Dorset
Solar panels in Swanage, with the numbers shown.
A 12-panel roof in Swanage makes about 7,110 kWh a year and costs £6,360 installed; a free 30-minute video call sizes it to yours.
Get my free quote
Three details. We call or text within one working day to book your free 30-minute design call, on video or by phone if you prefer.
or call 07782 219224
- Free 30-minute video design call
- Priced before anyone visits
- Installed by our MCS-certified, fully insured teams
What a roof in Swanage can generate
From 36.3 kWh per kWp in December to 140.7 in July: a roof in Swanage makes 3.9 times as much in its best month as in its darkest, and 1,118 kWh per kWp across the year.
Generation per kWp, month by month
Show the monthly figures
| Month | kWh/kWp |
|---|---|
| January | 41.2 |
| February | 57 |
| March | 96.5 |
| April | 127 |
| May | 138 |
| June | 138 |
| July | 141 |
| August | 125 |
| September | 104 |
| October | 68.3 |
| November | 47.7 |
| December | 36.3 |
Source: PVGIS v5.2 (European Commission JRC), SARAH3 database, 1 kWp, 14% system loss, 35 degree pitch, due south, checked September 2026.
For scale: 1,118 kWh per kWp in Swanage against 925, our GB average (the mean of our 85 county PVGIS estimates), which puts Swanage 21% above it.
How Swanage compares
Small towns rarely get published solar figures, so here are the numbers for Swanage. It is one of 15 Dorset towns we track, and it ranks 3rd of 15 for solar yield, a town of 9,029 people in the House of Commons Library settlement data. PVGIS gives its roofs 1,118 kWh per kWp a year, 3.06 peak sun hours a day averaged across the seasons, and the standard 12 panel model turns that into £988 of year one benefit, £247 of it from your own generation and £741 from export at 12p.
Every figure here assumes a clear, south-facing roof at 35 degrees. Yours will differ, which is what the free design call is for; until then, the calculator below tests panels, batteries and export rates on Swanage's own yield.
Swanage sits within Dorset, its local planning authority, and the House of Commons Library classes it as a small town.
The charger is in the installed price but left out of payback: charging savings depend on your mileage and tariff, which the design call models properly.
Your real roof and usage, worked through on a free 30-minute video call. Use the full form or leave three details below.
Price this for your roof
Three details. We call or text within one working day to book your free 30-minute design call, on video or by phone if you prefer.
The figures use PVGIS for the centre of Swanage (50.61166, -1.96564), a 26.32p/kWh import price and £1,000 per kWp installed; see the help page for the full method.
Connecting solar to the Swanage network
Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) owns and runs the local electricity network in Swanage, as part of its Southern England licence area.
What decides the paperwork is the inverter and battery output, not the number of panels. Up to 3.68kW per phase, a system follows G98: SSEN is notified within 28 days of commissioning and nothing has to be approved first.
A bigger inverter or battery output needs a G99 application in advance. SSEN says it can take up to 45 working days to issue a quotation for a generation connection above 3.68kW per phase and up to 50kW.
Sources: NESO DNO licence areas (3 May 2024); SSEN, micro-generation connections page, checked 25 September 2026. G98 vs G99, explained.
Beyond the panels: heating and car charging in Swanage
A heat pump in Swanage
Solar and a heat pump pull in opposite directions through the year: Swanage's roofs make 1,160 kWh from November to February on a 12-panel system, and 3,440 kWh from May to August. The heating season leans on the grid, so off-peak rates do the heavy lifting.
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme, open in England and Wales, takes £7,500 off an air source or ground source heat pump, or £2,500 off an air-to-air unit. Homes on oil or LPG with no mains gas get £1,500 more until March 2027 (gov.uk, checked 28 September 2026).
Charging an EV in Swanage
From April to September, 69% of a Swanage roof's yearly output arrives, peaking at about 890 kWh in July on 12 panels. A car parked at home in daylight can soak up what the house, at around 70 kWh of daytime use that month, cannot.
