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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in BD21 (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
14.2 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£717
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£7,754
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 889 kWh/kW — 40 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 889 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)
889 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: £717, 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 1778 kWh 711 kWh 1067 kWh £180 £107 £287 £4,069 14.2 yrs £1,667
3 kW 2667 kWh 1067 kWh 1600 kWh £270 £160 £430 £6,104 14.2 yrs £2,501
4 kW 3556 kWh 1422 kWh 2134 kWh £360 £213 £574 £8,138 14.2 yrs £3,335
5 kW 4445 kWh 1778 kWh 2667 kWh £450 £267 £717 £10,173 14.2 yrs £4,168
6 kW 5334 kWh 2134 kWh 3200 kWh £540 £320 £860 £12,207 14.2 yrs £5,002
7 kW 6223 kWh 2489 kWh 3734 kWh £630 £373 £1,004 £14,242 14.2 yrs £5,836
8 kW 7112 kWh 2845 kWh 4267 kWh £721 £427 £1,147 £16,276 14.2 yrs £6,669

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: £853, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 14.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1778 kWh 1067 kWh 711 kWh £270 £71 £341 £6,169 18.1 yrs £658
3 kW 2667 kWh 1600 kWh 1067 kWh £405 £107 £512 £8,204 16.0 yrs £2,036
4 kW 3556 kWh 2134 kWh 1422 kWh £540 £142 £683 £10,238 15.0 yrs £3,415
5 kW 4445 kWh 2667 kWh 1778 kWh £676 £178 £853 £12,273 14.4 yrs £4,794
6 kW 5334 kWh 3200 kWh 2134 kWh £811 £213 £1,024 £14,307 14.0 yrs £6,173
7 kW 6223 kWh 3734 kWh 2489 kWh £946 £249 £1,195 £16,342 13.7 yrs £7,551
8 kW 7112 kWh 4267 kWh 2845 kWh £1,081 £284 £1,365 £18,376 13.5 yrs £8,930

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: £921, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 14.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1778 kWh 1245 kWh 533 kWh £315 £53 £369 £7,569 20.5 yrs £-197
3 kW 2667 kWh 1867 kWh 800 kWh £473 £80 £553 £9,604 17.4 yrs £1,454
4 kW 3556 kWh 2489 kWh 1067 kWh £630 £107 £737 £11,638 15.8 yrs £3,105
5 kW 4445 kWh 3111 kWh 1333 kWh £788 £133 £921 £13,673 14.8 yrs £4,757
6 kW 5334 kWh 3734 kWh 1600 kWh £946 £160 £1,106 £15,707 14.2 yrs £6,408
7 kW 6223 kWh 4356 kWh 1867 kWh £1,103 £187 £1,290 £17,742 13.8 yrs £8,059
8 kW 7112 kWh 4978 kWh 2134 kWh £1,261 £213 £1,474 £19,776 13.4 yrs £9,711

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: £942, 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 1778 kWh 1298 kWh 480 kWh £329 £48 £377 £9,319 24.7 yrs £-1,784
3 kW 2667 kWh 1947 kWh 720 kWh £493 £72 £565 £11,354 20.1 yrs £-51
4 kW 3556 kWh 2596 kWh 960 kWh £658 £96 £754 £13,388 17.8 yrs £1,682
5 kW 4445 kWh 3245 kWh 1200 kWh £822 £120 £942 £15,423 16.4 yrs £3,416
6 kW 5334 kWh 3894 kWh 1440 kWh £986 £144 £1,130 £17,457 15.4 yrs £5,149
7 kW 6223 kWh 4543 kWh 1680 kWh £1,151 £168 £1,319 £19,492 14.8 yrs £6,882
8 kW 7112 kWh 5192 kWh 1920 kWh £1,315 £192 £1,507 £21,526 14.3 yrs £8,615

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: £956, 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 1778 kWh 1333 kWh 444 kWh £338 £44 £382 £11,069 29.0 yrs £-3,425
3 kW 2667 kWh 2000 kWh 667 kWh £507 £67 £573 £13,104 22.9 yrs £-1,637
4 kW 3556 kWh 2667 kWh 889 kWh £676 £89 £764 £15,138 19.8 yrs £150
5 kW 4445 kWh 3334 kWh 1111 kWh £844 £111 £956 £17,173 18.0 yrs £1,938
6 kW 5334 kWh 4000 kWh 1333 kWh £1,013 £133 £1,147 £19,207 16.8 yrs £3,726
7 kW 6223 kWh 4667 kWh 1556 kWh £1,182 £156 £1,338 £21,242 15.9 yrs £5,513
8 kW 7112 kWh 5334 kWh 1778 kWh £1,351 £178 £1,529 £23,276 15.2 yrs £7,301

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: £969, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 20.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1778 kWh 1369 kWh 409 kWh £347 £41 £388 £13,519 34.9 yrs £-5,766
3 kW 2667 kWh 2054 kWh 613 kWh £520 £61 £581 £15,554 26.7 yrs £-3,924
4 kW 3556 kWh 2738 kWh 818 kWh £694 £82 £775 £17,588 22.7 yrs £-2,081
5 kW 4445 kWh 3423 kWh 1022 kWh £867 £102 £969 £19,623 20.2 yrs £-239
6 kW 5334 kWh 4107 kWh 1227 kWh £1,040 £123 £1,163 £21,657 18.6 yrs £1,603
7 kW 6223 kWh 4792 kWh 1431 kWh £1,214 £143 £1,357 £23,692 17.5 yrs £3,445
8 kW 7112 kWh 5476 kWh 1636 kWh £1,387 £164 £1,551 £25,726 16.6 yrs £5,287

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 BD21

Figures below are tailored to BD21 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1452 of 2182
4.7 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~10 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #2592 of 2997
12.4 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£819 /yr • £10,173 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2384 of 2997
26.1% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£214 fixed • ~£819 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.33p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
58.65p/day
Local Sunshine
889kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~889 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: 22% • Bungalows: 4% Based on 9,122 properties

Coverage

Bradford (100%)

Areas Covered

Keighley Central, Keighley East, Keighley West, Bingley Rural, Worth Valley

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

BD22 (Bradford)
≈3.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~877 kWh/kWp · -1% vs BD21
BD20 (Bradford)
≈4.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~894 kWh/kWp · +1% vs BD21
BD16 (Bradford)
≈5.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~907 kWh/kWp · +2% vs BD21
BD15 (Bradford)
≈8.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~904 kWh/kWp · +2% vs BD21
BD97 (Bradford)
≈8.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~905 kWh/kWp · +2% vs BD21
LS29 (Bradford)
≈8.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~901 kWh/kWp · +1% vs BD21

Similar sunshine across the UK

KA9 (South Ayrshire)
~889 kWh/kWp · +0% vs BD21
BT26 (Lisburn and Castlereagh)
~889 kWh/kWp · -0% vs BD21
TS9 (North Yorkshire)
~889 kWh/kWp · +0% vs BD21