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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in BN16 (Arun)

See if solar pays off for you in Arun — 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
10.8 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£12,207
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£1,135
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£16,164
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 South East, the current unit rate is 26.92p/kWh with a 47.60p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 1128 kWh/kW — 99 above the regional median (1029).

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 1128 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 26.9p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
26.9p/kWh
Standing charge
47.6p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
1128 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: £946, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 10.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2256 kWh 902 kWh 1354 kWh £243 £135 £378 £4,069 10.8 yrs £3,497
3 kW 3384 kWh 1354 kWh 2030 kWh £364 £203 £567 £6,104 10.8 yrs £5,245
4 kW 4512 kWh 1805 kWh 2707 kWh £486 £271 £757 £8,138 10.8 yrs £6,993
5 kW 5640 kWh 2256 kWh 3384 kWh £607 £338 £946 £10,173 10.8 yrs £8,741
6 kW 6768 kWh 2707 kWh 4061 kWh £729 £406 £1,135 £12,207 10.8 yrs £10,490
7 kW 7896 kWh 3158 kWh 4737 kWh £850 £474 £1,324 £14,242 10.8 yrs £12,238
8 kW 9024 kWh 3610 kWh 5414 kWh £972 £541 £1,513 £16,276 10.8 yrs £13,986

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: £1,137, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 10.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2256 kWh 1354 kWh 902 kWh £364 £90 £455 £6,169 13.6 yrs £2,923
3 kW 3384 kWh 2030 kWh 1354 kWh £547 £135 £682 £8,204 12.0 yrs £5,435
4 kW 4512 kWh 2707 kWh 1805 kWh £729 £180 £909 £10,238 11.3 yrs £7,947
5 kW 5640 kWh 3384 kWh 2256 kWh £911 £226 £1,137 £12,273 10.8 yrs £10,458
6 kW 6768 kWh 4061 kWh 2707 kWh £1,093 £271 £1,364 £14,307 10.5 yrs £12,970
7 kW 7896 kWh 4737 kWh 3158 kWh £1,275 £316 £1,591 £16,342 10.3 yrs £15,482
8 kW 9024 kWh 5414 kWh 3610 kWh £1,458 £361 £1,818 £18,376 10.1 yrs £17,993

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: £1,232, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 11.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2256 kWh 1579 kWh 677 kWh £425 £68 £493 £7,569 15.4 yrs £2,287
3 kW 3384 kWh 2369 kWh 1015 kWh £638 £102 £739 £9,604 13.0 yrs £5,180
4 kW 4512 kWh 3158 kWh 1354 kWh £850 £135 £986 £11,638 11.8 yrs £8,073
5 kW 5640 kWh 3948 kWh 1692 kWh £1,063 £169 £1,232 £13,673 11.1 yrs £10,967
6 kW 6768 kWh 4737 kWh 2030 kWh £1,275 £203 £1,478 £15,707 10.6 yrs £13,860
7 kW 7896 kWh 5527 kWh 2369 kWh £1,488 £237 £1,725 £17,742 10.3 yrs £16,754
8 kW 9024 kWh 6317 kWh 2707 kWh £1,700 £271 £1,971 £19,776 10.0 yrs £19,647

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: £1,261, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 12.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2256 kWh 1647 kWh 609 kWh £443 £61 £504 £9,319 18.5 yrs £766
3 kW 3384 kWh 2470 kWh 914 kWh £665 £91 £756 £11,354 15.0 yrs £3,774
4 kW 4512 kWh 3294 kWh 1218 kWh £887 £122 £1,008 £13,388 13.3 yrs £6,782
5 kW 5640 kWh 4117 kWh 1523 kWh £1,108 £152 £1,261 £15,423 12.2 yrs £9,789
6 kW 6768 kWh 4941 kWh 1827 kWh £1,330 £183 £1,513 £17,457 11.5 yrs £12,797
7 kW 7896 kWh 5764 kWh 2132 kWh £1,552 £213 £1,765 £19,492 11.0 yrs £15,805
8 kW 9024 kWh 6587 kWh 2436 kWh £1,773 £244 £2,017 £21,526 10.7 yrs £18,813

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: £1,280, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 13.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2256 kWh 1692 kWh 564 kWh £455 £56 £512 £11,069 21.6 yrs £-832
3 kW 3384 kWh 2538 kWh 846 kWh £683 £85 £768 £13,104 17.1 yrs £2,253
4 kW 4512 kWh 3384 kWh 1128 kWh £911 £113 £1,024 £15,138 14.8 yrs £5,337
5 kW 5640 kWh 4230 kWh 1410 kWh £1,139 £141 £1,280 £17,173 13.4 yrs £8,421
6 kW 6768 kWh 5076 kWh 1692 kWh £1,366 £169 £1,536 £19,207 12.5 yrs £11,505
7 kW 7896 kWh 5922 kWh 1974 kWh £1,594 £197 £1,792 £21,242 11.9 yrs £14,590
8 kW 9024 kWh 6768 kWh 2256 kWh £1,822 £226 £2,047 £23,276 11.4 yrs £17,674

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: £1,299, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 15.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2256 kWh 1737 kWh 519 kWh £468 £52 £520 £13,519 26.0 yrs £-3,129
3 kW 3384 kWh 2606 kWh 778 kWh £701 £78 £779 £15,554 20.0 yrs £32
4 kW 4512 kWh 3474 kWh 1038 kWh £935 £104 £1,039 £17,588 16.9 yrs £3,192
5 kW 5640 kWh 4343 kWh 1297 kWh £1,169 £130 £1,299 £19,623 15.1 yrs £6,353
6 kW 6768 kWh 5211 kWh 1557 kWh £1,403 £156 £1,559 £21,657 13.9 yrs £9,513
7 kW 7896 kWh 6080 kWh 1816 kWh £1,637 £182 £1,818 £23,692 13.0 yrs £12,674
8 kW 9024 kWh 6948 kWh 2075 kWh £1,870 £208 £2,078 £25,726 12.4 yrs £15,834

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 BN16

Figures below are tailored to BN16 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #538 of 2182
5.5 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~12 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #3 of 2997
9.3 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£1,307 /yr • £12,207 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #36 of 2997
13.3% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£174 fixed • ~£1,307 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.92p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
47.60p/day
Local Sunshine
1128kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~1128 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: 57% • Flats: 20% • Bungalows: 20% Based on 8,876 properties

Coverage

Arun (100%)

Areas Covered

Rustington West, East Preston, Angmering & Findon, Rustington East, River, Beach, Arundel & Walberton, Brookfield

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 South East

BN17 (Arun)
≈2.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,126 kWh/kWp · -0% vs BN16
BN12 (Worthing)
≈5.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,123 kWh/kWp · -0% vs BN16
BN13 (Worthing)
≈6.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,119 kWh/kWp · -1% vs BN16
BN14 (Worthing)
≈9.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,119 kWh/kWp · -1% vs BN16
BN11 (Worthing)
≈9.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,119 kWh/kWp · -1% vs BN16
BN99 (Adur)
≈12.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,119 kWh/kWp · -1% vs BN16

Similar sunshine across the UK

PO22 (Arun)
~1,128 kWh/kWp · +0% vs BN16
PO38 (Isle of Wight)
~1,125 kWh/kWp · -0% vs BN16
TQ7 (South Hams)
~1,123 kWh/kWp · -0% vs BN16