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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in BN44 (Horsham)

See if solar pays off for you in Horsham — 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
£1,093
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£15,107
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 1086 kWh/kW — 57 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 1086 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)
1086 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: £910, 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 2172 kWh 869 kWh 1303 kWh £234 £130 £364 £4,069 11.2 yrs £3,215
3 kW 3258 kWh 1303 kWh 1955 kWh £351 £195 £546 £6,104 11.2 yrs £4,822
4 kW 4344 kWh 1738 kWh 2606 kWh £468 £261 £728 £8,138 11.2 yrs £6,429
5 kW 5430 kWh 2172 kWh 3258 kWh £585 £326 £910 £10,173 11.2 yrs £8,037
6 kW 6516 kWh 2606 kWh 3909 kWh £702 £391 £1,093 £12,207 11.2 yrs £9,644
7 kW 7602 kWh 3041 kWh 4561 kWh £819 £456 £1,275 £14,242 11.2 yrs £11,252
8 kW 8688 kWh 3475 kWh 5213 kWh £935 £521 £1,457 £16,276 11.2 yrs £12,859

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: £1,094, Upfront: £12,273, 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 2172 kWh 1303 kWh 869 kWh £351 £87 £438 £6,169 14.1 yrs £2,585
3 kW 3258 kWh 1955 kWh 1303 kWh £526 £130 £657 £8,204 12.5 yrs £4,927
4 kW 4344 kWh 2606 kWh 1738 kWh £702 £174 £875 £10,238 11.7 yrs £7,269
5 kW 5430 kWh 3258 kWh 2172 kWh £877 £217 £1,094 £12,273 11.2 yrs £9,612
6 kW 6516 kWh 3909 kWh 2606 kWh £1,052 £261 £1,313 £14,307 10.9 yrs £11,954
7 kW 7602 kWh 4561 kWh 3041 kWh £1,228 £304 £1,532 £16,342 10.7 yrs £14,296
8 kW 8688 kWh 5213 kWh 3475 kWh £1,403 £348 £1,751 £18,376 10.5 yrs £16,639

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: £1,186, Upfront: £13,673, 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 2172 kWh 1520 kWh 652 kWh £409 £65 £474 £7,569 16.0 yrs £1,920
3 kW 3258 kWh 2281 kWh 977 kWh £614 £98 £712 £9,604 13.5 yrs £4,629
4 kW 4344 kWh 3041 kWh 1303 kWh £819 £130 £949 £11,638 12.3 yrs £7,339
5 kW 5430 kWh 3801 kWh 1629 kWh £1,023 £163 £1,186 £13,673 11.5 yrs £10,049
6 kW 6516 kWh 4561 kWh 1955 kWh £1,228 £195 £1,423 £15,707 11.0 yrs £12,759
7 kW 7602 kWh 5321 kWh 2281 kWh £1,432 £228 £1,661 £17,742 10.7 yrs £15,469
8 kW 8688 kWh 6081 kWh 2606 kWh £1,637 £261 £1,898 £19,776 10.4 yrs £18,179

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: £1,214, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 12.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2172 kWh 1586 kWh 586 kWh £427 £59 £485 £9,319 19.2 yrs £390
3 kW 3258 kWh 2378 kWh 880 kWh £640 £88 £728 £11,354 15.6 yrs £3,210
4 kW 4344 kWh 3171 kWh 1173 kWh £854 £117 £971 £13,388 13.8 yrs £6,030
5 kW 5430 kWh 3964 kWh 1466 kWh £1,067 £147 £1,214 £15,423 12.7 yrs £8,850
6 kW 6516 kWh 4757 kWh 1759 kWh £1,280 £176 £1,456 £17,457 12.0 yrs £11,670
7 kW 7602 kWh 5549 kWh 2052 kWh £1,494 £205 £1,699 £19,492 11.5 yrs £14,491
8 kW 8688 kWh 6342 kWh 2346 kWh £1,707 £235 £1,942 £21,526 11.1 yrs £17,311

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: £1,232, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 13.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2172 kWh 1629 kWh 543 kWh £439 £54 £493 £11,069 22.5 yrs £-1,213
3 kW 3258 kWh 2443 kWh 814 kWh £658 £81 £739 £13,104 17.7 yrs £1,681
4 kW 4344 kWh 3258 kWh 1086 kWh £877 £109 £986 £15,138 15.4 yrs £4,574
5 kW 5430 kWh 4072 kWh 1357 kWh £1,096 £136 £1,232 £17,173 13.9 yrs £7,468
6 kW 6516 kWh 4887 kWh 1629 kWh £1,316 £163 £1,478 £19,207 13.0 yrs £10,361
7 kW 7602 kWh 5701 kWh 1900 kWh £1,535 £190 £1,725 £21,242 12.3 yrs £13,255
8 kW 8688 kWh 6516 kWh 2172 kWh £1,754 £217 £1,971 £23,276 11.8 yrs £16,149

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: £1,250, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 15.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2172 kWh 1672 kWh 500 kWh £450 £50 £500 £13,519 27.0 yrs £-3,516
3 kW 3258 kWh 2509 kWh 749 kWh £675 £75 £750 £15,554 20.7 yrs £-549
4 kW 4344 kWh 3345 kWh 999 kWh £900 £100 £1,000 £17,588 17.6 yrs £2,418
5 kW 5430 kWh 4181 kWh 1249 kWh £1,126 £125 £1,250 £19,623 15.7 yrs £5,385
6 kW 6516 kWh 5017 kWh 1499 kWh £1,351 £150 £1,500 £21,657 14.4 yrs £8,352
7 kW 7602 kWh 5853 kWh 1748 kWh £1,576 £175 £1,751 £23,692 13.5 yrs £11,320
8 kW 8688 kWh 6690 kWh 1998 kWh £1,801 £200 £2,001 £25,726 12.9 yrs £14,287

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 BN44

Figures below are tailored to BN44 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #399 of 2182
5.7 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~12 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #80 of 2997
9.7 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£1,258 /yr • £12,207 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #78 of 2997
13.8% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£174 fixed • ~£1,258 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.92p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
47.60p/day
Local Sunshine
1086kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~1086 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: 63% • Flats: 17% • Bungalows: 18% Based on 2,272 properties

Coverage

Horsham (100%)

Areas Covered

Steyning & Ashurst, Bramber, Upper Beeding & Woodmancote, Henfield, West Chiltington, Thakeham & Ashington, Southwick Green

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

BN5 (Horsham)
≈5.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,083 kWh/kWp · -0% vs BN44
BN15 (Adur)
≈6.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,112 kWh/kWp · +2% vs BN44
BN99 (Adur)
≈7.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,119 kWh/kWp · +3% vs BN44
BN43 (Adur)
≈7.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,109 kWh/kWp · +2% vs BN44
BN95 (Adur)
≈7.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,112 kWh/kWp · +2% vs BN44
BN4 (Adur)
≈7.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,110 kWh/kWp · +2% vs BN44

Similar sunshine across the UK

PL21 (South Hams)
~1,086 kWh/kWp · -0% vs BN44
CO15 (Tendring)
~1,086 kWh/kWp · +0% vs BN44
PO7 (Havant)
~1,086 kWh/kWp · +0% vs BN44