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Postcode solar briefing

Solar panel cost in Barking and Dagenham (RM8)

See realistic solar installation costs, savings and payback for RM8 (Barking and Dagenham) using official UK data. Start with the local verdict, then adjust the calculator for your roof, usage and export assumptions.

Local model Calculator unchanged Quote assumptions checked
Local solar briefing

Solar in RM8: worth checking with local numbers before trusting a generic quote.

This is a modelled local view, not a promise of savings. Use it as a quick sense-check before comparing installer quotes for RM8.

Typical system
4.0 kW
starting point
Annual benefit
£671
before battery costs
Payback estimate
10.9 years
panel-only baseline
Postcode verdict
Roof direction matters
local model
Local context

Why RM8 differs

South-facing yield is close to the Eastern median, so roof size, usage and tariff assumptions do most of the work.

The starting system size is 4.0 kW, which is smaller than the regional typical size of 5.0 kW.

Local housing mix looks suitable for a postcode-level estimate, but your actual roof still matters more than the area average.

Battery payback depends heavily on evening use, export tariff and whether the installer has assumed optimistic self-consumption.

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
10.9 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£7,307
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£671
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£9,465
After paying itself off, you're this much ahead

Ready to Get Started?

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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.

Before you sign

What to challenge in solar quotes for RM8

Use the calculator above as a baseline, then ask installers to explain where their quote differs from the local assumptions.

If the proposed system is much larger than 4.0 kW, ask why it fits your roof and usage.

Compare payback with and without a battery before accepting a bundled quote.

Check which Smart Export Guarantee tariff is assumed. The calculator baseline uses 10p/kWh.

Confirm who handles MCS certification and DNO/G98/G99 paperwork before comparing finance or warranties.

Compare quotes Check MCS DNO, G98 and G99
New quote check

Want a quote sanity check for RM8?

Share the first part of your postcode and a few basics. We’ll help you check whether system size, battery, export and paperwork assumptions look sensible before you commit to installer conversations.

This is a practical sanity-check request, not an instant quote promise. The Blue Ape quote route above remains available if you already want installer introductions.

Request a quote sanity check →

Insights for RM8

Figures below are tailored to RM8 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1939 of 2182
4.2 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~9 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #1918 of 2996
10.9 years (UK avg 10.8 years)
~£671 /yr • £7,307 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2107 of 2996
29.4% (UK avg 26.6%) drag on savings
£197 fixed • ~£671 /yr value
Aspect Penalty View ranking →
East −21.9% West −20.0%
Typical output loss versus a south-facing roof (lower is better)
Compare areas

Compare RM8 with nearby and similar areas

Nearby postcode areas in Eastern

RM9 (Barking and Dagenham)
≈1.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,013 kWh/kWp · -0% vs RM8
RM6 (Barking and Dagenham)
≈1.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,013 kWh/kWp · +0% vs RM8
RM10 (Barking and Dagenham)
≈2.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,014 kWh/kWp · +0% vs RM8
RM50 (Havering)
≈3.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,014 kWh/kWp · +0% vs RM8
RM7 (Havering)
≈3.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,014 kWh/kWp · +0% vs RM8
RM1 (Havering)
≈4.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,014 kWh/kWp · +0% vs RM8

Similar solar-yield areas

GU31 (East Hampshire)
~1,013 kWh/kWp · +0% vs RM8
CF4 (Cardiff)
~1,013 kWh/kWp · +0% vs RM8
LN11 (East Lindsey)
~1,013 kWh/kWp · +0% vs RM8

Your area in context

In Eastern, the current unit rate is 26.38p/kWh with a 53.94p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 1013 kWh/kW — 4 above the regional median (1009).

Read the full story

A typical roof here lands around 4.0 kW, with most eligible homes comfortably fitting within 3–6 kW. Each kilowatt of panels produces roughly 1013 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
53.9p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
1013 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: £839, Upfront: £9,134, Break-even: 10.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2027 kWh 811 kWh 1216 kWh £214 £122 £335 £3,654 10.9 yrs £3,055
3 kW 3040 kWh 1216 kWh 1824 kWh £321 £182 £503 £5,481 10.9 yrs £4,583
4 kW 4053 kWh 1621 kWh 2432 kWh £428 £243 £671 £7,307 10.9 yrs £6,111
5 kW 5067 kWh 2027 kWh 3040 kWh £535 £304 £839 £9,134 10.9 yrs £7,638
6 kW 6080 kWh 2432 kWh 3648 kWh £642 £365 £1,006 £10,961 10.9 yrs £9,166
7 kW 7093 kWh 2837 kWh 4256 kWh £748 £426 £1,174 £12,788 10.9 yrs £10,694
8 kW 8107 kWh 3243 kWh 4864 kWh £855 £486 £1,342 £14,615 10.9 yrs £12,221

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: £1,005, Upfront: £11,234, 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 2027 kWh 1216 kWh 811 kWh £321 £81 £402 £5,754 14.3 yrs £2,283
3 kW 3040 kWh 1824 kWh 1216 kWh £481 £122 £603 £7,581 12.6 yrs £4,475
4 kW 4053 kWh 2432 kWh 1621 kWh £642 £162 £804 £9,407 11.7 yrs £6,666
5 kW 5067 kWh 3040 kWh 2027 kWh £802 £203 £1,005 £11,234 11.2 yrs £8,858
6 kW 6080 kWh 3648 kWh 2432 kWh £962 £243 £1,206 £13,061 10.8 yrs £11,049
7 kW 7093 kWh 4256 kWh 2837 kWh £1,123 £284 £1,406 £14,888 10.6 yrs £13,241
8 kW 8107 kWh 4864 kWh 3243 kWh £1,283 £324 £1,607 £16,715 10.4 yrs £15,433

