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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in BB4 (Rossendale)

See if solar pays off for you in Rossendale — 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
14.5 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£704
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£7,422
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 North West, the current unit rate is 27.11p/kWh with a 51.16p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 836 kWh/kW — 34 below the regional median (870).

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 836 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.

Unit rate
27.1p/kWh
Standing charge
51.2p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
836 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: £704, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 14.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1671 kWh 669 kWh 1003 kWh £181 £100 £282 £4,069 14.5 yrs £1,561
3 kW 2507 kWh 1003 kWh 1504 kWh £272 £150 £422 £6,104 14.5 yrs £2,342
4 kW 3343 kWh 1337 kWh 2006 kWh £362 £201 £563 £8,138 14.5 yrs £3,123
5 kW 4178 kWh 1671 kWh 2507 kWh £453 £251 £704 £10,173 14.5 yrs £3,903
6 kW 5014 kWh 2006 kWh 3008 kWh £544 £301 £845 £12,207 14.5 yrs £4,684
7 kW 5850 kWh 2340 kWh 3510 kWh £634 £351 £985 £14,242 14.5 yrs £5,464
8 kW 6685 kWh 2674 kWh 4011 kWh £725 £401 £1,126 £16,276 14.5 yrs £6,245

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: £847, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 14.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1671 kWh 1003 kWh 669 kWh £272 £67 £339 £6,169 18.2 yrs £605
3 kW 2507 kWh 1504 kWh 1003 kWh £408 £100 £508 £8,204 16.1 yrs £1,958
4 kW 3343 kWh 2006 kWh 1337 kWh £544 £134 £677 £10,238 15.1 yrs £3,310
5 kW 4178 kWh 2507 kWh 1671 kWh £680 £167 £847 £12,273 14.5 yrs £4,663
6 kW 5014 kWh 3008 kWh 2006 kWh £816 £201 £1,016 £14,307 14.1 yrs £6,015
7 kW 5850 kWh 3510 kWh 2340 kWh £951 £234 £1,185 £16,342 13.8 yrs £7,368
8 kW 6685 kWh 4011 kWh 2674 kWh £1,087 £267 £1,355 £18,376 13.6 yrs £8,720

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: £918, Upfront: £13,673, 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 1671 kWh 1170 kWh 501 kWh £317 £50 £367 £7,569 20.6 yrs £-223
3 kW 2507 kWh 1755 kWh 752 kWh £476 £75 £551 £9,604 17.4 yrs £1,416
4 kW 3343 kWh 2340 kWh 1003 kWh £634 £100 £735 £11,638 15.8 yrs £3,054
5 kW 4178 kWh 2925 kWh 1253 kWh £793 £125 £918 £13,673 14.9 yrs £4,693
6 kW 5014 kWh 3510 kWh 1504 kWh £951 £150 £1,102 £15,707 14.3 yrs £6,331
7 kW 5850 kWh 4095 kWh 1755 kWh £1,110 £175 £1,286 £17,742 13.8 yrs £7,970
8 kW 6685 kWh 4680 kWh 2006 kWh £1,269 £201 £1,469 £19,776 13.5 yrs £9,608

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: £940, Upfront: £15,423, 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 1671 kWh 1220 kWh 451 kWh £331 £45 £376 £9,319 24.8 yrs £-1,801
3 kW 2507 kWh 1830 kWh 677 kWh £496 £68 £564 £11,354 20.1 yrs £-77
4 kW 3343 kWh 2440 kWh 903 kWh £662 £90 £752 £13,388 17.8 yrs £1,647
5 kW 4178 kWh 3050 kWh 1128 kWh £827 £113 £940 £15,423 16.4 yrs £3,371
6 kW 5014 kWh 3660 kWh 1354 kWh £992 £135 £1,128 £17,457 15.5 yrs £5,096
7 kW 5850 kWh 4270 kWh 1579 kWh £1,158 £158 £1,316 £19,492 14.8 yrs £6,820
8 kW 6685 kWh 4880 kWh 1805 kWh £1,323 £181 £1,504 £21,526 14.3 yrs £8,544

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: £954, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 18.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1671 kWh 1253 kWh 418 kWh £340 £42 £382 £11,069 29.0 yrs £-3,437
3 kW 2507 kWh 1880 kWh 627 kWh £510 £63 £572 £13,104 22.9 yrs £-1,656
4 kW 3343 kWh 2507 kWh 836 kWh £680 £84 £763 £15,138 19.8 yrs £126
5 kW 4178 kWh 3134 kWh 1045 kWh £850 £104 £954 £17,173 18.0 yrs £1,907
6 kW 5014 kWh 3760 kWh 1253 kWh £1,019 £125 £1,145 £19,207 16.8 yrs £3,689
7 kW 5850 kWh 4387 kWh 1462 kWh £1,189 £146 £1,336 £21,242 15.9 yrs £5,470
8 kW 6685 kWh 5014 kWh 1671 kWh £1,359 £167 £1,526 £23,276 15.2 yrs £7,252

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: £968, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 20.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1671 kWh 1287 kWh 384 kWh £349 £38 £387 £13,519 34.9 yrs £-5,773
3 kW 2507 kWh 1930 kWh 577 kWh £523 £58 £581 £15,554 26.8 yrs £-3,934
4 kW 3343 kWh 2574 kWh 769 kWh £698 £77 £775 £17,588 22.7 yrs £-2,095
5 kW 4178 kWh 3217 kWh 961 kWh £872 £96 £968 £19,623 20.3 yrs £-257
6 kW 5014 kWh 3861 kWh 1153 kWh £1,047 £115 £1,162 £21,657 18.6 yrs £1,582
7 kW 5850 kWh 4504 kWh 1345 kWh £1,221 £135 £1,356 £23,692 17.5 yrs £3,421
8 kW 6685 kWh 5148 kWh 1538 kWh £1,396 £154 £1,549 £25,726 16.6 yrs £5,259

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 BB4

Figures below are tailored to BB4 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1012 of 2182
5.0 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~10 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #2634 of 2997
12.5 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£811 /yr • £10,173 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2064 of 2997
23.0% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£187 fixed • ~£811 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
27.11p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
51.16p/day
Local Sunshine
836kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~836 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: 72% • Flats: 17% • Bungalows: 9% Based on 11,454 properties

Coverage

Rossendale (100%)

Areas Covered

Hareholme & Waterfoot, Haslingden, Longholme, Goodshaw & Cribden, Helmshore, Whitewell & Stacksteads, Greenfield & Eden

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 North West

OL13 (Rossendale)
≈5.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~838 kWh/kWp · +0% vs BB4
BL0 (Bury)
≈6.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~869 kWh/kWp · +4% vs BB4
BB5 (Hyndburn)
≈8.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~855 kWh/kWp · +2% vs BB4
BB11 (Burnley)
≈9.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~848 kWh/kWp · +1% vs BB4
BB12 (Burnley)
≈10.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~848 kWh/kWp · +2% vs BB4
OL12 (Rochdale)
≈11.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~843 kWh/kWp · +1% vs BB4

Similar sunshine across the UK

G42 (Glasgow City)
~836 kWh/kWp · +0% vs BB4
PH3 (Perth and Kinross)
~836 kWh/kWp · +0% vs BB4
G45 (Glasgow City)
~836 kWh/kWp · +0% vs BB4