Solar explained to clever people by people who are not trying to be clever
Home Regions
Insights
Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in B12 (Birmingham)

See if solar pays off for you in Birmingham — price, savings and payback in under a minute (official UK data).

Solar Calculator

Change the settings below to see how costs and savings work for your situation.

System Size

Roof Direction

Battery Storage

Export Value

Your Numbers

Break-even
13.3 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£6,104
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£458
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£5,348
After paying itself off, you're this much ahead

Ready to Get Started?

Get your free quote from Blue Ape Renewables. They'll connect you with MCS-certified installers in your area and handle all the paperwork.

Get Solar Quote →
4.8★ Trustpilot • Octopus Energy trusted partner • MCS certified • No obligation
How we calculate this

Solar generation: Based on typical south-facing roof at 35° angle. We account for weather, dirt, and system losses (14%).

How much you'll use directly:

  • Without battery: You'll use about 40% of what you generate. The rest gets sold back to the grid.
  • With 5 kWh battery: You'll use about 70% (battery stores extra for evening use).
  • With 10 kWh battery: You'll use about 75% (more storage means less exported).
  • Panel-only payback: Bigger systems don’t shorten payback—cost and savings rise together per kW.
  • Battery & payback: Batteries raise self-use and cut bills, but added hardware cost often lengthens break-even at typical UK rates.
  • When a battery can still make sense:
    • Evening-heavy usage patterns
    • Time-of-use tariffs / cheap night rates
    • Low export rate vs. high unit rate
    • Heat pump or EV charging synergy
    • Optional backup/resilience (system-dependent)
    • Lower evening-hour CO₂ vs. grid

Costs: Battery prices are typically £700 per kWh. Export tariffs vary by supplier (usually 5–15p per kWh).

Grid connection: Systems up to about 3.7 kW typically need just a notification (G98). Larger systems may need permission (G99).

These are typical values based on average usage patterns. Your actual results will vary based on your roof, shading, and how you use electricity.

Your area in context

In Midlands, the current unit rate is 25.64p/kWh with a 53.00p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 939 kWh/kW — 3 below the regional median (942).

Read the full story

A typical roof here lands around 3.0 kW, with most eligible homes comfortably fitting within 3–6 kW. Each kilowatt of panels produces roughly 939 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 25.6p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
25.6p/kWh
Standing charge
53.0p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
939 kWh/kW
Export price (baseline)
10p/kWh

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: £763, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 13.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1879 kWh 751 kWh 1127 kWh £193 £113 £305 £4,069 13.3 yrs £2,039
3 kW 2818 kWh 1127 kWh 1691 kWh £289 £169 £458 £6,104 13.3 yrs £3,058
4 kW 3757 kWh 1503 kWh 2254 kWh £385 £225 £611 £8,138 13.3 yrs £4,077
5 kW 4696 kWh 1879 kWh 2818 kWh £482 £282 £763 £10,173 13.3 yrs £5,097
6 kW 5636 kWh 2254 kWh 3381 kWh £578 £338 £916 £12,207 13.3 yrs £6,116
7 kW 6575 kWh 2630 kWh 3945 kWh £674 £395 £1,069 £14,242 13.3 yrs £7,135
8 kW 7514 kWh 3006 kWh 4509 kWh £771 £451 £1,222 £16,276 13.3 yrs £8,155

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: £910, Upfront: £12,273, 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 1879 kWh 1127 kWh 751 kWh £289 £75 £364 £6,169 16.9 yrs £1,114
3 kW 2818 kWh 1691 kWh 1127 kWh £434 £113 £546 £8,204 15.0 yrs £2,721
4 kW 3757 kWh 2254 kWh 1503 kWh £578 £150 £728 £10,238 14.1 yrs £4,328
5 kW 4696 kWh 2818 kWh 1879 kWh £723 £188 £910 £12,273 13.5 yrs £5,935
6 kW 5636 kWh 3381 kWh 2254 kWh £867 £225 £1,092 £14,307 13.1 yrs £7,542
7 kW 6575 kWh 3945 kWh 2630 kWh £1,012 £263 £1,275 £16,342 12.8 yrs £9,149
8 kW 7514 kWh 4509 kWh 3006 kWh £1,156 £301 £1,457 £18,376 12.6 yrs £10,756

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: £984, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 13.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1879 kWh 1315 kWh 564 kWh £337 £56 £394 £7,569 19.2 yrs £302
3 kW 2818 kWh 1973 kWh 845 kWh £506 £85 £590 £9,604 16.3 yrs £2,202
4 kW 3757 kWh 2630 kWh 1127 kWh £674 £113 £787 £11,638 14.8 yrs £4,103
5 kW 4696 kWh 3288 kWh 1409 kWh £843 £141 £984 £13,673 13.9 yrs £6,004
6 kW 5636 kWh 3945 kWh 1691 kWh £1,012 £169 £1,181 £15,707 13.3 yrs £7,905
7 kW 6575 kWh 4603 kWh 1973 kWh £1,180 £197 £1,377 £17,742 12.9 yrs £9,805
8 kW 7514 kWh 5260 kWh 2254 kWh £1,349 £225 £1,574 £19,776 12.6 yrs £11,706

