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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in BT36 (Antrim and Newtownabbey)

See if solar pays off for you in Antrim and Newtownabbey — 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
38.6 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£12,207
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£316
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£-4,295
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 Northern Ireland, the current unit rate is 0.00p/kWh with a 0.00p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 879 kWh/kW — 111 below the regional median (991).

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 879 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 0.0p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
0.0p/kWh
Standing charge
0.0p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
879 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: £264, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 38.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1758 kWh 703 kWh 1055 kWh £0 £105 £105 £4,069 38.6 yrs £-1,959
3 kW 2637 kWh 1055 kWh 1582 kWh £0 £158 £158 £6,104 38.6 yrs £-2,939
4 kW 3517 kWh 1407 kWh 2110 kWh £0 £211 £211 £8,138 38.6 yrs £-3,918
5 kW 4396 kWh 1758 kWh 2637 kWh £0 £264 £264 £10,173 38.6 yrs £-4,898
6 kW 5275 kWh 2110 kWh 3165 kWh £0 £316 £316 £12,207 38.6 yrs £-5,877
7 kW 6154 kWh 2462 kWh 3692 kWh £0 £369 £369 £14,242 38.6 yrs £-6,857
8 kW 7033 kWh 2813 kWh 4220 kWh £0 £422 £422 £16,276 38.6 yrs £-7,836

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: £176, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 69.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1758 kWh 1055 kWh 703 kWh £0 £70 £70 £6,169 87.7 yrs £-4,762
3 kW 2637 kWh 1582 kWh 1055 kWh £0 £105 £105 £8,204 77.8 yrs £-6,094
4 kW 3517 kWh 2110 kWh 1407 kWh £0 £141 £141 £10,238 72.8 yrs £-7,425
5 kW 4396 kWh 2637 kWh 1758 kWh £0 £176 £176 £12,273 69.8 yrs £-8,756
6 kW 5275 kWh 3165 kWh 2110 kWh £0 £211 £211 £14,307 67.8 yrs £-10,087
7 kW 6154 kWh 3692 kWh 2462 kWh £0 £246 £246 £16,342 66.4 yrs £-11,418
8 kW 7033 kWh 4220 kWh 2813 kWh £0 £281 £281 £18,376 65.3 yrs £-12,749

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: £132, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 103.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1758 kWh 1231 kWh 527 kWh £0 £53 £53 £7,569 143.5 yrs £-6,514
3 kW 2637 kWh 1846 kWh 791 kWh £0 £79 £79 £9,604 121.4 yrs £-8,021
4 kW 3517 kWh 2462 kWh 1055 kWh £0 £105 £105 £11,638 110.3 yrs £-9,528
5 kW 4396 kWh 3077 kWh 1319 kWh £0 £132 £132 £13,673 103.7 yrs £-11,035
6 kW 5275 kWh 3692 kWh 1582 kWh £0 £158 £158 £15,707 99.3 yrs £-12,542
7 kW 6154 kWh 4308 kWh 1846 kWh £0 £185 £185 £17,742 96.1 yrs £-14,049
8 kW 7033 kWh 4923 kWh 2110 kWh £0 £211 £211 £19,776 93.7 yrs £-15,556

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: £119, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 129.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1758 kWh 1284 kWh 475 kWh £0 £47 £47 £9,319 196.3 yrs £-8,370
3 kW 2637 kWh 1925 kWh 712 kWh £0 £71 £71 £11,354 159.4 yrs £-9,929
4 kW 3517 kWh 2567 kWh 949 kWh £0 £95 £95 £13,388 141.0 yrs £-11,489
5 kW 4396 kWh 3209 kWh 1187 kWh £0 £119 £119 £15,423 129.9 yrs £-13,049
6 kW 5275 kWh 3851 kWh 1424 kWh £0 £142 £142 £17,457 122.6 yrs £-14,609
7 kW 6154 kWh 4493 kWh 1662 kWh £0 £166 £166 £19,492 117.3 yrs £-16,168
8 kW 7033 kWh 5134 kWh 1899 kWh £0 £190 £190 £21,526 113.4 yrs £-17,728

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: £110, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 156.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1758 kWh 1319 kWh 440 kWh £0 £44 £44 £11,069 251.8 yrs £-10,190
3 kW 2637 kWh 1978 kWh 659 kWh £0 £66 £66 £13,104 198.7 yrs £-11,785
4 kW 3517 kWh 2637 kWh 879 kWh £0 £88 £88 £15,138 172.2 yrs £-13,380
5 kW 4396 kWh 3297 kWh 1099 kWh £0 £110 £110 £17,173 156.3 yrs £-14,975
6 kW 5275 kWh 3956 kWh 1319 kWh £0 £132 £132 £19,207 145.6 yrs £-16,570
7 kW 6154 kWh 4616 kWh 1539 kWh £0 £154 £154 £21,242 138.1 yrs £-18,165
8 kW 7033 kWh 5275 kWh 1758 kWh £0 £176 £176 £23,276 132.4 yrs £-19,759

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: £101, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 194.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1758 kWh 1354 kWh 404 kWh £0 £40 £40 £13,519 334.3 yrs £-12,710
3 kW 2637 kWh 2031 kWh 607 kWh £0 £61 £61 £15,554 256.4 yrs £-14,340
4 kW 3517 kWh 2708 kWh 809 kWh £0 £81 £81 £17,588 217.5 yrs £-15,970
5 kW 4396 kWh 3385 kWh 1011 kWh £0 £101 £101 £19,623 194.1 yrs £-17,600
6 kW 5275 kWh 4062 kWh 1213 kWh £0 £121 £121 £21,657 178.5 yrs £-19,231
7 kW 6154 kWh 4739 kWh 1415 kWh £0 £142 £142 £23,692 167.4 yrs £-20,861
8 kW 7033 kWh 5416 kWh 1618 kWh £0 £162 £162 £25,726 159.0 yrs £-22,491

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.

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
0.00p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
0.00p/day
Local Sunshine
879kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~879 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

Antrim and Newtownabbey (92%)|Belfast (8%)

Areas Covered

Mallusk, Mossley, Burnthill, Glengormley, Bellevue, Ballyhenry, Carnmoney, Valley + 4 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 Northern Ireland

BT37 (Antrim and Newtownabbey)
≈3.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~871 kWh/kWp · -1% vs BT36
BT15 (Belfast)
≈6.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~886 kWh/kWp · +1% vs BT36
BT14 (Belfast)
≈6.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~886 kWh/kWp · +1% vs BT36
BT3 (Belfast)
≈7.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~885 kWh/kWp · +1% vs BT36
BT13 (Belfast)
≈8.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~886 kWh/kWp · +1% vs BT36
BT39 (Antrim and Newtownabbey)
≈8.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~881 kWh/kWp · +0% vs BT36

Similar sunshine across the UK

EH6 (City of Edinburgh)
~879 kWh/kWp · +0% vs BT36
KA6 (East Ayrshire)
~879 kWh/kWp · +0% vs BT36
TF8 (Telford and Wrekin)
~880 kWh/kWp · +0% vs BT36