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: £1,088, Upfront: £12,634, Break-even: 11.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2027 kWh 1419 kWh 608 kWh £374 £61 £435 £7,154 16.4 yrs £1,547
3 kW 3040 kWh 2128 kWh 912 kWh £561 £91 £653 £8,981 13.8 yrs £4,071
4 kW 4053 kWh 2837 kWh 1216 kWh £748 £122 £870 £10,807 12.4 yrs £6,594
5 kW 5067 kWh 3547 kWh 1520 kWh £936 £152 £1,088 £12,634 11.6 yrs £9,118
6 kW 6080 kWh 4256 kWh 1824 kWh £1,123 £182 £1,305 £14,461 11.1 yrs £11,641
7 kW 7093 kWh 4965 kWh 2128 kWh £1,310 £213 £1,523 £16,288 10.7 yrs £14,165
8 kW 8107 kWh 5675 kWh 2432 kWh £1,497 £243 £1,740 £18,115 10.4 yrs £16,688

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: £1,112, Upfront: £14,384, Break-even: 12.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2027 kWh 1479 kWh 547 kWh £390 £55 £445 £8,904 20.0 yrs £-4
3 kW 3040 kWh 2219 kWh 821 kWh £585 £82 £667 £10,731 16.1 yrs £2,619
4 kW 4053 kWh 2959 kWh 1094 kWh £781 £109 £890 £12,557 14.1 yrs £5,243
5 kW 5067 kWh 3699 kWh 1368 kWh £976 £137 £1,112 £14,384 12.9 yrs £7,866
6 kW 6080 kWh 4438 kWh 1642 kWh £1,171 £164 £1,335 £16,211 12.1 yrs £10,489
7 kW 7093 kWh 5178 kWh 1915 kWh £1,366 £192 £1,557 £18,038 11.6 yrs £13,112
8 kW 8107 kWh 5918 kWh 2189 kWh £1,561 £219 £1,780 £19,865 11.2 yrs £15,735

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: £1,129, Upfront: £16,134, Break-even: 14.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2027 kWh 1520 kWh 507 kWh £401 £51 £452 £10,654 23.6 yrs £-1,621
3 kW 3040 kWh 2280 kWh 760 kWh £601 £76 £677 £12,481 18.4 yrs £1,069
4 kW 4053 kWh 3040 kWh 1013 kWh £802 £101 £903 £14,307 15.8 yrs £3,758
5 kW 5067 kWh 3800 kWh 1267 kWh £1,002 £127 £1,129 £16,134 14.3 yrs £6,448
6 kW 6080 kWh 4560 kWh 1520 kWh £1,203 £152 £1,355 £17,961 13.3 yrs £9,137
7 kW 7093 kWh 5320 kWh 1773 kWh £1,403 £177 £1,581 £19,788 12.5 yrs £11,827
8 kW 8107 kWh 6080 kWh 2027 kWh £1,604 £203 £1,807 £21,615 12.0 yrs £14,516

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: £1,146, Upfront: £18,584, Break-even: 16.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2027 kWh 1561 kWh 466 kWh £412 £47 £458 £13,104 28.6 yrs £-3,938
3 kW 3040 kWh 2341 kWh 699 kWh £617 £70 £687 £14,931 21.7 yrs £-1,182
4 kW 4053 kWh 3121 kWh 932 kWh £823 £93 £917 £16,757 18.3 yrs £1,574
5 kW 5067 kWh 3901 kWh 1165 kWh £1,029 £117 £1,146 £18,584 16.2 yrs £4,330
6 kW 6080 kWh 4682 kWh 1398 kWh £1,235 £140 £1,375 £20,411 14.8 yrs £7,086
7 kW 7093 kWh 5462 kWh 1631 kWh £1,441 £163 £1,604 £22,238 13.9 yrs £9,841
8 kW 8107 kWh 6242 kWh 1865 kWh £1,647 £186 £1,833 £24,065 13.1 yrs £12,597

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.

Seasonal solar output in RM8

Monthly generation per kilowatt of solar panels

kWh 40 Jan 53 Feb 85 Mar 113 Apr 119 May 122 Jun 124 Jul 111 Aug 95 Sep 68 Oct 47 Nov 36 Dec
Best month Worst month Winter (Dec–Feb) Other months

Winter output: 50.7% 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 84 kWh. So a typical 4 kW home system would generate roughly 171 kWh in winter, or 338 kWh in an average month.

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.38p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
53.94p/day
Local Sunshine
1013kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~1013 kWh per year. A typical home uses ~2,700 kWh per year.
Typical System Size
4.0kW
For houses & bungalows in this area

Local Property Data

Property Types

Houses: 74% • Flats: 23% • Bungalows: 1% Based on 10,327 properties

Coverage

Barking and Dagenham (97%)|Redbridge (3%)

Areas Covered

Valence, Whalebone, Becontree, Mayesbrook, Parsloes, Goodmayes, Heath, Eastbrook & Rush Green

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.