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: £1,006, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 15.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1879 kWh 1371 kWh 507 kWh £352 £51 £402 £9,319 23.2 yrs £-1,272
3 kW 2818 kWh 2057 kWh 761 kWh £527 £76 £604 £11,354 18.8 yrs £717
4 kW 3757 kWh 2743 kWh 1014 kWh £703 £101 £805 £13,388 16.6 yrs £2,706
5 kW 4696 kWh 3428 kWh 1268 kWh £879 £127 £1,006 £15,423 15.3 yrs £4,695
6 kW 5636 kWh 4114 kWh 1522 kWh £1,055 £152 £1,207 £17,457 14.5 yrs £6,684
7 kW 6575 kWh 4800 kWh 1775 kWh £1,231 £178 £1,408 £19,492 13.8 yrs £8,672
8 kW 7514 kWh 5486 kWh 2029 kWh £1,406 £203 £1,609 £21,526 13.4 yrs £10,661

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: £1,021, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 16.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1879 kWh 1409 kWh 470 kWh £361 £47 £408 £11,069 27.1 yrs £-2,905
3 kW 2818 kWh 2113 kWh 704 kWh £542 £70 £612 £13,104 21.4 yrs £-857
4 kW 3757 kWh 2818 kWh 939 kWh £723 £94 £816 £15,138 18.5 yrs £1,191
5 kW 4696 kWh 3522 kWh 1174 kWh £903 £117 £1,021 £17,173 16.8 yrs £3,238
6 kW 5636 kWh 4227 kWh 1409 kWh £1,084 £141 £1,225 £19,207 15.7 yrs £5,286
7 kW 6575 kWh 4931 kWh 1644 kWh £1,264 £164 £1,429 £21,242 14.9 yrs £7,334
8 kW 7514 kWh 5636 kWh 1879 kWh £1,445 £188 £1,633 £23,276 14.3 yrs £9,382

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: £1,035, 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 1879 kWh 1447 kWh 432 kWh £371 £43 £414 £13,519 32.6 yrs £-5,237
3 kW 2818 kWh 2170 kWh 648 kWh £556 £65 £621 £15,554 25.0 yrs £-3,131
4 kW 3757 kWh 2893 kWh 864 kWh £742 £86 £828 £17,588 21.2 yrs £-1,024
5 kW 4696 kWh 3616 kWh 1080 kWh £927 £108 £1,035 £19,623 19.0 yrs £1,082
6 kW 5636 kWh 4340 kWh 1296 kWh £1,113 £130 £1,242 £21,657 17.4 yrs £3,189
7 kW 6575 kWh 5063 kWh 1512 kWh £1,298 £151 £1,449 £23,692 16.3 yrs £5,295
8 kW 7514 kWh 5786 kWh 1728 kWh £1,484 £173 £1,656 £25,726 15.5 yrs £7,402

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.

Insights for B12

Figures below are tailored to B12 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #2116 of 2182
3.8 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~8 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #1814 of 2997
11.6 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£874 /yr • £10,173 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #1890 of 2997
22.1% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£193 fixed • ~£874 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.64p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
53.00p/day
Local Sunshine
939kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~939 kWh per year. A typical home uses ~2,700 kWh per year.
Typical System Size
3.0kW
For houses & bungalows in this area

⚠️ This area is predominantly flats. Many residents require freeholder approval for solar installations. System size shown reflects houses and bungalows only.

Local Property Data

Property Types

Houses: 40% • Flats: 56% • Bungalows: 1% Based on 8,738 properties

Coverage

Birmingham (100%)

Areas Covered

Sparkbrook & Balsall Heath East, Balsall Heath West, Bordesley & Highgate, Moseley, Tyseley & Hay Mills, Sparkhill

Data Sources & Assumptions

Solar yield: PVGIS (EU Joint Research Centre), January 2025 data

Electricity rates: Ofgem price cap, Q4 2025

Installation costs: MCS certified installer data, March 2025

Property data: EPC open data (Open Government Licence), aggregated

All estimates are typical values. Actual results vary based on your specific situation, roof characteristics, and usage patterns.

Compare nearby areas

Nearby in Midlands

B11 (Birmingham)
≈1.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~939 kWh/kWp · -0% vs B12
B5 (Birmingham)
≈2.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~936 kWh/kWp · -0% vs B12
B10 (Birmingham)
≈2.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~938 kWh/kWp · -0% vs B12
B2 (Birmingham)
≈2.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~940 kWh/kWp · +0% vs B12
B1 (Birmingham)
≈2.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~935 kWh/kWp · -0% vs B12
B4 (Birmingham)
≈2.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~940 kWh/kWp · +0% vs B12

Similar sunshine across the UK

CF46 (Merthyr Tydfil)
~939 kWh/kWp · -0% vs B12
SY13 (Shropshire)
~939 kWh/kWp · +0% vs B12
LL12 (Wrexham)
~939 kWh/kWp · +0% vs B12