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Solar payback
Estimate simple solar payback from an installation quote, annual generation, self-consumption and export rates.
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Solar panel payback calculator
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Simple solar payback
| Annual avoided electricity cost | £437.50 |
|---|---|
| Annual export income | £262.50 |
| Annual maintenance | £50.00 |
| Net annual saving | £650.00 |
| Installed cost | £7,000.00 |
Undiscounted simple payback, not a guaranteed return. Uses your installer’s generation estimate and entered tariff assumptions. Excludes finance, degradation, battery/inverter replacement, tariff changes and changes in household use. Self-consumption and export must partition the same generation; battery losses need to be reflected in the inputs.
Check the inputs to calculate a result.
Calculation details
Annual benefit
Self-consumed generation avoids electricity imports; exported generation earns the entered tariff. Subtract annual maintenance and divide installation cost by net annual benefit for simple payback.
Example
3,500kWh with half self-consumed at 25p and half exported at 15p gives £700 annual benefit before £50 maintenance. A £7,000 installation then has simple payback of about 10.8 years.
Limits
Use a site-specific generation estimate. This ignores financing, discounting, degradation, inverter/battery replacements and tariff changes. SEG eligibility is not assessed; rates shown are hypothetical. A simple payback is not an investment return forecast.
Sources
- Self-consumption saves imports; eligible exports earn supplier-set tariffs
- Solar generation and self-consumption affect savings
- Electric vehicle charging options and costs
Checked 2026-10-25. Estimate only, not financial advice.