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Solar panel cost in North Yorkshire (YO18)

See realistic solar installation costs, savings and payback for YO18 (North Yorkshire) 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
10.7 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£9,767
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£914
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£13,095
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 947 kWh/kW — 22 above the regional median (926).

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 947 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)
947 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: £762, Upfront: £8,139, Break-even: 10.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1895 kWh 758 kWh 1137 kWh £191 £114 £305 £3,256 10.7 yrs £2,841
3 kW 2842 kWh 1137 kWh 1705 kWh £287 £171 £457 £4,883 10.7 yrs £4,261
4 kW 3789 kWh 1516 kWh 2274 kWh £382 £227 £610 £6,511 10.7 yrs £5,682
5 kW 4737 kWh 1895 kWh 2842 kWh £478 £284 £762 £8,139 10.7 yrs £7,102
6 kW 5684 kWh 2274 kWh 3410 kWh £573 £341 £914 £9,767 10.7 yrs £8,522
7 kW 6631 kWh 2653 kWh 3979 kWh £669 £398 £1,067 £11,394 10.7 yrs £9,943
8 kW 7579 kWh 3031 kWh 4547 kWh £765 £455 £1,219 £13,022 10.7 yrs £11,363

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: £906, Upfront: £10,239, 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 1895 kWh 1137 kWh 758 kWh £287 £76 £362 £5,356 14.8 yrs £1,894
3 kW 2842 kWh 1705 kWh 1137 kWh £430 £114 £544 £6,983 12.8 yrs £3,891
4 kW 3789 kWh 2274 kWh 1516 kWh £573 £152 £725 £8,611 11.9 yrs £5,889
5 kW 4737 kWh 2842 kWh 1895 kWh £717 £189 £906 £10,239 11.3 yrs £7,886
6 kW 5684 kWh 3410 kWh 2274 kWh £860 £227 £1,087 £11,867 10.9 yrs £9,883
7 kW 6631 kWh 3979 kWh 2653 kWh £1,003 £265 £1,269 £13,494 10.6 yrs £11,880
8 kW 7579 kWh 4547 kWh 3031 kWh £1,147 £303 £1,450 £15,122 10.4 yrs £13,877

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: £978, Upfront: £11,639, 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 1895 kWh 1326 kWh 568 kWh £334 £57 £391 £6,756 17.3 yrs £1,071
3 kW 2842 kWh 1989 kWh 853 kWh £502 £85 £587 £8,383 14.3 yrs £3,357
4 kW 3789 kWh 2653 kWh 1137 kWh £669 £114 £783 £10,011 12.8 yrs £5,642
5 kW 4737 kWh 3316 kWh 1421 kWh £836 £142 £978 £11,639 11.9 yrs £7,928
6 kW 5684 kWh 3979 kWh 1705 kWh £1,003 £171 £1,174 £13,267 11.3 yrs £10,213
7 kW 6631 kWh 4642 kWh 1989 kWh £1,171 £199 £1,370 £14,894 10.9 yrs £12,499
8 kW 7579 kWh 5305 kWh 2274 kWh £1,338 £227 £1,565 £16,522 10.6 yrs £14,784

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: £1,000, Upfront: £13,389, Break-even: 13.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1895 kWh 1383 kWh 512 kWh £349 £51 £400 £8,506 21.3 yrs £-506
3 kW 2842 kWh 2075 kWh 767 kWh £523 £77 £600 £10,133 16.9 yrs £1,866
4 kW 3789 kWh 2766 kWh 1023 kWh £698 £102 £800 £11,761 14.7 yrs £4,238
5 kW 4737 kWh 3458 kWh 1279 kWh £872 £128 £1,000 £13,389 13.4 yrs £6,610
6 kW 5684 kWh 4149 kWh 1535 kWh £1,046 £153 £1,200 £15,017 12.5 yrs £8,982
7 kW 6631 kWh 4841 kWh 1790 kWh £1,221 £179 £1,400 £16,644 11.9 yrs £11,354
8 kW 7579 kWh 5532 kWh 2046 kWh £1,395 £205 £1,600 £18,272 11.4 yrs £13,726

