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Solar panel cost in Cornwall (TR5)

See realistic solar installation costs, savings and payback for TR5 (Cornwall) 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
9.6 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£9,767
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£1,019
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£15,699
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 Southern Western, the current unit rate is 26.39p/kWh with a 57.89p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 1025 kWh/kW — 12 above the regional median (1013).

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 1025 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 26.4p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
26.4p/kWh
Standing charge
57.9p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
1025 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: £849, Upfront: £8,139, Break-even: 9.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2051 kWh 820 kWh 1231 kWh £216 £123 £340 £3,256 9.6 yrs £3,535
3 kW 3076 kWh 1231 kWh 1846 kWh £325 £185 £509 £4,883 9.6 yrs £5,303
4 kW 4102 kWh 1641 kWh 2461 kWh £433 £246 £679 £6,511 9.6 yrs £7,071
5 kW 5127 kWh 2051 kWh 3076 kWh £541 £308 £849 £8,139 9.6 yrs £8,839
6 kW 6153 kWh 2461 kWh 3692 kWh £649 £369 £1,019 £9,767 9.6 yrs £10,606
7 kW 7178 kWh 2871 kWh 4307 kWh £758 £431 £1,188 £11,394 9.6 yrs £12,374
8 kW 8204 kWh 3281 kWh 4922 kWh £866 £492 £1,358 £13,022 9.6 yrs £14,142

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: £1,017, Upfront: £10,239, Break-even: 10.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2051 kWh 1231 kWh 820 kWh £325 £82 £407 £5,356 13.2 yrs £2,780
3 kW 3076 kWh 1846 kWh 1231 kWh £487 £123 £610 £6,983 11.4 yrs £5,220
4 kW 4102 kWh 2461 kWh 1641 kWh £649 £164 £814 £8,611 10.6 yrs £7,660
5 kW 5127 kWh 3076 kWh 2051 kWh £812 £205 £1,017 £10,239 10.1 yrs £10,100
6 kW 6153 kWh 3692 kWh 2461 kWh £974 £246 £1,220 £11,867 9.7 yrs £12,540
7 kW 7178 kWh 4307 kWh 2871 kWh £1,137 £287 £1,424 £13,494 9.5 yrs £14,980
8 kW 8204 kWh 4922 kWh 3281 kWh £1,299 £328 £1,627 £15,122 9.3 yrs £17,420

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: £1,101, Upfront: £11,639, Break-even: 10.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2051 kWh 1436 kWh 615 kWh £379 £62 £440 £6,756 15.3 yrs £2,052
3 kW 3076 kWh 2153 kWh 923 kWh £568 £92 £661 £8,383 12.7 yrs £4,828
4 kW 4102 kWh 2871 kWh 1231 kWh £758 £123 £881 £10,011 11.4 yrs £7,605
5 kW 5127 kWh 3589 kWh 1538 kWh £947 £154 £1,101 £11,639 10.6 yrs £10,381
6 kW 6153 kWh 4307 kWh 1846 kWh £1,137 £185 £1,321 £13,267 10.0 yrs £13,157
7 kW 7178 kWh 5025 kWh 2153 kWh £1,326 £215 £1,541 £14,894 9.7 yrs £15,933
8 kW 8204 kWh 5743 kWh 2461 kWh £1,515 £246 £1,762 £16,522 9.4 yrs £18,709

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: £1,126, Upfront: £13,389, Break-even: 11.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2051 kWh 1497 kWh 554 kWh £395 £55 £450 £8,506 18.9 yrs £504
3 kW 3076 kWh 2246 kWh 831 kWh £593 £83 £676 £10,133 15.0 yrs £3,381
4 kW 4102 kWh 2994 kWh 1107 kWh £790 £111 £901 £11,761 13.1 yrs £6,258
5 kW 5127 kWh 3743 kWh 1384 kWh £988 £138 £1,126 £13,389 11.9 yrs £9,135
6 kW 6153 kWh 4491 kWh 1661 kWh £1,185 £166 £1,351 £15,017 11.1 yrs £12,012
7 kW 7178 kWh 5240 kWh 1938 kWh £1,383 £194 £1,577 £16,644 10.6 yrs £14,889
8 kW 8204 kWh 5989 kWh 2215 kWh £1,580 £221 £1,802 £18,272 10.1 yrs £17,766

