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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in BA9 (Somerset)

See if solar pays off for you in Somerset — 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
12.1 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£12,207
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£1,007
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£12,968
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 Southern, the current unit rate is 26.48p/kWh with a 44.62p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 1012 kWh/kW — 10 above the regional median (1001).

Read the full story

A typical roof here lands around 6.0 kW, with most eligible homes comfortably fitting within 3–6 kW. Each kilowatt of panels produces roughly 1012 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 26.5p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
26.5p/kWh
Standing charge
44.6p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
1012 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: £839, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 12.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2023 kWh 809 kWh 1214 kWh £214 £121 £336 £4,069 12.1 yrs £2,644
3 kW 3035 kWh 1214 kWh 1821 kWh £321 £182 £503 £6,104 12.1 yrs £3,966
4 kW 4046 kWh 1618 kWh 2428 kWh £429 £243 £671 £8,138 12.1 yrs £5,288
5 kW 5058 kWh 2023 kWh 3035 kWh £536 £303 £839 £10,173 12.1 yrs £6,611
6 kW 6069 kWh 2428 kWh 3641 kWh £643 £364 £1,007 £12,207 12.1 yrs £7,933
7 kW 7081 kWh 2832 kWh 4248 kWh £750 £425 £1,175 £14,242 12.1 yrs £9,255
8 kW 8092 kWh 3237 kWh 4855 kWh £857 £486 £1,343 £16,276 12.1 yrs £10,577

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: £1,006, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 12.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2023 kWh 1214 kWh 809 kWh £321 £81 £402 £6,169 15.3 yrs £1,878
3 kW 3035 kWh 1821 kWh 1214 kWh £482 £121 £604 £8,204 13.6 yrs £3,867
4 kW 4046 kWh 2428 kWh 1618 kWh £643 £162 £805 £10,238 12.7 yrs £5,856
5 kW 5058 kWh 3035 kWh 2023 kWh £804 £202 £1,006 £12,273 12.2 yrs £7,845
6 kW 6069 kWh 3641 kWh 2428 kWh £964 £243 £1,207 £14,307 11.9 yrs £9,833
7 kW 7081 kWh 4248 kWh 2832 kWh £1,125 £283 £1,408 £16,342 11.6 yrs £11,822
8 kW 8092 kWh 4855 kWh 3237 kWh £1,286 £324 £1,609 £18,376 11.4 yrs £13,811

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: £1,089, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 12.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2023 kWh 1416 kWh 607 kWh £375 £61 £436 £7,569 17.4 yrs £1,145
3 kW 3035 kWh 2124 kWh 910 kWh £562 £91 £654 £9,604 14.7 yrs £3,467
4 kW 4046 kWh 2832 kWh 1214 kWh £750 £121 £871 £11,638 13.4 yrs £5,789
5 kW 5058 kWh 3540 kWh 1517 kWh £937 £152 £1,089 £13,673 12.6 yrs £8,112
6 kW 6069 kWh 4248 kWh 1821 kWh £1,125 £182 £1,307 £15,707 12.0 yrs £10,434
7 kW 7081 kWh 4956 kWh 2124 kWh £1,312 £212 £1,525 £17,742 11.6 yrs £12,756
8 kW 8092 kWh 5665 kWh 2428 kWh £1,500 £243 £1,743 £19,776 11.3 yrs £15,078

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: £1,114, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 13.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2023 kWh 1477 kWh 546 kWh £391 £55 £446 £9,319 20.9 yrs £-405
3 kW 3035 kWh 2215 kWh 819 kWh £587 £82 £669 £11,354 17.0 yrs £2,017
4 kW 4046 kWh 2954 kWh 1092 kWh £782 £109 £891 £13,388 15.0 yrs £4,439
5 kW 5058 kWh 3692 kWh 1366 kWh £978 £137 £1,114 £15,423 13.8 yrs £6,862
6 kW 6069 kWh 4430 kWh 1639 kWh £1,173 £164 £1,337 £17,457 13.1 yrs £9,284
7 kW 7081 kWh 5169 kWh 1912 kWh £1,369 £191 £1,560 £19,492 12.5 yrs £11,706
8 kW 8092 kWh 5907 kWh 2185 kWh £1,564 £218 £1,783 £21,526 12.1 yrs £14,129

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: £1,131, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 15.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2023 kWh 1517 kWh 506 kWh £402 £51 £452 £11,069 24.5 yrs £-2,022
3 kW 3035 kWh 2276 kWh 759 kWh £603 £76 £679 £13,104 19.3 yrs £467
4 kW 4046 kWh 3035 kWh 1012 kWh £804 £101 £905 £15,138 16.7 yrs £2,956
5 kW 5058 kWh 3793 kWh 1264 kWh £1,004 £126 £1,131 £17,173 15.2 yrs £5,445
6 kW 6069 kWh 4552 kWh 1517 kWh £1,205 £152 £1,357 £19,207 14.2 yrs £7,934
7 kW 7081 kWh 5310 kWh 1770 kWh £1,406 £177 £1,583 £21,242 13.4 yrs £10,423
8 kW 8092 kWh 6069 kWh 2023 kWh £1,607 £202 £1,809 £23,276 12.9 yrs £12,912

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: £1,148, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 17.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2023 kWh 1558 kWh 465 kWh £412 £47 £459 £13,519 29.5 yrs £-4,339
3 kW 3035 kWh 2337 kWh 698 kWh £619 £70 £689 £15,554 22.6 yrs £-1,783
4 kW 4046 kWh 3115 kWh 931 kWh £825 £93 £918 £17,588 19.2 yrs £773
5 kW 5058 kWh 3894 kWh 1163 kWh £1,031 £116 £1,148 £19,623 17.1 yrs £3,328
6 kW 6069 kWh 4673 kWh 1396 kWh £1,237 £140 £1,377 £21,657 15.7 yrs £5,884
7 kW 7081 kWh 5452 kWh 1629 kWh £1,444 £163 £1,607 £23,692 14.7 yrs £8,440
8 kW 8092 kWh 6231 kWh 1861 kWh £1,650 £186 £1,836 £25,726 14.0 yrs £10,995

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 BA9

Figures below are tailored to BA9 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #636 of 2182
5.4 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~11 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #598 of 2997
10.6 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£1,157 /yr • £12,207 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #101 of 2997
14.1% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£163 fixed • ~£1,157 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.48p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
44.62p/day
Local Sunshine
1012kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~1012 kWh per year. A typical home uses ~2,700 kWh per year.
Typical System Size
6.0kW
For houses & bungalows in this area

Local Property Data

Property Types

Houses: 66% • Flats: 15% • Bungalows: 17% Based on 2,425 properties

Coverage

Somerset (100%)

Areas Covered

Wincanton & Bruton, Blackmoor Vale, Castle Cary

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 Southern

BA8 (Somerset)
≈6.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,020 kWh/kWp · +1% vs BA9
BA10 (Somerset)
≈6.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,001 kWh/kWp · -1% vs BA9
BA7 (Somerset)
≈8.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,007 kWh/kWp · -0% vs BA9
SP8 (Dorset)
≈9.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,013 kWh/kWp · +0% vs BA9
DT9 (Dorset)
≈14.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,017 kWh/kWp · +1% vs BA9
DT10 (Dorset)
≈15.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,029 kWh/kWp · +2% vs BA9

Similar sunshine across the UK

CB24 (South Cambridgeshire)
~1,012 kWh/kWp · -0% vs BA9
CB8 (West Suffolk)
~1,011 kWh/kWp · -0% vs BA9
BS28 (Somerset)
~1,012 kWh/kWp · +0% vs BA9