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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in BD5 (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
£733
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£8,142
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 908 kWh/kW — 21 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 908 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)
908 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: £733, 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 1816 kWh 727 kWh 1090 kWh £184 £109 £293 £4,069 13.9 yrs £1,792
3 kW 2725 kWh 1090 kWh 1635 kWh £276 £163 £440 £6,104 13.9 yrs £2,687
4 kW 3633 kWh 1453 kWh 2180 kWh £368 £218 £586 £8,138 13.9 yrs £3,583
5 kW 4541 kWh 1816 kWh 2725 kWh £460 £272 £733 £10,173 13.9 yrs £4,479
6 kW 5449 kWh 2180 kWh 3270 kWh £552 £327 £879 £12,207 13.9 yrs £5,375
7 kW 6358 kWh 2543 kWh 3815 kWh £644 £381 £1,026 £14,242 13.9 yrs £6,271
8 kW 7266 kWh 2906 kWh 4360 kWh £736 £436 £1,172 £16,276 13.9 yrs £7,166

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: £872, 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 1816 kWh 1090 kWh 727 kWh £276 £73 £349 £6,169 17.7 yrs £805
3 kW 2725 kWh 1635 kWh 1090 kWh £414 £109 £523 £8,204 15.7 yrs £2,258
4 kW 3633 kWh 2180 kWh 1453 kWh £552 £145 £697 £10,238 14.7 yrs £3,711
5 kW 4541 kWh 2725 kWh 1816 kWh £690 £182 £872 £12,273 14.1 yrs £5,164
6 kW 5449 kWh 3270 kWh 2180 kWh £828 £218 £1,046 £14,307 13.7 yrs £6,616
7 kW 6358 kWh 3815 kWh 2543 kWh £966 £254 £1,221 £16,342 13.4 yrs £8,069
8 kW 7266 kWh 4360 kWh 2906 kWh £1,104 £291 £1,395 £18,376 13.2 yrs £9,522

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: £941, Upfront: £13,673, 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 1816 kWh 1272 kWh 545 kWh £322 £54 £377 £7,569 20.1 yrs £-38
3 kW 2725 kWh 1907 kWh 817 kWh £483 £82 £565 £9,604 17.0 yrs £1,694
4 kW 3633 kWh 2543 kWh 1090 kWh £644 £109 £753 £11,638 15.5 yrs £3,425
5 kW 4541 kWh 3179 kWh 1362 kWh £805 £136 £941 £13,673 14.5 yrs £5,156
6 kW 5449 kWh 3815 kWh 1635 kWh £966 £163 £1,130 £15,707 13.9 yrs £6,887
7 kW 6358 kWh 4450 kWh 1907 kWh £1,127 £191 £1,318 £17,742 13.5 yrs £8,618
8 kW 7266 kWh 5086 kWh 2180 kWh £1,288 £218 £1,506 £19,776 13.1 yrs £10,350

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: £962, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 16.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1816 kWh 1326 kWh 490 kWh £336 £49 £385 £9,319 24.2 yrs £-1,621
3 kW 2725 kWh 1989 kWh 736 kWh £504 £74 £577 £11,354 19.7 yrs £194
4 kW 3633 kWh 2652 kWh 981 kWh £672 £98 £770 £13,388 17.4 yrs £2,009
5 kW 4541 kWh 3315 kWh 1226 kWh £840 £123 £962 £15,423 16.0 yrs £3,824
6 kW 5449 kWh 3978 kWh 1471 kWh £1,008 £147 £1,155 £17,457 15.1 yrs £5,638
7 kW 6358 kWh 4641 kWh 1717 kWh £1,176 £172 £1,347 £19,492 14.5 yrs £7,453
8 kW 7266 kWh 5304 kWh 1962 kWh £1,344 £196 £1,540 £21,526 14.0 yrs £9,268

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: £976, 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 1816 kWh 1362 kWh 454 kWh £345 £45 £390 £11,069 28.3 yrs £-3,259
3 kW 2725 kWh 2044 kWh 681 kWh £518 £68 £586 £13,104 22.4 yrs £-1,389
4 kW 3633 kWh 2725 kWh 908 kWh £690 £91 £781 £15,138 19.4 yrs £482
5 kW 4541 kWh 3406 kWh 1135 kWh £863 £114 £976 £17,173 17.6 yrs £2,352
6 kW 5449 kWh 4087 kWh 1362 kWh £1,035 £136 £1,171 £19,207 16.4 yrs £4,223
7 kW 6358 kWh 4768 kWh 1589 kWh £1,208 £159 £1,367 £21,242 15.5 yrs £6,093
8 kW 7266 kWh 5449 kWh 1816 kWh £1,380 £182 £1,562 £23,276 14.9 yrs £7,963

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 1816 kWh 1399 kWh 418 kWh £354 £42 £396 £13,519 34.1 yrs £-5,598
3 kW 2725 kWh 2098 kWh 627 kWh £531 £63 £594 £15,554 26.2 yrs £-3,672
4 kW 3633 kWh 2797 kWh 836 kWh £709 £84 £792 £17,588 22.2 yrs £-1,746
5 kW 4541 kWh 3497 kWh 1044 kWh £886 £104 £990 £19,623 19.8 yrs £181
6 kW 5449 kWh 4196 kWh 1253 kWh £1,063 £125 £1,188 £21,657 18.2 yrs £2,107
7 kW 6358 kWh 4895 kWh 1462 kWh £1,240 £146 £1,386 £23,692 17.1 yrs £4,033
8 kW 7266 kWh 5595 kWh 1671 kWh £1,417 £167 £1,584 £25,726 16.2 yrs £5,959

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 BD5

Figures below are tailored to BD5 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1704 of 2182
4.5 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~9 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #2458 of 2997
12.2 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£837 /yr • £10,173 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2323 of 2997
25.6% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£214 fixed • ~£837 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.33p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
58.65p/day
Local Sunshine
908kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~908 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: 78% • Flats: 19% • Bungalows: 2% Based on 9,743 properties

Coverage

Bradford (100%)

Areas Covered

Little Horton, City, Wibsey, Tong, Great Horton, Bowling and Barkerend

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

BD99 (Bradford)
≈1.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~908 kWh/kWp · -0% vs BD5
BD1 (Bradford)
≈1.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~908 kWh/kWp · +0% vs BD5
BD7 (Bradford)
≈1.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~908 kWh/kWp · -0% vs BD5
BD4 (Bradford)
≈2.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~914 kWh/kWp · +1% vs BD5
BD3 (Bradford)
≈2.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~916 kWh/kWp · +1% vs BD5
BD6 (Bradford)
≈2.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~908 kWh/kWp · -0% vs BD5

Similar sunshine across the UK

TS7 (Middlesbrough)
~908 kWh/kWp · -0% vs BD5
WA11 (St. Helens)
~908 kWh/kWp · -0% vs BD5
EH41 (East Lothian)
~908 kWh/kWp · -0% vs BD5