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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in B7 (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
£5,352
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 940 kWh/kW — 2 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 940 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)
940 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: £764, 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 752 kWh 1128 kWh £193 £113 £305 £4,069 13.3 yrs £2,041
3 kW 2819 kWh 1128 kWh 1691 kWh £289 £169 £458 £6,104 13.3 yrs £3,061
4 kW 3758 kWh 1503 kWh 2255 kWh £385 £226 £611 £8,138 13.3 yrs £4,081
5 kW 4698 kWh 1879 kWh 2819 kWh £482 £282 £764 £10,173 13.3 yrs £5,102
6 kW 5638 kWh 2255 kWh 3383 kWh £578 £338 £916 £12,207 13.3 yrs £6,122
7 kW 6577 kWh 2631 kWh 3946 kWh £675 £395 £1,069 £14,242 13.3 yrs £7,142
8 kW 7517 kWh 3007 kWh 4510 kWh £771 £451 £1,222 £16,276 13.3 yrs £8,163

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: £911, 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 1128 kWh 752 kWh £289 £75 £364 £6,169 16.9 yrs £1,116
3 kW 2819 kWh 1691 kWh 1128 kWh £434 £113 £546 £8,204 15.0 yrs £2,725
4 kW 3758 kWh 2255 kWh 1503 kWh £578 £150 £729 £10,238 14.1 yrs £4,333
5 kW 4698 kWh 2819 kWh 1879 kWh £723 £188 £911 £12,273 13.5 yrs £5,941
6 kW 5638 kWh 3383 kWh 2255 kWh £867 £226 £1,093 £14,307 13.1 yrs £7,549
7 kW 6577 kWh 3946 kWh 2631 kWh £1,012 £263 £1,275 £16,342 12.8 yrs £9,157
8 kW 7517 kWh 4510 kWh 3007 kWh £1,156 £301 £1,457 £18,376 12.6 yrs £10,765

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 £304
3 kW 2819 kWh 1973 kWh 846 kWh £506 £85 £590 £9,604 16.3 yrs £2,206
4 kW 3758 kWh 2631 kWh 1128 kWh £675 £113 £787 £11,638 14.8 yrs £4,108
5 kW 4698 kWh 3289 kWh 1409 kWh £843 £141 £984 £13,673 13.9 yrs £6,010
6 kW 5638 kWh 3946 kWh 1691 kWh £1,012 £169 £1,181 £15,707 13.3 yrs £7,912
7 kW 6577 kWh 4604 kWh 1973 kWh £1,180 £197 £1,378 £17,742 12.9 yrs £9,815
8 kW 7517 kWh 5262 kWh 2255 kWh £1,349 £226 £1,575 £19,776 12.6 yrs £11,717

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 1372 kWh 507 kWh £352 £51 £402 £9,319 23.2 yrs £-1,269
3 kW 2819 kWh 2058 kWh 761 kWh £528 £76 £604 £11,354 18.8 yrs £721
4 kW 3758 kWh 2744 kWh 1015 kWh £703 £101 £805 £13,388 16.6 yrs £2,711
5 kW 4698 kWh 3430 kWh 1268 kWh £879 £127 £1,006 £15,423 15.3 yrs £4,701
6 kW 5638 kWh 4115 kWh 1522 kWh £1,055 £152 £1,207 £17,457 14.5 yrs £6,692
7 kW 6577 kWh 4801 kWh 1776 kWh £1,231 £178 £1,409 £19,492 13.8 yrs £8,682
8 kW 7517 kWh 5487 kWh 2030 kWh £1,407 £203 £1,610 £21,526 13.4 yrs £10,672

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 £-2,902
3 kW 2819 kWh 2114 kWh 705 kWh £542 £70 £613 £13,104 21.4 yrs £-853
4 kW 3758 kWh 2819 kWh 940 kWh £723 £94 £817 £15,138 18.5 yrs £1,196
5 kW 4698 kWh 3524 kWh 1175 kWh £903 £117 £1,021 £17,173 16.8 yrs £3,245
6 kW 5638 kWh 4228 kWh 1409 kWh £1,084 £141 £1,225 £19,207 15.7 yrs £5,294
7 kW 6577 kWh 4933 kWh 1644 kWh £1,265 £164 £1,429 £21,242 14.9 yrs £7,343
8 kW 7517 kWh 5638 kWh 1879 kWh £1,445 £188 £1,633 £23,276 14.2 yrs £9,392

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: £1,036, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 18.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1879 kWh 1447 kWh 432 kWh £371 £43 £414 £13,519 32.6 yrs £-5,234
3 kW 2819 kWh 2170 kWh 648 kWh £557 £65 £621 £15,554 25.0 yrs £-3,127
4 kW 3758 kWh 2894 kWh 864 kWh £742 £86 £828 £17,588 21.2 yrs £-1,019
5 kW 4698 kWh 3617 kWh 1081 kWh £928 £108 £1,036 £19,623 18.9 yrs £1,089
6 kW 5638 kWh 4341 kWh 1297 kWh £1,113 £130 £1,243 £21,657 17.4 yrs £3,197
7 kW 6577 kWh 5064 kWh 1513 kWh £1,299 £151 £1,450 £23,692 16.3 yrs £5,305
8 kW 7517 kWh 5788 kWh 1729 kWh £1,484 £173 £1,657 £25,726 15.5 yrs £7,413

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 B7

Figures below are tailored to B7 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1986 of 2182
4.2 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~9 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #1832 of 2997
11.6 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£699 /yr • £8,138 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2484 of 2997
27.7% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£193 fixed • ~£699 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.64p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
53.00p/day
Local Sunshine
940kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~940 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: 30% • Flats: 59% • Bungalows: 3% Based on 3,054 properties

Coverage

Birmingham (100%)

Areas Covered

Nechells, Newtown, Gravelly Hill, Ladywood

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

B99 (Birmingham)
≈1.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~940 kWh/kWp · +0% vs B7
B6 (Birmingham)
≈1.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~940 kWh/kWp · +0% vs B7
B4 (Birmingham)
≈1.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~940 kWh/kWp · -0% vs B7
B2 (Birmingham)
≈2.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~940 kWh/kWp · +0% vs B7
B8 (Birmingham)
≈2.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~939 kWh/kWp · -0% vs B7
B19 (Birmingham)
≈2.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~938 kWh/kWp · -0% vs B7

Similar sunshine across the UK

LL12 (Wrexham)
~939 kWh/kWp · -0% vs B7
SY13 (Shropshire)
~939 kWh/kWp · -0% vs B7
CF37 (Rhondda Cynon Taf)
~940 kWh/kWp · +0% vs B7