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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in BN50 (Brighton and Hove)

See if solar pays off for you in Brighton and Hove — 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
£1,125
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£15,924
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 1118 kWh/kW — 89 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 1118 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)
1118 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: £938, 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 2237 kWh 895 kWh 1342 kWh £241 £134 £375 £4,069 10.8 yrs £3,433
3 kW 3355 kWh 1342 kWh 2013 kWh £361 £201 £563 £6,104 10.8 yrs £5,149
4 kW 4474 kWh 1790 kWh 2684 kWh £482 £268 £750 £8,138 10.8 yrs £6,865
5 kW 5592 kWh 2237 kWh 3355 kWh £602 £336 £938 £10,173 10.8 yrs £8,582
6 kW 6711 kWh 2684 kWh 4026 kWh £723 £403 £1,125 £12,207 10.8 yrs £10,298
7 kW 7829 kWh 3132 kWh 4697 kWh £843 £470 £1,313 £14,242 10.8 yrs £12,014
8 kW 8948 kWh 3579 kWh 5369 kWh £963 £537 £1,500 £16,276 10.8 yrs £13,731

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: £1,127, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 10.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2237 kWh 1342 kWh 895 kWh £361 £89 £451 £6,169 13.7 yrs £2,847
3 kW 3355 kWh 2013 kWh 1342 kWh £542 £134 £676 £8,204 12.1 yrs £5,320
4 kW 4474 kWh 2684 kWh 1790 kWh £723 £179 £902 £10,238 11.4 yrs £7,793
5 kW 5592 kWh 3355 kWh 2237 kWh £903 £224 £1,127 £12,273 10.9 yrs £10,266
6 kW 6711 kWh 4026 kWh 2684 kWh £1,084 £268 £1,352 £14,307 10.6 yrs £12,740
7 kW 7829 kWh 4697 kWh 3132 kWh £1,265 £313 £1,578 £16,342 10.4 yrs £15,213
8 kW 8948 kWh 5369 kWh 3579 kWh £1,445 £358 £1,803 £18,376 10.2 yrs £17,686

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: £1,222, Upfront: £13,673, 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 2237 kWh 1566 kWh 671 kWh £422 £67 £489 £7,569 15.5 yrs £2,204
3 kW 3355 kWh 2349 kWh 1007 kWh £632 £101 £733 £9,604 13.1 yrs £5,055
4 kW 4474 kWh 3132 kWh 1342 kWh £843 £134 £977 £11,638 11.9 yrs £7,907
5 kW 5592 kWh 3915 kWh 1678 kWh £1,054 £168 £1,222 £13,673 11.2 yrs £10,759
6 kW 6711 kWh 4697 kWh 2013 kWh £1,265 £201 £1,466 £15,707 10.7 yrs £13,611
7 kW 7829 kWh 5480 kWh 2349 kWh £1,475 £235 £1,710 £17,742 10.4 yrs £16,462
8 kW 8948 kWh 6263 kWh 2684 kWh £1,686 £268 £1,955 £19,776 10.1 yrs £19,314

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: £1,250, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 12.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2237 kWh 1633 kWh 604 kWh £440 £60 £500 £9,319 18.6 yrs £681
3 kW 3355 kWh 2449 kWh 906 kWh £659 £91 £750 £11,354 15.1 yrs £3,646
4 kW 4474 kWh 3266 kWh 1208 kWh £879 £121 £1,000 £13,388 13.4 yrs £6,611
5 kW 5592 kWh 4082 kWh 1510 kWh £1,099 £151 £1,250 £15,423 12.3 yrs £9,577
6 kW 6711 kWh 4899 kWh 1812 kWh £1,319 £181 £1,500 £17,457 11.6 yrs £12,542
7 kW 7829 kWh 5715 kWh 2114 kWh £1,539 £211 £1,750 £19,492 11.1 yrs £15,507
8 kW 8948 kWh 6532 kWh 2416 kWh £1,758 £242 £2,000 £21,526 10.8 yrs £18,473

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: £1,269, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 13.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2237 kWh 1678 kWh 559 kWh £452 £56 £508 £11,069 21.8 yrs £-918
3 kW 3355 kWh 2517 kWh 839 kWh £677 £84 £761 £13,104 17.2 yrs £2,123
4 kW 4474 kWh 3355 kWh 1118 kWh £903 £112 £1,015 £15,138 14.9 yrs £5,164
5 kW 5592 kWh 4194 kWh 1398 kWh £1,129 £140 £1,269 £17,173 13.5 yrs £8,205
6 kW 6711 kWh 5033 kWh 1678 kWh £1,355 £168 £1,523 £19,207 12.6 yrs £11,246
7 kW 7829 kWh 5872 kWh 1957 kWh £1,581 £196 £1,776 £21,242 12.0 yrs £14,287
8 kW 8948 kWh 6711 kWh 2237 kWh £1,807 £224 £2,030 £23,276 11.5 yrs £17,328

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: £1,288, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 15.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2237 kWh 1722 kWh 514 kWh £464 £51 £515 £13,519 26.2 yrs £-3,217
3 kW 3355 kWh 2584 kWh 772 kWh £696 £77 £773 £15,554 20.1 yrs £-100
4 kW 4474 kWh 3445 kWh 1029 kWh £927 £103 £1,030 £17,588 17.1 yrs £3,017
5 kW 5592 kWh 4306 kWh 1286 kWh £1,159 £129 £1,288 £19,623 15.2 yrs £6,134
6 kW 6711 kWh 5167 kWh 1543 kWh £1,391 £154 £1,545 £21,657 14.0 yrs £9,250
7 kW 7829 kWh 6028 kWh 1801 kWh £1,623 £180 £1,803 £23,692 13.1 yrs £12,367
8 kW 8948 kWh 6890 kWh 2058 kWh £1,855 £206 £2,060 £25,726 12.5 yrs £15,484

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 BN50

Figures below are tailored to BN50 — click through for full league tables.

Solar Payback Index Rank #21 of 2997
9.4 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£1,296 /yr • £12,207 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #46 of 2997
13.4% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£174 fixed • ~£1,296 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.92p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
47.60p/day
Local Sunshine
1118kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~1118 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

No EPC data available for this outcode

Coverage

Brighton and Hove (100%)

Areas Covered

West Hill & North Laine, Regency

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

BN88 (Brighton and Hove)
≈0.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,120 kWh/kWp · +0% vs BN50
BN1 (Brighton and Hove)
≈0.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,118 kWh/kWp · +0% vs BN50
BN2 (Brighton and Hove)
≈1.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,120 kWh/kWp · +0% vs BN50
BN52 (Brighton and Hove)
≈2.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,113 kWh/kWp · -0% vs BN50
BN3 (Brighton and Hove)
≈2.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,113 kWh/kWp · -1% vs BN50
BN41 (Brighton and Hove)
≈5.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,110 kWh/kWp · -1% vs BN50

Similar sunshine across the UK

PO20 (Chichester)
~1,122 kWh/kWp · +0% vs BN50
TQ8 (South Hams)
~1,115 kWh/kWp · -0% vs BN50
TQ7 (South Hams)
~1,123 kWh/kWp · +0% vs BN50