Solar savings & payback in Northern Ireland
A separate electricity market from GB; SEG-equivalent export terms vary, check your supplier.
Enter your bill for a payback estimate tuned to Northern Ireland's sun, with 0% VAT already in the price, your bill savings, and Smart Export Guarantee earnings all counted. For a typical £90/month bill, we estimate around 9.8 years.
- Solar generation
- ~2.35 kWh/kW/day
- Annual yield
- ~858 kWh/kW/yr
- Typical import rate
- ~28p/kWh
- VAT on install
- 0% (until 2027)
Your export earnings depend on the SEG tariff you pick, not your region. Compare SEG rates
Where your money goes
Your 25-year money curve
What the planet gets
There's no net metering in the UK. You save the retail rate on power you use as it's generated, and earn the Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) rate on what you export.
Enter a valid monthly bill and tariff greater than zero to see your results.
How Northern Ireland compares to the UK average
UK electricity prices are broadly uniform under the price cap, so sun is the regional variable that moves your payback.
Solar generation
~2.35 kWh/kW/day
UK average: ~2.6 kWh/kW/day
Less sun than the UK average, high power prices still carry the maths
Annual yield per kW
~858 kWh
UK average: ~949 kWh
What one installed kW produces across a typical year
Typical payback
9.8 years
UK average: 9.1 years
Slower than the UK average on a £90 bill
Solar cost & savings by system size in Northern Ireland
Computed with Northern Ireland's generation (~2.35 kWh/kW/day), a ~28p/kWh import rate, ~50% self-consumption, and an average SEG export rate, 0% VAT included.
| System size | Installed cost (0% VAT) | Generation/yr | Annual savings | Payback |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3kW | ~£5,100 | ~2,538 kWh | ~£520 | ~9.8 yrs |
| 4kW | ~£6,800 | ~3,384 kWh | ~£694 | ~9.8 yrs |
| 5kW | ~£8,500 | ~4,230 kWh | ~£867 | ~9.8 yrs |
| 6kW | ~£10,200 | ~5,076 kWh | ~£1,041 | ~9.8 yrs |
Savings assume a home large enough to use this output. Figures last reviewed July 2026,size a system from your actual bill instead.
How solar pays in Northern Ireland
There's no net metering in the UK, so your system pays you two ways: you save your import rate (~28p/kWh) on every unit you use as it's generated, and you earn your Smart Export Guarantee rate on everything you send back to the grid. Using more of your own power, daytime appliance use, or a battery, is worth more than exporting it, especially on lower SEG tariffs.
Generation figures are regional averages; your roof's pitch, orientation, and shading will move them.
Northern Ireland solar FAQs
Are solar panels worth it in Northern Ireland?
For a typical £90/month bill, we estimate a system in Northern Ireland pays for itself in about 9.8 years, then generates largely free power for another 15+ years. A separate electricity market from GB; SEG-equivalent export terms vary, check your supplier.
How much do solar panels cost in Northern Ireland?
Prices don't vary much by region, expect roughly £1,700 per kW installed with 0% VAT already applied, so a 4kW system runs about £6,800. What varies regionally is generation: in Northern Ireland each kW produces around 858 kWh a year.
How much electricity will solar generate in Northern Ireland?
Around 2.35 kWh per kW per day averaged across the year, so a 4kW system produces roughly 3,431 kWh annually. Summer output is several times winter output, and orientation and shading move the total.
Do I get paid for exported power?
Yes, through the Smart Export Guarantee (SEG). Rates vary hugely by supplier, from about 6p to 25p/kWh, and the tariff you pick matters as much as your region's sun. There's no net metering in the UK: you save ~27p on each unit you use yourself but earn only your SEG rate on exports.
Does Northern Ireland get enough sun for solar?
Yes. A separate electricity market from GB; SEG-equivalent export terms vary, check your supplier. Even the cloudiest UK regions generate enough for a workable return because grid electricity is expensive, the maths runs on the ~27p/kWh you avoid buying, not on wall-to-wall sunshine.