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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in BB18 (Pendle)

See if solar pays off for you in Pendle — 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
14.9 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£681
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£6,847
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 Yorkshire, the current unit rate is 25.33p/kWh with a 58.65p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 844 kWh/kW — 85 below the regional median (929).

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 844 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 25.3p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
25.3p/kWh
Standing charge
58.6p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
844 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: £681, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 14.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1688 kWh 675 kWh 1013 kWh £171 £101 £272 £4,069 14.9 yrs £1,377
3 kW 2532 kWh 1013 kWh 1519 kWh £257 £152 £408 £6,104 14.9 yrs £2,066
4 kW 3376 kWh 1350 kWh 2026 kWh £342 £203 £545 £8,138 14.9 yrs £2,755
5 kW 4220 kWh 1688 kWh 2532 kWh £428 £253 £681 £10,173 14.9 yrs £3,443
6 kW 5064 kWh 2026 kWh 3039 kWh £513 £304 £817 £12,207 14.9 yrs £4,132
7 kW 5908 kWh 2363 kWh 3545 kWh £599 £354 £953 £14,242 14.9 yrs £4,821
8 kW 6752 kWh 2701 kWh 4051 kWh £684 £405 £1,089 £16,276 14.9 yrs £5,509

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: £810, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 15.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1688 kWh 1013 kWh 675 kWh £257 £68 £324 £6,169 19.0 yrs £312
3 kW 2532 kWh 1519 kWh 1013 kWh £385 £101 £486 £8,204 16.9 yrs £1,519
4 kW 3376 kWh 2026 kWh 1350 kWh £513 £135 £648 £10,238 15.8 yrs £2,725
5 kW 4220 kWh 2532 kWh 1688 kWh £641 £169 £810 £12,273 15.1 yrs £3,931
6 kW 5064 kWh 3039 kWh 2026 kWh £770 £203 £972 £14,307 14.7 yrs £5,137
7 kW 5908 kWh 3545 kWh 2363 kWh £898 £236 £1,134 £16,342 14.4 yrs £6,344
8 kW 6752 kWh 4051 kWh 2701 kWh £1,026 £270 £1,296 £18,376 14.2 yrs £7,550

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: £875, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 15.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1688 kWh 1182 kWh 506 kWh £299 £51 £350 £7,569 21.6 yrs £-570
3 kW 2532 kWh 1772 kWh 760 kWh £449 £76 £525 £9,604 18.3 yrs £895
4 kW 3376 kWh 2363 kWh 1013 kWh £599 £101 £700 £11,638 16.6 yrs £2,360
5 kW 4220 kWh 2954 kWh 1266 kWh £748 £127 £875 £13,673 15.6 yrs £3,825
6 kW 5064 kWh 3545 kWh 1519 kWh £898 £152 £1,050 £15,707 15.0 yrs £5,290
7 kW 5908 kWh 4136 kWh 1772 kWh £1,048 £177 £1,225 £17,742 14.5 yrs £6,755
8 kW 6752 kWh 4727 kWh 2026 kWh £1,197 £203 £1,400 £19,776 14.1 yrs £8,220

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: £894, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 17.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1688 kWh 1232 kWh 456 kWh £312 £46 £358 £9,319 26.1 yrs £-2,165
3 kW 2532 kWh 1848 kWh 684 kWh £468 £68 £537 £11,354 21.2 yrs £-622
4 kW 3376 kWh 2465 kWh 912 kWh £624 £91 £715 £13,388 18.7 yrs £921
5 kW 4220 kWh 3081 kWh 1139 kWh £780 £114 £894 £15,423 17.2 yrs £2,463
6 kW 5064 kWh 3697 kWh 1367 kWh £936 £137 £1,073 £17,457 16.3 yrs £4,006
7 kW 5908 kWh 4313 kWh 1595 kWh £1,092 £160 £1,252 £19,492 15.6 yrs £5,548
8 kW 6752 kWh 4929 kWh 1823 kWh £1,249 £182 £1,431 £21,526 15.0 yrs £7,091

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: £907, Upfront: £17,173, 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 1688 kWh 1266 kWh 422 kWh £321 £42 £363 £11,069 30.5 yrs £-3,811
3 kW 2532 kWh 1899 kWh 633 kWh £481 £63 £544 £13,104 24.1 yrs £-2,217
4 kW 3376 kWh 2532 kWh 844 kWh £641 £84 £726 £15,138 20.9 yrs £-622
5 kW 4220 kWh 3165 kWh 1055 kWh £802 £106 £907 £17,173 18.9 yrs £972
6 kW 5064 kWh 3798 kWh 1266 kWh £962 £127 £1,089 £19,207 17.6 yrs £2,566
7 kW 5908 kWh 4431 kWh 1477 kWh £1,122 £148 £1,270 £21,242 16.7 yrs £4,161
8 kW 6752 kWh 5064 kWh 1688 kWh £1,283 £169 £1,452 £23,276 16.0 yrs £5,755

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: £920, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 21.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1688 kWh 1300 kWh 388 kWh £329 £39 £368 £13,519 36.7 yrs £-6,158
3 kW 2532 kWh 1950 kWh 582 kWh £494 £58 £552 £15,554 28.2 yrs £-4,512
4 kW 3376 kWh 2600 kWh 777 kWh £658 £78 £736 £17,588 23.9 yrs £-2,865
5 kW 4220 kWh 3250 kWh 971 kWh £823 £97 £920 £19,623 21.3 yrs £-1,219
6 kW 5064 kWh 3899 kWh 1165 kWh £988 £116 £1,104 £21,657 19.6 yrs £427
7 kW 5908 kWh 4549 kWh 1359 kWh £1,152 £136 £1,288 £23,692 18.4 yrs £2,073
8 kW 6752 kWh 5199 kWh 1553 kWh £1,317 £155 £1,472 £25,726 17.5 yrs £3,719

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 BB18

Figures below are tailored to BB18 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1014 of 2182
5.0 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~11 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #2827 of 2997
13.1 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£778 /yr • £10,173 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2458 of 2997
27.5% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£214 fixed • ~£778 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.33p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
58.65p/day
Local Sunshine
844kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~844 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: 81% • Flats: 9% • Bungalows: 7% Based on 4,693 properties

Coverage

Pendle (100%)

Areas Covered

Earby & Coates, Barnoldswick, Skipton West & West Craven

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 Yorkshire

BB94 (Pendle)
≈2.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~850 kWh/kWp · +1% vs BB18
BD23 (North Yorkshire)
≈11.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~883 kWh/kWp · +5% vs BB18
BD20 (Bradford)
≈16.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~894 kWh/kWp · +6% vs BB18
BD22 (Bradford)
≈17.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~877 kWh/kWp · +4% vs BB18
BD21 (Bradford)
≈18.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~889 kWh/kWp · +5% vs BB18
HX7 (Calderdale)
≈22.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~875 kWh/kWp · +4% vs BB18

Similar sunshine across the UK

ML10 (South Lanarkshire)
~844 kWh/kWp · +0% vs BB18
PA21 (Argyll and Bute)
~844 kWh/kWp · +0% vs BB18
ML1 (North Lanarkshire)
~844 kWh/kWp · +0% vs BB18