Solar explained to clever people by people who are not trying to be clever
Home Regions
Insights
Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in SA1 (Swansea)

See if solar pays off for you in Swansea — price, savings and payback in under a minute (official UK data).

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
12.4 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£8,138
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£658
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£8,300
After paying itself off, you're this much ahead

Ready to Get Started?

Get your free quote from Blue Ape Renewables. They'll connect you with MCS-certified installers in your area and handle all the paperwork.

Get Solar Quote →
4.8★ Trustpilot • Octopus Energy trusted partner • MCS certified • No obligation
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: Bigger systems don’t shorten payback—cost and savings rise together per kW.
  • 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

Costs: Battery prices are typically £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 South Wales, the current unit rate is 26.83p/kWh with a 51.69p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 982 kWh/kW — 14 above the regional median (968).

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 982 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 26.8p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
26.8p/kWh
Standing charge
51.7p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
982 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: £822, Upfront: £10,173, 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 1965 kWh 786 kWh 1179 kWh £211 £118 £329 £4,069 12.4 yrs £2,506
3 kW 2947 kWh 1179 kWh 1768 kWh £316 £177 £493 £6,104 12.4 yrs £3,759
4 kW 3930 kWh 1572 kWh 2358 kWh £422 £236 £658 £8,138 12.4 yrs £5,012
5 kW 4912 kWh 1965 kWh 2947 kWh £527 £295 £822 £10,173 12.4 yrs £6,265
6 kW 5895 kWh 2358 kWh 3537 kWh £633 £354 £986 £12,207 12.4 yrs £7,519
7 kW 6877 kWh 2751 kWh 4126 kWh £738 £413 £1,151 £14,242 12.4 yrs £8,772
8 kW 7859 kWh 3144 kWh 4716 kWh £843 £472 £1,315 £16,276 12.4 yrs £10,025

Assumptions: south-facing, sensible tilt; self-use shares from site rules; export at 10p baseline. Costs: panels £/kW = 2,035, battery £/kWh = 700.

3 kWh battery 5 kW example → Annual benefit: £987, Upfront: £12,273, 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 1965 kWh 1179 kWh 786 kWh £316 £79 £395 £6,169 15.6 yrs £1,729
3 kW 2947 kWh 1768 kWh 1179 kWh £474 £118 £592 £8,204 13.8 yrs £3,643
4 kW 3930 kWh 2358 kWh 1572 kWh £633 £157 £790 £10,238 13.0 yrs £5,558
5 kW 4912 kWh 2947 kWh 1965 kWh £791 £196 £987 £12,273 12.4 yrs £7,472
6 kW 5895 kWh 3537 kWh 2358 kWh £949 £236 £1,185 £14,307 12.1 yrs £9,387
7 kW 6877 kWh 4126 kWh 2751 kWh £1,107 £275 £1,382 £16,342 11.8 yrs £11,301
8 kW 7859 kWh 4716 kWh 3144 kWh £1,265 £314 £1,580 £18,376 11.6 yrs £13,216

Assumptions: south-facing, sensible tilt; self-use shares from site rules; export at 10p baseline. Costs: panels £/kW = 2,035, battery £/kWh = 700.

5 kWh battery 5 kW example → Annual benefit: £1,070, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 12.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1965 kWh 1375 kWh 589 kWh £369 £59 £428 £7,569 17.7 yrs £990
3 kW 2947 kWh 2063 kWh 884 kWh £554 £88 £642 £9,604 15.0 yrs £3,235
4 kW 3930 kWh 2751 kWh 1179 kWh £738 £118 £856 £11,638 13.6 yrs £5,481
5 kW 4912 kWh 3439 kWh 1474 kWh £923 £147 £1,070 £13,673 12.8 yrs £7,726
6 kW 5895 kWh 4126 kWh 1768 kWh £1,107 £177 £1,284 £15,707 12.2 yrs £9,971
7 kW 6877 kWh 4814 kWh 2063 kWh £1,292 £206 £1,498 £17,742 11.8 yrs £12,216
8 kW 7859 kWh 5502 kWh 2358 kWh £1,476 £236 £1,712 £19,776 11.6 yrs £14,461

Assumptions: south-facing, sensible tilt; self-use shares from site rules; export at 10p baseline. Costs: panels £/kW = 2,035, battery £/kWh = 700.

