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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in B78 (North Warwickshire)

See if solar pays off for you in North Warwickshire — 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
13.1 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£8,138
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£623
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£7,442
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 East Midlands, the current unit rate is 25.55p/kWh with a 49.09p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 961 kWh/kW — 8 below the regional median (968).

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 961 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
49.1p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
961 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: £779, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 13.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1921 kWh 768 kWh 1153 kWh £196 £115 £312 £4,069 13.1 yrs £2,163
3 kW 2882 kWh 1153 kWh 1729 kWh £295 £173 £467 £6,104 13.1 yrs £3,245
4 kW 3842 kWh 1537 kWh 2305 kWh £393 £231 £623 £8,138 13.1 yrs £4,326
5 kW 4803 kWh 1921 kWh 2882 kWh £491 £288 £779 £10,173 13.1 yrs £5,408
6 kW 5763 kWh 2305 kWh 3458 kWh £589 £346 £935 £12,207 13.1 yrs £6,489
7 kW 6724 kWh 2690 kWh 4034 kWh £687 £403 £1,091 £14,242 13.1 yrs £7,571
8 kW 7684 kWh 3074 kWh 4611 kWh £785 £461 £1,246 £16,276 13.1 yrs £8,652

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: £928, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 13.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1921 kWh 1153 kWh 768 kWh £295 £77 £371 £6,169 16.6 yrs £1,258
3 kW 2882 kWh 1729 kWh 1153 kWh £442 £115 £557 £8,204 14.7 yrs £2,937
4 kW 3842 kWh 2305 kWh 1537 kWh £589 £154 £743 £10,238 13.8 yrs £4,616
5 kW 4803 kWh 2882 kWh 1921 kWh £736 £192 £928 £12,273 13.2 yrs £6,295
6 kW 5763 kWh 3458 kWh 2305 kWh £884 £231 £1,114 £14,307 12.8 yrs £7,974
7 kW 6724 kWh 4034 kWh 2690 kWh £1,031 £269 £1,300 £16,342 12.6 yrs £9,653
8 kW 7684 kWh 4611 kWh 3074 kWh £1,178 £307 £1,485 £18,376 12.4 yrs £11,332

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: £1,003, Upfront: £13,673, 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 1921 kWh 1345 kWh 576 kWh £344 £58 £401 £7,569 18.9 yrs £455
3 kW 2882 kWh 2017 kWh 864 kWh £515 £86 £602 £9,604 16.0 yrs £2,433
4 kW 3842 kWh 2690 kWh 1153 kWh £687 £115 £802 £11,638 14.5 yrs £4,411
5 kW 4803 kWh 3362 kWh 1441 kWh £859 £144 £1,003 £13,673 13.6 yrs £6,389
6 kW 5763 kWh 4034 kWh 1729 kWh £1,031 £173 £1,204 £15,707 13.0 yrs £8,366
7 kW 6724 kWh 4707 kWh 2017 kWh £1,203 £202 £1,404 £17,742 12.6 yrs £10,344
8 kW 7684 kWh 5379 kWh 2305 kWh £1,374 £231 £1,605 £19,776 12.3 yrs £12,322

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: £1,025, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 15.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1921 kWh 1402 kWh 519 kWh £358 £52 £410 £9,319 22.7 yrs £-1,115
3 kW 2882 kWh 2104 kWh 778 kWh £537 £78 £615 £11,354 18.5 yrs £952
4 kW 3842 kWh 2805 kWh 1037 kWh £717 £104 £820 £13,388 16.3 yrs £3,019
5 kW 4803 kWh 3506 kWh 1297 kWh £896 £130 £1,025 £15,423 15.0 yrs £5,087
6 kW 5763 kWh 4207 kWh 1556 kWh £1,075 £156 £1,231 £17,457 14.2 yrs £7,154
7 kW 6724 kWh 4908 kWh 1815 kWh £1,254 £182 £1,436 £19,492 13.6 yrs £9,221
8 kW 7684 kWh 5610 kWh 2075 kWh £1,433 £207 £1,641 £21,526 13.1 yrs £11,289

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: £1,040, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 16.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1921 kWh 1441 kWh 480 kWh £368 £48 £416 £11,069 26.6 yrs £-2,746
3 kW 2882 kWh 2161 kWh 720 kWh £552 £72 £624 £13,104 21.0 yrs £-619
4 kW 3842 kWh 2882 kWh 961 kWh £736 £96 £832 £15,138 18.2 yrs £1,508
5 kW 4803 kWh 3602 kWh 1201 kWh £920 £120 £1,040 £17,173 16.5 yrs £3,635
6 kW 5763 kWh 4322 kWh 1441 kWh £1,104 £144 £1,248 £19,207 15.4 yrs £5,762
7 kW 6724 kWh 5043 kWh 1681 kWh £1,288 £168 £1,457 £21,242 14.6 yrs £7,890
8 kW 7684 kWh 5763 kWh 1921 kWh £1,473 £192 £1,665 £23,276 14.0 yrs £10,017

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: £1,055, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 18.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1921 kWh 1479 kWh 442 kWh £378 £44 £422 £13,519 32.0 yrs £-5,076
3 kW 2882 kWh 2219 kWh 663 kWh £567 £66 £633 £15,554 24.6 yrs £-2,890
4 kW 3842 kWh 2958 kWh 884 kWh £756 £88 £844 £17,588 20.8 yrs £-703
5 kW 4803 kWh 3698 kWh 1105 kWh £945 £110 £1,055 £19,623 18.6 yrs £1,484
6 kW 5763 kWh 4438 kWh 1326 kWh £1,134 £133 £1,266 £21,657 17.1 yrs £3,671
7 kW 6724 kWh 5177 kWh 1546 kWh £1,323 £155 £1,477 £23,692 16.0 yrs £5,858
8 kW 7684 kWh 5917 kWh 1767 kWh £1,512 £177 £1,689 £25,726 15.2 yrs £8,045

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 B78

Figures below are tailored to B78 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1490 of 2182
4.7 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~10 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #1647 of 2997
11.4 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£713 /yr • £8,138 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2235 of 2997
25.1% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£179 fixed • ~£713 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.55p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
49.09p/day
Local Sunshine
961kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~961 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: 81% • Flats: 10% • Bungalows: 7% Based on 6,615 properties

Coverage

North Warwickshire (54%)|Lichfield (26%)|Tamworth (20%)

Areas Covered

Fazeley, Castle, Kingsbury, Dordon, Polesworth East, Polesworth West, Bourne Vale, Bolehall + 4 more

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 East Midlands

B77 (Tamworth)
≈1.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~956 kWh/kWp · -1% vs B78
B79 (Tamworth)
≈3.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~960 kWh/kWp · -0% vs B78
CV9 (North Warwickshire)
≈10.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~962 kWh/kWp · +0% vs B78
CV10 (Nuneaton and Bedworth)
≈16.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~960 kWh/kWp · -0% vs B78
DE12 (North West Leicestershire)
≈16.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~956 kWh/kWp · -0% vs B78
CV11 (Nuneaton and Bedworth)
≈18.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~959 kWh/kWp · -0% vs B78

Similar sunshine across the UK

WR6 (Malvern Hills)
~961 kWh/kWp · +0% vs B78
GL52 (Cheltenham)
~960 kWh/kWp · -0% vs B78
B96 (Redditch)
~960 kWh/kWp · -0% vs B78