A typical roof here lands around 5.0 kW, with most eligible homes comfortably fitting within 3–6 kW. Each kilowatt of panels produces roughly 893 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 27.1p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.
Browse the scenarios below. Each battery size has its own expand — open the one that matches your plan (or just explore). For each system size (2–8 kW) we show annual output, how much you use directly, what gets exported, annual benefit, upfront cost, break-even, and a 20-year net. Negative numbers are possible — that’s the honest trade-off when adding more battery than your usage profile justifies.
No battery 5 kW example → Annual benefit: £751, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 13.5 yrs
| System | Annual output | Self-use | Exported | Bill saving | Export income | Annual benefit | Upfront cost | Break-even | 20-year net |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 kW | 1785 kWh | 714 kWh | 1071 kWh | £193 | £107 | £300 | £4,069 | 13.5 yrs | £1,938 |
| 3 kW | 2678 kWh | 1071 kWh | 1607 kWh | £290 | £161 | £451 | £6,104 | 13.5 yrs | £2,907 |
| 4 kW | 3570 kWh | 1428 kWh | 2142 kWh | £386 | £214 | £601 | £8,138 | 13.5 yrs | £3,876 |
| 5 kW | 4463 kWh | 1785 kWh | 2678 kWh | £483 | £268 | £751 | £10,173 | 13.5 yrs | £4,845 |
| 6 kW | 5356 kWh | 2142 kWh | 3213 kWh | £580 | £321 | £901 | £12,207 | 13.5 yrs | £5,813 |
| 7 kW | 6248 kWh | 2499 kWh | 3749 kWh | £676 | £375 | £1,051 | £14,242 | 13.5 yrs | £6,782 |
| 8 kW | 7141 kWh | 2856 kWh | 4284 kWh | £773 | £428 | £1,201 | £16,276 | 13.5 yrs | £7,751 |
Assumptions: south-facing, sensible tilt; self-use shares from site rules; export at 10p baseline. Costs: panels £/kW = 2,035, battery £/kWh = 700.
3 kWh battery 5 kW example → Annual benefit: £903, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 13.6 yrs
| System | Annual output | Self-use | Exported | Bill saving | Export income | Annual benefit | Upfront cost | Break-even | 20-year net |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 kW | 1785 kWh | 1071 kWh | 714 kWh | £290 | £71 | £361 | £6,169 | 17.1 yrs | £1,056 |
| 3 kW | 2678 kWh | 1607 kWh | 1071 kWh | £435 | £107 | £542 | £8,204 | 15.1 yrs | £2,634 |
| 4 kW | 3570 kWh | 2142 kWh | 1428 kWh | £580 | £143 | £723 | £10,238 | 14.2 yrs | £4,212 |
| 5 kW | 4463 kWh | 2678 kWh | 1785 kWh | £725 | £179 | £903 | £12,273 | 13.6 yrs | £5,790 |
| 6 kW | 5356 kWh | 3213 kWh | 2142 kWh | £870 | £214 | £1,084 | £14,307 | 13.2 yrs | £7,368 |
| 7 kW | 6248 kWh | 3749 kWh | 2499 kWh | £1,014 | £250 | £1,264 | £16,342 | 12.9 yrs | £8,946 |
| 8 kW | 7141 kWh | 4284 kWh | 2856 kWh | £1,159 | £286 | £1,445 | £18,376 | 12.7 yrs | £10,524 |
Assumptions: south-facing, sensible tilt; self-use shares from site rules; export at 10p baseline. Costs: panels £/kW = 2,035, battery £/kWh = 700.
5 kWh battery 5 kW example → Annual benefit: £979, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 14.0 yrs
| System | Annual output | Self-use | Exported | Bill saving | Export income | Annual benefit | Upfront cost | Break-even | 20-year net |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 kW | 1785 kWh | 1250 kWh | 536 kWh | £338 | £54 | £392 | £7,569 | 19.3 yrs | £265 |
| 3 kW | 2678 kWh | 1874 kWh | 803 kWh | £507 | £80 | £588 | £9,604 | 16.3 yrs | £2,148 |
| 4 kW | 3570 kWh | 2499 kWh | 1071 kWh | £676 | £107 | £783 | £11,638 | 14.9 yrs | £4,030 |
| 5 kW | 4463 kWh | 3124 kWh | 1339 kWh | £845 | £134 | £979 | £13,673 | 14.0 yrs | £5,913 |
| 6 kW | 5356 kWh | 3749 kWh | 1607 kWh | £1,014 | £161 | £1,175 | £15,707 | 13.4 yrs | £7,795 |
| 7 kW | 6248 kWh | 4374 kWh | 1874 kWh | £1,184 | £187 | £1,371 | £17,742 | 12.9 yrs | £9,678 |
| 8 kW | 7141 kWh | 4999 kWh | 2142 kWh | £1,353 | £214 | £1,567 | £19,776 | 12.6 yrs | £11,561 |
Assumptions: south-facing, sensible tilt; self-use shares from site rules; export at 10p baseline. Costs: panels £/kW = 2,035, battery £/kWh = 700.