7.5 kWh battery 5 kW example → Annual benefit: £1,095, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 14.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1965 kWh 1434 kWh 531 kWh £385 £53 £438 £9,319 21.3 yrs £-561
3 kW 2947 kWh 2152 kWh 796 kWh £577 £80 £657 £11,354 17.3 yrs £1,783
4 kW 3930 kWh 2869 kWh 1061 kWh £770 £106 £876 £13,388 15.3 yrs £4,127
5 kW 4912 kWh 3586 kWh 1326 kWh £962 £133 £1,095 £15,423 14.1 yrs £6,472
6 kW 5895 kWh 4303 kWh 1592 kWh £1,155 £159 £1,314 £17,457 13.3 yrs £8,816
7 kW 6877 kWh 5020 kWh 1857 kWh £1,347 £186 £1,533 £19,492 12.7 yrs £11,161
8 kW 7859 kWh 5737 kWh 2122 kWh £1,539 £212 £1,752 £21,526 12.3 yrs £13,505

Assumptions: south-facing, sensible tilt; self-use shares from site rules; export at 10p baseline. Costs: panels £/kW = 2,035, battery £/kWh = 700.

10 kWh battery 5 kW example → Annual benefit: £1,111, Upfront: £17,173, 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 1965 kWh 1474 kWh 491 kWh £395 £49 £445 £11,069 24.9 yrs £-2,179
3 kW 2947 kWh 2210 kWh 737 kWh £593 £74 £667 £13,104 19.7 yrs £231
4 kW 3930 kWh 2947 kWh 982 kWh £791 £98 £889 £15,138 17.0 yrs £2,642
5 kW 4912 kWh 3684 kWh 1228 kWh £988 £123 £1,111 £17,173 15.5 yrs £5,052
6 kW 5895 kWh 4421 kWh 1474 kWh £1,186 £147 £1,334 £19,207 14.4 yrs £7,463
7 kW 6877 kWh 5158 kWh 1719 kWh £1,384 £172 £1,556 £21,242 13.7 yrs £9,873
8 kW 7859 kWh 5895 kWh 1965 kWh £1,582 £196 £1,778 £23,276 13.1 yrs £12,284

Assumptions: south-facing, sensible tilt; self-use shares from site rules; export at 10p baseline. Costs: panels £/kW = 2,035, battery £/kWh = 700.

13.5 kWh battery 5 kW example → Annual benefit: £1,128, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 17.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1965 kWh 1513 kWh 452 kWh £406 £45 £451 £13,519 30.0 yrs £-4,497
3 kW 2947 kWh 2269 kWh 678 kWh £609 £68 £677 £15,554 23.0 yrs £-2,020
4 kW 3930 kWh 3026 kWh 904 kWh £812 £90 £902 £17,588 19.5 yrs £457
5 kW 4912 kWh 3782 kWh 1130 kWh £1,015 £113 £1,128 £19,623 17.4 yrs £2,933
6 kW 5895 kWh 4539 kWh 1356 kWh £1,218 £136 £1,353 £21,657 16.0 yrs £5,410
7 kW 6877 kWh 5295 kWh 1582 kWh £1,421 £158 £1,579 £23,692 15.0 yrs £7,886
8 kW 7859 kWh 6052 kWh 1808 kWh £1,624 £181 £1,804 £25,726 14.3 yrs £10,363

Assumptions: south-facing, sensible tilt; self-use shares from site rules; export at 10p baseline. Costs: panels £/kW = 2,035, 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.

Insights for SA1

Figures below are tailored to SA1 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1992 of 2182
4.1 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~9 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #1056 of 2997
10.8 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£757 /yr • £8,138 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2199 of 2997
24.9% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£189 fixed • ~£757 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.83p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
51.69p/day
Local Sunshine
982kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~982 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: 54% • Flats: 43% • Bungalows: 1% Based on 16,984 properties

Coverage

Swansea (99%)|Neath Port Talbot (1%)

Areas Covered

Castle, Llansamlet, Waterfront, Uplands, Bôn-y-maen, Landore, Townhill, St Thomas + 4 more

Data Sources & Assumptions

Solar yield: PVGIS (EU Joint Research Centre), January 2025 data

Electricity rates: Ofgem price cap, Q4 2025

Installation costs: MCS certified installer data, March 2025

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 South Wales

SA80 (Swansea)
≈2.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~982 kWh/kWp · -0% vs SA1
SA5 (Swansea)
≈3.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~989 kWh/kWp · +1% vs SA1
SA2 (Swansea)
≈3.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~988 kWh/kWp · +1% vs SA1
SA99 (Swansea)
≈5.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~968 kWh/kWp · -1% vs SA1
SA6 (Swansea)
≈5.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~968 kWh/kWp · -1% vs SA1
SA7 (Swansea)
≈5.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~968 kWh/kWp · -1% vs SA1

Similar sunshine across the UK

DN34 (North East Lincolnshire)
~982 kWh/kWp · -0% vs SA1
GL7 (Cotswold)
~982 kWh/kWp · -0% vs SA1
HP19 (Buckinghamshire)
~982 kWh/kWp · -0% vs SA1