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: £1,014, Upfront: £15,139, Break-even: 14.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1895 kWh 1421 kWh 474 kWh £358 £47 £406 £10,256 25.3 yrs £-2,141
3 kW 2842 kWh 2132 kWh 711 kWh £538 £71 £609 £11,883 19.5 yrs £289
4 kW 3789 kWh 2842 kWh 947 kWh £717 £95 £811 £13,511 16.6 yrs £2,719
5 kW 4737 kWh 3553 kWh 1184 kWh £896 £118 £1,014 £15,139 14.9 yrs £5,148
6 kW 5684 kWh 4263 kWh 1421 kWh £1,075 £142 £1,217 £16,767 13.8 yrs £7,578
7 kW 6631 kWh 4974 kWh 1658 kWh £1,254 £166 £1,420 £18,394 13.0 yrs £10,008
8 kW 7579 kWh 5684 kWh 1895 kWh £1,434 £189 £1,623 £20,022 12.3 yrs £12,438

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: £1,029, Upfront: £17,589, Break-even: 17.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1895 kWh 1459 kWh 436 kWh £368 £44 £412 £12,706 30.9 yrs £-4,475
3 kW 2842 kWh 2188 kWh 654 kWh £552 £65 £617 £14,333 23.2 yrs £-1,988
4 kW 3789 kWh 2918 kWh 872 kWh £736 £87 £823 £15,961 19.4 yrs £499
5 kW 4737 kWh 3647 kWh 1089 kWh £920 £109 £1,029 £17,589 17.1 yrs £2,987
6 kW 5684 kWh 4377 kWh 1307 kWh £1,104 £131 £1,235 £19,217 15.6 yrs £5,474
7 kW 6631 kWh 5106 kWh 1525 kWh £1,288 £153 £1,440 £20,844 14.5 yrs £7,962
8 kW 7579 kWh 5836 kWh 1743 kWh £1,472 £174 £1,646 £22,472 13.7 yrs £10,449

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 North Yorkshire

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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Insights for YO18

Figures below are tailored to YO18 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #456 of 2182
5.7 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~12 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #1748 of 2996
10.7 years (UK avg 10.8 years)
~£914 /yr • £9,767 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #1566 of 2996
25.7% (UK avg 26.6%) drag on savings
£235 fixed • ~£914 /yr value
Aspect Penalty View ranking →
East −22.0% West −20.6%
Typical output loss versus a south-facing roof (lower is better)

Seasonal solar output in YO18

Monthly generation per kilowatt of solar panels

kWh 34 Jan 47 Feb 83 Mar 109 Apr 121 May 115 Jun 117 Jul 107 Aug 88 Sep 60 Oct 38 Nov 28 Dec
Best month Worst month Winter (Dec–Feb) Other months

Winter output: 46.0% 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 36 kWh per month; the average month produces around 79 kWh. So a typical 4 kW home system would generate roughly 145 kWh in winter, or 316 kWh in an average month.

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.22p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
64.29p/day
Local Sunshine
947kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~947 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: 64% • Flats: 9% • Bungalows: 26% Based on 3,610 properties

Coverage

North Yorkshire (100%)

Areas Covered

Pickering, Thornton Dale & Wolds, Kirkbymoorside & Dales

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

YO17 (North Yorkshire)
≈12.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~943 kWh/kWp · -0% vs YO18
YO62 (North Yorkshire)
≈13.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~940 kWh/kWp · -1% vs YO18
YO13 (North Yorkshire)
≈20.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~935 kWh/kWp · -1% vs YO18
YO60 (North Yorkshire)
≈21.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~936 kWh/kWp · -1% vs YO18
YO12 (North Yorkshire)
≈23.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~956 kWh/kWp · +1% vs YO18
YO6 (North Yorkshire)
≈24.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~938 kWh/kWp · -1% vs YO18

Similar sunshine across the UK

GL16 (Forest of Dean)
~947 kWh/kWp · -0% vs YO18
DN7 (Doncaster)
~947 kWh/kWp · -0% vs YO18
SY8 (Shropshire)
~948 kWh/kWp · +0% vs YO18