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Solar panel cost in Sutton (SM3)

See realistic solar installation costs, savings and payback for SM3 (Sutton) 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
9.8 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£8,139
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£829
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£12,592
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 South East, the current unit rate is 26.67p/kWh with a 54.45p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 995 kWh/kW — 34 below the regional median (1029).

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 995 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 26.7p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
26.7p/kWh
Standing charge
54.5p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
995 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: £829, Upfront: £8,139, Break-even: 9.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1990 kWh 796 kWh 1194 kWh £212 £119 £332 £3,256 9.8 yrs £3,378
3 kW 2985 kWh 1194 kWh 1791 kWh £318 £179 £498 £4,883 9.8 yrs £5,067
4 kW 3980 kWh 1592 kWh 2388 kWh £425 £239 £663 £6,511 9.8 yrs £6,757
5 kW 4975 kWh 1990 kWh 2985 kWh £531 £298 £829 £8,139 9.8 yrs £8,446
6 kW 5970 kWh 2388 kWh 3582 kWh £637 £358 £995 £9,767 9.8 yrs £10,135
7 kW 6965 kWh 2786 kWh 4179 kWh £743 £418 £1,161 £11,394 9.8 yrs £11,824
8 kW 7960 kWh 3184 kWh 4776 kWh £849 £478 £1,327 £13,022 9.8 yrs £13,513

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: £995, Upfront: £10,239, Break-even: 10.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1990 kWh 1194 kWh 796 kWh £318 £80 £398 £5,356 13.5 yrs £2,605
3 kW 2985 kWh 1791 kWh 1194 kWh £478 £119 £597 £6,983 11.7 yrs £4,958
4 kW 3980 kWh 2388 kWh 1592 kWh £637 £159 £796 £8,611 10.8 yrs £7,310
5 kW 4975 kWh 2985 kWh 1990 kWh £796 £199 £995 £10,239 10.3 yrs £9,663
6 kW 5970 kWh 3582 kWh 2388 kWh £955 £239 £1,194 £11,867 9.9 yrs £12,016
7 kW 6965 kWh 4179 kWh 2786 kWh £1,115 £279 £1,393 £13,494 9.7 yrs £14,368
8 kW 7960 kWh 4776 kWh 3184 kWh £1,274 £318 £1,592 £15,122 9.5 yrs £16,721

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: £1,078, Upfront: £11,639, Break-even: 10.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1990 kWh 1393 kWh 597 kWh £372 £60 £431 £6,756 15.7 yrs £1,869
3 kW 2985 kWh 2089 kWh 895 kWh £557 £90 £647 £8,383 13.0 yrs £4,553
4 kW 3980 kWh 2786 kWh 1194 kWh £743 £119 £862 £10,011 11.6 yrs £7,237
5 kW 4975 kWh 3482 kWh 1492 kWh £929 £149 £1,078 £11,639 10.8 yrs £9,922
6 kW 5970 kWh 4179 kWh 1791 kWh £1,115 £179 £1,294 £13,267 10.3 yrs £12,606
7 kW 6965 kWh 4875 kWh 2089 kWh £1,300 £209 £1,509 £14,894 9.9 yrs £15,290
8 kW 7960 kWh 5572 kWh 2388 kWh £1,486 £239 £1,725 £16,522 9.6 yrs £17,975

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: £1,103, Upfront: £13,389, Break-even: 12.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1990 kWh 1453 kWh 537 kWh £387 £54 £441 £8,506 19.3 yrs £318
3 kW 2985 kWh 2179 kWh 806 kWh £581 £81 £662 £10,133 15.3 yrs £3,102
4 kW 3980 kWh 2905 kWh 1075 kWh £775 £107 £882 £11,761 13.3 yrs £5,885
5 kW 4975 kWh 3632 kWh 1343 kWh £969 £134 £1,103 £13,389 12.1 yrs £8,669
6 kW 5970 kWh 4358 kWh 1612 kWh £1,162 £161 £1,323 £15,017 11.3 yrs £11,453
7 kW 6965 kWh 5084 kWh 1881 kWh £1,356 £188 £1,544 £16,644 10.8 yrs £14,237
8 kW 7960 kWh 5811 kWh 2149 kWh £1,550 £215 £1,765 £18,272 10.4 yrs £17,021

