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Solar panel cost in Sunderland (SR2)

See realistic solar installation costs, savings and payback for SR2 (Sunderland) 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
£8,139
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£738
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£10,309
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 Northern, the current unit rate is 25.22p/kWh with a 64.29p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 917 kWh/kW — 8 below the regional median (926).

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 917 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 25.2p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
25.2p/kWh
Standing charge
64.3p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
917 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: £738, Upfront: £8,139, 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 1835 kWh 734 kWh 1101 kWh £185 £110 £295 £3,256 11.0 yrs £2,648
3 kW 2752 kWh 1101 kWh 1651 kWh £278 £165 £443 £4,883 11.0 yrs £3,972
4 kW 3669 kWh 1468 kWh 2202 kWh £370 £220 £590 £6,511 11.0 yrs £5,296
5 kW 4587 kWh 1835 kWh 2752 kWh £463 £275 £738 £8,139 11.0 yrs £6,620
6 kW 5504 kWh 2202 kWh 3302 kWh £555 £330 £885 £9,767 11.0 yrs £7,943
7 kW 6421 kWh 2569 kWh 3853 kWh £648 £385 £1,033 £11,394 11.0 yrs £9,267
8 kW 7339 kWh 2936 kWh 4403 kWh £740 £440 £1,181 £13,022 11.0 yrs £10,591

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: £878, Upfront: £10,239, 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 1835 kWh 1101 kWh 734 kWh £278 £73 £351 £5,356 15.3 yrs £1,665
3 kW 2752 kWh 1651 kWh 1101 kWh £416 £110 £527 £6,983 13.3 yrs £3,547
4 kW 3669 kWh 2202 kWh 1468 kWh £555 £147 £702 £8,611 12.3 yrs £5,430
5 kW 4587 kWh 2752 kWh 1835 kWh £694 £183 £878 £10,239 11.7 yrs £7,312
6 kW 5504 kWh 3302 kWh 2202 kWh £833 £220 £1,053 £11,867 11.3 yrs £9,194
7 kW 6421 kWh 3853 kWh 2569 kWh £972 £257 £1,229 £13,494 11.0 yrs £11,077
8 kW 7339 kWh 4403 kWh 2936 kWh £1,111 £294 £1,404 £15,122 10.8 yrs £12,959

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: £947, Upfront: £11,639, Break-even: 12.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1835 kWh 1284 kWh 550 kWh £324 £55 £379 £6,756 17.8 yrs £823
3 kW 2752 kWh 1926 kWh 826 kWh £486 £83 £568 £8,383 14.7 yrs £2,985
4 kW 3669 kWh 2569 kWh 1101 kWh £648 £110 £758 £10,011 13.2 yrs £5,147
5 kW 4587 kWh 3211 kWh 1376 kWh £810 £138 £947 £11,639 12.3 yrs £7,308
6 kW 5504 kWh 3853 kWh 1651 kWh £972 £165 £1,137 £13,267 11.7 yrs £9,470
7 kW 6421 kWh 4495 kWh 1926 kWh £1,134 £193 £1,326 £14,894 11.2 yrs £11,631
8 kW 7339 kWh 5137 kWh 2202 kWh £1,296 £220 £1,516 £16,522 10.9 yrs £13,793

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: £968, Upfront: £13,389, Break-even: 13.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1835 kWh 1339 kWh 495 kWh £338 £50 £387 £8,506 22.0 yrs £-759
3 kW 2752 kWh 2009 kWh 743 kWh £507 £74 £581 £10,133 17.4 yrs £1,486
4 kW 3669 kWh 2679 kWh 991 kWh £676 £99 £775 £11,761 15.2 yrs £3,732
5 kW 4587 kWh 3348 kWh 1238 kWh £844 £124 £968 £13,389 13.8 yrs £5,977
6 kW 5504 kWh 4018 kWh 1486 kWh £1,013 £149 £1,162 £15,017 12.9 yrs £8,222
7 kW 6421 kWh 4688 kWh 1734 kWh £1,182 £173 £1,356 £16,644 12.3 yrs £10,468
8 kW 7339 kWh 5357 kWh 1981 kWh £1,351 £198 £1,549 £18,272 11.8 yrs £12,713

