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 848 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 27.1p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.
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: £714, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 14.2 yrs
| System | Annual output | Self-use | Exported | Bill saving | Export income | Annual benefit | Upfront cost | Break-even | 20-year net |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 kW | 1695 kWh | 678 kWh | 1017 kWh | £184 | £102 | £286 | £4,069 | 14.2 yrs | £1,642 |
| 3 kW | 2543 kWh | 1017 kWh | 1526 kWh | £276 | £153 | £428 | £6,104 | 14.2 yrs | £2,463 |
| 4 kW | 3391 kWh | 1356 kWh | 2034 kWh | £368 | £203 | £571 | £8,138 | 14.2 yrs | £3,284 |
| 5 kW | 4238 kWh | 1695 kWh | 2543 kWh | £460 | £254 | £714 | £10,173 | 14.2 yrs | £4,105 |
| 6 kW | 5086 kWh | 2034 kWh | 3052 kWh | £552 | £305 | £857 | £12,207 | 14.2 yrs | £4,927 |
| 7 kW | 5934 kWh | 2373 kWh | 3560 kWh | £643 | £356 | £999 | £14,242 | 14.2 yrs | £5,748 |
| 8 kW | 6781 kWh | 2713 kWh | 4069 kWh | £735 | £407 | £1,142 | £16,276 | 14.2 yrs | £6,569 |
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: £859, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 14.3 yrs
| System | Annual output | Self-use | Exported | Bill saving | Export income | Annual benefit | Upfront cost | Break-even | 20-year net |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 kW | 1695 kWh | 1017 kWh | 678 kWh | £276 | £68 | £344 | £6,169 | 18.0 yrs | £702 |
| 3 kW | 2543 kWh | 1526 kWh | 1017 kWh | £414 | £102 | £515 | £8,204 | 15.9 yrs | £2,104 |
| 4 kW | 3391 kWh | 2034 kWh | 1356 kWh | £552 | £136 | £687 | £10,238 | 14.9 yrs | £3,505 |
| 5 kW | 4238 kWh | 2543 kWh | 1695 kWh | £689 | £170 | £859 | £12,273 | 14.3 yrs | £4,906 |
| 6 kW | 5086 kWh | 3052 kWh | 2034 kWh | £827 | £203 | £1,031 | £14,307 | 13.9 yrs | £6,307 |
| 7 kW | 5934 kWh | 3560 kWh | 2373 kWh | £965 | £237 | £1,203 | £16,342 | 13.6 yrs | £7,709 |
| 8 kW | 6781 kWh | 4069 kWh | 2713 kWh | £1,103 | £271 | £1,374 | £18,376 | 13.4 yrs | £9,110 |
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: £931, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 14.7 yrs
| System | Annual output | Self-use | Exported | Bill saving | Export income | Annual benefit | Upfront cost | Break-even | 20-year net |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 kW | 1695 kWh | 1187 kWh | 509 kWh | £322 | £51 | £373 | £7,569 | 20.3 yrs | £-117 |
| 3 kW | 2543 kWh | 1780 kWh | 763 kWh | £483 | £76 | £559 | £9,604 | 17.2 yrs | £1,574 |
| 4 kW | 3391 kWh | 2373 kWh | 1017 kWh | £643 | £102 | £745 | £11,638 | 15.6 yrs | £3,265 |
| 5 kW | 4238 kWh | 2967 kWh | 1271 kWh | £804 | £127 | £931 | £13,673 | 14.7 yrs | £4,956 |
| 6 kW | 5086 kWh | 3560 kWh | 1526 kWh | £965 | £153 | £1,118 | £15,707 | 14.1 yrs | £6,648 |
| 7 kW | 5934 kWh | 4154 kWh | 1780 kWh | £1,126 | £178 | £1,304 | £17,742 | 13.6 yrs | £8,339 |
