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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in BS26 (Somerset)

See if solar pays off for you in Somerset — 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
12.1 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£12,207
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£1,009
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£13,023
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 1006 kWh/kW — 8 below the regional median (1013).

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 1006 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)
1006 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: £841, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 12.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2011 kWh 804 kWh 1207 kWh £216 £121 £336 £4,069 12.1 yrs £2,659
3 kW 3017 kWh 1207 kWh 1810 kWh £324 £181 £505 £6,104 12.1 yrs £3,989
4 kW 4022 kWh 1609 kWh 2413 kWh £431 £241 £673 £8,138 12.1 yrs £5,318
5 kW 5028 kWh 2011 kWh 3017 kWh £539 £302 £841 £10,173 12.1 yrs £6,648
6 kW 6033 kWh 2413 kWh 3620 kWh £647 £362 £1,009 £12,207 12.1 yrs £7,977
7 kW 7039 kWh 2815 kWh 4223 kWh £755 £422 £1,177 £14,242 12.1 yrs £9,307
8 kW 8044 kWh 3218 kWh 4826 kWh £863 £483 £1,346 £16,276 12.1 yrs £10,636

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: £1,010, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 12.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2011 kWh 1207 kWh 804 kWh £324 £80 £404 £6,169 15.3 yrs £1,912
3 kW 3017 kWh 1810 kWh 1207 kWh £485 £121 £606 £8,204 13.5 yrs £3,918
4 kW 4022 kWh 2413 kWh 1609 kWh £647 £161 £808 £10,238 12.7 yrs £5,924
5 kW 5028 kWh 3017 kWh 2011 kWh £809 £201 £1,010 £12,273 12.1 yrs £7,930
6 kW 6033 kWh 3620 kWh 2413 kWh £971 £241 £1,212 £14,307 11.8 yrs £9,936
7 kW 7039 kWh 4223 kWh 2815 kWh £1,133 £282 £1,414 £16,342 11.6 yrs £11,943
8 kW 8044 kWh 4826 kWh 3218 kWh £1,294 £322 £1,616 £18,376 11.4 yrs £13,949

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: £1,095, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 12.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2011 kWh 1408 kWh 603 kWh £378 £60 £438 £7,569 17.3 yrs £1,189
3 kW 3017 kWh 2112 kWh 905 kWh £566 £90 £657 £9,604 14.6 yrs £3,533
4 kW 4022 kWh 2815 kWh 1207 kWh £755 £121 £876 £11,638 13.3 yrs £5,877
5 kW 5028 kWh 3519 kWh 1508 kWh £944 £151 £1,095 £13,673 12.5 yrs £8,222
6 kW 6033 kWh 4223 kWh 1810 kWh £1,133 £181 £1,314 £15,707 12.0 yrs £10,566
7 kW 7039 kWh 4927 kWh 2112 kWh £1,321 £211 £1,533 £17,742 11.6 yrs £12,910
8 kW 8044 kWh 5631 kWh 2413 kWh £1,510 £241 £1,752 £19,776 11.3 yrs £15,255

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: £1,120, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 13.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2011 kWh 1468 kWh 543 kWh £394 £54 £448 £9,319 20.8 yrs £-358
3 kW 3017 kWh 2202 kWh 814 kWh £591 £81 £672 £11,354 16.9 yrs £2,087
4 kW 4022 kWh 2936 kWh 1086 kWh £787 £109 £896 £13,388 14.9 yrs £4,533
5 kW 5028 kWh 3670 kWh 1357 kWh £984 £136 £1,120 £15,423 13.8 yrs £6,979
6 kW 6033 kWh 4404 kWh 1629 kWh £1,181 £163 £1,344 £17,457 13.0 yrs £9,425
7 kW 7039 kWh 5138 kWh 1900 kWh £1,378 £190 £1,568 £19,492 12.4 yrs £11,871
8 kW 8044 kWh 5872 kWh 2172 kWh £1,575 £217 £1,792 £21,526 12.0 yrs £14,316

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: £1,137, Upfront: £17,173, 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 2011 kWh 1508 kWh 503 kWh £405 £50 £455 £11,069 24.3 yrs £-1,973
3 kW 3017 kWh 2262 kWh 754 kWh £607 £75 £682 £13,104 19.2 yrs £540
4 kW 4022 kWh 3017 kWh 1006 kWh £809 £101 £910 £15,138 16.6 yrs £3,054
5 kW 5028 kWh 3771 kWh 1257 kWh £1,011 £126 £1,137 £17,173 15.1 yrs £5,567
6 kW 6033 kWh 4525 kWh 1508 kWh £1,214 £151 £1,364 £19,207 14.1 yrs £8,081
7 kW 7039 kWh 5279 kWh 1760 kWh £1,416 £176 £1,592 £21,242 13.3 yrs £10,594
8 kW 8044 kWh 6033 kWh 2011 kWh £1,618 £201 £1,819 £23,276 12.8 yrs £13,108

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: £1,154, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 17.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2011 kWh 1549 kWh 463 kWh £415 £46 £462 £13,519 29.3 yrs £-4,288
3 kW 3017 kWh 2323 kWh 694 kWh £623 £69 £692 £15,554 22.5 yrs £-1,707
4 kW 4022 kWh 3097 kWh 925 kWh £831 £93 £923 £17,588 19.1 yrs £874
5 kW 5028 kWh 3871 kWh 1156 kWh £1,038 £116 £1,154 £19,623 17.0 yrs £3,456
6 kW 6033 kWh 4646 kWh 1388 kWh £1,246 £139 £1,385 £21,657 15.6 yrs £6,037
7 kW 7039 kWh 5420 kWh 1619 kWh £1,454 £162 £1,615 £23,692 14.7 yrs £8,618
8 kW 8044 kWh 6194 kWh 1850 kWh £1,661 £185 £1,846 £25,726 13.9 yrs £11,199

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 BS26

Figures below are tailored to BS26 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #170 of 2182
6.3 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~13 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #475 of 2997
10.5 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£1,161 /yr • £12,207 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #727 of 2997
17.0% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£197 fixed • ~£1,161 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.82p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
54.03p/day
Local Sunshine
1006kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~1006 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: 70% • Flats: 13% • Bungalows: 16% Based on 1,314 properties

Coverage

Somerset (93%)|North Somerset (7%)

Areas Covered

Brent, Cheddar, Banwell & Winscombe, Hutton & Locking

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

BS25 (North Somerset)
≈3.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~978 kWh/kWp · -3% vs BS26
BS27 (Somerset)
≈4.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~979 kWh/kWp · -3% vs BS26
BS29 (North Somerset)
≈5.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~953 kWh/kWp · -5% vs BS26
BS28 (Somerset)
≈7.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,012 kWh/kWp · +1% vs BS26
BS24 (North Somerset)
≈7.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,027 kWh/kWp · +2% vs BS26
BS22 (North Somerset)
≈9.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,029 kWh/kWp · +2% vs BS26

Similar sunshine across the UK

E18 (Redbridge)
~1,006 kWh/kWp · -0% vs BS26
PE23 (East Lindsey)
~1,006 kWh/kWp · +0% vs BS26
SE3 (Greenwich)
~1,005 kWh/kWp · -0% vs BS26