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Solar panel cost in Rotherham (S26)

See realistic solar installation costs, savings and payback for S26 (Rotherham) 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
10.6 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£8,139
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£768
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£11,069
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 Yorkshire, the current unit rate is 25.31p/kWh with a 64.38p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 953 kWh/kW — 24 above the regional median (929).

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 953 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 25.3p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
25.3p/kWh
Standing charge
64.4p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
953 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: £768, Upfront: £8,139, Break-even: 10.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1906 kWh 762 kWh 1144 kWh £193 £114 £307 £3,256 10.6 yrs £2,891
3 kW 2859 kWh 1144 kWh 1715 kWh £289 £172 £461 £4,883 10.6 yrs £4,337
4 kW 3812 kWh 1525 kWh 2287 kWh £386 £229 £615 £6,511 10.6 yrs £5,782
5 kW 4765 kWh 1906 kWh 2859 kWh £482 £286 £768 £8,139 10.6 yrs £7,228
6 kW 5718 kWh 2287 kWh 3431 kWh £579 £343 £922 £9,767 10.6 yrs £8,673
7 kW 6671 kWh 2668 kWh 4003 kWh £675 £400 £1,076 £11,394 10.6 yrs £10,119
8 kW 7624 kWh 3050 kWh 4574 kWh £772 £457 £1,229 £13,022 10.6 yrs £11,564

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: £914, Upfront: £10,239, 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 1906 kWh 1144 kWh 762 kWh £289 £76 £366 £5,356 14.6 yrs £1,958
3 kW 2859 kWh 1715 kWh 1144 kWh £434 £114 £549 £6,983 12.7 yrs £3,987
4 kW 3812 kWh 2287 kWh 1525 kWh £579 £152 £731 £8,611 11.8 yrs £6,017
5 kW 4765 kWh 2859 kWh 1906 kWh £724 £191 £914 £10,239 11.2 yrs £8,046
6 kW 5718 kWh 3431 kWh 2287 kWh £868 £229 £1,097 £11,867 10.8 yrs £10,075
7 kW 6671 kWh 4003 kWh 2668 kWh £1,013 £267 £1,280 £13,494 10.5 yrs £12,104
8 kW 7624 kWh 4574 kWh 3050 kWh £1,158 £305 £1,463 £15,122 10.3 yrs £14,133

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: £987, Upfront: £11,639, 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 1906 kWh 1334 kWh 572 kWh £338 £57 £395 £6,756 17.1 yrs £1,142
3 kW 2859 kWh 2001 kWh 858 kWh £507 £86 £592 £8,383 14.2 yrs £3,463
4 kW 3812 kWh 2668 kWh 1144 kWh £675 £114 £790 £10,011 12.7 yrs £5,784
5 kW 4765 kWh 3336 kWh 1430 kWh £844 £143 £987 £11,639 11.8 yrs £8,105
6 kW 5718 kWh 4003 kWh 1715 kWh £1,013 £172 £1,185 £13,267 11.2 yrs £10,426
7 kW 6671 kWh 4670 kWh 2001 kWh £1,182 £200 £1,382 £14,894 10.8 yrs £12,747
8 kW 7624 kWh 5337 kWh 2287 kWh £1,351 £229 £1,579 £16,522 10.5 yrs £15,068

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: £1,009, Upfront: £13,389, 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 1906 kWh 1391 kWh 515 kWh £352 £51 £404 £8,506 21.1 yrs £-433
3 kW 2859 kWh 2087 kWh 772 kWh £528 £77 £605 £10,133 16.7 yrs £1,975
4 kW 3812 kWh 2783 kWh 1029 kWh £704 £103 £807 £11,761 14.6 yrs £4,384
5 kW 4765 kWh 3478 kWh 1287 kWh £880 £129 £1,009 £13,389 13.3 yrs £6,792
6 kW 5718 kWh 4174 kWh 1544 kWh £1,056 £154 £1,211 £15,017 12.4 yrs £9,201
7 kW 6671 kWh 4870 kWh 1801 kWh £1,233 £180 £1,413 £16,644 11.8 yrs £11,609
8 kW 7624 kWh 5566 kWh 2059 kWh £1,409 £206 £1,614 £18,272 11.3 yrs £14,018

