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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in BN20 (Eastbourne)

See if solar pays off for you in Eastbourne — 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
10.6 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£12,207
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£1,148
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£16,492
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 1141 kWh/kW — 112 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 1141 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)
1141 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: £957, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 10.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2282 kWh 913 kWh 1369 kWh £246 £137 £383 £4,069 10.6 yrs £3,584
3 kW 3423 kWh 1369 kWh 2054 kWh £369 £205 £574 £6,104 10.6 yrs £5,376
4 kW 4564 kWh 1826 kWh 2738 kWh £491 £274 £765 £8,138 10.6 yrs £7,168
5 kW 5705 kWh 2282 kWh 3423 kWh £614 £342 £957 £10,173 10.6 yrs £8,960
6 kW 6846 kWh 2738 kWh 4108 kWh £737 £411 £1,148 £12,207 10.6 yrs £10,752
7 kW 7987 kWh 3195 kWh 4792 kWh £860 £479 £1,339 £14,242 10.6 yrs £12,544
8 kW 9128 kWh 3651 kWh 5477 kWh £983 £548 £1,531 £16,276 10.6 yrs £14,336

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: £1,150, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 10.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2282 kWh 1369 kWh 913 kWh £369 £91 £460 £6,169 13.4 yrs £3,029
3 kW 3423 kWh 2054 kWh 1369 kWh £553 £137 £690 £8,204 11.9 yrs £5,593
4 kW 4564 kWh 2738 kWh 1826 kWh £737 £183 £920 £10,238 11.1 yrs £8,157
5 kW 5705 kWh 3423 kWh 2282 kWh £921 £228 £1,150 £12,273 10.7 yrs £10,721
6 kW 6846 kWh 4108 kWh 2738 kWh £1,106 £274 £1,380 £14,307 10.4 yrs £13,286
7 kW 7987 kWh 4792 kWh 3195 kWh £1,290 £319 £1,610 £16,342 10.2 yrs £15,850
8 kW 9128 kWh 5477 kWh 3651 kWh £1,474 £365 £1,840 £18,376 10.0 yrs £18,414

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: £1,246, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 11.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2282 kWh 1597 kWh 685 kWh £430 £68 £498 £7,569 15.2 yrs £2,401
3 kW 3423 kWh 2396 kWh 1027 kWh £645 £103 £748 £9,604 12.8 yrs £5,351
4 kW 4564 kWh 3195 kWh 1369 kWh £860 £137 £997 £11,638 11.7 yrs £8,302
5 kW 5705 kWh 3994 kWh 1712 kWh £1,075 £171 £1,246 £13,673 11.0 yrs £11,252
6 kW 6846 kWh 4792 kWh 2054 kWh £1,290 £205 £1,495 £15,707 10.5 yrs £14,202
7 kW 7987 kWh 5591 kWh 2396 kWh £1,505 £240 £1,745 £17,742 10.2 yrs £17,153
8 kW 9128 kWh 6390 kWh 2738 kWh £1,720 £274 £1,994 £19,776 9.9 yrs £20,103

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: £1,275, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 12.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2282 kWh 1666 kWh 616 kWh £448 £62 £510 £9,319 18.3 yrs £882
3 kW 3423 kWh 2499 kWh 924 kWh £673 £92 £765 £11,354 14.8 yrs £3,949
4 kW 4564 kWh 3332 kWh 1232 kWh £897 £123 £1,020 £13,388 13.1 yrs £7,015
5 kW 5705 kWh 4165 kWh 1540 kWh £1,121 £154 £1,275 £15,423 12.1 yrs £10,081
6 kW 6846 kWh 4998 kWh 1848 kWh £1,345 £185 £1,530 £17,457 11.4 yrs £13,147
7 kW 7987 kWh 5831 kWh 2157 kWh £1,570 £216 £1,785 £19,492 10.9 yrs £16,214
8 kW 9128 kWh 6664 kWh 2465 kWh £1,794 £246 £2,040 £21,526 10.6 yrs £19,280

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: £1,294, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 13.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2282 kWh 1712 kWh 571 kWh £461 £57 £518 £11,069 21.4 yrs £-713
3 kW 3423 kWh 2567 kWh 856 kWh £691 £86 £777 £13,104 16.9 yrs £2,430
4 kW 4564 kWh 3423 kWh 1141 kWh £921 £114 £1,036 £15,138 14.6 yrs £5,574
5 kW 5705 kWh 4279 kWh 1426 kWh £1,152 £143 £1,294 £17,173 13.3 yrs £8,717
6 kW 6846 kWh 5135 kWh 1712 kWh £1,382 £171 £1,553 £19,207 12.4 yrs £11,861
7 kW 7987 kWh 5990 kWh 1997 kWh £1,613 £200 £1,812 £21,242 11.7 yrs £15,004
8 kW 9128 kWh 6846 kWh 2282 kWh £1,843 £228 £2,071 £23,276 11.2 yrs £18,148

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: £1,314, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 14.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2282 kWh 1757 kWh 525 kWh £473 £52 £526 £13,519 25.7 yrs £-3,009
3 kW 3423 kWh 2636 kWh 787 kWh £710 £79 £788 £15,554 19.7 yrs £212
4 kW 4564 kWh 3514 kWh 1050 kWh £946 £105 £1,051 £17,588 16.7 yrs £3,433
5 kW 5705 kWh 4393 kWh 1312 kWh £1,183 £131 £1,314 £19,623 14.9 yrs £6,653
6 kW 6846 kWh 5272 kWh 1575 kWh £1,419 £157 £1,577 £21,657 13.7 yrs £9,874
7 kW 7987 kWh 6150 kWh 1837 kWh £1,656 £184 £1,839 £23,692 12.9 yrs £13,095
8 kW 9128 kWh 7029 kWh 2099 kWh £1,892 £210 £2,102 £25,726 12.2 yrs £16,315

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 BN20

Figures below are tailored to BN20 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #302 of 2182
5.9 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~12 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #2 of 2997
9.2 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£1,322 /yr • £12,207 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #26 of 2997
13.1% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£174 fixed • ~£1,322 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.92p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
47.60p/day
Local Sunshine
1141kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~1141 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: 49% • Flats: 37% • Bungalows: 12% Based on 5,500 properties

Coverage

Eastbourne (77%)|Wealden (23%)

Areas Covered

Meads, Old Town, Ratton, South Downs, Upperton, Lower Willingdon, Upper Willingdon

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

BN21 (Eastbourne)
≈1.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,135 kWh/kWp · -1% vs BN20
BN22 (Eastbourne)
≈2.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,138 kWh/kWp · -0% vs BN20
BN23 (Eastbourne)
≈5.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,126 kWh/kWp · -1% vs BN20
BN26 (Wealden)
≈5.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,155 kWh/kWp · +1% vs BN20
BN24 (Wealden)
≈6.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,137 kWh/kWp · -0% vs BN20
BN27 (Wealden)
≈10.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,134 kWh/kWp · -1% vs BN20

Similar sunshine across the UK

PO19 (Chichester)
~1,138 kWh/kWp · -0% vs BN20
PO30 (Isle of Wight)
~1,133 kWh/kWp · -1% vs BN20
PO10 (Havant)
~1,133 kWh/kWp · -1% vs BN20