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Solar panel cost in Tunbridge Wells (TN18)

See realistic solar installation costs, savings and payback for TN18 (Tunbridge Wells) 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
9.1 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£9,767
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£1,076
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£17,141
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 1076 kWh/kW — 47 above the regional median (1029).

Read the full story

A typical roof here lands around 6.0 kW, with most eligible homes comfortably fitting within 3–6 kW. Each kilowatt of panels produces roughly 1076 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)
1076 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: £897, Upfront: £8,139, Break-even: 9.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2152 kWh 861 kWh 1291 kWh £230 £129 £359 £3,256 9.1 yrs £3,920
3 kW 3229 kWh 1291 kWh 1937 kWh £344 £194 £538 £4,883 9.1 yrs £5,880
4 kW 4305 kWh 1722 kWh 2583 kWh £459 £258 £718 £6,511 9.1 yrs £7,840
5 kW 5381 kWh 2152 kWh 3229 kWh £574 £323 £897 £8,139 9.1 yrs £9,800
6 kW 6457 kWh 2583 kWh 3874 kWh £689 £387 £1,076 £9,767 9.1 yrs £11,760
7 kW 7534 kWh 3013 kWh 4520 kWh £804 £452 £1,256 £11,394 9.1 yrs £13,720
8 kW 8610 kWh 3444 kWh 5166 kWh £918 £517 £1,435 £13,022 9.1 yrs £15,680

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: £1,076, Upfront: £10,239, Break-even: 9.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2152 kWh 1291 kWh 861 kWh £344 £86 £431 £5,356 12.4 yrs £3,255
3 kW 3229 kWh 1937 kWh 1291 kWh £517 £129 £646 £6,983 10.8 yrs £5,933
4 kW 4305 kWh 2583 kWh 1722 kWh £689 £172 £861 £8,611 10.0 yrs £8,610
5 kW 5381 kWh 3229 kWh 2152 kWh £861 £215 £1,076 £10,239 9.5 yrs £11,288
6 kW 6457 kWh 3874 kWh 2583 kWh £1,033 £258 £1,292 £11,867 9.2 yrs £13,966
7 kW 7534 kWh 4520 kWh 3013 kWh £1,206 £301 £1,507 £13,494 9.0 yrs £16,643
8 kW 8610 kWh 5166 kWh 3444 kWh £1,378 £344 £1,722 £15,122 8.8 yrs £19,321

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: £1,166, Upfront: £11,639, Break-even: 10.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2152 kWh 1507 kWh 646 kWh £402 £65 £466 £6,756 14.5 yrs £2,573
3 kW 3229 kWh 2260 kWh 969 kWh £603 £97 £700 £8,383 12.0 yrs £5,609
4 kW 4305 kWh 3013 kWh 1291 kWh £804 £129 £933 £10,011 10.7 yrs £8,646
5 kW 5381 kWh 3767 kWh 1614 kWh £1,005 £161 £1,166 £11,639 10.0 yrs £11,682
6 kW 6457 kWh 4520 kWh 1937 kWh £1,206 £194 £1,399 £13,267 9.5 yrs £14,718
7 kW 7534 kWh 5274 kWh 2260 kWh £1,406 £226 £1,632 £14,894 9.1 yrs £17,755
8 kW 8610 kWh 6027 kWh 2583 kWh £1,607 £258 £1,866 £16,522 8.9 yrs £20,791

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: £1,193, Upfront: £13,389, Break-even: 11.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2152 kWh 1571 kWh 581 kWh £419 £58 £477 £8,506 17.8 yrs £1,038
3 kW 3229 kWh 2357 kWh 872 kWh £629 £87 £716 £10,133 14.2 yrs £4,182
4 kW 4305 kWh 3143 kWh 1162 kWh £838 £116 £954 £11,761 12.3 yrs £7,326
5 kW 5381 kWh 3928 kWh 1453 kWh £1,048 £145 £1,193 £13,389 11.2 yrs £10,470
6 kW 6457 kWh 4714 kWh 1743 kWh £1,257 £174 £1,432 £15,017 10.5 yrs £13,614
7 kW 7534 kWh 5500 kWh 2034 kWh £1,467 £203 £1,670 £16,644 10.0 yrs £16,758
8 kW 8610 kWh 6285 kWh 2325 kWh £1,676 £232 £1,909 £18,272 9.6 yrs £19,902

