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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in BN25 (Lewes)

See if solar pays off for you in Lewes — 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
10.7 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£12,207
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£1,138
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£16,235
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 1131 kWh/kW — 102 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 1131 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)
1131 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: £948, Upfront: £10,173, 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 2262 kWh 905 kWh 1357 kWh £244 £136 £379 £4,069 10.7 yrs £3,516
3 kW 3392 kWh 1357 kWh 2035 kWh £365 £204 £569 £6,104 10.7 yrs £5,273
4 kW 4523 kWh 1809 kWh 2714 kWh £487 £271 £758 £8,138 10.7 yrs £7,031
5 kW 5654 kWh 2262 kWh 3392 kWh £609 £339 £948 £10,173 10.7 yrs £8,789
6 kW 6785 kWh 2714 kWh 4071 kWh £731 £407 £1,138 £12,207 10.7 yrs £10,547
7 kW 7916 kWh 3166 kWh 4749 kWh £852 £475 £1,327 £14,242 10.7 yrs £12,304
8 kW 9046 kWh 3619 kWh 5428 kWh £974 £543 £1,517 £16,276 10.7 yrs £14,062

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: £1,139, 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 2262 kWh 1357 kWh 905 kWh £365 £90 £456 £6,169 13.5 yrs £2,946
3 kW 3392 kWh 2035 kWh 1357 kWh £548 £136 £684 £8,204 12.0 yrs £5,469
4 kW 4523 kWh 2714 kWh 1809 kWh £731 £181 £912 £10,238 11.2 yrs £7,992
5 kW 5654 kWh 3392 kWh 2262 kWh £913 £226 £1,139 £12,273 10.8 yrs £10,516
6 kW 6785 kWh 4071 kWh 2714 kWh £1,096 £271 £1,367 £14,307 10.5 yrs £13,039
7 kW 7916 kWh 4749 kWh 3166 kWh £1,279 £317 £1,595 £16,342 10.2 yrs £15,562
8 kW 9046 kWh 5428 kWh 3619 kWh £1,461 £362 £1,823 £18,376 10.1 yrs £18,085

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: £1,235, 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 2262 kWh 1583 kWh 678 kWh £426 £68 £494 £7,569 15.3 yrs £2,312
3 kW 3392 kWh 2375 kWh 1018 kWh £639 £102 £741 £9,604 13.0 yrs £5,217
4 kW 4523 kWh 3166 kWh 1357 kWh £852 £136 £988 £11,638 11.8 yrs £8,123
5 kW 5654 kWh 3958 kWh 1696 kWh £1,065 £170 £1,235 £13,673 11.1 yrs £11,029
6 kW 6785 kWh 4749 kWh 2035 kWh £1,279 £204 £1,482 £15,707 10.6 yrs £13,935
7 kW 7916 kWh 5541 kWh 2375 kWh £1,492 £237 £1,729 £17,742 10.3 yrs £16,840
8 kW 9046 kWh 6333 kWh 2714 kWh £1,705 £271 £1,976 £19,776 10.0 yrs £19,746

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: £1,264, 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 2262 kWh 1651 kWh 611 kWh £444 £61 £506 £9,319 18.4 yrs £791
3 kW 3392 kWh 2476 kWh 916 kWh £667 £92 £758 £11,354 15.0 yrs £3,812
4 kW 4523 kWh 3302 kWh 1221 kWh £889 £122 £1,011 £13,388 13.2 yrs £6,832
5 kW 5654 kWh 4127 kWh 1527 kWh £1,111 £153 £1,264 £15,423 12.2 yrs £9,853
6 kW 6785 kWh 4953 kWh 1832 kWh £1,333 £183 £1,517 £17,457 11.5 yrs £12,873
7 kW 7916 kWh 5778 kWh 2137 kWh £1,556 £214 £1,769 £19,492 11.0 yrs £15,894
8 kW 9046 kWh 6604 kWh 2443 kWh £1,778 £244 £2,022 £21,526 10.6 yrs £18,915

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: £1,283, 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 2262 kWh 1696 kWh 565 kWh £457 £57 £513 £11,069 21.6 yrs £-806
3 kW 3392 kWh 2544 kWh 848 kWh £685 £85 £770 £13,104 17.0 yrs £2,291
4 kW 4523 kWh 3392 kWh 1131 kWh £913 £113 £1,026 £15,138 14.7 yrs £5,388
5 kW 5654 kWh 4241 kWh 1414 kWh £1,142 £141 £1,283 £17,173 13.4 yrs £8,486
6 kW 6785 kWh 5089 kWh 1696 kWh £1,370 £170 £1,539 £19,207 12.5 yrs £11,583
7 kW 7916 kWh 5937 kWh 1979 kWh £1,598 £198 £1,796 £21,242 11.8 yrs £14,680
8 kW 9046 kWh 6785 kWh 2262 kWh £1,826 £226 £2,053 £23,276 11.3 yrs £17,777

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: £1,302, 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 2262 kWh 1741 kWh 520 kWh £469 £52 £521 £13,519 26.0 yrs £-3,103
3 kW 3392 kWh 2612 kWh 780 kWh £703 £78 £781 £15,554 19.9 yrs £71
4 kW 4523 kWh 3483 kWh 1040 kWh £938 £104 £1,042 £17,588 16.9 yrs £3,245
5 kW 5654 kWh 4354 kWh 1300 kWh £1,172 £130 £1,302 £19,623 15.1 yrs £6,418
6 kW 6785 kWh 5224 kWh 1561 kWh £1,406 £156 £1,562 £21,657 13.9 yrs £9,592
7 kW 7916 kWh 6095 kWh 1821 kWh £1,641 £182 £1,823 £23,692 13.0 yrs £12,765
8 kW 9046 kWh 6966 kWh 2081 kWh £1,875 £208 £2,083 £25,726 12.3 yrs £15,939

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 BN25

Figures below are tailored to BN25 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #397 of 2182
5.7 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~12 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #7 of 2997
9.3 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£1,310 /yr • £12,207 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #35 of 2997
13.3% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£174 fixed • ~£1,310 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.92p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
47.60p/day
Local Sunshine
1131kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~1131 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: 47% • Flats: 28% • Bungalows: 23% Based on 6,676 properties

Coverage

Lewes (99%)|Wealden (1%)

Areas Covered

Seaford Central, Seaford South, Seaford East, Seaford West, Seaford North, South Downs, Ouse Valley & Ringmer, Arlington

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

BN9 (Lewes)
≈5.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,138 kWh/kWp · +1% vs BN25
BN10 (Lewes)
≈7.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,123 kWh/kWp · -1% vs BN25
BN20 (Eastbourne)
≈10.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,141 kWh/kWp · +1% vs BN25
BN26 (Wealden)
≈11.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,155 kWh/kWp · +2% vs BN25
BN51 (Brighton and Hove)
≈11.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,137 kWh/kWp · +1% vs BN25
BN21 (Eastbourne)
≈12.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,135 kWh/kWp · +0% vs BN25

Similar sunshine across the UK

PO10 (Havant)
~1,133 kWh/kWp · +0% vs BN25
PO30 (Isle of Wight)
~1,133 kWh/kWp · +0% vs BN25
PO22 (Arun)
~1,128 kWh/kWp · -0% vs BN25