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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in B42 (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
13.4 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£8,138
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£609
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£7,077
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 936 kWh/kW — 6 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 936 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)
936 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: £761, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 13.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1872 kWh 749 kWh 1123 kWh £192 £112 £304 £4,069 13.4 yrs £2,017
3 kW 2808 kWh 1123 kWh 1685 kWh £288 £168 £456 £6,104 13.4 yrs £3,025
4 kW 3744 kWh 1498 kWh 2246 kWh £384 £225 £609 £8,138 13.4 yrs £4,034
5 kW 4680 kWh 1872 kWh 2808 kWh £480 £281 £761 £10,173 13.4 yrs £5,042
6 kW 5616 kWh 2246 kWh 3369 kWh £576 £337 £913 £12,207 13.4 yrs £6,051
7 kW 6552 kWh 2621 kWh 3931 kWh £672 £393 £1,065 £14,242 13.4 yrs £7,059
8 kW 7488 kWh 2995 kWh 4493 kWh £768 £449 £1,217 £16,276 13.4 yrs £8,067

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: £907, 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 1872 kWh 1123 kWh 749 kWh £288 £75 £363 £6,169 17.0 yrs £1,088
3 kW 2808 kWh 1685 kWh 1123 kWh £432 £112 £544 £8,204 15.1 yrs £2,682
4 kW 3744 kWh 2246 kWh 1498 kWh £576 £150 £726 £10,238 14.1 yrs £4,276
5 kW 4680 kWh 2808 kWh 1872 kWh £720 £187 £907 £12,273 13.5 yrs £5,870
6 kW 5616 kWh 3369 kWh 2246 kWh £864 £225 £1,089 £14,307 13.1 yrs £7,464
7 kW 6552 kWh 3931 kWh 2621 kWh £1,008 £262 £1,270 £16,342 12.9 yrs £9,058
8 kW 7488 kWh 4493 kWh 2995 kWh £1,152 £300 £1,451 £18,376 12.7 yrs £10,652

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: £980, 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 1872 kWh 1310 kWh 562 kWh £336 £56 £392 £7,569 19.3 yrs £273
3 kW 2808 kWh 1965 kWh 842 kWh £504 £84 £588 £9,604 16.3 yrs £2,160
4 kW 3744 kWh 2621 kWh 1123 kWh £672 £112 £784 £11,638 14.8 yrs £4,047
5 kW 4680 kWh 3276 kWh 1404 kWh £840 £140 £980 £13,673 13.9 yrs £5,934
6 kW 5616 kWh 3931 kWh 1685 kWh £1,008 £168 £1,176 £15,707 13.4 yrs £7,820
7 kW 6552 kWh 4586 kWh 1965 kWh £1,176 £197 £1,372 £17,742 12.9 yrs £9,707
8 kW 7488 kWh 5241 kWh 2246 kWh £1,344 £225 £1,568 £19,776 12.6 yrs £11,594

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 1872 kWh 1366 kWh 505 kWh £350 £51 £401 £9,319 23.2 yrs £-1,301
3 kW 2808 kWh 2050 kWh 758 kWh £526 £76 £601 £11,354 18.9 yrs £674
4 kW 3744 kWh 2733 kWh 1011 kWh £701 £101 £802 £13,388 16.7 yrs £2,648
5 kW 4680 kWh 3416 kWh 1264 kWh £876 £126 £1,002 £15,423 15.4 yrs £4,623
6 kW 5616 kWh 4099 kWh 1516 kWh £1,051 £152 £1,203 £17,457 14.5 yrs £6,597
7 kW 6552 kWh 4783 kWh 1769 kWh £1,226 £177 £1,403 £19,492 13.9 yrs £8,572
8 kW 7488 kWh 5466 kWh 2022 kWh £1,401 £202 £1,604 £21,526 13.4 yrs £10,546

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 1872 kWh 1404 kWh 468 kWh £360 £47 £407 £11,069 27.2 yrs £-2,934
3 kW 2808 kWh 2106 kWh 702 kWh £540 £70 £610 £13,104 21.5 yrs £-901
4 kW 3744 kWh 2808 kWh 936 kWh £720 £94 £814 £15,138 18.6 yrs £1,132
5 kW 4680 kWh 3510 kWh 1170 kWh £900 £117 £1,017 £17,173 16.9 yrs £3,165
6 kW 5616 kWh 4212 kWh 1404 kWh £1,080 £140 £1,220 £19,207 15.7 yrs £5,199
7 kW 6552 kWh 4914 kWh 1638 kWh £1,260 £164 £1,424 £21,242 14.9 yrs £7,232
8 kW 7488 kWh 5616 kWh 1872 kWh £1,440 £187 £1,627 £23,276 14.3 yrs £9,265

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: £1,032, 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 1872 kWh 1441 kWh 431 kWh £370 £43 £413 £13,519 32.8 yrs £-5,267
3 kW 2808 kWh 2162 kWh 646 kWh £554 £65 £619 £15,554 25.1 yrs £-3,175
4 kW 3744 kWh 2883 kWh 861 kWh £739 £86 £825 £17,588 21.3 yrs £-1,083
5 kW 4680 kWh 3603 kWh 1076 kWh £924 £108 £1,032 £19,623 19.0 yrs £1,008
6 kW 5616 kWh 4324 kWh 1292 kWh £1,109 £129 £1,238 £21,657 17.5 yrs £3,100
7 kW 6552 kWh 5045 kWh 1507 kWh £1,293 £151 £1,444 £23,692 16.4 yrs £5,191
8 kW 7488 kWh 5765 kWh 1722 kWh £1,478 £172 £1,650 £25,726 15.6 yrs £7,283

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 B42

Figures below are tailored to B42 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1989 of 2182
4.1 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~9 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #1949 of 2997
11.7 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£696 /yr • £8,138 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2508 of 2997
27.8% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£193 fixed • ~£696 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.64p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
53.00p/day
Local Sunshine
936kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~936 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: 68% • Flats: 28% • Bungalows: 1% Based on 6,711 properties

Coverage

Birmingham (99%)|Sandwell (1%)

Areas Covered

Perry Barr, Kingstanding, Oscott, Newton, Handsworth Wood, Aston, Nechells

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

B44 (Birmingham)
≈1.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~938 kWh/kWp · +0% vs B42
B43 (Sandwell)
≈2.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~936 kWh/kWp · +0% vs B42
B20 (Birmingham)
≈2.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~936 kWh/kWp · -0% vs B42
B23 (Birmingham)
≈3.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~942 kWh/kWp · +1% vs B42
B6 (Birmingham)
≈4.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~940 kWh/kWp · +0% vs B42
B21 (Birmingham)
≈4.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~935 kWh/kWp · -0% vs B42

Similar sunshine across the UK

YO60 (North Yorkshire)
~936 kWh/kWp · +0% vs B42
L3 (Liverpool)
~936 kWh/kWp · +0% vs B42
L75 (Sefton)
~936 kWh/kWp · +0% vs B42