Solar explained to clever people by people who are not trying to be clever
Home Regions
Insights
Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in CA17 (Westmorland and Furness)

See if solar pays off for you in Westmorland and Furness — 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
15.3 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£12,207
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£800
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£7,804
After paying itself off, you're this much ahead

Ready to Get Started?

Get your free quote from Blue Ape Renewables. They'll connect you with MCS-certified installers in your area and handle all the paperwork.

Get Solar Quote →
4.8★ Trustpilot • Octopus Energy trusted partner • MCS certified • No obligation
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 North West, the current unit rate is 27.11p/kWh with a 51.16p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 792 kWh/kW — 78 below the regional median (870).

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 792 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 27.1p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
27.1p/kWh
Standing charge
51.2p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
792 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: £667, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 15.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1584 kWh 634 kWh 950 kWh £172 £95 £267 £4,069 15.3 yrs £1,267
3 kW 2376 kWh 950 kWh 1426 kWh £258 £143 £400 £6,104 15.3 yrs £1,901
4 kW 3168 kWh 1267 kWh 1901 kWh £344 £190 £534 £8,138 15.3 yrs £2,534
5 kW 3960 kWh 1584 kWh 2376 kWh £429 £238 £667 £10,173 15.3 yrs £3,168
6 kW 4752 kWh 1901 kWh 2851 kWh £515 £285 £800 £12,207 15.3 yrs £3,802
7 kW 5544 kWh 2218 kWh 3326 kWh £601 £333 £934 £14,242 15.3 yrs £4,435
8 kW 6336 kWh 2534 kWh 3802 kWh £687 £380 £1,067 £16,276 15.3 yrs £5,069

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: £803, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 15.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1584 kWh 950 kWh 634 kWh £258 £63 £321 £6,169 19.2 yrs £251
3 kW 2376 kWh 1426 kWh 950 kWh £386 £95 £482 £8,204 17.0 yrs £1,427
4 kW 3168 kWh 1901 kWh 1267 kWh £515 £127 £642 £10,238 15.9 yrs £2,603
5 kW 3960 kWh 2376 kWh 1584 kWh £644 £158 £803 £12,273 15.3 yrs £3,778
6 kW 4752 kWh 2851 kWh 1901 kWh £773 £190 £963 £14,307 14.9 yrs £4,954
7 kW 5544 kWh 3326 kWh 2218 kWh £902 £222 £1,124 £16,342 14.5 yrs £6,130
8 kW 6336 kWh 3802 kWh 2534 kWh £1,031 £253 £1,284 £18,376 14.3 yrs £7,305

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: £870, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 15.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1584 kWh 1109 kWh 475 kWh £301 £48 £348 £7,569 21.7 yrs £-607
3 kW 2376 kWh 1663 kWh 713 kWh £451 £71 £522 £9,604 18.4 yrs £840
4 kW 3168 kWh 2218 kWh 950 kWh £601 £95 £696 £11,638 16.7 yrs £2,287
5 kW 3960 kWh 2772 kWh 1188 kWh £751 £119 £870 £13,673 15.7 yrs £3,733
6 kW 4752 kWh 3326 kWh 1426 kWh £902 £143 £1,044 £15,707 15.0 yrs £5,180
7 kW 5544 kWh 3881 kWh 1663 kWh £1,052 £166 £1,218 £17,742 14.6 yrs £6,627
8 kW 6336 kWh 4435 kWh 1901 kWh £1,202 £190 £1,392 £19,776 14.2 yrs £8,074

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: £891, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 17.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1584 kWh 1156 kWh 428 kWh £313 £43 £356 £9,319 26.2 yrs £-2,194
3 kW 2376 kWh 1735 kWh 642 kWh £470 £64 £534 £11,354 21.2 yrs £-666
4 kW 3168 kWh 2313 kWh 855 kWh £627 £86 £713 £13,388 18.8 yrs £862
5 kW 3960 kWh 2891 kWh 1069 kWh £784 £107 £891 £15,423 17.3 yrs £2,390
6 kW 4752 kWh 3469 kWh 1283 kWh £940 £128 £1,069 £17,457 16.3 yrs £3,918
7 kW 5544 kWh 4047 kWh 1497 kWh £1,097 £150 £1,247 £19,492 15.6 yrs £5,446
8 kW 6336 kWh 4625 kWh 1711 kWh £1,254 £171 £1,425 £21,526 15.1 yrs £6,974

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: £904, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 19.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1584 kWh 1188 kWh 396 kWh £322 £40 £362 £11,069 30.6 yrs £-3,836
3 kW 2376 kWh 1782 kWh 594 kWh £483 £59 £543 £13,104 24.2 yrs £-2,253
4 kW 3168 kWh 2376 kWh 792 kWh £644 £79 £723 £15,138 20.9 yrs £-671
5 kW 3960 kWh 2970 kWh 990 kWh £805 £99 £904 £17,173 19.0 yrs £911
6 kW 4752 kWh 3564 kWh 1188 kWh £966 £119 £1,085 £19,207 17.7 yrs £2,493
7 kW 5544 kWh 4158 kWh 1386 kWh £1,127 £139 £1,266 £21,242 16.8 yrs £4,075
8 kW 6336 kWh 4752 kWh 1584 kWh £1,288 £158 £1,447 £23,276 16.1 yrs £5,658

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: £918, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 21.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1584 kWh 1220 kWh 364 kWh £331 £36 £367 £13,519 36.8 yrs £-6,177
3 kW 2376 kWh 1830 kWh 546 kWh £496 £55 £551 £15,554 28.2 yrs £-4,541
4 kW 3168 kWh 2439 kWh 729 kWh £661 £73 £734 £17,588 24.0 yrs £-2,904
5 kW 3960 kWh 3049 kWh 911 kWh £827 £91 £918 £19,623 21.4 yrs £-1,268
6 kW 4752 kWh 3659 kWh 1093 kWh £992 £109 £1,101 £21,657 19.7 yrs £368
7 kW 5544 kWh 4269 kWh 1275 kWh £1,157 £128 £1,285 £23,692 18.4 yrs £2,005
8 kW 6336 kWh 4879 kWh 1457 kWh £1,323 £146 £1,468 £25,726 17.5 yrs £3,641

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 CA17

Figures below are tailored to CA17 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #140 of 2182
6.4 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~13 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #2866 of 2997
13.2 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£922 /yr • £12,207 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #1464 of 2997
20.3% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£187 fixed • ~£922 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
27.11p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
51.16p/day
Local Sunshine
792kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~792 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: 82% • Flats: 6% • Bungalows: 10% Based on 1,574 properties

Coverage

Westmorland and Furness (100%)

Areas Covered

Kirkby Stephen and Tebay, Appleby and Brough

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 North West

CA16 (Westmorland and Furness)
≈14.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~855 kWh/kWp · +8% vs CA17
LA10 (Westmorland and Furness)
≈20.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~816 kWh/kWp · +3% vs CA17
CA10 (Westmorland and Furness)
≈26.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~865 kWh/kWp · +9% vs CA17
LA9 (Westmorland and Furness)
≈30.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~852 kWh/kWp · +8% vs CA17
LA8 (Westmorland and Furness)
≈32.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~874 kWh/kWp · +10% vs CA17
CA11 (Westmorland and Furness)
≈33.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~877 kWh/kWp · +11% vs CA17

Similar sunshine across the UK

PA84 (Na h-Eileanan Siar)
~792 kWh/kWp · -0% vs CA17
LL57 (Gwynedd)
~792 kWh/kWp · -0% vs CA17
PH42 (Highland)
~793 kWh/kWp · +0% vs CA17