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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in BH15 (Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole)

See if solar pays off for you in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole — 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
11.4 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£890
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£12,080
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 Southern, the current unit rate is 26.48p/kWh with a 44.62p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 1073 kWh/kW — 72 above the regional median (1001).

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 1073 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 26.5p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
26.5p/kWh
Standing charge
44.6p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
1073 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: £890, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 11.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2146 kWh 858 kWh 1288 kWh £227 £129 £356 £4,069 11.4 yrs £3,052
3 kW 3219 kWh 1288 kWh 1931 kWh £341 £193 £534 £6,104 11.4 yrs £4,578
4 kW 4292 kWh 1717 kWh 2575 kWh £455 £258 £712 £8,138 11.4 yrs £6,104
5 kW 5365 kWh 2146 kWh 3219 kWh £568 £322 £890 £10,173 11.4 yrs £7,630
6 kW 6438 kWh 2575 kWh 3863 kWh £682 £386 £1,068 £12,207 11.4 yrs £9,155
7 kW 7511 kWh 3004 kWh 4506 kWh £796 £451 £1,246 £14,242 11.4 yrs £10,681
8 kW 8583 kWh 3433 kWh 5150 kWh £909 £515 £1,424 £16,276 11.4 yrs £12,207

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: £1,067, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 11.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2146 kWh 1288 kWh 858 kWh £341 £86 £427 £6,169 14.5 yrs £2,366
3 kW 3219 kWh 1931 kWh 1288 kWh £511 £129 £640 £8,204 12.8 yrs £4,600
4 kW 4292 kWh 2575 kWh 1717 kWh £682 £172 £854 £10,238 12.0 yrs £6,833
5 kW 5365 kWh 3219 kWh 2146 kWh £852 £215 £1,067 £12,273 11.5 yrs £9,066
6 kW 6438 kWh 3863 kWh 2575 kWh £1,023 £258 £1,280 £14,307 11.2 yrs £11,299
7 kW 7511 kWh 4506 kWh 3004 kWh £1,193 £300 £1,494 £16,342 10.9 yrs £13,532
8 kW 8583 kWh 5150 kWh 3433 kWh £1,364 £343 £1,707 £18,376 10.8 yrs £15,765

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: £1,155, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 11.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2146 kWh 1502 kWh 644 kWh £398 £64 £462 £7,569 16.4 yrs £1,674
3 kW 3219 kWh 2253 kWh 966 kWh £597 £97 £693 £9,604 13.9 yrs £4,260
4 kW 4292 kWh 3004 kWh 1288 kWh £796 £129 £924 £11,638 12.6 yrs £6,847
5 kW 5365 kWh 3755 kWh 1609 kWh £994 £161 £1,155 £13,673 11.8 yrs £9,434
6 kW 6438 kWh 4506 kWh 1931 kWh £1,193 £193 £1,386 £15,707 11.3 yrs £12,021
7 kW 7511 kWh 5257 kWh 2253 kWh £1,392 £225 £1,617 £17,742 11.0 yrs £14,608
8 kW 8583 kWh 6008 kWh 2575 kWh £1,591 £258 £1,849 £19,776 10.7 yrs £17,195

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: £1,182, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 13.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2146 kWh 1566 kWh 579 kWh £415 £58 £473 £9,319 19.7 yrs £136
3 kW 3219 kWh 2350 kWh 869 kWh £622 £87 £709 £11,354 16.0 yrs £2,829
4 kW 4292 kWh 3133 kWh 1159 kWh £830 £116 £945 £13,388 14.2 yrs £5,522
5 kW 5365 kWh 3916 kWh 1448 kWh £1,037 £145 £1,182 £15,423 13.0 yrs £8,215
6 kW 6438 kWh 4699 kWh 1738 kWh £1,244 £174 £1,418 £17,457 12.3 yrs £10,907
7 kW 7511 kWh 5483 kWh 2028 kWh £1,452 £203 £1,655 £19,492 11.8 yrs £13,600
8 kW 8583 kWh 6266 kWh 2318 kWh £1,659 £232 £1,891 £21,526 11.4 yrs £16,293

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: £1,200, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 14.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2146 kWh 1609 kWh 536 kWh £426 £54 £480 £11,069 23.1 yrs £-1,473
3 kW 3219 kWh 2414 kWh 805 kWh £639 £80 £720 £13,104 18.2 yrs £1,291
4 kW 4292 kWh 3219 kWh 1073 kWh £852 £107 £960 £15,138 15.8 yrs £4,055
5 kW 5365 kWh 4023 kWh 1341 kWh £1,065 £134 £1,200 £17,173 14.3 yrs £6,818
6 kW 6438 kWh 4828 kWh 1609 kWh £1,279 £161 £1,439 £19,207 13.3 yrs £9,582
7 kW 7511 kWh 5633 kWh 1878 kWh £1,492 £188 £1,679 £21,242 12.6 yrs £12,345
8 kW 8583 kWh 6438 kWh 2146 kWh £1,705 £215 £1,919 £23,276 12.1 yrs £15,109

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: £1,217, Upfront: £19,623, 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 2146 kWh 1652 kWh 494 kWh £438 £49 £487 £13,519 27.8 yrs £-3,781
3 kW 3219 kWh 2478 kWh 740 kWh £656 £74 £730 £15,554 21.3 yrs £-947
4 kW 4292 kWh 3305 kWh 987 kWh £875 £99 £974 £17,588 18.1 yrs £1,887
5 kW 5365 kWh 4131 kWh 1234 kWh £1,094 £123 £1,217 £19,623 16.1 yrs £4,722
6 kW 6438 kWh 4957 kWh 1481 kWh £1,313 £148 £1,461 £21,657 14.8 yrs £7,556
7 kW 7511 kWh 5783 kWh 1727 kWh £1,531 £173 £1,704 £23,692 13.9 yrs £10,391
8 kW 8583 kWh 6609 kWh 1974 kWh £1,750 £197 £1,948 £25,726 13.2 yrs £13,225

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 BH15

Figures below are tailored to BH15 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1748 of 2182
4.5 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~9 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #149 of 2997
9.9 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£1,023 /yr • £10,173 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #551 of 2997
15.9% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£163 fixed • ~£1,023 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.48p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
44.62p/day
Local Sunshine
1073kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~1073 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: 40% • Flats: 48% • Bungalows: 10% Based on 10,860 properties

Coverage

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (100%)

Areas Covered

Poole Town, Hamworthy, Oakdale, Parkstone, Newtown & Heatherlands, South East Purbeck

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 Southern

BH14 (Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole)
≈2.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,075 kWh/kWp · +0% vs BH15
BH17 (Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole)
≈3.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,074 kWh/kWp · +0% vs BH15
BH16 (Dorset)
≈4.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,071 kWh/kWp · -0% vs BH15
BH18 (Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole)
≈4.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,074 kWh/kWp · +0% vs BH15
BH13 (Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole)
≈4.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,075 kWh/kWp · +0% vs BH15
BH12 (Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole)
≈5.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,075 kWh/kWp · +0% vs BH15

Similar sunshine across the UK

TN32 (Rother)
~1,073 kWh/kWp · +0% vs BH15
PL9 (Plymouth)
~1,073 kWh/kWp · +0% vs BH15
PL10 (Cornwall)
~1,072 kWh/kWp · -0% vs BH15