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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in BS10 (Bristol, City of)

See if solar pays off for you in Bristol, City of — 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
12.3 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£830
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£10,574
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 Southern Western, the current unit rate is 26.82p/kWh with a 54.03p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 992 kWh/kW — 21 below the regional median (1013).

Read the full story

A typical roof here lands around 5.0 kW, with most eligible homes comfortably fitting within 3–6 kW. Each kilowatt of panels produces roughly 992 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 26.8p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
26.8p/kWh
Standing charge
54.0p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
992 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: £830, Upfront: £10,173, 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 1984 kWh 794 kWh 1191 kWh £213 £119 £332 £4,069 12.3 yrs £2,570
3 kW 2977 kWh 1191 kWh 1786 kWh £319 £179 £498 £6,104 12.3 yrs £3,855
4 kW 3969 kWh 1588 kWh 2381 kWh £426 £238 £664 £8,138 12.3 yrs £5,140
5 kW 4961 kWh 1984 kWh 2977 kWh £532 £298 £830 £10,173 12.3 yrs £6,425
6 kW 5953 kWh 2381 kWh 3572 kWh £639 £357 £996 £12,207 12.3 yrs £7,710
7 kW 6945 kWh 2778 kWh 4167 kWh £745 £417 £1,162 £14,242 12.3 yrs £8,995
8 kW 7938 kWh 3175 kWh 4763 kWh £852 £476 £1,328 £16,276 12.3 yrs £10,280

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: £997, Upfront: £12,273, 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 1984 kWh 1191 kWh 794 kWh £319 £79 £399 £6,169 15.5 yrs £1,805
3 kW 2977 kWh 1786 kWh 1191 kWh £479 £119 £598 £8,204 13.7 yrs £3,758
4 kW 3969 kWh 2381 kWh 1588 kWh £639 £159 £797 £10,238 12.8 yrs £5,710
5 kW 4961 kWh 2977 kWh 1984 kWh £798 £198 £997 £12,273 12.3 yrs £7,663
6 kW 5953 kWh 3572 kWh 2381 kWh £958 £238 £1,196 £14,307 12.0 yrs £9,615
7 kW 6945 kWh 4167 kWh 2778 kWh £1,118 £278 £1,395 £16,342 11.7 yrs £11,568
8 kW 7938 kWh 4763 kWh 3175 kWh £1,277 £318 £1,595 £18,376 11.5 yrs £13,520

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: £1,080, Upfront: £13,673, 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 1984 kWh 1389 kWh 595 kWh £373 £60 £432 £7,569 17.5 yrs £1,073
3 kW 2977 kWh 2084 kWh 893 kWh £559 £89 £648 £9,604 14.8 yrs £3,359
4 kW 3969 kWh 2778 kWh 1191 kWh £745 £119 £864 £11,638 13.5 yrs £5,645
5 kW 4961 kWh 3473 kWh 1488 kWh £931 £149 £1,080 £13,673 12.7 yrs £7,932
6 kW 5953 kWh 4167 kWh 1786 kWh £1,118 £179 £1,296 £15,707 12.1 yrs £10,218
7 kW 6945 kWh 4862 kWh 2084 kWh £1,304 £208 £1,512 £17,742 11.7 yrs £12,504
8 kW 7938 kWh 5556 kWh 2381 kWh £1,490 £238 £1,728 £19,776 11.4 yrs £14,791

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: £1,105, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 14.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1984 kWh 1449 kWh 536 kWh £389 £54 £442 £9,319 21.1 yrs £-477
3 kW 2977 kWh 2173 kWh 804 kWh £583 £80 £663 £11,354 17.1 yrs £1,909
4 kW 3969 kWh 2897 kWh 1072 kWh £777 £107 £884 £13,388 15.1 yrs £4,296
5 kW 4961 kWh 3622 kWh 1339 kWh £971 £134 £1,105 £15,423 14.0 yrs £6,682
6 kW 5953 kWh 4346 kWh 1607 kWh £1,166 £161 £1,326 £17,457 13.2 yrs £9,069
7 kW 6945 kWh 5070 kWh 1875 kWh £1,360 £188 £1,547 £19,492 12.6 yrs £11,455
8 kW 7938 kWh 5794 kWh 2143 kWh £1,554 £214 £1,768 £21,526 12.2 yrs £13,842

