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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in BH19 (Dorset)

See if solar pays off for you in Dorset — 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
11.2 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£12,207
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£1,091
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£15,059
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 1096 kWh/kW — 94 above the regional median (1001).

Read the full story

A typical roof here lands around 6.0 kW, with most eligible homes comfortably fitting within 3–6 kW. Each kilowatt of panels produces roughly 1096 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)
1096 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: £909, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 11.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2191 kWh 876 kWh 1315 kWh £232 £131 £364 £4,069 11.2 yrs £3,202
3 kW 3287 kWh 1315 kWh 1972 kWh £348 £197 £545 £6,104 11.2 yrs £4,803
4 kW 4382 kWh 1753 kWh 2629 kWh £464 £263 £727 £8,138 11.2 yrs £6,404
5 kW 5478 kWh 2191 kWh 3287 kWh £580 £329 £909 £10,173 11.2 yrs £8,005
6 kW 6573 kWh 2629 kWh 3944 kWh £696 £394 £1,091 £12,207 11.2 yrs £9,606
7 kW 7669 kWh 3068 kWh 4601 kWh £812 £460 £1,272 £14,242 11.2 yrs £11,207
8 kW 8764 kWh 3506 kWh 5259 kWh £928 £526 £1,454 £16,276 11.2 yrs £12,808

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: £1,089, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 11.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2191 kWh 1315 kWh 876 kWh £348 £88 £436 £6,169 14.2 yrs £2,546
3 kW 3287 kWh 1972 kWh 1315 kWh £522 £131 £654 £8,204 12.6 yrs £4,870
4 kW 4382 kWh 2629 kWh 1753 kWh £696 £175 £872 £10,238 11.7 yrs £7,193
5 kW 5478 kWh 3287 kWh 2191 kWh £870 £219 £1,089 £12,273 11.3 yrs £9,516
6 kW 6573 kWh 3944 kWh 2629 kWh £1,044 £263 £1,307 £14,307 10.9 yrs £11,839
7 kW 7669 kWh 4601 kWh 3068 kWh £1,218 £307 £1,525 £16,342 10.7 yrs £14,162
8 kW 8764 kWh 5259 kWh 3506 kWh £1,393 £351 £1,743 £18,376 10.5 yrs £16,486

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: £1,180, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 11.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2191 kWh 1534 kWh 657 kWh £406 £66 £472 £7,569 16.0 yrs £1,869
3 kW 3287 kWh 2301 kWh 986 kWh £609 £99 £708 £9,604 13.6 yrs £4,553
4 kW 4382 kWh 3068 kWh 1315 kWh £812 £131 £944 £11,638 12.3 yrs £7,237
5 kW 5478 kWh 3834 kWh 1643 kWh £1,015 £164 £1,180 £13,673 11.6 yrs £9,921
6 kW 6573 kWh 4601 kWh 1972 kWh £1,218 £197 £1,416 £15,707 11.1 yrs £12,606
7 kW 7669 kWh 5368 kWh 2301 kWh £1,422 £230 £1,652 £17,742 10.7 yrs £15,290
8 kW 8764 kWh 6135 kWh 2629 kWh £1,625 £263 £1,888 £19,776 10.5 yrs £17,974

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: £1,207, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 12.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2191 kWh 1600 kWh 592 kWh £424 £59 £483 £9,319 19.3 yrs £335
3 kW 3287 kWh 2399 kWh 887 kWh £635 £89 £724 £11,354 15.7 yrs £3,128
4 kW 4382 kWh 3199 kWh 1183 kWh £847 £118 £965 £13,388 13.9 yrs £5,920
5 kW 5478 kWh 3999 kWh 1479 kWh £1,059 £148 £1,207 £15,423 12.8 yrs £8,713
6 kW 6573 kWh 4799 kWh 1775 kWh £1,271 £177 £1,448 £17,457 12.1 yrs £11,506
7 kW 7669 kWh 5598 kWh 2071 kWh £1,482 £207 £1,689 £19,492 11.5 yrs £14,298
8 kW 8764 kWh 6398 kWh 2366 kWh £1,694 £237 £1,931 £21,526 11.1 yrs £17,091

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: £1,225, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 14.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2191 kWh 1643 kWh 548 kWh £435 £55 £490 £11,069 22.6 yrs £-1,270
3 kW 3287 kWh 2465 kWh 822 kWh £653 £82 £735 £13,104 17.8 yrs £1,595
4 kW 4382 kWh 3287 kWh 1096 kWh £870 £110 £980 £15,138 15.4 yrs £4,459
5 kW 5478 kWh 4108 kWh 1369 kWh £1,088 £137 £1,225 £17,173 14.0 yrs £7,324
6 kW 6573 kWh 4930 kWh 1643 kWh £1,305 £164 £1,470 £19,207 13.1 yrs £10,189
7 kW 7669 kWh 5752 kWh 1917 kWh £1,523 £192 £1,715 £21,242 12.4 yrs £13,054
8 kW 8764 kWh 6573 kWh 2191 kWh £1,741 £219 £1,960 £23,276 11.9 yrs £15,919

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: £1,243, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 15.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2191 kWh 1687 kWh 504 kWh £447 £50 £497 £13,519 27.2 yrs £-3,576
3 kW 3287 kWh 2531 kWh 756 kWh £670 £76 £746 £15,554 20.9 yrs £-639
4 kW 4382 kWh 3374 kWh 1008 kWh £894 £101 £994 £17,588 17.7 yrs £2,298
5 kW 5478 kWh 4218 kWh 1260 kWh £1,117 £126 £1,243 £19,623 15.8 yrs £5,235
6 kW 6573 kWh 5061 kWh 1512 kWh £1,340 £151 £1,491 £21,657 14.5 yrs £8,172
7 kW 7669 kWh 5905 kWh 1764 kWh £1,564 £176 £1,740 £23,692 13.6 yrs £11,109
8 kW 8764 kWh 6749 kWh 2016 kWh £1,787 £202 £1,989 £25,726 12.9 yrs £14,046

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 BH19

Figures below are tailored to BH19 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #992 of 2182
5.1 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~11 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #78 of 2997
9.7 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£1,253 /yr • £12,207 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #15 of 2997
13.0% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£163 fixed • ~£1,253 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.48p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
44.62p/day
Local Sunshine
1096kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~1096 kWh per year. A typical home uses ~2,700 kWh per year.
Typical System Size
6.0kW
For houses & bungalows in this area

Local Property Data

Property Types

Houses: 50% • Flats: 36% • Bungalows: 12% Based on 3,726 properties

Coverage

Dorset (100%)

Areas Covered

Swanage, 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

BH13 (Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole)
≈11.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,075 kWh/kWp · -2% vs BH19
BH15 (Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole)
≈12.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,073 kWh/kWp · -2% vs BH19
BH14 (Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole)
≈12.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,075 kWh/kWp · -2% vs BH19
BH4 (Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole)
≈13.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,075 kWh/kWp · -2% vs BH19
BH2 (Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole)
≈13.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,087 kWh/kWp · -1% vs BH19
BH20 (Dorset)
≈13.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,103 kWh/kWp · +1% vs BH19

Similar sunshine across the UK

TR24 (Isles of Scilly)
~1,096 kWh/kWp · +0% vs BH19
CT12 (Thanet)
~1,094 kWh/kWp · -0% vs BH19
CO7 (Tendring)
~1,094 kWh/kWp · -0% vs BH19