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Solar panel cost in Sutton (SM5)

See realistic solar installation costs, savings and payback for SM5 (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
11.0 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£7,307
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£663
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£9,279
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 4.0 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: £9,134, Break-even: 11.0 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 £3,654 11.0 yrs £2,981
3 kW 2985 kWh 1194 kWh 1791 kWh £318 £179 £498 £5,481 11.0 yrs £4,472
4 kW 3981 kWh 1592 kWh 2388 kWh £425 £239 £663 £7,307 11.0 yrs £5,962
5 kW 4976 kWh 1990 kWh 2985 kWh £531 £299 £829 £9,134 11.0 yrs £7,453
6 kW 5971 kWh 2388 kWh 3582 kWh £637 £358 £995 £10,961 11.0 yrs £8,943
7 kW 6966 kWh 2786 kWh 4180 kWh £743 £418 £1,161 £12,788 11.0 yrs £10,434
8 kW 7961 kWh 3184 kWh 4777 kWh £849 £478 £1,327 £14,615 11.0 yrs £11,924

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: £995, Upfront: £11,234, Break-even: 11.3 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 £5,754 14.5 yrs £2,208
3 kW 2985 kWh 1791 kWh 1194 kWh £478 £119 £597 £7,581 12.7 yrs £4,362
4 kW 3981 kWh 2388 kWh 1592 kWh £637 £159 £796 £9,407 11.8 yrs £6,516
5 kW 4976 kWh 2985 kWh 1990 kWh £796 £199 £995 £11,234 11.3 yrs £8,670
6 kW 5971 kWh 3582 kWh 2388 kWh £955 £239 £1,194 £13,061 10.9 yrs £10,824
7 kW 6966 kWh 4180 kWh 2786 kWh £1,115 £279 £1,393 £14,888 10.7 yrs £12,979
8 kW 7961 kWh 4777 kWh 3184 kWh £1,274 £318 £1,592 £16,715 10.5 yrs £15,133

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: £1,078, Upfront: £12,634, Break-even: 11.7 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 £7,154 16.6 yrs £1,472
3 kW 2985 kWh 2090 kWh 896 kWh £557 £90 £647 £8,981 13.9 yrs £3,958
4 kW 3981 kWh 2786 kWh 1194 kWh £743 £119 £863 £10,807 12.5 yrs £6,443
5 kW 4976 kWh 3483 kWh 1493 kWh £929 £149 £1,078 £12,634 11.7 yrs £8,929
6 kW 5971 kWh 4180 kWh 1791 kWh £1,115 £179 £1,294 £14,461 11.2 yrs £11,415
7 kW 6966 kWh 4876 kWh 2090 kWh £1,300 £209 £1,509 £16,288 10.8 yrs £13,901
8 kW 7961 kWh 5573 kWh 2388 kWh £1,486 £239 £1,725 £18,115 10.5 yrs £16,387

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: £1,103, Upfront: £14,384, Break-even: 13.0 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 £8,904 20.2 yrs £-79
3 kW 2985 kWh 2179 kWh 806 kWh £581 £81 £662 £10,731 16.2 yrs £2,506
4 kW 3981 kWh 2906 kWh 1075 kWh £775 £107 £882 £12,557 14.2 yrs £5,092
5 kW 4976 kWh 3632 kWh 1343 kWh £969 £134 £1,103 £14,384 13.0 yrs £7,677
6 kW 5971 kWh 4359 kWh 1612 kWh £1,162 £161 £1,324 £16,211 12.2 yrs £10,262
7 kW 6966 kWh 5085 kWh 1881 kWh £1,356 £188 £1,544 £18,038 11.7 yrs £12,848
8 kW 7961 kWh 5812 kWh 2149 kWh £1,550 £215 £1,765 £19,865 11.3 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.

10 kWh battery 5 kW example → Annual benefit: £1,120, Upfront: £16,134, 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 1990 kWh 1493 kWh 498 kWh £398 £50 £448 £10,654 23.8 yrs £-1,697
3 kW 2985 kWh 2239 kWh 746 kWh £597 £75 £672 £12,481 18.6 yrs £955
4 kW 3981 kWh 2985 kWh 995 kWh £796 £100 £896 £14,307 16.0 yrs £3,607
5 kW 4976 kWh 3732 kWh 1244 kWh £995 £124 £1,120 £16,134 14.4 yrs £6,259
6 kW 5971 kWh 4478 kWh 1493 kWh £1,194 £149 £1,344 £17,961 13.4 yrs £8,910
7 kW 6966 kWh 5224 kWh 1741 kWh £1,393 £174 £1,568 £19,788 12.6 yrs £11,562
8 kW 7961 kWh 5971 kWh 1990 kWh £1,592 £199 £1,791 £21,615 12.1 yrs £14,214

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: £1,136, Upfront: £18,584, Break-even: 16.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1990 kWh 1533 kWh 458 kWh £409 £46 £454 £13,104 28.8 yrs £-4,014
3 kW 2985 kWh 2299 kWh 687 kWh £613 £69 £682 £14,931 21.9 yrs £-1,296
4 kW 3981 kWh 3065 kWh 916 kWh £817 £92 £909 £16,757 18.4 yrs £1,422
5 kW 4976 kWh 3831 kWh 1144 kWh £1,022 £114 £1,136 £18,584 16.4 yrs £4,140
6 kW 5971 kWh 4598 kWh 1373 kWh £1,226 £137 £1,363 £20,411 15.0 yrs £6,859
7 kW 6966 kWh 5364 kWh 1602 kWh £1,431 £160 £1,591 £22,238 14.0 yrs £9,577
8 kW 7961 kWh 6130 kWh 1831 kWh £1,635 £183 £1,818 £24,065 13.2 yrs £12,295

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.

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 SM5

Figures below are tailored to SM5 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #2081 of 2182
4.0 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~8 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #2021 of 2996
11.0 years (UK avg 10.8 years)
~£663 /yr • £7,307 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2146 of 2996
30.0% (UK avg 26.6%) drag on savings
£199 fixed • ~£663 /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 SM5

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
4.0kW
For houses & bungalows in this area

Local Property Data

Property Types

Houses: 61% • Flats: 30% • Bungalows: 1% Based on 9,028 properties

Coverage

Sutton (100%)

Areas Covered

Wallington North, Carshalton Central, Carshalton South & Clockhouse, The Wrythe, St Helier West, St Helier East, Wallington South, Hackbridge + 3 more

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

SM6 (Sutton)
≈1.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~995 kWh/kWp · -0% vs SM5
SM1 (Sutton)
≈1.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~995 kWh/kWp · -0% vs SM5
SM2 (Sutton)
≈2.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~995 kWh/kWp · -0% vs SM5
CR44 (Sutton)
≈3.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~990 kWh/kWp · -1% vs SM5
SM3 (Sutton)
≈3.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~995 kWh/kWp · -0% vs SM5
CR90 (Croydon)
≈4.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~990 kWh/kWp · -1% vs SM5

Similar sunshine across the UK

MK16 (Milton Keynes)
~995 kWh/kWp · -0% vs SM5
NG31 (South Kesteven)
~995 kWh/kWp · -0% vs SM5
SW15 (Wandsworth)
~995 kWh/kWp · -0% vs SM5