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: £1,143, Upfront: £15,139, Break-even: 13.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2051 kWh 1538 kWh 513 kWh £406 £51 £457 £10,256 22.4 yrs £-1,112
3 kW 3076 kWh 2307 kWh 769 kWh £609 £77 £686 £11,883 17.3 yrs £1,833
4 kW 4102 kWh 3076 kWh 1025 kWh £812 £103 £914 £13,511 14.8 yrs £4,777
5 kW 5127 kWh 3845 kWh 1282 kWh £1,015 £128 £1,143 £15,139 13.2 yrs £7,721
6 kW 6153 kWh 4615 kWh 1538 kWh £1,218 £154 £1,372 £16,767 12.2 yrs £10,665
7 kW 7178 kWh 5384 kWh 1795 kWh £1,421 £179 £1,600 £18,394 11.5 yrs £13,609
8 kW 8204 kWh 6153 kWh 2051 kWh £1,624 £205 £1,829 £20,022 10.9 yrs £16,554

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: £1,160, Upfront: £17,589, Break-even: 15.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2051 kWh 1579 kWh 472 kWh £417 £47 £464 £12,706 27.4 yrs £-3,427
3 kW 3076 kWh 2369 kWh 708 kWh £625 £71 £696 £14,333 20.6 yrs £-416
4 kW 4102 kWh 3158 kWh 943 kWh £833 £94 £928 £15,961 17.2 yrs £2,596
5 kW 5127 kWh 3948 kWh 1179 kWh £1,042 £118 £1,160 £17,589 15.2 yrs £5,607
6 kW 6153 kWh 4738 kWh 1415 kWh £1,250 £142 £1,392 £19,217 13.8 yrs £8,619
7 kW 7178 kWh 5527 kWh 1651 kWh £1,459 £165 £1,624 £20,844 12.8 yrs £11,630
8 kW 8204 kWh 6317 kWh 1887 kWh £1,667 £189 £1,856 £22,472 12.1 yrs £14,641

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 Cornwall

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.

Compare solar quotes before you sign

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 TR5

Figures below are tailored to TR5 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #336 of 2182
5.8 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~12 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #409 of 2996
9.6 years (UK avg 10.8 years)
~£1,018 /yr • £9,767 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #684 of 2996
20.7% (UK avg 26.6%) drag on savings
£211 fixed • ~£1,018 /yr value
Aspect Penalty View ranking →
East −19.1% West −20.8%
Typical output loss versus a south-facing roof (lower is better)

Seasonal solar output in TR5

Monthly generation per kilowatt of solar panels

kWh 38 Jan 56 Feb 88 Mar 120 Apr 126 May 125 Jun 123 Jul 115 Aug 94 Sep 67 Oct 42 Nov 32 Dec
Best month Worst month Winter (Dec–Feb) Other months

Winter output: 49.0% 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 42 kWh per month; the average month produces around 85 kWh. So a typical 4 kW home system would generate roughly 168 kWh in winter, or 342 kWh in an average month.

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.39p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
57.89p/day
Local Sunshine
1025kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~1025 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: 65% • Flats: 6% • Bungalows: 28% Based on 1,558 properties

Coverage

Cornwall (100%)

Areas Covered

St Agnes, Perranporth, Truro Boscawen & Redannick

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 Southern Western

TR6 (Cornwall)
≈4.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,032 kWh/kWp · +1% vs TR5
TR4 (Cornwall)
≈5.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,005 kWh/kWp · -2% vs TR5
TR16 (Cornwall)
≈8.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,013 kWh/kWp · -1% vs TR5
TR15 (Cornwall)
≈8.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,012 kWh/kWp · -1% vs TR5
TR1 (Cornwall)
≈12.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,029 kWh/kWp · +0% vs TR5
TR3 (Cornwall)
≈12.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,038 kWh/kWp · +1% vs TR5

Similar sunshine across the UK

CM6 (Uttlesford)
~1,025 kWh/kWp · -0% vs TR5
HU12 (East Riding of Yorkshire)
~1,025 kWh/kWp · -0% vs TR5
DA3 (Sevenoaks)
~1,025 kWh/kWp · -0% vs TR5