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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in CA21 (Cumberland)

See if solar pays off for you in Cumberland — 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
12.7 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£12,207
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£960
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£11,792
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 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 950 kWh/kW — 80 above 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 950 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)
950 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: £800, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 12.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1900 kWh 760 kWh 1140 kWh £206 £114 £320 £4,069 12.7 yrs £2,331
3 kW 2850 kWh 1140 kWh 1710 kWh £309 £171 £480 £6,104 12.7 yrs £3,496
4 kW 3799 kWh 1520 kWh 2280 kWh £412 £228 £640 £8,138 12.7 yrs £4,661
5 kW 4749 kWh 1900 kWh 2850 kWh £515 £285 £800 £10,173 12.7 yrs £5,827
6 kW 5699 kWh 2280 kWh 3419 kWh £618 £342 £960 £12,207 12.7 yrs £6,992
7 kW 6649 kWh 2660 kWh 3989 kWh £721 £399 £1,120 £14,242 12.7 yrs £8,157
8 kW 7599 kWh 3040 kWh 4559 kWh £824 £456 £1,280 £16,276 12.7 yrs £9,323

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: £962, Upfront: £12,273, 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 1900 kWh 1140 kWh 760 kWh £309 £76 £385 £6,169 16.0 yrs £1,531
3 kW 2850 kWh 1710 kWh 1140 kWh £464 £114 £577 £8,204 14.2 yrs £3,346
4 kW 3799 kWh 2280 kWh 1520 kWh £618 £152 £770 £10,238 13.3 yrs £5,162
5 kW 4749 kWh 2850 kWh 1900 kWh £773 £190 £962 £12,273 12.8 yrs £6,977
6 kW 5699 kWh 3419 kWh 2280 kWh £927 £228 £1,155 £14,307 12.4 yrs £8,793
7 kW 6649 kWh 3989 kWh 2660 kWh £1,082 £266 £1,347 £16,342 12.1 yrs £10,608
8 kW 7599 kWh 4559 kWh 3040 kWh £1,236 £304 £1,540 £18,376 11.9 yrs £12,423

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: £1,044, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 13.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1900 kWh 1330 kWh 570 kWh £361 £57 £417 £7,569 18.1 yrs £781
3 kW 2850 kWh 1995 kWh 855 kWh £541 £85 £626 £9,604 15.3 yrs £2,921
4 kW 3799 kWh 2660 kWh 1140 kWh £721 £114 £835 £11,638 13.9 yrs £5,062
5 kW 4749 kWh 3324 kWh 1425 kWh £901 £142 £1,044 £13,673 13.1 yrs £7,202
6 kW 5699 kWh 3989 kWh 1710 kWh £1,082 £171 £1,252 £15,707 12.5 yrs £9,343
7 kW 6649 kWh 4654 kWh 1995 kWh £1,262 £199 £1,461 £17,742 12.1 yrs £11,483
8 kW 7599 kWh 5319 kWh 2280 kWh £1,442 £228 £1,670 £19,776 11.8 yrs £13,624

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: £1,068, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 14.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1900 kWh 1387 kWh 513 kWh £376 £51 £427 £9,319 21.8 yrs £-774
3 kW 2850 kWh 2080 kWh 769 kWh £564 £77 £641 £11,354 17.7 yrs £1,464
4 kW 3799 kWh 2774 kWh 1026 kWh £752 £103 £854 £13,388 15.7 yrs £3,702
5 kW 4749 kWh 3467 kWh 1282 kWh £940 £128 £1,068 £15,423 14.4 yrs £5,940
6 kW 5699 kWh 4160 kWh 1539 kWh £1,128 £154 £1,282 £17,457 13.6 yrs £8,178
7 kW 6649 kWh 4854 kWh 1795 kWh £1,316 £180 £1,495 £19,492 13.0 yrs £10,416
8 kW 7599 kWh 5547 kWh 2052 kWh £1,504 £205 £1,709 £21,526 12.6 yrs £12,654

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: £1,084, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 15.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1900 kWh 1425 kWh 475 kWh £386 £47 £434 £11,069 25.5 yrs £-2,394
3 kW 2850 kWh 2137 kWh 712 kWh £579 £71 £651 £13,104 20.1 yrs £-91
4 kW 3799 kWh 2850 kWh 950 kWh £773 £95 £867 £15,138 17.5 yrs £2,212
5 kW 4749 kWh 3562 kWh 1187 kWh £966 £119 £1,084 £17,173 15.8 yrs £4,515
6 kW 5699 kWh 4274 kWh 1425 kWh £1,159 £142 £1,301 £19,207 14.8 yrs £6,818
7 kW 6649 kWh 4987 kWh 1662 kWh £1,352 £166 £1,518 £21,242 14.0 yrs £9,121
8 kW 7599 kWh 5699 kWh 1900 kWh £1,545 £190 £1,735 £23,276 13.4 yrs £11,424

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: £1,101, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 17.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1900 kWh 1463 kWh 437 kWh £397 £44 £440 £13,519 30.7 yrs £-4,714
3 kW 2850 kWh 2194 kWh 655 kWh £595 £66 £660 £15,554 23.6 yrs £-2,346
4 kW 3799 kWh 2926 kWh 874 kWh £793 £87 £880 £17,588 20.0 yrs £22
5 kW 4749 kWh 3657 kWh 1092 kWh £991 £109 £1,101 £19,623 17.8 yrs £2,390
6 kW 5699 kWh 4388 kWh 1311 kWh £1,190 £131 £1,321 £21,657 16.4 yrs £4,758
7 kW 6649 kWh 5120 kWh 1529 kWh £1,388 £153 £1,541 £23,692 15.4 yrs £7,126
8 kW 7599 kWh 5851 kWh 1748 kWh £1,586 £175 £1,761 £25,726 14.6 yrs £9,494

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 CA21

Figures below are tailored to CA21 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #76 of 2182
6.8 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~14 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #1187 of 2997
11.0 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£1,106 /yr • £12,207 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #711 of 2997
16.9% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£187 fixed • ~£1,106 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
27.11p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
51.16p/day
Local Sunshine
950kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~950 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: 66% • Flats: 3% • Bungalows: 31% Based on 192 properties

Coverage

Cumberland (100%)

Areas Covered

Gosforth

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

CA22 (Cumberland)
≈4.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~938 kWh/kWp · -1% vs CA21
CA20 (Cumberland)
≈5.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~887 kWh/kWp · -7% vs CA21
CA27 (Cumberland)
≈7.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~949 kWh/kWp · -0% vs CA21
CA23 (Cumberland)
≈7.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~892 kWh/kWp · -6% vs CA21
CA24 (Cumberland)
≈7.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~894 kWh/kWp · -6% vs CA21
CA25 (Cumberland)
≈8.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~893 kWh/kWp · -6% vs CA21

Similar sunshine across the UK

DE65 (South Derbyshire)
~950 kWh/kWp · -0% vs CA21
SA32 (Carmarthenshire)
~950 kWh/kWp · -0% vs CA21
SA37 (Pembrokeshire)
~950 kWh/kWp · -0% vs CA21