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: £1,119, Upfront: £15,139, Break-even: 13.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1990 kWh 1492 kWh 497 kWh £398 £50 £448 £10,256 22.9 yrs £-1,300
3 kW 2985 kWh 2239 kWh 746 kWh £597 £75 £672 £11,883 17.7 yrs £1,551
4 kW 3980 kWh 2985 kWh 995 kWh £796 £99 £896 £13,511 15.1 yrs £4,401
5 kW 4975 kWh 3731 kWh 1244 kWh £995 £124 £1,119 £15,139 13.5 yrs £7,251
6 kW 5970 kWh 4477 kWh 1492 kWh £1,194 £149 £1,343 £16,767 12.5 yrs £10,101
7 kW 6965 kWh 5224 kWh 1741 kWh £1,393 £174 £1,567 £18,394 11.7 yrs £12,951
8 kW 7960 kWh 5970 kWh 1990 kWh £1,592 £199 £1,791 £20,022 11.2 yrs £15,802

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: £1,136, Upfront: £17,589, 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 1990 kWh 1532 kWh 458 kWh £409 £46 £454 £12,706 28.0 yrs £-3,617
3 kW 2985 kWh 2298 kWh 687 kWh £613 £69 £682 £14,333 21.0 yrs £-700
4 kW 3980 kWh 3065 kWh 915 kWh £817 £92 £909 £15,961 17.6 yrs £2,216
5 kW 4975 kWh 3831 kWh 1144 kWh £1,022 £114 £1,136 £17,589 15.5 yrs £5,133
6 kW 5970 kWh 4597 kWh 1373 kWh £1,226 £137 £1,363 £19,217 14.1 yrs £8,049
7 kW 6965 kWh 5363 kWh 1602 kWh £1,430 £160 £1,591 £20,844 13.1 yrs £10,966
8 kW 7960 kWh 6129 kWh 1831 kWh £1,635 £183 £1,818 £22,472 12.4 yrs £13,882

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 Sutton

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 SM3

Figures below are tailored to SM3 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1458 of 2182
4.7 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~10 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #725 of 2996
9.8 years (UK avg 10.8 years)
~£829 /yr • £8,139 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #1237 of 2996
24.0% (UK avg 26.6%) drag on savings
£199 fixed • ~£829 /yr value
Aspect Penalty View ranking →
East −21.2% West −19.5%
Typical output loss versus a south-facing roof (lower is better)

Seasonal solar output in SM3

Monthly generation per kilowatt of solar panels

kWh 39 Jan 51 Feb 84 Mar 112 Apr 118 May 120 Jun 122 Jul 109 Aug 93 Sep 67 Oct 45 Nov 34 Dec
Best month Worst month Winter (Dec–Feb) Other months

Winter output: 49.8% 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 83 kWh. So a typical 4 kW home system would generate roughly 165 kWh in winter, or 332 kWh in an average month.

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.67p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
54.45p/day
Local Sunshine
995kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~995 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: 62% • Flats: 33% • Bungalows: 1% Based on 4,542 properties

Coverage

Sutton (98%)|Epsom and Ewell (1%)|Merton (1%)

Areas Covered

Stonecot, Cheam, North Cheam, Sutton Central, Worcester Park South, Nonsuch, Lower Morden, Wallington North

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 South East

SM1 (Sutton)
≈1.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~995 kWh/kWp · -0% vs SM3
KT4 (Sutton)
≈2.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~998 kWh/kWp · +0% vs SM3
SM2 (Sutton)
≈2.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~995 kWh/kWp · -0% vs SM3
SM5 (Sutton)
≈3.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~995 kWh/kWp · +0% vs SM3
KT19 (Epsom and Ewell)
≈4.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~996 kWh/kWp · +0% vs SM3
SM6 (Sutton)
≈4.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~995 kWh/kWp · -0% vs SM3

Similar sunshine across the UK

SW13 (Richmond upon Thames)
~995 kWh/kWp · -0% vs SM3
GU24 (Surrey Heath)
~995 kWh/kWp · -0% vs SM3
SG1 (Stevenage)
~995 kWh/kWp · -0% vs SM3