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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in BN8 (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
11.4 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£12,207
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£1,073
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£14,620
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 1067 kWh/kW — 38 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 1067 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)
1067 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: £894, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 11.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2133 kWh 853 kWh 1280 kWh £230 £128 £358 £4,069 11.4 yrs £3,085
3 kW 3200 kWh 1280 kWh 1920 kWh £345 £192 £537 £6,104 11.4 yrs £4,627
4 kW 4266 kWh 1707 kWh 2560 kWh £459 £256 £715 £8,138 11.4 yrs £6,170
5 kW 5333 kWh 2133 kWh 3200 kWh £574 £320 £894 £10,173 11.4 yrs £7,712
6 kW 6400 kWh 2560 kWh 3840 kWh £689 £384 £1,073 £12,207 11.4 yrs £9,254
7 kW 7466 kWh 2986 kWh 4480 kWh £804 £448 £1,252 £14,242 11.4 yrs £10,797
8 kW 8533 kWh 3413 kWh 5120 kWh £919 £512 £1,431 £16,276 11.4 yrs £12,339

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: £1,075, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 11.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2133 kWh 1280 kWh 853 kWh £345 £85 £430 £6,169 14.4 yrs £2,429
3 kW 3200 kWh 1920 kWh 1280 kWh £517 £128 £645 £8,204 12.7 yrs £4,693
4 kW 4266 kWh 2560 kWh 1707 kWh £689 £171 £860 £10,238 11.9 yrs £6,957
5 kW 5333 kWh 3200 kWh 2133 kWh £861 £213 £1,075 £12,273 11.4 yrs £9,221
6 kW 6400 kWh 3840 kWh 2560 kWh £1,034 £256 £1,290 £14,307 11.1 yrs £11,486
7 kW 7466 kWh 4480 kWh 2986 kWh £1,206 £299 £1,505 £16,342 10.9 yrs £13,750
8 kW 8533 kWh 5120 kWh 3413 kWh £1,378 £341 £1,720 £18,376 10.7 yrs £16,014

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: £1,165, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 11.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2133 kWh 1493 kWh 640 kWh £402 £64 £466 £7,569 16.2 yrs £1,750
3 kW 3200 kWh 2240 kWh 960 kWh £603 £96 £699 £9,604 13.7 yrs £4,376
4 kW 4266 kWh 2986 kWh 1280 kWh £804 £128 £932 £11,638 12.5 yrs £7,001
5 kW 5333 kWh 3733 kWh 1600 kWh £1,005 £160 £1,165 £13,673 11.7 yrs £9,626
6 kW 6400 kWh 4480 kWh 1920 kWh £1,206 £192 £1,398 £15,707 11.2 yrs £12,251
7 kW 7466 kWh 5226 kWh 2240 kWh £1,407 £224 £1,631 £17,742 10.9 yrs £14,876
8 kW 8533 kWh 5973 kWh 2560 kWh £1,608 £256 £1,864 £19,776 10.6 yrs £17,502

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: £1,192, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 12.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2133 kWh 1557 kWh 576 kWh £419 £58 £477 £9,319 19.5 yrs £217
3 kW 3200 kWh 2336 kWh 864 kWh £629 £86 £715 £11,354 15.9 yrs £2,950
4 kW 4266 kWh 3114 kWh 1152 kWh £838 £115 £954 £13,388 14.0 yrs £5,684
5 kW 5333 kWh 3893 kWh 1440 kWh £1,048 £144 £1,192 £15,423 12.9 yrs £8,417
6 kW 6400 kWh 4672 kWh 1728 kWh £1,258 £173 £1,430 £17,457 12.2 yrs £11,151
7 kW 7466 kWh 5450 kWh 2016 kWh £1,467 £202 £1,669 £19,492 11.7 yrs £13,884
8 kW 8533 kWh 6229 kWh 2304 kWh £1,677 £230 £1,907 £21,526 11.3 yrs £16,618

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: £1,210, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 14.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2133 kWh 1600 kWh 533 kWh £431 £53 £484 £11,069 22.9 yrs £-1,389
3 kW 3200 kWh 2400 kWh 800 kWh £646 £80 £726 £13,104 18.0 yrs £1,417
4 kW 4266 kWh 3200 kWh 1067 kWh £861 £107 £968 £15,138 15.6 yrs £4,223
5 kW 5333 kWh 4000 kWh 1333 kWh £1,077 £133 £1,210 £17,173 14.2 yrs £7,028
6 kW 6400 kWh 4800 kWh 1600 kWh £1,292 £160 £1,452 £19,207 13.2 yrs £9,834
7 kW 7466 kWh 5600 kWh 1867 kWh £1,507 £187 £1,694 £21,242 12.5 yrs £12,640
8 kW 8533 kWh 6400 kWh 2133 kWh £1,723 £213 £1,936 £23,276 12.0 yrs £15,445

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: £1,228, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 16.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2133 kWh 1643 kWh 491 kWh £442 £49 £491 £13,519 27.5 yrs £-3,694
3 kW 3200 kWh 2464 kWh 736 kWh £663 £74 £737 £15,554 21.1 yrs £-816
4 kW 4266 kWh 3285 kWh 981 kWh £884 £98 £982 £17,588 17.9 yrs £2,061
5 kW 5333 kWh 4106 kWh 1227 kWh £1,105 £123 £1,228 £19,623 16.0 yrs £4,939
6 kW 6400 kWh 4928 kWh 1472 kWh £1,327 £147 £1,474 £21,657 14.7 yrs £7,817
7 kW 7466 kWh 5749 kWh 1717 kWh £1,548 £172 £1,719 £23,692 13.8 yrs £10,695
8 kW 8533 kWh 6570 kWh 1963 kWh £1,769 £196 £1,965 £25,726 13.1 yrs £13,573

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 BN8

Figures below are tailored to BN8 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #247 of 2182
6.0 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~13 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #154 of 2997
9.9 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£1,235 /yr • £12,207 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #99 of 2997
14.1% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£174 fixed • ~£1,235 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.92p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
47.60p/day
Local Sunshine
1067kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~1067 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: 76% • Flats: 9% • Bungalows: 15% Based on 4,404 properties

Coverage

Lewes (82%)|Wealden (17%)

Areas Covered

Ouse Valley & Ringmer, Chailey, Barcombe & Hamsey, Lewes Bridge, Newick, Chiddingly, East Hoathly & Waldron, Arlington + 6 more

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

BN7 (Lewes)
≈3.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,126 kWh/kWp · +6% vs BN8
TN22 (Wealden)
≈8.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,055 kWh/kWp · -1% vs BN8
BN9 (Lewes)
≈12.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,138 kWh/kWp · +7% vs BN8
BN10 (Lewes)
≈12.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,123 kWh/kWp · +5% vs BN8
BN51 (Brighton and Hove)
≈13.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,137 kWh/kWp · +7% vs BN8
BN6 (Mid Sussex)
≈13.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,084 kWh/kWp · +2% vs BN8

Similar sunshine across the UK

TR17 (Cornwall)
~1,067 kWh/kWp · +0% vs BN8
SS3 (Southend-on-Sea)
~1,066 kWh/kWp · -0% vs BN8
TR20 (Cornwall)
~1,067 kWh/kWp · +0% vs BN8