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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in BT47 (Derry City and Strabane)

See if solar pays off for you in Derry City and Strabane — 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
42.1 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£12,207
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£290
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£-4,951
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 806 kWh/kW — 184 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 806 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)
806 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: £242, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 42.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1613 kWh 645 kWh 968 kWh £0 £97 £97 £4,069 42.1 yrs £-2,134
3 kW 2419 kWh 968 kWh 1451 kWh £0 £145 £145 £6,104 42.1 yrs £-3,201
4 kW 3225 kWh 1290 kWh 1935 kWh £0 £194 £194 £8,138 42.1 yrs £-4,268
5 kW 4031 kWh 1613 kWh 2419 kWh £0 £242 £242 £10,173 42.1 yrs £-5,335
6 kW 4838 kWh 1935 kWh 2903 kWh £0 £290 £290 £12,207 42.1 yrs £-6,402
7 kW 5644 kWh 2258 kWh 3386 kWh £0 £339 £339 £14,242 42.1 yrs £-7,469
8 kW 6450 kWh 2580 kWh 3870 kWh £0 £387 £387 £16,276 42.1 yrs £-8,536

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: £161, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 76.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1613 kWh 968 kWh 645 kWh £0 £65 £65 £6,169 95.6 yrs £-4,879
3 kW 2419 kWh 1451 kWh 968 kWh £0 £97 £97 £8,204 84.8 yrs £-6,269
4 kW 3225 kWh 1935 kWh 1290 kWh £0 £129 £129 £10,238 79.4 yrs £-7,658
5 kW 4031 kWh 2419 kWh 1613 kWh £0 £161 £161 £12,273 76.1 yrs £-9,048
6 kW 4838 kWh 2903 kWh 1935 kWh £0 £194 £194 £14,307 73.9 yrs £-10,437
7 kW 5644 kWh 3386 kWh 2258 kWh £0 £226 £226 £16,342 72.4 yrs £-11,827
8 kW 6450 kWh 3870 kWh 2580 kWh £0 £258 £258 £18,376 71.2 yrs £-13,216

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: £121, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 113.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1613 kWh 1129 kWh 484 kWh £0 £48 £48 £7,569 156.5 yrs £-6,602
3 kW 2419 kWh 1693 kWh 726 kWh £0 £73 £73 £9,604 132.3 yrs £-8,152
4 kW 3225 kWh 2258 kWh 968 kWh £0 £97 £97 £11,638 120.3 yrs £-9,703
5 kW 4031 kWh 2822 kWh 1209 kWh £0 £121 £121 £13,673 113.1 yrs £-11,254
6 kW 4838 kWh 3386 kWh 1451 kWh £0 £145 £145 £15,707 108.2 yrs £-12,805
7 kW 5644 kWh 3951 kWh 1693 kWh £0 £169 £169 £17,742 104.8 yrs £-14,355
8 kW 6450 kWh 4515 kWh 1935 kWh £0 £194 £194 £19,776 102.2 yrs £-15,906

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: £109, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 141.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1613 kWh 1177 kWh 435 kWh £0 £44 £44 £9,319 214.0 yrs £-8,448
3 kW 2419 kWh 1766 kWh 653 kWh £0 £65 £65 £11,354 173.8 yrs £-10,047
4 kW 3225 kWh 2354 kWh 871 kWh £0 £87 £87 £13,388 153.8 yrs £-11,647
5 kW 4031 kWh 2943 kWh 1088 kWh £0 £109 £109 £15,423 141.7 yrs £-13,246
6 kW 4838 kWh 3531 kWh 1306 kWh £0 £131 £131 £17,457 133.7 yrs £-14,845
7 kW 5644 kWh 4120 kWh 1524 kWh £0 £152 £152 £19,492 127.9 yrs £-16,444
8 kW 6450 kWh 4709 kWh 1742 kWh £0 £174 £174 £21,526 123.6 yrs £-18,043

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: £101, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 170.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1613 kWh 1209 kWh 403 kWh £0 £40 £40 £11,069 274.6 yrs £-10,263
3 kW 2419 kWh 1814 kWh 605 kWh £0 £60 £60 £13,104 216.7 yrs £-11,894
4 kW 3225 kWh 2419 kWh 806 kWh £0 £81 £81 £15,138 187.8 yrs £-13,526
5 kW 4031 kWh 3023 kWh 1008 kWh £0 £101 £101 £17,173 170.4 yrs £-15,157
6 kW 4838 kWh 3628 kWh 1209 kWh £0 £121 £121 £19,207 158.8 yrs £-16,788
7 kW 5644 kWh 4233 kWh 1411 kWh £0 £141 £141 £21,242 150.5 yrs £-18,420
8 kW 6450 kWh 4838 kWh 1613 kWh £0 £161 £161 £23,276 144.3 yrs £-20,051

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: £93, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 211.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1613 kWh 1242 kWh 371 kWh £0 £37 £37 £13,519 364.5 yrs £-12,777
3 kW 2419 kWh 1862 kWh 556 kWh £0 £56 £56 £15,554 279.6 yrs £-14,441
4 kW 3225 kWh 2483 kWh 742 kWh £0 £74 £74 £17,588 237.1 yrs £-16,105
5 kW 4031 kWh 3104 kWh 927 kWh £0 £93 £93 £19,623 211.6 yrs £-17,768
6 kW 4838 kWh 3725 kWh 1113 kWh £0 £111 £111 £21,657 194.6 yrs £-19,432
7 kW 5644 kWh 4346 kWh 1298 kWh £0 £130 £130 £23,692 182.5 yrs £-21,095
8 kW 6450 kWh 4967 kWh 1484 kWh £0 £148 £148 £25,726 173.4 yrs £-22,759

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
806kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~806 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

Derry City and Strabane (86%)|Causeway Coast and Glens (14%)

Areas Covered

Ebrington, Enagh, Caw, Lisnagelvin, Victoria, Kilfennan, Claudy, Park + 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

BT48 (Derry City and Strabane)
≈3.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~827 kWh/kWp · +3% vs BT47
BT82 (Derry City and Strabane)
≈21.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~795 kWh/kWp · -1% vs BT47
BT49 (Causeway Coast and Glens)
≈22.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~846 kWh/kWp · +5% vs BT47
BT81 (Derry City and Strabane)
≈37.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~837 kWh/kWp · +4% vs BT47
BT51 (Causeway Coast and Glens)
≈39.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~860 kWh/kWp · +7% vs BT47
BT55 (Causeway Coast and Glens)
≈42.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~854 kWh/kWp · +6% vs BT47

Similar sunshine across the UK

KW16 (Orkney Islands)
~806 kWh/kWp · -0% vs BT47
LL40 (Gwynedd)
~805 kWh/kWp · -0% vs BT47
IV13 (Highland)
~805 kWh/kWp · -0% vs BT47