Independent solar numbers for your postcode using official UK data
Home Regions Guides
Insights
Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag Roof Direction Penalty Winter Solar Reality

Solar panel cost in Cheshire East (SK11)

See realistic solar installation costs, savings and payback for SK11 (Cheshire East) 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
14.2 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£8,138
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£575
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£6,233
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 North West, the current unit rate is 28.45p/kWh with a 52.22p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 827 kWh/kW — 43 below the regional median (870).

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 827 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 28.4p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
28.4p/kWh
Standing charge
52.2p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
827 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: £719, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 14.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1654 kWh 661 kWh 992 kWh £188 £99 £287 £4,069 14.2 yrs £1,679
3 kW 2481 kWh 992 kWh 1488 kWh £282 £149 £431 £6,104 14.2 yrs £2,519
4 kW 3307 kWh 1323 kWh 1984 kWh £376 £198 £575 £8,138 14.2 yrs £3,359
5 kW 4134 kWh 1654 kWh 2481 kWh £470 £248 £719 £10,173 14.2 yrs £4,198
6 kW 4961 kWh 1984 kWh 2977 kWh £565 £298 £862 £12,207 14.2 yrs £5,038
7 kW 5788 kWh 2315 kWh 3473 kWh £659 £347 £1,006 £14,242 14.2 yrs £5,878
8 kW 6615 kWh 2646 kWh 3969 kWh £753 £397 £1,150 £16,276 14.2 yrs £6,717

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: £871, Upfront: £12,273, 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 1654 kWh 992 kWh 661 kWh £282 £66 £348 £6,169 17.7 yrs £800
3 kW 2481 kWh 1488 kWh 992 kWh £423 £99 £523 £8,204 15.7 yrs £2,250
4 kW 3307 kWh 1984 kWh 1323 kWh £565 £132 £697 £10,238 14.7 yrs £3,700
5 kW 4134 kWh 2481 kWh 1654 kWh £706 £165 £871 £12,273 14.1 yrs £5,149
6 kW 4961 kWh 2977 kWh 1984 kWh £847 £198 £1,045 £14,307 13.7 yrs £6,599
7 kW 5788 kWh 3473 kWh 2315 kWh £988 £232 £1,220 £16,342 13.4 yrs £8,049
8 kW 6615 kWh 3969 kWh 2646 kWh £1,129 £265 £1,394 £18,376 13.2 yrs £9,499

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: £947, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 14.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1654 kWh 1158 kWh 496 kWh £329 £50 £379 £7,569 20.0 yrs £10
3 kW 2481 kWh 1736 kWh 744 kWh £494 £74 £568 £9,604 16.9 yrs £1,765
4 kW 3307 kWh 2315 kWh 992 kWh £659 £99 £758 £11,638 15.4 yrs £3,520
5 kW 4134 kWh 2894 kWh 1240 kWh £823 £124 £947 £13,673 14.4 yrs £5,275
6 kW 4961 kWh 3473 kWh 1488 kWh £988 £149 £1,137 £15,707 13.8 yrs £7,030
7 kW 5788 kWh 4052 kWh 1736 kWh £1,153 £174 £1,326 £17,742 13.4 yrs £8,785
8 kW 6615 kWh 4630 kWh 1984 kWh £1,317 £198 £1,516 £19,776 13.0 yrs £10,540

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: £970, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 15.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1654 kWh 1207 kWh 447 kWh £343 £45 £388 £9,319 24.0 yrs £-1,557
3 kW 2481 kWh 1811 kWh 670 kWh £515 £67 £582 £11,354 19.5 yrs £290
4 kW 3307 kWh 2414 kWh 893 kWh £687 £89 £776 £13,388 17.2 yrs £2,136
5 kW 4134 kWh 3018 kWh 1116 kWh £859 £112 £970 £15,423 15.9 yrs £3,983
6 kW 4961 kWh 3622 kWh 1340 kWh £1,030 £134 £1,164 £17,457 15.0 yrs £5,829
7 kW 5788 kWh 4225 kWh 1563 kWh £1,202 £156 £1,358 £19,492 14.3 yrs £7,676
8 kW 6615 kWh 4829 kWh 1786 kWh £1,374 £179 £1,552 £21,526 13.9 yrs £9,522