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: £1,024, Upfront: £15,139, Break-even: 14.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1906 kWh 1430 kWh 477 kWh £362 £48 £409 £10,256 25.0 yrs £-2,066
3 kW 2859 kWh 2144 kWh 715 kWh £543 £71 £614 £11,883 19.3 yrs £401
4 kW 3812 kWh 2859 kWh 953 kWh £724 £95 £819 £13,511 16.5 yrs £2,867
5 kW 4765 kWh 3574 kWh 1191 kWh £905 £119 £1,024 £15,139 14.8 yrs £5,334
6 kW 5718 kWh 4289 kWh 1430 kWh £1,085 £143 £1,228 £16,767 13.6 yrs £7,801
7 kW 6671 kWh 5003 kWh 1668 kWh £1,266 £167 £1,433 £18,394 12.8 yrs £10,268
8 kW 7624 kWh 5718 kWh 1906 kWh £1,447 £191 £1,638 £20,022 12.2 yrs £12,735

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: £1,038, Upfront: £17,589, Break-even: 16.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1906 kWh 1468 kWh 438 kWh £371 £44 £415 £12,706 30.6 yrs £-4,400
3 kW 2859 kWh 2201 kWh 658 kWh £557 £66 £623 £14,333 23.0 yrs £-1,874
4 kW 3812 kWh 2935 kWh 877 kWh £743 £88 £831 £15,961 19.2 yrs £651
5 kW 4765 kWh 3669 kWh 1096 kWh £929 £110 £1,038 £17,589 16.9 yrs £3,176
6 kW 5718 kWh 4403 kWh 1315 kWh £1,114 £132 £1,246 £19,217 15.4 yrs £5,701
7 kW 6671 kWh 5137 kWh 1534 kWh £1,300 £153 £1,454 £20,844 14.3 yrs £8,226
8 kW 7624 kWh 5871 kWh 1754 kWh £1,486 £175 £1,661 £22,472 13.5 yrs £10,752

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 Rotherham

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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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.

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Insights for S26

Figures below are tailored to S26 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #798 of 2182
5.3 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~11 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #1634 of 2996
10.6 years (UK avg 10.8 years)
~£768 /yr • £8,139 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2194 of 2996
30.6% (UK avg 26.6%) drag on savings
£235 fixed • ~£768 /yr value
Aspect Penalty View ranking →
East −21.9% West −20.3%
Typical output loss versus a south-facing roof (lower is better)

Seasonal solar output in S26

Monthly generation per kilowatt of solar panels

kWh 35 Jan 51 Feb 83 Mar 107 Apr 119 May 112 Jun 116 Jul 108 Aug 88 Sep 61 Oct 41 Nov 32 Dec
Best month Worst month Winter (Dec–Feb) Other months

Winter output: 49.2% 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 39 kWh per month; the average month produces around 79 kWh. So a typical 4 kW home system would generate roughly 156 kWh in winter, or 318 kWh in an average month.

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.31p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
64.38p/day
Local Sunshine
953kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~953 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

Houses: 73% • Flats: 8% • Bungalows: 18% Based on 5,871 properties

Coverage

Rotherham (97%)|Doncaster (2%)

Areas Covered

Wales, Aston & Todwick, Aughton & Swallownest, Anston & Woodsetts, Conisbrough, City, Killamarsh West, Sitwell

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 Yorkshire

S31 (Rotherham)
≈1.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~946 kWh/kWp · -1% vs S26
S19 (Sheffield)
≈4.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~935 kWh/kWp · -2% vs S26
S20 (Sheffield)
≈4.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~942 kWh/kWp · -1% vs S26
S25 (Rotherham)
≈5.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~951 kWh/kWp · -0% vs S26
S13 (Sheffield)
≈6.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~932 kWh/kWp · -2% vs S26
S66 (Rotherham)
≈7.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~953 kWh/kWp · -0% vs S26

Similar sunshine across the UK

SA42 (Pembrokeshire)
~953 kWh/kWp · -0% vs S26
L22 (Sefton)
~953 kWh/kWp · -0% vs S26
L23 (Sefton)
~953 kWh/kWp · +0% vs S26