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: £1,211, Upfront: £15,139, Break-even: 12.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2152 kWh 1614 kWh 538 kWh £431 £54 £484 £10,256 21.2 yrs £-568
3 kW 3229 kWh 2422 kWh 807 kWh £646 £81 £727 £11,883 16.4 yrs £2,647
4 kW 4305 kWh 3229 kWh 1076 kWh £861 £108 £969 £13,511 13.9 yrs £5,863
5 kW 5381 kWh 4036 kWh 1345 kWh £1,076 £135 £1,211 £15,139 12.5 yrs £9,079
6 kW 6457 kWh 4843 kWh 1614 kWh £1,292 £161 £1,453 £16,767 11.5 yrs £12,295
7 kW 7534 kWh 5650 kWh 1883 kWh £1,507 £188 £1,695 £18,394 10.9 yrs £15,511
8 kW 8610 kWh 6457 kWh 2152 kWh £1,722 £215 £1,937 £20,022 10.3 yrs £18,727

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: £1,229, Upfront: £17,589, Break-even: 14.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2152 kWh 1657 kWh 495 kWh £442 £50 £492 £12,706 25.8 yrs £-2,875
3 kW 3229 kWh 2486 kWh 743 kWh £663 £74 £737 £14,333 19.4 yrs £413
4 kW 4305 kWh 3315 kWh 990 kWh £884 £99 £983 £15,961 16.2 yrs £3,700
5 kW 5381 kWh 4143 kWh 1238 kWh £1,105 £124 £1,229 £17,589 14.3 yrs £6,988
6 kW 6457 kWh 4972 kWh 1485 kWh £1,326 £149 £1,475 £19,217 13.0 yrs £10,275
7 kW 7534 kWh 5801 kWh 1733 kWh £1,547 £173 £1,720 £20,844 12.1 yrs £13,563
8 kW 8610 kWh 6630 kWh 1980 kWh £1,768 £198 £1,966 £22,472 11.4 yrs £16,851

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 Tunbridge Wells

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 TN18

Figures below are tailored to TN18 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #655 of 2182
5.4 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~11 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #151 of 2996
9.1 years (UK avg 10.8 years)
~£1,076 /yr • £9,767 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #301 of 2996
18.5% (UK avg 26.6%) drag on savings
£199 fixed • ~£1,076 /yr value
Aspect Penalty View ranking →
East −20.1% West −21.5%
Typical output loss versus a south-facing roof (lower is better)

Seasonal solar output in TN18

Monthly generation per kilowatt of solar panels

kWh 41 Jan 55 Feb 91 Mar 121 Apr 127 May 133 Jun 132 Jul 119 Aug 100 Sep 71 Oct 48 Nov 38 Dec
Best month Worst month Winter (Dec–Feb) Other months

Winter output: 49.6% of an average month (Dec–Feb)

Best / worst month: Jun / Dec

These figures show output per kilowatt (kW) of panels installed. In winter, a 1 kW system here produces about 44 kWh per month; the average month produces around 90 kWh. So a typical 4 kW home system would generate roughly 178 kWh in winter, or 359 kWh in an average month.

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.67p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
54.45p/day
Local Sunshine
1076kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~1076 kWh per year. A typical home uses ~2,700 kWh per year.
Typical System Size
6.0kW
For houses & bungalows in this area

Local Property Data

Property Types

Houses: 67% • Flats: 18% • Bungalows: 14% Based on 1,808 properties

Coverage

Tunbridge Wells (96%)|Ashford (4%)|Rother (1%)

Areas Covered

Hawkhurst, Sandhurst & Benenden, Cranbrook, Sissinghurst & Frittenden, Rolvenden & Tenterden West, Hurst Green & Ticehurst, Northern Rother, Robertsbridge

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

TN17 (Tunbridge Wells)
≈5.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,046 kWh/kWp · -3% vs TN18
TN19 (Rother)
≈6.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,052 kWh/kWp · -2% vs TN18
TN32 (Rother)
≈7.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,073 kWh/kWp · -0% vs TN18
TN5 (Wealden)
≈12.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,045 kWh/kWp · -3% vs TN18
TN30 (Ashford)
≈12.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,094 kWh/kWp · +2% vs TN18
TN33 (Rother)
≈14.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,093 kWh/kWp · +2% vs TN18

Similar sunshine across the UK

SO31 (Fareham)
~1,076 kWh/kWp · -0% vs TN18
PL5 (Plymouth)
~1,076 kWh/kWp · -0% vs TN18
PL2 (Plymouth)
~1,076 kWh/kWp · -0% vs TN18