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: £1,122, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 15.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1984 kWh 1488 kWh 496 kWh £399 £50 £449 £11,069 24.7 yrs £-2,094
3 kW 2977 kWh 2232 kWh 744 kWh £599 £74 £673 £13,104 19.5 yrs £360
4 kW 3969 kWh 2977 kWh 992 kWh £798 £99 £898 £15,138 16.9 yrs £2,813
5 kW 4961 kWh 3721 kWh 1240 kWh £998 £124 £1,122 £17,173 15.3 yrs £5,266
6 kW 5953 kWh 4465 kWh 1488 kWh £1,197 £149 £1,346 £19,207 14.3 yrs £7,719
7 kW 6945 kWh 5209 kWh 1736 kWh £1,397 £174 £1,571 £21,242 13.5 yrs £10,172
8 kW 7938 kWh 5953 kWh 1984 kWh £1,597 £198 £1,795 £23,276 13.0 yrs £12,626

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: £1,139, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 17.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1984 kWh 1528 kWh 456 kWh £410 £46 £455 £13,519 29.7 yrs £-4,410
3 kW 2977 kWh 2292 kWh 685 kWh £615 £68 £683 £15,554 22.8 yrs £-1,890
4 kW 3969 kWh 3056 kWh 913 kWh £820 £91 £911 £17,588 19.3 yrs £630
5 kW 4961 kWh 3820 kWh 1141 kWh £1,025 £114 £1,139 £19,623 17.2 yrs £3,150
6 kW 5953 kWh 4584 kWh 1369 kWh £1,229 £137 £1,366 £21,657 15.9 yrs £5,670
7 kW 6945 kWh 5348 kWh 1597 kWh £1,434 £160 £1,594 £23,692 14.9 yrs £8,190
8 kW 7938 kWh 6112 kWh 1826 kWh £1,639 £183 £1,822 £25,726 14.1 yrs £10,710

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 BS10

Figures below are tailored to BS10 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1578 of 2182
4.6 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~10 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #763 of 2997
10.7 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£955 /yr • £10,173 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #1555 of 2997
20.7% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£197 fixed • ~£955 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.82p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
54.03p/day
Local Sunshine
992kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~992 kWh per year. A typical home uses ~2,700 kWh per year.
Typical System Size
5.0kW
For houses & bungalows in this area

Local Property Data

Property Types

Houses: 65% • Flats: 31% • Bungalows: 3% Based on 7,811 properties

Coverage

Bristol, City of (88%)|South Gloucestershire (12%)

Areas Covered

Henbury and Brentry, Southmead, Westbury-on-Trym and Henleaze, Horfield, Charlton & Cribbs, Pilning & Severn Beach, Avonmouth and Lawrence Weston

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 Southern Western

BS9 (Bristol, City of)
≈1.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~996 kWh/kWp · +0% vs BS10
BS7 (Bristol, City of)
≈3.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~992 kWh/kWp · -0% vs BS10
BS80 (South Gloucestershire)
≈3.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,032 kWh/kWp · +4% vs BS10
BS34 (South Gloucestershire)
≈3.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~989 kWh/kWp · -0% vs BS10
BS6 (Bristol, City of)
≈4.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~992 kWh/kWp · -0% vs BS10
BS11 (Bristol, City of)
≈4.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,003 kWh/kWp · +1% vs BS10

Similar sunshine across the UK

E17 (Waltham Forest)
~992 kWh/kWp · -0% vs BS10
NN18 (North Northamptonshire)
~992 kWh/kWp · -0% vs BS10
GU19 (Surrey Heath)
~992 kWh/kWp · -0% vs BS10