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: £982, Upfront: £15,139, Break-even: 15.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1835 kWh 1376 kWh 459 kWh £347 £46 £393 £10,256 26.1 yrs £-2,397
3 kW 2752 kWh 2064 kWh 688 kWh £521 £69 £589 £11,883 20.2 yrs £-96
4 kW 3669 kWh 2752 kWh 917 kWh £694 £92 £786 £13,511 17.2 yrs £2,205
5 kW 4587 kWh 3440 kWh 1147 kWh £868 £115 £982 £15,139 15.4 yrs £4,506
6 kW 5504 kWh 4128 kWh 1376 kWh £1,041 £138 £1,179 £16,767 14.2 yrs £6,808
7 kW 6421 kWh 4816 kWh 1605 kWh £1,215 £161 £1,375 £18,394 13.4 yrs £9,109
8 kW 7339 kWh 5504 kWh 1835 kWh £1,388 £183 £1,572 £20,022 12.7 yrs £11,410

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: £996, Upfront: £17,589, Break-even: 17.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1835 kWh 1413 kWh 422 kWh £356 £42 £398 £12,706 31.9 yrs £-4,736
3 kW 2752 kWh 2119 kWh 633 kWh £534 £63 £598 £14,333 24.0 yrs £-2,379
4 kW 3669 kWh 2825 kWh 844 kWh £713 £84 £797 £15,961 20.0 yrs £-22
5 kW 4587 kWh 3532 kWh 1055 kWh £891 £105 £996 £17,589 17.7 yrs £2,335
6 kW 5504 kWh 4238 kWh 1266 kWh £1,069 £127 £1,195 £19,217 16.1 yrs £4,693
7 kW 6421 kWh 4945 kWh 1477 kWh £1,247 £148 £1,395 £20,844 14.9 yrs £7,050
8 kW 7339 kWh 5651 kWh 1688 kWh £1,425 £169 £1,594 £22,472 14.1 yrs £9,407

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 Sunderland

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 SR2

Figures below are tailored to SR2 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1234 of 2182
4.9 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~10 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #2023 of 2996
11.0 years (UK avg 10.8 years)
~£738 /yr • £8,139 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2396 of 2996
31.8% (UK avg 26.6%) drag on savings
£235 fixed • ~£738 /yr value
Aspect Penalty View ranking →
East −23.0% West −21.7%
Typical output loss versus a south-facing roof (lower is better)

Seasonal solar output in SR2

Monthly generation per kilowatt of solar panels

kWh 34 Jan 48 Feb 81 Mar 107 Apr 118 May 111 Jun 112 Jul 101 Aug 84 Sep 56 Oct 37 Nov 29 Dec
Best month Worst month Winter (Dec–Feb) Other months

Winter output: 48.1% 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 37 kWh per month; the average month produces around 76 kWh. So a typical 4 kW home system would generate roughly 147 kWh in winter, or 306 kWh in an average month.

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.22p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
64.29p/day
Local Sunshine
917kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~917 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: 55% • Flats: 26% • Bungalows: 18% Based on 12,562 properties

Coverage

Sunderland (100%)

Areas Covered

Ryhope, St Michael's, Hendon, Millfield, Southwick, Doxford, Silksworth, Barnes

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 Northern

SR1 (Sunderland)
≈1.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~916 kWh/kWp · -0% vs SR2
SR3 (Sunderland)
≈3.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~907 kWh/kWp · -1% vs SR2
SR4 (Sunderland)
≈3.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~941 kWh/kWp · +3% vs SR2
SR43 (Sunderland)
≈3.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~941 kWh/kWp · +3% vs SR2
SR9 (Sunderland)
≈4.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~904 kWh/kWp · -1% vs SR2
SR6 (Sunderland)
≈4.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~913 kWh/kWp · -0% vs SR2

Similar sunshine across the UK

LS17 (Leeds)
~918 kWh/kWp · +0% vs SR2
L40 (West Lancashire)
~917 kWh/kWp · -0% vs SR2
BT24 (Newry, Mourne and Down)
~917 kWh/kWp · -0% vs SR2