 (Preston) 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
11.2 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£8,139
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£728
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£10,051
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 884 kWh/kW — 14 above the regional median (870).

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 884 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)
884 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: £728, Upfront: £8,139, Break-even: 11.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1769 kWh 708 kWh 1061 kWh £185 £106 £291 £3,256 11.2 yrs £2,565
3 kW 2653 kWh 1061 kWh 1592 kWh £277 £159 £437 £4,883 11.2 yrs £3,848
4 kW 3538 kWh 1415 kWh 2123 kWh £370 £212 £582 £6,511 11.2 yrs £5,130
5 kW 4422 kWh 1769 kWh 2653 kWh £462 £265 £728 £8,139 11.2 yrs £6,413
6 kW 5307 kWh 2123 kWh 3184 kWh £555 £318 £873 £9,767 11.2 yrs £7,695
7 kW 6191 kWh 2477 kWh 3715 kWh £647 £371 £1,019 £11,394 11.2 yrs £8,978
8 kW 7076 kWh 2830 kWh 4246 kWh £740 £425 £1,164 £13,022 11.2 yrs £10,261

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: £870, Upfront: £10,239, 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 1769 kWh 1061 kWh 708 kWh £277 £71 £348 £5,356 15.4 yrs £1,606
3 kW 2653 kWh 1592 kWh 1061 kWh £416 £106 £522 £6,983 13.4 yrs £3,460
4 kW 3538 kWh 2123 kWh 1415 kWh £555 £142 £696 £8,611 12.4 yrs £5,313
5 kW 4422 kWh 2653 kWh 1769 kWh £693 £177 £870 £10,239 11.8 yrs £7,166
6 kW 5307 kWh 3184 kWh 2123 kWh £832 £212 £1,044 £11,867 11.4 yrs £9,019
7 kW 6191 kWh 3715 kWh 2477 kWh £971 £248 £1,218 £13,494 11.1 yrs £10,873
8 kW 7076 kWh 4246 kWh 2830 kWh £1,109 £283 £1,392 £15,122 10.9 yrs £12,726

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: £942, Upfront: £11,639, Break-even: 12.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1769 kWh 1238 kWh 531 kWh £324 £53 £377 £6,756 17.9 yrs £777
3 kW 2653 kWh 1857 kWh 796 kWh £485 £80 £565 £8,383 14.8 yrs £2,916
4 kW 3538 kWh 2477 kWh 1061 kWh £647 £106 £753 £10,011 13.3 yrs £5,054
5 kW 4422 kWh 3096 kWh 1327 kWh £809 £133 £942 £11,639 12.4 yrs £7,193
6 kW 5307 kWh 3715 kWh 1592 kWh £971 £159 £1,130 £13,267 11.7 yrs £9,331
7 kW 6191 kWh 4334 kWh 1857 kWh £1,132 £186 £1,318 £14,894 11.3 yrs £11,470
8 kW 7076 kWh 4953 kWh 2123 kWh £1,294 £212 £1,507 £16,522 11.0 yrs £13,609

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: £963, Upfront: £13,389, Break-even: 13.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1769 kWh 1291 kWh 478 kWh £337 £48 £385 £8,506 22.1 yrs £-802
3 kW 2653 kWh 1937 kWh 716 kWh £506 £72 £578 £10,133 17.5 yrs £1,423
4 kW 3538 kWh 2583 kWh 955 kWh £675 £96 £770 £11,761 15.3 yrs £3,647
5 kW 4422 kWh 3228 kWh 1194 kWh £844 £119 £963 £13,389 13.9 yrs £5,871
6 kW 5307 kWh 3874 kWh 1433 kWh £1,012 £143 £1,156 £15,017 13.0 yrs £8,095
7 kW 6191 kWh 4520 kWh 1672 kWh £1,181 £167 £1,348 £16,644 12.3 yrs £10,319
8 kW 7076 kWh 5165 kWh 1910 kWh £1,350 £191 £1,541 £18,272 11.9 yrs £12,543

