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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in BT41 (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
39.2 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£12,207
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£312
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£-4,417
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 866 kWh/kW — 125 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 866 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)
866 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: £260, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 39.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1731 kWh 692 kWh 1039 kWh £0 £104 £104 £4,069 39.2 yrs £-1,992
3 kW 2597 kWh 1039 kWh 1558 kWh £0 £156 £156 £6,104 39.2 yrs £-2,987
4 kW 3462 kWh 1385 kWh 2077 kWh £0 £208 £208 £8,138 39.2 yrs £-3,983
5 kW 4328 kWh 1731 kWh 2597 kWh £0 £260 £260 £10,173 39.2 yrs £-4,979
6 kW 5194 kWh 2077 kWh 3116 kWh £0 £312 £312 £12,207 39.2 yrs £-5,975
7 kW 6059 kWh 2424 kWh 3635 kWh £0 £364 £364 £14,242 39.2 yrs £-6,971
8 kW 6925 kWh 2770 kWh 4155 kWh £0 £415 £415 £16,276 39.2 yrs £-7,966

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: £173, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 70.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1731 kWh 1039 kWh 692 kWh £0 £69 £69 £6,169 89.1 yrs £-4,784
3 kW 2597 kWh 1558 kWh 1039 kWh £0 £104 £104 £8,204 79.0 yrs £-6,126
4 kW 3462 kWh 2077 kWh 1385 kWh £0 £138 £138 £10,238 73.9 yrs £-7,468
5 kW 4328 kWh 2597 kWh 1731 kWh £0 £173 £173 £12,273 70.9 yrs £-8,810
6 kW 5194 kWh 3116 kWh 2077 kWh £0 £208 £208 £14,307 68.9 yrs £-10,152
7 kW 6059 kWh 3635 kWh 2424 kWh £0 £242 £242 £16,342 67.4 yrs £-11,494
8 kW 6925 kWh 4155 kWh 2770 kWh £0 £277 £277 £18,376 66.3 yrs £-12,836

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: £130, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 105.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1731 kWh 1212 kWh 519 kWh £0 £52 £52 £7,569 145.7 yrs £-6,530
3 kW 2597 kWh 1818 kWh 779 kWh £0 £78 £78 £9,604 123.3 yrs £-8,045
4 kW 3462 kWh 2424 kWh 1039 kWh £0 £104 £104 £11,638 112.0 yrs £-9,561
5 kW 4328 kWh 3030 kWh 1298 kWh £0 £130 £130 £13,673 105.3 yrs £-11,076
6 kW 5194 kWh 3635 kWh 1558 kWh £0 £156 £156 £15,707 100.8 yrs £-12,591
7 kW 6059 kWh 4241 kWh 1818 kWh £0 £182 £182 £17,742 97.6 yrs £-14,106
8 kW 6925 kWh 4847 kWh 2077 kWh £0 £208 £208 £19,776 95.2 yrs £-15,621

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: £117, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 132.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1731 kWh 1264 kWh 467 kWh £0 £47 £47 £9,319 199.4 yrs £-8,384
3 kW 2597 kWh 1896 kWh 701 kWh £0 £70 £70 £11,354 161.9 yrs £-9,951
4 kW 3462 kWh 2528 kWh 935 kWh £0 £93 £93 £13,388 143.2 yrs £-11,518
5 kW 4328 kWh 3159 kWh 1169 kWh £0 £117 £117 £15,423 132.0 yrs £-13,085
6 kW 5194 kWh 3791 kWh 1402 kWh £0 £140 £140 £17,457 124.5 yrs £-14,653
7 kW 6059 kWh 4423 kWh 1636 kWh £0 £164 £164 £19,492 119.1 yrs £-16,220
8 kW 6925 kWh 5055 kWh 1870 kWh £0 £187 £187 £21,526 115.1 yrs £-17,787

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: £108, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 158.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1731 kWh 1298 kWh 433 kWh £0 £43 £43 £11,069 255.8 yrs £-10,203
3 kW 2597 kWh 1948 kWh 649 kWh £0 £65 £65 £13,104 201.8 yrs £-11,805
4 kW 3462 kWh 2597 kWh 866 kWh £0 £87 £87 £15,138 174.9 yrs £-13,407
5 kW 4328 kWh 3246 kWh 1082 kWh £0 £108 £108 £17,173 158.7 yrs £-15,009
6 kW 5194 kWh 3895 kWh 1298 kWh £0 £130 £130 £19,207 147.9 yrs £-16,610
7 kW 6059 kWh 4544 kWh 1515 kWh £0 £151 £151 £21,242 140.2 yrs £-18,212
8 kW 6925 kWh 5194 kWh 1731 kWh £0 £173 £173 £23,276 134.5 yrs £-19,814

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: £100, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 197.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1731 kWh 1333 kWh 398 kWh £0 £40 £40 £13,519 339.5 yrs £-12,723
3 kW 2597 kWh 2000 kWh 597 kWh £0 £60 £60 £15,554 260.4 yrs £-14,359
4 kW 3462 kWh 2666 kWh 796 kWh £0 £80 £80 £17,588 220.9 yrs £-15,995
5 kW 4328 kWh 3333 kWh 995 kWh £0 £100 £100 £19,623 197.1 yrs £-17,632
6 kW 5194 kWh 3999 kWh 1195 kWh £0 £119 £119 £21,657 181.3 yrs £-19,268
7 kW 6059 kWh 4666 kWh 1394 kWh £0 £139 £139 £23,692 170.0 yrs £-20,904
8 kW 6925 kWh 5332 kWh 1593 kWh £0 £159 £159 £25,726 161.5 yrs £-22,541

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
866kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~866 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 (94%)|Mid and East Antrim (4%)|Mid Ulster (2%)

Areas Covered

Springfarm, Antrim Centre, Stiles, Toome, Shilvodan, Randalstown, Cranfield, Fountain Hill + 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

BT29 (Antrim and Newtownabbey)
≈11.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~869 kWh/kWp · +0% vs BT41
BT39 (Antrim and Newtownabbey)
≈13.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~881 kWh/kWp · +2% vs BT41
BT42 (Mid and East Antrim)
≈15.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~838 kWh/kWp · -3% vs BT41
BT36 (Antrim and Newtownabbey)
≈17.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~879 kWh/kWp · +2% vs BT41
BT43 (Mid and East Antrim)
≈17.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~838 kWh/kWp · -3% vs BT41
BT14 (Belfast)
≈20.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~886 kWh/kWp · +2% vs BT41

Similar sunshine across the UK

KA1 (East Ayrshire)
~866 kWh/kWp · -0% vs BT41
M26 (Bury)
~865 kWh/kWp · -0% vs BT41
KA21 (North Ayrshire)
~866 kWh/kWp · +0% vs BT41