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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in B38 (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
£8,138
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£610
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£7,116
After paying itself off, you're this much ahead

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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 938 kWh/kW — 4 below the regional median (942).

Read the full story

A typical roof here lands around 4.0 kW, with most eligible homes comfortably fitting within 3–6 kW. Each kilowatt of panels produces roughly 938 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)
938 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 1877 kWh 751 kWh 1126 kWh £192 £113 £305 £4,069 13.3 yrs £2,033
3 kW 2815 kWh 1126 kWh 1689 kWh £289 £169 £458 £6,104 13.3 yrs £3,049
4 kW 3753 kWh 1501 kWh 2252 kWh £385 £225 £610 £8,138 13.3 yrs £4,065
5 kW 4692 kWh 1877 kWh 2815 kWh £481 £282 £763 £10,173 13.3 yrs £5,081
6 kW 5630 kWh 2252 kWh 3378 kWh £577 £338 £915 £12,207 13.3 yrs £6,098
7 kW 6568 kWh 2627 kWh 3941 kWh £674 £394 £1,068 £14,242 13.3 yrs £7,114
8 kW 7507 kWh 3003 kWh 4504 kWh £770 £450 £1,220 £16,276 13.3 yrs £8,130

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: £909, 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 1877 kWh 1126 kWh 751 kWh £289 £75 £364 £6,169 17.0 yrs £1,107
3 kW 2815 kWh 1689 kWh 1126 kWh £433 £113 £546 £8,204 15.0 yrs £2,710
4 kW 3753 kWh 2252 kWh 1501 kWh £577 £150 £728 £10,238 14.1 yrs £4,313
5 kW 4692 kWh 2815 kWh 1877 kWh £722 £188 £909 £12,273 13.5 yrs £5,916
6 kW 5630 kWh 3378 kWh 2252 kWh £866 £225 £1,091 £14,307 13.1 yrs £7,520
7 kW 6568 kWh 3941 kWh 2627 kWh £1,010 £263 £1,273 £16,342 12.8 yrs £9,123
8 kW 7507 kWh 4504 kWh 3003 kWh £1,155 £300 £1,455 £18,376 12.6 yrs £10,726

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: £983, 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 1877 kWh 1314 kWh 563 kWh £337 £56 £393 £7,569 19.3 yrs £294
3 kW 2815 kWh 1971 kWh 845 kWh £505 £84 £590 £9,604 16.3 yrs £2,190
4 kW 3753 kWh 2627 kWh 1126 kWh £674 £113 £786 £11,638 14.8 yrs £4,087
5 kW 4692 kWh 3284 kWh 1408 kWh £842 £141 £983 £13,673 13.9 yrs £5,984
6 kW 5630 kWh 3941 kWh 1689 kWh £1,010 £169 £1,179 £15,707 13.3 yrs £7,881
7 kW 6568 kWh 4598 kWh 1971 kWh £1,179 £197 £1,376 £17,742 12.9 yrs £9,778
8 kW 7507 kWh 5255 kWh 2252 kWh £1,347 £225 £1,573 £19,776 12.6 yrs £11,674

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: £1,005, 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 1877 kWh 1370 kWh 507 kWh £351 £51 £402 £9,319 23.2 yrs £-1,280
3 kW 2815 kWh 2055 kWh 760 kWh £527 £76 £603 £11,354 18.8 yrs £705
4 kW 3753 kWh 2740 kWh 1013 kWh £703 £101 £804 £13,388 16.7 yrs £2,689
5 kW 4692 kWh 3425 kWh 1267 kWh £878 £127 £1,005 £15,423 15.3 yrs £4,674
6 kW 5630 kWh 4110 kWh 1520 kWh £1,054 £152 £1,206 £17,457 14.5 yrs £6,659
7 kW 6568 kWh 4795 kWh 1773 kWh £1,229 £177 £1,407 £19,492 13.9 yrs £8,644
8 kW 7507 kWh 5480 kWh 2027 kWh £1,405 £203 £1,608 £21,526 13.4 yrs £10,629

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: £1,020, 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 1877 kWh 1408 kWh 469 kWh £361 £47 £408 £11,069 27.1 yrs £-2,913
3 kW 2815 kWh 2111 kWh 704 kWh £541 £70 £612 £13,104 21.4 yrs £-869
4 kW 3753 kWh 2815 kWh 938 kWh £722 £94 £816 £15,138 18.6 yrs £1,174
5 kW 4692 kWh 3519 kWh 1173 kWh £902 £117 £1,020 £17,173 16.8 yrs £3,218
6 kW 5630 kWh 4223 kWh 1408 kWh £1,083 £141 £1,223 £19,207 15.7 yrs £5,261
7 kW 6568 kWh 4926 kWh 1642 kWh £1,263 £164 £1,427 £21,242 14.9 yrs £7,305
8 kW 7507 kWh 5630 kWh 1877 kWh £1,444 £188 £1,631 £23,276 14.3 yrs £9,348

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: £1,034, 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 1877 kWh 1445 kWh 432 kWh £371 £43 £414 £13,519 32.7 yrs £-5,245
3 kW 2815 kWh 2168 kWh 647 kWh £556 £65 £621 £15,554 25.1 yrs £-3,143
4 kW 3753 kWh 2890 kWh 863 kWh £741 £86 £827 £17,588 21.3 yrs £-1,041
5 kW 4692 kWh 3613 kWh 1079 kWh £926 £108 £1,034 £19,623 19.0 yrs £1,061
6 kW 5630 kWh 4335 kWh 1295 kWh £1,112 £129 £1,241 £21,657 17.5 yrs £3,164
7 kW 6568 kWh 5058 kWh 1511 kWh £1,297 £151 £1,448 £23,692 16.4 yrs £5,266
8 kW 7507 kWh 5780 kWh 1727 kWh £1,482 £173 £1,655 £25,726 15.5 yrs £7,368

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 B38

Figures below are tailored to B38 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1563 of 2182
4.6 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~10 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #1948 of 2997
11.7 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£698 /yr • £8,138 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2493 of 2997
27.7% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£193 fixed • ~£698 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.64p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
53.00p/day
Local Sunshine
938kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~938 kWh per year. A typical home uses ~2,700 kWh per year.
Typical System Size
4.0kW
For houses & bungalows in this area

Local Property Data

Property Types

Houses: 65% • Flats: 26% • Bungalows: 6% Based on 6,374 properties

Coverage

Birmingham (90%)|Bromsgrove (10%)

Areas Covered

King's Norton South, King's Norton North, Wythall West, Bournville & Cotteridge, Longbridge & West Heath, Barnt Green & Hopwood

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

B22 (Birmingham)
≈1.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~937 kWh/kWp · -0% vs B38
B30 (Birmingham)
≈2.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~938 kWh/kWp · -0% vs B38
B31 (Birmingham)
≈2.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~940 kWh/kWp · +0% vs B38
B14 (Birmingham)
≈3.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~942 kWh/kWp · +0% vs B38
B47 (Bromsgrove)
≈3.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~953 kWh/kWp · +2% vs B38
B29 (Birmingham)
≈4.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~940 kWh/kWp · +0% vs B38

Similar sunshine across the UK

YO61 (North Yorkshire)
~938 kWh/kWp · -0% vs B38
SY15 (Powys)
~938 kWh/kWp · -0% vs B38
CA22 (Cumberland)
~938 kWh/kWp · +0% vs B38