Our 2025 Home Solar Performance: 5 Years of Real Data
If you want to know if it makes financial sense to install a home solar system in Germany, or if you’re curious about how long these systems last, we have the answers for you. Here is five years of real data from our own rooftop PV system in Germany. In 2025, our 9.45 kWp system produced 8,624 kWh, covering 54% of our household electricity needs and saving us around €2,200 in grid costs. The full breakdown is below.
This is our fifth annual solar review. You can find the previous ones for 2024 and 2023, along with the original installation posts from 2021. Quick system overview: 9.45 kWp of panels on a south-facing roof in southern Germany, installed in 2021, paired with a BYD battery and a SolarEdge inverter. Since mid-2025 we also have a Polestar 4 that we charge primarily on solar surplus using evcc.
2025: Steady Production, Higher Consumption
#Our panels produced 8,624 kWh in 2025 - down just 0.9% from 2024. Essentially flat. Total household consumption climbed to 10,714 kWh, a 6.3% jump compared to the previous year. The new EV is almost certainly responsible for a big chunk of that.
The seasonal pattern was familiar:
- Best month: June, with 1,291 kWh - narrowly edging out May (1,260 kWh). For the first time in five years, June rather than July claimed the top spot.
- Worst month: January, as expected - just 169 kWh in a month where we consumed over 1,000 kWh. Very similar to the previous years.
- Most grid-independent months: July and June, where we drew only 104 kWh and 161 kWh from the grid respectively.
How did it differ from 2024? Spring was notably stronger, with February up by 55 kWh and May up by 99 kWh. But July let us down badly: 1,074 kWh against July 2024’s 1,299 kWh, a drop of 225 kWh. October was similarly disappointing (352 kWh vs. 482 kWh in 2024). Whatever the weather was doing in those months, it hit the panels hard.
The flip side: In December 2025, the yield was almost double that of December 2024: 166 kWh versus 85 kWh. This continues the trend that we have observed over the past few years: milder winters, reduced snow cover on the panels and slightly higher winter yields. It’s not much, but it adds a little to our electricity savings.
Five Years in One Table
#| Year | Production | Consumption | Grid Purchased | Self-consumed | Solar Coverage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 8,065 kWh | 9,926 kWh | 4,549 kWh | 5,378 kWh | 54% |
| 2022 | 9,320 kWh | 10,322 kWh | 4,482 kWh | 5,840 kWh | 57% |
| 2023 | 8,459 kWh | 10,143 kWh | 4,827 kWh | 5,317 kWh | 52% |
| 2024 | 8,706 kWh | 10,078 kWh | 4,661 kWh | 5,418 kWh | 54% |
| 2025 | 8,624 kWh | 10,714 kWh | 4,953 kWh | 5,761 kWh | 54% |
A few things stand out. 2022 was our best year by far, especially because of an exceptional spring that has never been repeated. Since then, our usage has stabilised at around 8,400–8,700 kWh, and we expect this to continue unless there is unusual weather.
The column I pay the most attention to is ‘self-consumed solar’, which has increased by 7% from 5,378 kWh in year one to 5,761 kWh in year five, despite production barely moving. The battery is doing its job. Our Eigenverbrauchsquote (to use one of our famous long German words) aka. the solar coverage ratio has been remarkably stable at 52–57% across all five years, landing at 54% in three of those years.
The Financial Reality
#In 2025, German residential electricity prices averaged around €0.38/kWh, which remains one of the highest rates in the EU, despite easing slightly from the 2023 peak of €0.47/kWh. Our current electricity contract is slightly lower, at €0.29/kWh; however, every kWh that we produce ourselves is now worth substantially more than it was when we installed the system.
In 2025 we self-consumed 5,761 kWh of solar energy, representing €2,189 in avoided grid costs. We also exported 2,833 kWh back to the grid at the current feed-in tariff of ~7.9 ct/kWh, adding around €224 in income.
Total 2025 benefit: roughly €2,400.
Over five years, we’ve self-consumed approximately 27,700 kWh in total. Even at a conservative blended average of €0.30/kWh (accounting for lower prices in the early years), that equates to around €8,300 in cumulative grid savings, plus an additional €1,000 or so in feed-in revenue over the same period.
The system is approaching the midpoint of its expected 20-year lifespan. At current benefit rates, we remain on track for a full payback well within that window.
How We Compare to Other German Systems
#For southern Germany, the typical annual yield benchmark is 1,000–1,200 kWh per kWp of installed capacity for ideally oriented systems. We live roughly in the middle of the country, where the forecast figures are somewhat lower. Our 9.45 kWp system produced 8,624 kWh in 2025, giving a specific yield of 912 kWh/kWp. This reflects the actual geometry of our four-sided roof, with solar panels covering only the east, south and west sides.
Our 66.8% self-consumption rate places us well within the range for battery-equipped residential systems. Fraunhofer ISE reports that self-consumption in Germany rose from 13% to 17% of total PV generation in 2024, driven by growing battery storage adoption. Systems with batteries typically reach 60–80%; we’re at the upper end of this range. Without a battery, systems self-consume 25–35% of their production, which is an example of how the battery pays for itself in terms of system efficiency.
What’s Next
#We had a smart meter installed at the end of 2025. The next step is obvious: switch to a dynamic electricity tariff. I’m not 100% sure yet, but with our battery and EV charging, we’re in a good place to make the most of changing prices.
Regarding the system itself, after five years the panels show no obvious signs of degradation, the battery is in good condition and the SolarEdge inverter is working fine. Sometimes the best update is that everything just works.
FAQ
#How much electricity does a home solar system produce per year?
In 2025, ours produced 8,624 kWh, which is roughly what a typical German household consumes in a year, especially when using a heat pump for heating the house. However, this is no longer enough for us since adding an electric vehicle (EV) has increased our annual consumption to over 10,700 kWh. We have 9.45 kWp installed, whereas a typical single-family home in Germany can accommodate 10–12 kWp, depending on the size and orientation of the roof. The theoretical benchmark for an optimally located system is around 1,000–1,200 kWh per kWp installed.
Is a battery worth adding to a home solar system?
For us, the answer is clearly yes. Without a battery, we would only be able to self-consume 25–35% of what we produce; the rest would go to the grid at the low feed-in rate. With our 10.5 kWh battery, however, we’re at 66.8%. It shifts solar production from midday, when we don’t need it, to the morning and evening, when we do. Five years on, that decision still looks right.
How much money can a home solar system save per year in Germany?
In 2025, our system saved us around €2,400 in total: €2,189 by not buying electricity from the grid and €224 from feed-in income. With grid prices at €0.38/kWh and our contract price at €0.29/kWh, we save money directly for every kWh we produce ourselves. Over the past five years, the annual benefit has increased each year as prices have risen.
This post is part of my annual solar performance series. Previous years: 2024 · 2023