4.2kW solar panel and battery installation in Newport
4.2kWp
solar system size
9
AIKO 465W panels
8kWh
GoodWe battery
3.6kW
hybrid inverter
£1,102
estimated yearly saving
Photos
The story of this install
Home all day
Mervyn is at home most of the day, so a lot of his electricity is used while the sun is up. That's the best case for solar, because every unit used in the house is one you don't buy. His town house in Newport uses about 4,500kWh a year.
South-facing, but shaded
The roof faces almost due south at 42°, which looks perfect until you notice the neighbouring buildings. Their shade cuts what the roof can produce by about a fifth. So every one of the nine AIKO panels has its own optimiser, which means a shaded panel no longer drags the rest of the row down.
The optimisers also report each panel's output separately, so if one ever underperforms it shows up in the app rather than hiding in the total.
The right-sized battery
Mervyn first asked about a 10kWh battery. Looking at his roof and his usage, we recommended an 8kWh GoodWe battery with a GoodWe 3.6kW hybrid inverter. That's big enough to carry the evening, and it tops up from cheap overnight power when the sun can't.
Our team fitted the panels and commissioned the system on 9 April 2026, with MCS certification and network approval handled for him.
Living with it
Even in winter the battery earns its keep, filling up on cheap overnight power. In summer it stores the solar he doesn't use during the day.
The MCS estimate for the system is around 3,170kWh a year, already allowing for the shade. With someone home most of the day, a high share of that gets used straight away, and the app shows how much.
Yearly generation is the MCS estimate made for this home before installation, using the standard MCS method. Real output varies from year to year with the weather.
Full kit list
- Panels
- 9 × AIKO 465W (4.2kWp), south-facing
- Optimisers
- One per panel, to manage shading
- Inverter
- GoodWe 3.6kW hybrid inverter
- Battery
- GoodWe battery, 8kWh usable
- Paperwork
- MCS certificates (solar and battery), DNO approval and handover pack
Visit the Cardiff showroom
See the kit up close and talk your own home through with the team that designed this one. No pressure, just the options, explained.
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