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Solar panel cost in Bracknell Forest (RG45)

See realistic solar installation costs, savings and payback for RG45 (Bracknell Forest) 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
10.0 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£9,767
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£979
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£14,699
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 984 kWh/kW — 17 below the regional median (1001).

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 984 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)
984 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: £816, Upfront: £8,139, Break-even: 10.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1969 kWh 788 kWh 1181 kWh £208 £118 £326 £3,256 10.0 yrs £3,269
3 kW 2953 kWh 1181 kWh 1772 kWh £312 £177 £489 £4,883 10.0 yrs £4,903
4 kW 3938 kWh 1575 kWh 2363 kWh £416 £236 £652 £6,511 10.0 yrs £6,537
5 kW 4922 kWh 1969 kWh 2953 kWh £520 £295 £816 £8,139 10.0 yrs £8,172
6 kW 5907 kWh 2363 kWh 3544 kWh £624 £354 £979 £9,767 10.0 yrs £9,806
7 kW 6891 kWh 2756 kWh 4135 kWh £728 £413 £1,142 £11,394 10.0 yrs £11,440
8 kW 7876 kWh 3150 kWh 4725 kWh £832 £473 £1,305 £13,022 10.0 yrs £13,075

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: £977, Upfront: £10,239, Break-even: 10.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1969 kWh 1181 kWh 788 kWh £312 £79 £391 £5,356 13.7 yrs £2,462
3 kW 2953 kWh 1772 kWh 1181 kWh £468 £118 £586 £6,983 11.9 yrs £4,743
4 kW 3938 kWh 2363 kWh 1575 kWh £624 £158 £782 £8,611 11.0 yrs £7,024
5 kW 4922 kWh 2953 kWh 1969 kWh £780 £197 £977 £10,239 10.5 yrs £9,305
6 kW 5907 kWh 3544 kWh 2363 kWh £936 £236 £1,173 £11,867 10.1 yrs £11,585
7 kW 6891 kWh 4135 kWh 2756 kWh £1,092 £276 £1,368 £13,494 9.9 yrs £13,866
8 kW 7876 kWh 4725 kWh 3150 kWh £1,248 £315 £1,563 £15,122 9.7 yrs £16,147

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: £1,058, Upfront: £11,639, Break-even: 11.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1969 kWh 1378 kWh 591 kWh £364 £59 £423 £6,756 16.0 yrs £1,708
3 kW 2953 kWh 2067 kWh 886 kWh £546 £89 £635 £8,383 13.2 yrs £4,313
4 kW 3938 kWh 2756 kWh 1181 kWh £728 £118 £846 £10,011 11.8 yrs £6,917
5 kW 4922 kWh 3446 kWh 1477 kWh £910 £148 £1,058 £11,639 11.0 yrs £9,521
6 kW 5907 kWh 4135 kWh 1772 kWh £1,092 £177 £1,270 £13,267 10.4 yrs £12,125
7 kW 6891 kWh 4824 kWh 2067 kWh £1,274 £207 £1,481 £14,894 10.1 yrs £14,729
8 kW 7876 kWh 5513 kWh 2363 kWh £1,457 £236 £1,693 £16,522 9.8 yrs £17,334

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: £1,082, Upfront: £13,389, 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 1969 kWh 1437 kWh 532 kWh £380 £53 £433 £8,506 19.6 yrs £152
3 kW 2953 kWh 2156 kWh 797 kWh £570 £80 £649 £10,133 15.6 yrs £2,854
4 kW 3938 kWh 2875 kWh 1063 kWh £759 £106 £866 £11,761 13.6 yrs £5,555
5 kW 4922 kWh 3593 kWh 1329 kWh £949 £133 £1,082 £13,389 12.4 yrs £8,256
6 kW 5907 kWh 4312 kWh 1595 kWh £1,139 £159 £1,299 £15,017 11.6 yrs £10,957
7 kW 6891 kWh 5031 kWh 1861 kWh £1,329 £186 £1,515 £16,644 11.0 yrs £13,658
8 kW 7876 kWh 5749 kWh 2126 kWh £1,519 £213 £1,732 £18,272 10.6 yrs £16,359

