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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in BD17 (Bradford)

See if solar pays off for you in Bradford — 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
13.9 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£731
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£8,093
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 906 kWh/kW — 23 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 906 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)
906 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: £731, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 13.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1812 kWh 725 kWh 1087 kWh £184 £109 £292 £4,069 13.9 yrs £1,776
3 kW 2717 kWh 1087 kWh 1630 kWh £275 £163 £438 £6,104 13.9 yrs £2,664
4 kW 3623 kWh 1449 kWh 2174 kWh £367 £217 £584 £8,138 13.9 yrs £3,552
5 kW 4529 kWh 1812 kWh 2717 kWh £459 £272 £731 £10,173 13.9 yrs £4,440
6 kW 5435 kWh 2174 kWh 3261 kWh £551 £326 £877 £12,207 13.9 yrs £5,328
7 kW 6341 kWh 2536 kWh 3804 kWh £642 £380 £1,023 £14,242 13.9 yrs £6,216
8 kW 7246 kWh 2899 kWh 4348 kWh £734 £435 £1,169 £16,276 13.9 yrs £7,103

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: £869, Upfront: £12,273, 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 1812 kWh 1087 kWh 725 kWh £275 £72 £348 £6,169 17.7 yrs £787
3 kW 2717 kWh 1630 kWh 1087 kWh £413 £109 £522 £8,204 15.7 yrs £2,230
4 kW 3623 kWh 2174 kWh 1449 kWh £551 £145 £696 £10,238 14.7 yrs £3,673
5 kW 4529 kWh 2717 kWh 1812 kWh £688 £181 £869 £12,273 14.1 yrs £5,117
6 kW 5435 kWh 3261 kWh 2174 kWh £826 £217 £1,043 £14,307 13.7 yrs £6,560
7 kW 6341 kWh 3804 kWh 2536 kWh £964 £254 £1,217 £16,342 13.4 yrs £8,004
8 kW 7246 kWh 4348 kWh 2899 kWh £1,101 £290 £1,391 £18,376 13.2 yrs £9,447

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 1812 kWh 1268 kWh 543 kWh £321 £54 £376 £7,569 20.2 yrs £-58
3 kW 2717 kWh 1902 kWh 815 kWh £482 £82 £563 £9,604 17.0 yrs £1,663
4 kW 3623 kWh 2536 kWh 1087 kWh £642 £109 £751 £11,638 15.5 yrs £3,384
5 kW 4529 kWh 3170 kWh 1359 kWh £803 £136 £939 £13,673 14.6 yrs £5,105
6 kW 5435 kWh 3804 kWh 1630 kWh £964 £163 £1,127 £15,707 13.9 yrs £6,826
7 kW 6341 kWh 4438 kWh 1902 kWh £1,124 £190 £1,314 £17,742 13.5 yrs £8,548
8 kW 7246 kWh 5072 kWh 2174 kWh £1,285 £217 £1,502 £19,776 13.2 yrs £10,269

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: £960, 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 1812 kWh 1322 kWh 489 kWh £335 £49 £384 £9,319 24.3 yrs £-1,641
3 kW 2717 kWh 1984 kWh 734 kWh £502 £73 £576 £11,354 19.7 yrs £163
4 kW 3623 kWh 2645 kWh 978 kWh £670 £98 £768 £13,388 17.4 yrs £1,968
5 kW 4529 kWh 3306 kWh 1223 kWh £837 £122 £960 £15,423 16.1 yrs £3,772
6 kW 5435 kWh 3967 kWh 1467 kWh £1,005 £147 £1,152 £17,457 15.2 yrs £5,576
7 kW 6341 kWh 4629 kWh 1712 kWh £1,172 £171 £1,344 £19,492 14.5 yrs £7,381
8 kW 7246 kWh 5290 kWh 1957 kWh £1,340 £196 £1,536 £21,526 14.0 yrs £9,185

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: £974, 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 1812 kWh 1359 kWh 453 kWh £344 £45 £389 £11,069 28.4 yrs £-3,280
3 kW 2717 kWh 2038 kWh 679 kWh £516 £68 £584 £13,104 22.4 yrs £-1,420
4 kW 3623 kWh 2717 kWh 906 kWh £688 £91 £779 £15,138 19.4 yrs £440
5 kW 4529 kWh 3397 kWh 1132 kWh £860 £113 £974 £17,173 17.6 yrs £2,300
6 kW 5435 kWh 4076 kWh 1359 kWh £1,032 £136 £1,168 £19,207 16.4 yrs £4,160
7 kW 6341 kWh 4755 kWh 1585 kWh £1,205 £159 £1,363 £21,242 15.6 yrs £6,020
8 kW 7246 kWh 5435 kWh 1812 kWh £1,377 £181 £1,558 £23,276 14.9 yrs £7,879

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: £987, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 19.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1812 kWh 1395 kWh 417 kWh £353 £42 £395 £13,519 34.2 yrs £-5,619
3 kW 2717 kWh 2092 kWh 625 kWh £530 £62 £592 £15,554 26.3 yrs £-3,704
4 kW 3623 kWh 2790 kWh 833 kWh £707 £83 £790 £17,588 22.3 yrs £-1,788
5 kW 4529 kWh 3487 kWh 1042 kWh £883 £104 £987 £19,623 19.9 yrs £127
6 kW 5435 kWh 4185 kWh 1250 kWh £1,060 £125 £1,185 £21,657 18.3 yrs £2,043
7 kW 6341 kWh 4882 kWh 1458 kWh £1,237 £146 £1,382 £23,692 17.1 yrs £3,958
8 kW 7246 kWh 5580 kWh 1667 kWh £1,413 £167 £1,580 £25,726 16.3 yrs £5,874

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 BD17

Figures below are tailored to BD17 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1619 of 2182
4.6 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~10 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #2455 of 2997
12.2 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£835 /yr • £10,173 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2319 of 2997
25.6% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£214 fixed • ~£835 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.33p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
58.65p/day
Local Sunshine
906kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~906 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: 56% • Flats: 34% • Bungalows: 9% Based on 5,023 properties

Coverage

Bradford (100%)

Areas Covered

Baildon, Shipley, Bolton and Undercliffe, Bingley, Idle and Thackley, Windhill and Wrose

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

BD18 (Bradford)
≈1.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~907 kWh/kWp · +0% vs BD17
BD97 (Bradford)
≈2.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~905 kWh/kWp · -0% vs BD17
BD10 (Bradford)
≈3.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~911 kWh/kWp · +1% vs BD17
BD98 (Bradford)
≈3.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~905 kWh/kWp · -0% vs BD17
BD9 (Bradford)
≈4.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~906 kWh/kWp · +0% vs BD17
BD16 (Bradford)
≈4.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~907 kWh/kWp · +0% vs BD17

Similar sunshine across the UK

LL32 (Conwy)
~906 kWh/kWp · -0% vs BD17
DG12 (Dumfries and Galloway)
~906 kWh/kWp · -0% vs BD17
WA2 (Warrington)
~905 kWh/kWp · -0% vs BD17