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: £977, Upfront: £15,139, Break-even: 15.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1769 kWh 1327 kWh 442 kWh £347 £44 £391 £10,256 26.2 yrs £-2,438
3 kW 2653 kWh 1990 kWh 663 kWh £520 £66 £586 £11,883 20.3 yrs £-156
4 kW 3538 kWh 2653 kWh 884 kWh £693 £88 £782 £13,511 17.3 yrs £2,125
5 kW 4422 kWh 3317 kWh 1106 kWh £867 £111 £977 £15,139 15.5 yrs £4,406
6 kW 5307 kWh 3980 kWh 1327 kWh £1,040 £133 £1,173 £16,767 14.3 yrs £6,687
7 kW 6191 kWh 4644 kWh 1548 kWh £1,213 £155 £1,368 £18,394 13.4 yrs £8,969
8 kW 7076 kWh 5307 kWh 1769 kWh £1,387 £177 £1,564 £20,022 12.8 yrs £11,250

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: £992, Upfront: £17,589, Break-even: 17.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1769 kWh 1362 kWh 407 kWh £356 £41 £397 £12,706 32.0 yrs £-4,773
3 kW 2653 kWh 2043 kWh 610 kWh £534 £61 £595 £14,333 24.1 yrs £-2,435
4 kW 3538 kWh 2724 kWh 814 kWh £712 £81 £793 £15,961 20.1 yrs £-97
5 kW 4422 kWh 3405 kWh 1017 kWh £890 £102 £992 £17,589 17.7 yrs £2,242
6 kW 5307 kWh 4086 kWh 1221 kWh £1,068 £122 £1,190 £19,217 16.2 yrs £4,580
7 kW 6191 kWh 4767 kWh 1424 kWh £1,246 £142 £1,388 £20,844 15.0 yrs £6,918
8 kW 7076 kWh 5448 kWh 1627 kWh £1,424 £163 £1,586 £22,472 14.2 yrs £9,256

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 Preston

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 PR0

Figures below are tailored to PR0 — click through for full league tables.

Solar Payback Index Rank #2173 of 2996
11.2 years (UK avg 10.8 years)
~£727 /yr • £8,139 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #1187 of 2996
23.9% (UK avg 26.6%) drag on savings
£174 fixed • ~£727 /yr value
Aspect Penalty View ranking →
East −19.4% West −19.9%
Typical output loss versus a south-facing roof (lower is better)

Seasonal solar output in PR0

Monthly generation per kilowatt of solar panels

kWh 27 Jan 46 Feb 77 Mar 104 Apr 116 May 112 Jun 109 Jul 98 Aug 79 Sep 55 Oct 36 Nov 26 Dec
Best month Worst month Winter (Dec–Feb) Other months

Winter output: 44.4% of an average month (Dec–Feb)

Best / worst month: May / Dec

These figures show output per kilowatt (kW) of panels installed. In winter, a 1 kW system here produces about 33 kWh per month; the average month produces around 74 kWh. So a typical 4 kW home system would generate roughly 131 kWh in winter, or 295 kWh in an average month.

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.13p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
47.61p/day
Local Sunshine
884kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~884 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

No EPC data available for this outcode

Coverage

Preston (100%)

Areas Covered

Fishwick & Frenchwood

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

PR1 (Preston)
≈1.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~891 kWh/kWp · +1% vs PR0
PR2 (Preston)
≈2.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~894 kWh/kWp · +1% vs PR0
PR11 (Preston)
≈4.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~884 kWh/kWp · +0% vs PR0
PR5 (South Ribble)
≈4.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~860 kWh/kWp · -3% vs PR0
PR25 (South Ribble)
≈7.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~898 kWh/kWp · +2% vs PR0
PR26 (South Ribble)
≈8.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~891 kWh/kWp · +1% vs PR0

Similar sunshine across the UK

TD1 (Scottish Borders)
~884 kWh/kWp · -0% vs PR0
LL61 (Isle of Anglesey)
~884 kWh/kWp · -0% vs PR0
PA76 (Argyll and Bute)
~884 kWh/kWp · -0% vs PR0