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: £1,098, Upfront: £15,139, 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 1969 kWh 1477 kWh 492 kWh £390 £49 £439 £10,256 23.3 yrs £-1,468
3 kW 2953 kWh 2215 kWh 738 kWh £585 £74 £659 £11,883 18.0 yrs £1,298
4 kW 3938 kWh 2953 kWh 984 kWh £780 £98 £879 £13,511 15.4 yrs £4,063
5 kW 4922 kWh 3692 kWh 1231 kWh £975 £123 £1,098 £15,139 13.8 yrs £6,829
6 kW 5907 kWh 4430 kWh 1477 kWh £1,170 £148 £1,318 £16,767 12.7 yrs £9,595
7 kW 6891 kWh 5168 kWh 1723 kWh £1,365 £172 £1,538 £18,394 12.0 yrs £12,361
8 kW 7876 kWh 5907 kWh 1969 kWh £1,561 £197 £1,757 £20,022 11.4 yrs £15,127

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: £1,115, Upfront: £17,589, 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 1969 kWh 1516 kWh 453 kWh £401 £45 £446 £12,706 28.5 yrs £-3,789
3 kW 2953 kWh 2274 kWh 679 kWh £601 £68 £669 £14,333 21.4 yrs £-959
4 kW 3938 kWh 3032 kWh 906 kWh £801 £91 £892 £15,961 17.9 yrs £1,872
5 kW 4922 kWh 3790 kWh 1132 kWh £1,001 £113 £1,115 £17,589 15.8 yrs £4,702
6 kW 5907 kWh 4548 kWh 1359 kWh £1,202 £136 £1,337 £19,217 14.4 yrs £7,533
7 kW 6891 kWh 5306 kWh 1585 kWh £1,402 £158 £1,560 £20,844 13.4 yrs £10,363
8 kW 7876 kWh 6064 kWh 1811 kWh £1,602 £181 £1,783 £22,472 12.6 yrs £13,194

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 Bracknell Forest

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 RG45

Figures below are tailored to RG45 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #414 of 2182
5.7 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~12 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #1152 of 2996
10.0 years (UK avg 10.8 years)
~£978 /yr • £9,767 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #298 of 2996
18.5% (UK avg 26.6%) drag on savings
£181 fixed • ~£978 /yr value
Aspect Penalty View ranking →
East −21.1% West −19.2%
Typical output loss versus a south-facing roof (lower is better)

Seasonal solar output in RG45

Monthly generation per kilowatt of solar panels

kWh 39 Jan 51 Feb 83 Mar 110 Apr 117 May 119 Jun 120 Jul 107 Aug 92 Sep 66 Oct 45 Nov 34 Dec
Best month Worst month Winter (Dec–Feb) Other months

Winter output: 50.6% 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 41 kWh per month; the average month produces around 82 kWh. So a typical 4 kW home system would generate roughly 166 kWh in winter, or 328 kWh in an average month.

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.42p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
49.70p/day
Local Sunshine
984kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~984 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: 65% • Flats: 25% • Bungalows: 6% Based on 4,116 properties

Coverage

Bracknell Forest (55%)|Wokingham (45%)

Areas Covered

Crowthorne, Wokingham Without, Wescott, Norreys, Priestwood & Garth, Finchampstead, Sandhurst

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

GU47 (Bracknell Forest)
≈2.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~986 kWh/kWp · +0% vs RG45
GU17 (Hart)
≈4.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~985 kWh/kWp · +0% vs RG45
GU46 (Hart)
≈4.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~990 kWh/kWp · +1% vs RG45
RG11 (Wokingham)
≈4.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~991 kWh/kWp · +1% vs RG45
RG40 (Wokingham)
≈5.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~991 kWh/kWp · +1% vs RG45
RG12 (Bracknell Forest)
≈5.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~992 kWh/kWp · +1% vs RG45

Similar sunshine across the UK

HA8 (Barnet)
~984 kWh/kWp · -0% vs RG45
WD18 (Watford)
~985 kWh/kWp · +0% vs RG45
WD17 (Watford)
~985 kWh/kWp · +0% vs RG45