Solar explained to clever people by people who are not trying to be clever
Home Regions
Insights
Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in BB7 (Ribble Valley)

See if solar pays off for you in Ribble Valley — 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
14.1 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£720
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£7,817
After paying itself off, you're this much ahead

Ready to Get Started?

Get your free quote from Blue Ape Renewables. They'll connect you with MCS-certified installers in your area and handle all the paperwork.

Get Solar Quote →
4.8★ Trustpilot • Octopus Energy trusted partner • MCS certified • No obligation
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 854 kWh/kW — 16 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 854 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)
854 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: £720, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 14.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1709 kWh 684 kWh 1025 kWh £185 £103 £288 £4,069 14.1 yrs £1,688
3 kW 2563 kWh 1025 kWh 1538 kWh £278 £154 £432 £6,104 14.1 yrs £2,531
4 kW 3418 kWh 1367 kWh 2051 kWh £371 £205 £576 £8,138 14.1 yrs £3,375
5 kW 4272 kWh 1709 kWh 2563 kWh £463 £256 £720 £10,173 14.1 yrs £4,219
6 kW 5126 kWh 2051 kWh 3076 kWh £556 £308 £864 £12,207 14.1 yrs £5,063
7 kW 5981 kWh 2392 kWh 3589 kWh £649 £359 £1,007 £14,242 14.1 yrs £5,907
8 kW 6835 kWh 2734 kWh 4101 kWh £741 £410 £1,151 £16,276 14.1 yrs £6,751

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: £866, Upfront: £12,273, 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 1709 kWh 1025 kWh 684 kWh £278 £68 £346 £6,169 17.8 yrs £757
3 kW 2563 kWh 1538 kWh 1025 kWh £417 £103 £519 £8,204 15.8 yrs £2,186
4 kW 3418 kWh 2051 kWh 1367 kWh £556 £137 £693 £10,238 14.8 yrs £3,614
5 kW 4272 kWh 2563 kWh 1709 kWh £695 £171 £866 £12,273 14.2 yrs £5,043
6 kW 5126 kWh 3076 kWh 2051 kWh £834 £205 £1,039 £14,307 13.8 yrs £6,472
7 kW 5981 kWh 3589 kWh 2392 kWh £973 £239 £1,212 £16,342 13.5 yrs £7,900
8 kW 6835 kWh 4101 kWh 2734 kWh £1,112 £273 £1,385 £18,376 13.3 yrs £9,329

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: £939, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 14.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1709 kWh 1196 kWh 513 kWh £324 £51 £376 £7,569 20.2 yrs £-58
3 kW 2563 kWh 1794 kWh 769 kWh £486 £77 £563 £9,604 17.0 yrs £1,663
4 kW 3418 kWh 2392 kWh 1025 kWh £649 £103 £751 £11,638 15.5 yrs £3,384
5 kW 4272 kWh 2990 kWh 1282 kWh £811 £128 £939 £13,673 14.6 yrs £5,105
6 kW 5126 kWh 3589 kWh 1538 kWh £973 £154 £1,127 £15,707 13.9 yrs £6,826
7 kW 5981 kWh 4187 kWh 1794 kWh £1,135 £179 £1,314 £17,742 13.5 yrs £8,547
8 kW 6835 kWh 4785 kWh 2051 kWh £1,297 £205 £1,502 £19,776 13.2 yrs £10,268

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: £961, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 16.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1709 kWh 1247 kWh 461 kWh £338 £46 £384 £9,319 24.2 yrs £-1,633
3 kW 2563 kWh 1871 kWh 692 kWh £507 £69 £576 £11,354 19.7 yrs £176
4 kW 3418 kWh 2495 kWh 923 kWh £676 £92 £769 £13,388 17.4 yrs £1,985
5 kW 4272 kWh 3119 kWh 1153 kWh £845 £115 £961 £15,423 16.1 yrs £3,793
6 kW 5126 kWh 3742 kWh 1384 kWh £1,015 £138 £1,153 £17,457 15.1 yrs £5,602
7 kW 5981 kWh 4366 kWh 1615 kWh £1,184 £161 £1,345 £19,492 14.5 yrs £7,411
8 kW 6835 kWh 4990 kWh 1846 kWh £1,353 £185 £1,537 £21,526 14.0 yrs £9,219

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: £975, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 17.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1709 kWh 1282 kWh 427 kWh £347 £43 £390 £11,069 28.4 yrs £-3,266
3 kW 2563 kWh 1922 kWh 641 kWh £521 £64 £585 £13,104 22.4 yrs £-1,399
4 kW 3418 kWh 2563 kWh 854 kWh £695 £85 £780 £15,138 19.4 yrs £469
5 kW 4272 kWh 3204 kWh 1068 kWh £869 £107 £975 £17,173 17.6 yrs £2,336
6 kW 5126 kWh 3845 kWh 1282 kWh £1,042 £128 £1,170 £19,207 16.4 yrs £4,203
7 kW 5981 kWh 4486 kWh 1495 kWh £1,216 £150 £1,366 £21,242 15.6 yrs £6,070
8 kW 6835 kWh 5126 kWh 1709 kWh £1,390 £171 £1,561 £23,276 14.9 yrs £7,937

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: £990, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 19.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1709 kWh 1316 kWh 393 kWh £357 £39 £396 £13,519 34.1 yrs £-5,599
3 kW 2563 kWh 1974 kWh 590 kWh £535 £59 £594 £15,554 26.2 yrs £-3,673
4 kW 3418 kWh 2632 kWh 786 kWh £713 £79 £792 £17,588 22.2 yrs £-1,747
5 kW 4272 kWh 3289 kWh 983 kWh £892 £98 £990 £19,623 19.8 yrs £178
6 kW 5126 kWh 3947 kWh 1179 kWh £1,070 £118 £1,188 £21,657 18.2 yrs £2,104
7 kW 5981 kWh 4605 kWh 1376 kWh £1,248 £138 £1,386 £23,692 17.1 yrs £4,029
8 kW 6835 kWh 5263 kWh 1572 kWh £1,427 £157 £1,584 £25,726 16.2 yrs £5,955

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 BB7

Figures below are tailored to BB7 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #647 of 2182
5.4 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~11 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #2542 of 2997
12.3 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£829 /yr • £10,173 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2010 of 2997
22.5% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£187 fixed • ~£829 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
27.11p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
51.16p/day
Local Sunshine
854kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~854 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: 79% • Flats: 11% • Bungalows: 9% Based on 10,299 properties

Coverage

Ribble Valley (100%)

Areas Covered

St Mary's, Salthill, Littlemoor, Wiswell & Barrow, Whalley & Painter Wood, Primrose, Edisford & Low Moor, West Bradford & Grindleton + 4 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 North West

BB6 (Ribble Valley)
≈8.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~860 kWh/kWp · +1% vs BB7
BB12 (Burnley)
≈11.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~848 kWh/kWp · -1% vs BB7
BB9 (Pendle)
≈12.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~845 kWh/kWp · -1% vs BB7
BB5 (Hyndburn)
≈13.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~855 kWh/kWp · +0% vs BB7
BB10 (Burnley)
≈13.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~848 kWh/kWp · -1% vs BB7
BB11 (Burnley)
≈13.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~848 kWh/kWp · -1% vs BB7

Similar sunshine across the UK

BT55 (Causeway Coast and Glens)
~854 kWh/kWp · -0% vs BB7
FK5 (Falkirk)
~855 kWh/kWp · +0% vs BB7
BT77 (Mid Ulster)
~855 kWh/kWp · +0% vs BB7