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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in BS27 (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
12.4 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£12,207
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£983
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£12,356
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 979 kWh/kW — 34 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 979 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)
979 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: £819, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 12.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1958 kWh 783 kWh 1175 kWh £210 £117 £328 £4,069 12.4 yrs £2,481
3 kW 2937 kWh 1175 kWh 1762 kWh £315 £176 £491 £6,104 12.4 yrs £3,722
4 kW 3916 kWh 1566 kWh 2349 kWh £420 £235 £655 £8,138 12.4 yrs £4,962
5 kW 4895 kWh 1958 kWh 2937 kWh £525 £294 £819 £10,173 12.4 yrs £6,203
6 kW 5874 kWh 2349 kWh 3524 kWh £630 £352 £983 £12,207 12.4 yrs £7,444
7 kW 6853 kWh 2741 kWh 4112 kWh £735 £411 £1,146 £14,242 12.4 yrs £8,684
8 kW 7831 kWh 3133 kWh 4699 kWh £840 £470 £1,310 £16,276 12.4 yrs £9,925

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: £983, Upfront: £12,273, 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 1958 kWh 1175 kWh 783 kWh £315 £78 £393 £6,169 15.7 yrs £1,698
3 kW 2937 kWh 1762 kWh 1175 kWh £473 £117 £590 £8,204 13.9 yrs £3,598
4 kW 3916 kWh 2349 kWh 1566 kWh £630 £157 £787 £10,238 13.0 yrs £5,497
5 kW 4895 kWh 2937 kWh 1958 kWh £788 £196 £983 £12,273 12.5 yrs £7,396
6 kW 5874 kWh 3524 kWh 2349 kWh £945 £235 £1,180 £14,307 12.1 yrs £9,295
7 kW 6853 kWh 4112 kWh 2741 kWh £1,103 £274 £1,377 £16,342 11.9 yrs £11,195
8 kW 7831 kWh 4699 kWh 3133 kWh £1,260 £313 £1,573 £18,376 11.7 yrs £13,094

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: £1,066, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 12.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1958 kWh 1371 kWh 587 kWh £368 £59 £426 £7,569 17.8 yrs £957
3 kW 2937 kWh 2056 kWh 881 kWh £551 £88 £639 £9,604 15.0 yrs £3,186
4 kW 3916 kWh 2741 kWh 1175 kWh £735 £117 £853 £11,638 13.6 yrs £5,414
5 kW 4895 kWh 3426 kWh 1468 kWh £919 £147 £1,066 £13,673 12.8 yrs £7,643
6 kW 5874 kWh 4112 kWh 1762 kWh £1,103 £176 £1,279 £15,707 12.3 yrs £9,871
7 kW 6853 kWh 4797 kWh 2056 kWh £1,286 £206 £1,492 £17,742 11.9 yrs £12,100
8 kW 7831 kWh 5482 kWh 2349 kWh £1,470 £235 £1,705 £19,776 11.6 yrs £14,328

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: £1,090, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 14.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1958 kWh 1429 kWh 529 kWh £383 £53 £436 £9,319 21.4 yrs £-595
3 kW 2937 kWh 2144 kWh 793 kWh £575 £79 £654 £11,354 17.4 yrs £1,732
4 kW 3916 kWh 2858 kWh 1057 kWh £767 £106 £872 £13,388 15.3 yrs £4,059
5 kW 4895 kWh 3573 kWh 1322 kWh £958 £132 £1,090 £15,423 14.1 yrs £6,387
6 kW 5874 kWh 4288 kWh 1586 kWh £1,150 £159 £1,309 £17,457 13.3 yrs £8,714
7 kW 6853 kWh 5002 kWh 1850 kWh £1,342 £185 £1,527 £19,492 12.8 yrs £11,041
8 kW 7831 kWh 5717 kWh 2114 kWh £1,533 £211 £1,745 £21,526 12.3 yrs £13,369

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: £1,107, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 15.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1958 kWh 1468 kWh 489 kWh £394 £49 £443 £11,069 25.0 yrs £-2,214
3 kW 2937 kWh 2203 kWh 734 kWh £591 £73 £664 £13,104 19.7 yrs £180
4 kW 3916 kWh 2937 kWh 979 kWh £788 £98 £886 £15,138 17.1 yrs £2,573
5 kW 4895 kWh 3671 kWh 1224 kWh £985 £122 £1,107 £17,173 15.5 yrs £4,966
6 kW 5874 kWh 4405 kWh 1468 kWh £1,181 £147 £1,328 £19,207 14.5 yrs £7,359
7 kW 6853 kWh 5139 kWh 1713 kWh £1,378 £171 £1,550 £21,242 13.7 yrs £9,752
8 kW 7831 kWh 5874 kWh 1958 kWh £1,575 £196 £1,771 £23,276 13.1 yrs £12,146

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: £1,123, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 17.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1958 kWh 1508 kWh 450 kWh £404 £45 £449 £13,519 30.1 yrs £-4,532
3 kW 2937 kWh 2261 kWh 675 kWh £606 £68 £674 £15,554 23.1 yrs £-2,073
4 kW 3916 kWh 3015 kWh 901 kWh £809 £90 £899 £17,588 19.6 yrs £386
5 kW 4895 kWh 3769 kWh 1126 kWh £1,011 £113 £1,123 £19,623 17.5 yrs £2,845
6 kW 5874 kWh 4523 kWh 1351 kWh £1,213 £135 £1,348 £21,657 16.1 yrs £5,304
7 kW 6853 kWh 5276 kWh 1576 kWh £1,415 £158 £1,573 £23,692 15.1 yrs £7,763
8 kW 7831 kWh 6030 kWh 1801 kWh £1,617 £180 £1,797 £25,726 14.3 yrs £10,222

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 BS27

Figures below are tailored to BS27 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #753 of 2182
5.3 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~11 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #919 of 2997
10.8 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£1,131 /yr • £12,207 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #862 of 2997
17.4% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£197 fixed • ~£1,131 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.82p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
54.03p/day
Local Sunshine
979kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~979 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: 68% • Flats: 15% • Bungalows: 15% Based on 2,182 properties

Coverage

Somerset (100%)

Areas Covered

Cheddar, Mendip West

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

BS26 (Somerset)
≈4.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,006 kWh/kWp · +3% vs BS27
BS25 (North Somerset)
≈6.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~978 kWh/kWp · -0% vs BS27
BS28 (Somerset)
≈6.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,012 kWh/kWp · +3% vs BS27
BS29 (North Somerset)
≈9.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~953 kWh/kWp · -3% vs BS27
BS40 (North Somerset)
≈10.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~998 kWh/kWp · +2% vs BS27
BA5 (Somerset)
≈11.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~988 kWh/kWp · +1% vs BS27

Similar sunshine across the UK

NG13 (Rushcliffe)
~979 kWh/kWp · +0% vs BS27
CV36 (Stratford-on-Avon)
~979 kWh/kWp · -0% vs BS27
LN8 (West Lindsey)
~979 kWh/kWp · -0% vs BS27