7.5 kWh battery 5 kW example → Annual benefit: £1,002, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 15.4 yrs
| System | Annual output | Self-use | Exported | Bill saving | Export income | Annual benefit | Upfront cost | Break-even | 20-year net |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 kW | 1785 kWh | 1303 kWh | 482 kWh | £353 | £48 | £401 | £9,319 | 23.2 yrs | £-1,302 |
| 3 kW | 2678 kWh | 1955 kWh | 723 kWh | £529 | £72 | £601 | £11,354 | 18.9 yrs | £672 |
| 4 kW | 3570 kWh | 2606 kWh | 964 kWh | £705 | £96 | £802 | £13,388 | 16.7 yrs | £2,646 |
| 5 kW | 4463 kWh | 3258 kWh | 1205 kWh | £882 | £121 | £1,002 | £15,423 | 15.4 yrs | £4,620 |
| 6 kW | 5356 kWh | 3910 kWh | 1446 kWh | £1,058 | £145 | £1,203 | £17,457 | 14.5 yrs | £6,594 |
| 7 kW | 6248 kWh | 4561 kWh | 1687 kWh | £1,234 | £169 | £1,403 | £19,492 | 13.9 yrs | £8,568 |
| 8 kW | 7141 kWh | 5213 kWh | 1928 kWh | £1,411 | £193 | £1,603 | £21,526 | 13.4 yrs | £10,542 |
Assumptions: south-facing, sensible tilt; self-use shares from site rules; export at 10p baseline. Costs: panels £/kW = 2,035, battery £/kWh = 700.
10 kWh battery 5 kW example → Annual benefit: £1,017, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 16.9 yrs
| System | Annual output | Self-use | Exported | Bill saving | Export income | Annual benefit | Upfront cost | Break-even | 20-year net |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 kW | 1785 kWh | 1339 kWh | 446 kWh | £362 | £45 | £407 | £11,069 | 27.2 yrs | £-2,930 |
| 3 kW | 2678 kWh | 2008 kWh | 669 kWh | £543 | £67 | £610 | £13,104 | 21.5 yrs | £-895 |
| 4 kW | 3570 kWh | 2678 kWh | 893 kWh | £725 | £89 | £814 | £15,138 | 18.6 yrs | £1,139 |
| 5 kW | 4463 kWh | 3347 kWh | 1116 kWh | £906 | £112 | £1,017 | £17,173 | 16.9 yrs | £3,174 |
| 6 kW | 5356 kWh | 4017 kWh | 1339 kWh | £1,087 | £134 | £1,221 | £19,207 | 15.7 yrs | £5,209 |
| 7 kW | 6248 kWh | 4686 kWh | 1562 kWh | £1,268 | £156 | £1,424 | £21,242 | 14.9 yrs | £7,244 |
| 8 kW | 7141 kWh | 5356 kWh | 1785 kWh | £1,449 | £179 | £1,628 | £23,276 | 14.3 yrs | £9,279 |
Assumptions: south-facing, sensible tilt; self-use shares from site rules; export at 10p baseline. Costs: panels £/kW = 2,035, battery £/kWh = 700.
13.5 kWh battery 5 kW example → Annual benefit: £1,033, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 19.0 yrs
| System | Annual output | Self-use | Exported | Bill saving | Export income | Annual benefit | Upfront cost | Break-even | 20-year net |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 kW | 1785 kWh | 1375 kWh | 411 kWh | £372 | £41 | £413 | £13,519 | 32.7 yrs | £-5,258 |
| 3 kW | 2678 kWh | 2062 kWh | 616 kWh | £558 | £62 | £620 | £15,554 | 25.1 yrs | £-3,163 |
| 4 kW | 3570 kWh | 2749 kWh | 821 kWh | £744 | £82 | £826 | £17,588 | 21.3 yrs | £-1,067 |
| 5 kW | 4463 kWh | 3437 kWh | 1026 kWh | £930 | £103 | £1,033 | £19,623 | 19.0 yrs | £1,029 |
| 6 kW | 5356 kWh | 4124 kWh | 1232 kWh | £1,116 | £123 | £1,239 | £21,657 | 17.5 yrs | £3,125 |
| 7 kW | 6248 kWh | 4811 kWh | 1437 kWh | £1,302 | £144 | £1,446 | £23,692 | 16.4 yrs | £5,220 |
| 8 kW | 7141 kWh | 5498 kWh | 1642 kWh | £1,488 | £164 | £1,652 | £25,726 | 15.6 yrs | £7,316 |
Assumptions: south-facing, sensible tilt; self-use shares from site rules; export at 10p baseline. Costs: panels £/kW = 2,035, battery £/kWh = 700.
Figures are illustrative and use the same method as the calculator above. For exact results, adjust your roof direction, tariff, and usage in the calculator.