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: £986, Upfront: £17,173, 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 1654 kWh 1240 kWh 413 kWh £353 £41 £394 £11,069 28.1 yrs £-3,185
3 kW 2481 kWh 1860 kWh 620 kWh £529 £62 £591 £13,104 22.2 yrs £-1,277
4 kW 3307 kWh 2481 kWh 827 kWh £706 £83 £788 £15,138 19.2 yrs £630
5 kW 4134 kWh 3101 kWh 1034 kWh £882 £103 £986 £17,173 17.4 yrs £2,538
6 kW 4961 kWh 3721 kWh 1240 kWh £1,059 £124 £1,183 £19,207 16.2 yrs £4,445
7 kW 5788 kWh 4341 kWh 1447 kWh £1,235 £145 £1,380 £21,242 15.4 yrs £6,353
8 kW 6615 kWh 4961 kWh 1654 kWh £1,411 £165 £1,577 £23,276 14.8 yrs £8,260

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: £1,001, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 19.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1654 kWh 1273 kWh 380 kWh £362 £38 £400 £13,519 33.8 yrs £-5,513
3 kW 2481 kWh 1910 kWh 571 kWh £543 £57 £600 £15,554 25.9 yrs £-3,544
4 kW 3307 kWh 2547 kWh 761 kWh £725 £76 £801 £17,588 22.0 yrs £-1,576
5 kW 4134 kWh 3183 kWh 951 kWh £906 £95 £1,001 £19,623 19.6 yrs £393
6 kW 4961 kWh 3820 kWh 1141 kWh £1,087 £114 £1,201 £21,657 18.0 yrs £2,361
7 kW 5788 kWh 4457 kWh 1331 kWh £1,268 £133 £1,401 £23,692 16.9 yrs £4,330
8 kW 6615 kWh 5093 kWh 1521 kWh £1,449 £152 £1,601 £25,726 16.1 yrs £6,299

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 SK11

Figures below are tailored to SK11 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1721 of 2182
4.5 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~10 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #2734 of 2997
14.2 years (UK avg 12.6 years)
~£575 /yr • £8,138 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2621 of 2997
33.1% (UK avg 24.6%) drag on savings
£191 fixed • ~£575 /yr value
Aspect Penalty View ranking →
East −17.7% West −18.3%
Typical output loss versus a south-facing roof (lower is better)

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
28.45p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
52.22p/day
Local Sunshine
827kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~827 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: 69% • Flats: 17% • Bungalows: 13% Based on 12,189 properties

Coverage

Cheshire East (98%)|Staffordshire Moorlands (2%)

Areas Covered

Macclesfield Central, Macclesfield South, Gawsworth, Macclesfield West and Ivy, Sutton, Macclesfield East, Chelford, Horton + 4 more

Data Sources & Assumptions

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

Electricity rates: Ofgem price cap, Q1 2026

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 North West

SK10 (Cheshire East)
≈1.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~839 kWh/kWp · +1% vs SK11
SK9 (Cheshire East)
≈10.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~872 kWh/kWp · +5% vs SK11
SK7 (Stockport)
≈13.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~861 kWh/kWp · +4% vs SK11
SK12 (High Peak)
≈13.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~847 kWh/kWp · +2% vs SK11
SK17 (High Peak)
≈14.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~898 kWh/kWp · +9% vs SK11
SK23 (High Peak)
≈15.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~881 kWh/kWp · +7% vs SK11

Similar sunshine across the UK

BT48 (Derry City and Strabane)
~827 kWh/kWp · -0% vs SK11
PA69 (Argyll and Bute)
~827 kWh/kWp · +0% vs SK11
BT79 (Fermanagh and Omagh)
~827 kWh/kWp · -0% vs SK11