Work out your payback period and long-term return in seconds. Want a location-accurate generation figure first? Use the PVGIS savings calculator, then bring the number here.
Assumes electricity prices stay flat (in reality they usually rise, which shortens payback) and panels keep working for 20+ years. This is an estimate, not financial advice.
Balcony solar pays back the day your cumulative bill savings equal what you paid for the kit. After that, every kWh it generates is free electricity for the remaining 20+ year life of the panels.
Three levers decide how fast: kit cost (lower is better), your tariff (higher grid prices mean bigger savings) and self-consumption — the share you use yourself rather than exporting for little or no payment. Using power while the sun shines, or storing it in a battery, is what makes the numbers work.
This calculator holds prices flat to stay conservative. Because UK electricity prices have historically risen, real-world payback is usually a little faster than shown here.
Read the full savings guide → See the best balcony solar kits →A typical 800W balcony solar kit costing £400–£900 generates roughly 550–750 kWh a year in the UK. At around 24.5p/kWh with 80% self-consumption that saves £110–£150 a year, giving a payback period of roughly 3 to 7 years — after which the electricity is effectively free for the 20–25 year life of the panels.
For most UK households, yes: panels last 20–25 years but usually pay for themselves in 3–7 years, so the majority of their working life is pure saving. The key variables are your electricity rate (higher is better), how much of the generation you actually use yourself, and the upfront kit cost.