| 8 kW | 6781 kWh | 4747 kWh | 2034 kWh | £1,287 | £203 | £1,490 | £19,776 | 13.3 yrs | £10,030 |
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: £953, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 16.2 yrs
| System | Annual output | Self-use | Exported | Bill saving | Export income | Annual benefit | Upfront cost | Break-even | 20-year net |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 kW | 1695 kWh | 1238 kWh | 458 kWh | £336 | £46 | £381 | £9,319 | 24.4 yrs | £-1,693 |
| 3 kW | 2543 kWh | 1856 kWh | 687 kWh | £503 | £69 | £572 | £11,354 | 19.9 yrs | £85 |
| 4 kW | 3391 kWh | 2475 kWh | 915 kWh | £671 | £92 | £763 | £13,388 | 17.6 yrs | £1,863 |
| 5 kW | 4238 kWh | 3094 kWh | 1144 kWh | £839 | £114 | £953 | £15,423 | 16.2 yrs | £3,642 |
| 6 kW | 5086 kWh | 3713 kWh | 1373 kWh | £1,007 | £137 | £1,144 | £17,457 | 15.3 yrs | £5,420 |
| 7 kW | 5934 kWh | 4332 kWh | 1602 kWh | £1,174 | £160 | £1,334 | £19,492 | 14.6 yrs | £7,198 |
| 8 kW | 6781 kWh | 4950 kWh | 1831 kWh | £1,342 | £183 | £1,525 | £21,526 | 14.1 yrs | £8,977 |
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: £968, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 17.7 yrs
| System | Annual output | Self-use | Exported | Bill saving | Export income | Annual benefit | Upfront cost | Break-even | 20-year net |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 kW | 1695 kWh | 1271 kWh | 424 kWh | £345 | £42 | £387 | £11,069 | 28.6 yrs | £-3,327 |
| 3 kW | 2543 kWh | 1907 kWh | 636 kWh | £517 | £64 | £581 | £13,104 | 22.6 yrs | £-1,491 |
| 4 kW | 3391 kWh | 2543 kWh | 848 kWh | £689 | £85 | £774 | £15,138 | 19.6 yrs | £345 |
| 5 kW | 4238 kWh | 3179 kWh | 1060 kWh | £862 | £106 | £968 | £17,173 | 17.7 yrs | £2,182 |
| 6 kW | 5086 kWh | 3814 kWh | 1271 kWh | £1,034 | £127 | £1,161 | £19,207 | 16.5 yrs | £4,018 |
| 7 kW | 5934 kWh | 4450 kWh | 1483 kWh | £1,206 | £148 | £1,355 | £21,242 | 15.7 yrs | £5,854 |
| 8 kW | 6781 kWh | 5086 kWh | 1695 kWh | £1,379 | £170 | £1,548 | £23,276 | 15.0 yrs | £7,691 |
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: £982, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 20.0 yrs
| System | Annual output | Self-use | Exported | Bill saving | Export income | Annual benefit | Upfront cost | Break-even | 20-year net |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 kW | 1695 kWh | 1305 kWh | 390 kWh | £354 | £39 | £393 | £13,519 | 34.4 yrs | £-5,661 |
| 3 kW | 2543 kWh | 1958 kWh | 585 kWh | £531 | £58 | £589 | £15,554 | 26.4 yrs | £-3,767 |
| 4 kW | 3391 kWh | 2611 kWh | 780 kWh | £708 | £78 | £786 | £17,588 | 22.4 yrs | £-1,873 |
| 5 kW | 4238 kWh | 3263 kWh | 975 kWh | £885 | £97 | £982 | £19,623 | 20.0 yrs | £22 |
| 6 kW | 5086 kWh | 3916 kWh | 1170 kWh | £1,062 | £117 | £1,179 | £21,657 | 18.4 yrs | £1,916 |
| 7 kW | 5934 kWh | 4569 kWh | 1365 kWh | £1,239 | £136 | £1,375 | £23,692 | 17.2 yrs | £3,810 |
| 8 kW | 6781 kWh | 5222 kWh | 1560 kWh | £1,416 | £156 | £1,572 | £25,726 | 16.4 yrs | £5,705 |
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.