Payback

Balcony solar payback calculator

Enter the set's price, its yearly yield, the share of that power you use yourself and what electricity costs you: see the yearly saving and the payback time.

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Your numbers

CurrencyUse this currency for every price. No exchange conversion.

Price of the setWhat you pay, delivery and mounting included.Yearly yield (kWh)From the yield calculator, e.g. 836 for 880 Wp in Germany.Share you use yourself (%)A balcony set without storage typically covers 50–70 % of what it makes with your base load; the rest flows into the grid.Your electricity price (per kWh)What one kWh from the grid costs you, in the same currency as the price.Paid for power you feed in (per kWh)Usually nothing for a plug-in set; enter a tariff only if you are paid one.

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The result

Payback time

1.7 years

Saving per year: €175.56
Power you use yourself: 501.6 kWh a year
Saving over 20 years: €3,212.20

Arithmetic on the values you enter — not installation, tax or financial advice. Example prices are illustrative, not live offers. Use one currency for every price; there is no exchange conversion. Electricity prices change; maintenance, a meter change and registration are not included.

How the calculation works

Yearly saving = yield × self-use share × electricity price + yield × (1 − self-use share) × feed-in payment; payback = price ÷ yearly saving

A worked example

A €299 set making 836 kWh a year, 60 % used at home at €0.35 per kWh, saves €175.56 a year and pays for itself in about 1.7 years.

Self-consumption decides the payback

Only the power you use yourself replaces bought electricity. A balcony set runs your fridge, router and standby loads while the sun shines; what it makes beyond that flows into the grid, usually unpaid. 60 % is a common middle value for a set without storage; working from home or running appliances at noon raises it.

What a battery changes

A battery raises the share you use yourself but costs more than the modules it serves, so sets with storage usually take longer to pay back. Enter the set's full price and a higher self-use share to compare.

Common questions

Is the payback guaranteed?

No. It rests on your yield, your consumption and electricity prices, all of which change. Treat the figure as a rough guide, not as a promise or financial advice.

Do I need permission or registration?

Often, and the rules differ by country: in Germany a plug-in set is registered in the Marktstammdatenregister; in France a self-consumption agreement with Enedis is needed. This calculator does not check rules or give installation advice.

Method: arithmetic from the label values you enter. Reviewed 17 October 2026.