Renters and flat owners with private off-street parking can get 75% off a chargepoint and its installation, up to £500 per socket, until 31 March 2027 (gov.uk, checked 28 September 2026). The calculator above adds a 7.4kW smart charger from £1,100 installed.
The packages, priced before anyone visits
Every system is designed around your roof on the free call before anything is fitted.
Solar panel servicing and repair in Swanage
Guidance is nationwide, so the benchmarks hold in Swanage: repair costs, service scope, and when the inverter is the real fault.
Solar in Swanage: your questions answered
What could a roof in Swanage generate?
PVGIS puts a roof in Swanage at 1,118 kWh per kWp a year, 3.06 peak sun hours a day averaged across the seasons. A 12-panel, 6.36 kWp system makes about 7,110 kWh a year, most of it between April and September.
How much are solar panels in Swanage?
The price does not move by postcode. At £1,000 per kWp installed, 12 panels (6.36 kWp) come to £6,360 in Swanage before a battery. What Swanage changes is the return, about 7,110 kWh a year from that system, and your design call prices your actual roof.
Do I need permission from the DNO for solar in Swanage?
Usually not in advance. SSEN, the network operator for Swanage, only needs a G98 notification within 28 days of commissioning for systems up to 3.68kW per phase. Bigger inverter or battery outputs need G99 approval first. SSEN says it can take up to 45 working days to issue a quotation for a generation connection above 3.68kW per phase and up to 50kW. "See our DNO explainer.
How much can I earn from exporting solar in Swanage?
With typical use and no battery, a 12-panel system in Swanage exports about 6,174 kWh a year. At 12p per kWh that is roughly £741; a supplier paying more, or a battery that keeps more for the evening, changes the figure. See the export rates table.
Do solar panels work in winter in Swanage?
Yes, at a lower level. PVGIS gives Swanage 36.3 kWh per kWp in December and 41.2 in January, so a 12-panel system makes about 230 kWh and 260 kWh in those months, against 890 kWh in July. Winter output mostly covers daytime use rather than exporting.
How Swanage compares with its neighbours
Same satellite dataset, same assumptions, so the differences are real geography rather than modelling noise.
| Town | kWh per kWp a year | vs Swanage |
|---|---|---|
| Swanage | 1,118 | this town |
| Poole | 1,097 | −21 kWh |
| Upton | 1,094 | −24 kWh |
| Bournemouth | 1,105 | −13 kWh |
| Corfe Mullen | 1,094 | −24 kWh |
| Christchurch | 1,118 | level |
| Wimborne Minster | 1,099 | −19 kWh |
Each row is a PVGIS v5.2 run at that town's centre with the same settings. Treat gaps of a few kWh as noise and gaps over about 30 kWh per kWp as real differences in sunshine.
Also for Swanage: Solar panels in Swanage from OVO Solar & Battery
See a number before you speak to anyone
Answer a few questions about your roof and usage and see an instant solar and battery estimate. No email needed to see the result.
Further reading for Swanage
Sourced, dated and written by us. The same ground we cover on your free call.
What is a DNO, and why does a company you have never heard of get a say in your solar?
The company that owns your street's cables decides what solar you can connect.
Read the guide →Tesla Powerwall 3 vs Duracell Dura16: which fits your home?
The two packages we actually price, compared on the numbers that decide it.
Read the guide →What it really costs to charge an EV at home versus in public
Home off-peak charging costs a fraction of the public price. The arithmetic, and the tariff it depends on.
Read the guide →The Boiler Upgrade Scheme, explained
A fixed amount, claimed on your behalf by our installation teams, with a real deadline on the £9,000 version.
Read the guide →Will energy prices keep rising, and by how much
The January forecasts jumped fast. What is confirmed, what is guessed, and whether solar is a real hedge.
Read the guide →G98 or G99: which one applies, what the application involves, and how long it takes
The G98 line sits at 3.68kW per phase. Above it, your network operator has to say yes first.
Read the guide →Get my free quote
Takes about two minutes. We call or text within one working day to book your free 30-minute video design call at a time that suits you. We design it around your roof and your numbers, and our MCS-certified, fully insured installation teams install it.