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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in B97 (Redditch)

See if solar pays off for you in Redditch — 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
13.0 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£781
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£9,359
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 961 kWh/kW — 19 above the regional median (942).

Read the full story

A typical roof here lands around 5.0 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
53.0p/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: £781, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 13.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1922 kWh 769 kWh 1153 kWh £197 £115 £313 £4,069 13.0 yrs £2,181
3 kW 2884 kWh 1153 kWh 1730 kWh £296 £173 £469 £6,104 13.0 yrs £3,272
4 kW 3845 kWh 1538 kWh 2307 kWh £394 £231 £625 £8,138 13.0 yrs £4,362
5 kW 4806 kWh 1922 kWh 2884 kWh £493 £288 £781 £10,173 13.0 yrs £5,453
6 kW 5767 kWh 2307 kWh 3460 kWh £591 £346 £938 £12,207 13.0 yrs £6,543
7 kW 6728 kWh 2691 kWh 4037 kWh £690 £404 £1,094 £14,242 13.0 yrs £7,634
8 kW 7690 kWh 3076 kWh 4614 kWh £789 £461 £1,250 £16,276 13.0 yrs £8,724

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: £932, 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 1922 kWh 1153 kWh 769 kWh £296 £77 £373 £6,169 16.6 yrs £1,284
3 kW 2884 kWh 1730 kWh 1153 kWh £444 £115 £559 £8,204 14.7 yrs £2,975
4 kW 3845 kWh 2307 kWh 1538 kWh £591 £154 £745 £10,238 13.7 yrs £4,667
5 kW 4806 kWh 2884 kWh 1922 kWh £739 £192 £932 £12,273 13.2 yrs £6,359
6 kW 5767 kWh 3460 kWh 2307 kWh £887 £231 £1,118 £14,307 12.8 yrs £8,051
7 kW 6728 kWh 4037 kWh 2691 kWh £1,035 £269 £1,304 £16,342 12.5 yrs £9,743
8 kW 7690 kWh 4614 kWh 3076 kWh £1,183 £308 £1,491 £18,376 12.3 yrs £11,435

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: £1,007, 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 1922 kWh 1346 kWh 577 kWh £345 £58 £403 £7,569 18.8 yrs £485
3 kW 2884 kWh 2018 kWh 865 kWh £518 £87 £604 £9,604 15.9 yrs £2,477
4 kW 3845 kWh 2691 kWh 1153 kWh £690 £115 £805 £11,638 14.5 yrs £4,470
5 kW 4806 kWh 3364 kWh 1442 kWh £863 £144 £1,007 £13,673 13.6 yrs £6,462
6 kW 5767 kWh 4037 kWh 1730 kWh £1,035 £173 £1,208 £15,707 13.0 yrs £8,455
7 kW 6728 kWh 4710 kWh 2018 kWh £1,208 £202 £1,409 £17,742 12.6 yrs £10,447
8 kW 7690 kWh 5383 kWh 2307 kWh £1,380 £231 £1,611 £19,776 12.3 yrs £12,440

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: £1,029, 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 1922 kWh 1403 kWh 519 kWh £360 £52 £412 £9,319 22.6 yrs £-1,085
3 kW 2884 kWh 2105 kWh 779 kWh £540 £78 £618 £11,354 18.4 yrs £998
4 kW 3845 kWh 2807 kWh 1038 kWh £720 £104 £823 £13,388 16.3 yrs £3,081
5 kW 4806 kWh 3508 kWh 1298 kWh £900 £130 £1,029 £15,423 15.0 yrs £5,163
6 kW 5767 kWh 4210 kWh 1557 kWh £1,079 £156 £1,235 £17,457 14.1 yrs £7,246
7 kW 6728 kWh 4912 kWh 1817 kWh £1,259 £182 £1,441 £19,492 13.5 yrs £9,329
8 kW 7690 kWh 5613 kWh 2076 kWh £1,439 £208 £1,647 £21,526 13.1 yrs £11,412

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: £1,044, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 16.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1922 kWh 1442 kWh 481 kWh £370 £48 £418 £11,069 26.5 yrs £-2,714
3 kW 2884 kWh 2163 kWh 721 kWh £555 £72 £627 £13,104 20.9 yrs £-572
4 kW 3845 kWh 2884 kWh 961 kWh £739 £96 £835 £15,138 18.1 yrs £1,571
5 kW 4806 kWh 3604 kWh 1201 kWh £924 £120 £1,044 £17,173 16.4 yrs £3,714
6 kW 5767 kWh 4325 kWh 1442 kWh £1,109 £144 £1,253 £19,207 15.3 yrs £5,857
7 kW 6728 kWh 5046 kWh 1682 kWh £1,294 £168 £1,462 £21,242 14.5 yrs £8,000
8 kW 7690 kWh 5767 kWh 1922 kWh £1,479 £192 £1,671 £23,276 13.9 yrs £10,143

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: £1,059, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 18.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1922 kWh 1480 kWh 442 kWh £380 £44 £424 £13,519 31.9 yrs £-5,044
3 kW 2884 kWh 2220 kWh 663 kWh £569 £66 £636 £15,554 24.5 yrs £-2,841
4 kW 3845 kWh 2960 kWh 884 kWh £759 £88 £847 £17,588 20.8 yrs £-638
5 kW 4806 kWh 3701 kWh 1105 kWh £949 £111 £1,059 £19,623 18.5 yrs £1,565
6 kW 5767 kWh 4441 kWh 1326 kWh £1,139 £133 £1,271 £21,657 17.0 yrs £3,768
7 kW 6728 kWh 5181 kWh 1548 kWh £1,328 £155 £1,483 £23,692 16.0 yrs £5,971
8 kW 7690 kWh 5921 kWh 1769 kWh £1,518 £177 £1,695 £25,726 15.2 yrs £8,174

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 B97

Figures below are tailored to B97 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1590 of 2182
4.6 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~10 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #1654 of 2997
11.4 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£894 /yr • £10,173 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #1738 of 2997
21.6% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£193 fixed • ~£894 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.64p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
53.00p/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
5.0kW
For houses & bungalows in this area

Local Property Data

Property Types

Houses: 65% • Flats: 26% • Bungalows: 7% Based on 9,672 properties

Coverage

Redditch (97%)|Bromsgrove (3%)

Areas Covered

Central, Batchley & Brockhill, Webheath & Callow Hill, Astwood Bank & Feckenham, Headless Cross & Oakenshaw, Tardebigge, Alvechurch South, Greenlands & Lakeside + 1 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 Midlands

B98 (Redditch)
≈1.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~964 kWh/kWp · +0% vs B97
B48 (Bromsgrove)
≈5.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~948 kWh/kWp · -1% vs B97
B80 (Stratford-on-Avon)
≈5.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~963 kWh/kWp · +0% vs B97
B96 (Redditch)
≈5.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~960 kWh/kWp · -0% vs B97
B60 (Bromsgrove)
≈7.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~958 kWh/kWp · -0% vs B97
B61 (Bromsgrove)
≈9.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~957 kWh/kWp · -0% vs B97

Similar sunshine across the UK

SA4 (Swansea)
~961 kWh/kWp · +0% vs B97
CV3 (Coventry)
~961 kWh/kWp · +0% vs B97
HU1 (Kingston upon Hull, City of)
~961 kWh/kWp · +0% vs B97