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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in CA27 (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
£959
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£11,765
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 949 kWh/kW — 79 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 949 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)
949 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: £799, 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 1898 kWh 759 kWh 1139 kWh £206 £114 £320 £4,069 12.7 yrs £2,323
3 kW 2846 kWh 1139 kWh 1708 kWh £309 £171 £479 £6,104 12.7 yrs £3,485
4 kW 3795 kWh 1518 kWh 2277 kWh £412 £228 £639 £8,138 12.7 yrs £4,647
5 kW 4744 kWh 1898 kWh 2846 kWh £514 £285 £799 £10,173 12.7 yrs £5,809
6 kW 5693 kWh 2277 kWh 3416 kWh £617 £342 £959 £12,207 12.7 yrs £6,970
7 kW 6641 kWh 2657 kWh 3985 kWh £720 £398 £1,119 £14,242 12.7 yrs £8,132
8 kW 7590 kWh 3036 kWh 4554 kWh £823 £455 £1,279 £16,276 12.7 yrs £9,294

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: £961, 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 1898 kWh 1139 kWh 759 kWh £309 £76 £385 £6,169 16.0 yrs £1,522
3 kW 2846 kWh 1708 kWh 1139 kWh £463 £114 £577 £8,204 14.2 yrs £3,333
4 kW 3795 kWh 2277 kWh 1518 kWh £617 £152 £769 £10,238 13.3 yrs £5,144
5 kW 4744 kWh 2846 kWh 1898 kWh £772 £190 £961 £12,273 12.8 yrs £6,955
6 kW 5693 kWh 3416 kWh 2277 kWh £926 £228 £1,154 £14,307 12.4 yrs £8,767
7 kW 6641 kWh 3985 kWh 2657 kWh £1,080 £266 £1,346 £16,342 12.1 yrs £10,578
8 kW 7590 kWh 4554 kWh 3036 kWh £1,235 £304 £1,538 £18,376 11.9 yrs £12,389

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: £1,043, 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 1898 kWh 1328 kWh 569 kWh £360 £57 £417 £7,569 18.1 yrs £772
3 kW 2846 kWh 1992 kWh 854 kWh £540 £85 £626 £9,604 15.4 yrs £2,907
4 kW 3795 kWh 2657 kWh 1139 kWh £720 £114 £834 £11,638 14.0 yrs £5,043
5 kW 4744 kWh 3321 kWh 1423 kWh £900 £142 £1,043 £13,673 13.1 yrs £7,179
6 kW 5693 kWh 3985 kWh 1708 kWh £1,080 £171 £1,251 £15,707 12.6 yrs £9,315
7 kW 6641 kWh 4649 kWh 1992 kWh £1,260 £199 £1,460 £17,742 12.2 yrs £11,450
8 kW 7590 kWh 5313 kWh 2277 kWh £1,440 £228 £1,668 £19,776 11.9 yrs £13,586

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: £1,067, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 14.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1898 kWh 1385 kWh 512 kWh £376 £51 £427 £9,319 21.8 yrs £-784
3 kW 2846 kWh 2078 kWh 769 kWh £563 £77 £640 £11,354 17.7 yrs £1,449
4 kW 3795 kWh 2770 kWh 1025 kWh £751 £102 £854 £13,388 15.7 yrs £3,683
5 kW 4744 kWh 3463 kWh 1281 kWh £939 £128 £1,067 £15,423 14.5 yrs £5,916
6 kW 5693 kWh 4156 kWh 1537 kWh £1,127 £154 £1,280 £17,457 13.6 yrs £8,149
7 kW 6641 kWh 4848 kWh 1793 kWh £1,314 £179 £1,494 £19,492 13.0 yrs £10,382
8 kW 7590 kWh 5541 kWh 2049 kWh £1,502 £205 £1,707 £21,526 12.6 yrs £12,615

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: £1,083, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 15.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1898 kWh 1423 kWh 474 kWh £386 £47 £433 £11,069 25.5 yrs £-2,404
3 kW 2846 kWh 2135 kWh 712 kWh £579 £71 £650 £13,104 20.2 yrs £-106
4 kW 3795 kWh 2846 kWh 949 kWh £772 £95 £867 £15,138 17.5 yrs £2,192
5 kW 4744 kWh 3558 kWh 1186 kWh £965 £119 £1,083 £17,173 15.9 yrs £4,490
6 kW 5693 kWh 4270 kWh 1423 kWh £1,157 £142 £1,300 £19,207 14.8 yrs £6,789
7 kW 6641 kWh 4981 kWh 1660 kWh £1,350 £166 £1,516 £21,242 14.0 yrs £9,087
8 kW 7590 kWh 5693 kWh 1898 kWh £1,543 £190 £1,733 £23,276 13.4 yrs £11,385

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: £1,099, 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 1898 kWh 1461 kWh 436 kWh £396 £44 £440 £13,519 30.7 yrs £-4,724
3 kW 2846 kWh 2192 kWh 655 kWh £594 £65 £660 £15,554 23.6 yrs £-2,361
4 kW 3795 kWh 2922 kWh 873 kWh £792 £87 £880 £17,588 20.0 yrs £2
5 kW 4744 kWh 3653 kWh 1091 kWh £990 £109 £1,099 £19,623 17.8 yrs £2,365
6 kW 5693 kWh 4383 kWh 1309 kWh £1,188 £131 £1,319 £21,657 16.4 yrs £4,728
7 kW 6641 kWh 5114 kWh 1528 kWh £1,386 £153 £1,539 £23,692 15.4 yrs £7,091
8 kW 7590 kWh 5844 kWh 1746 kWh £1,584 £175 £1,759 £25,726 14.6 yrs £9,454

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 CA27

Figures below are tailored to CA27 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #114 of 2182
6.5 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~14 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #1188 of 2997
11.0 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£1,105 /yr • £12,207 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #695 of 2997
16.9% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£187 fixed • ~£1,105 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
27.11p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
51.16p/day
Local Sunshine
949kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~949 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: 71% • Flats: 11% • Bungalows: 17% Based on 341 properties

Coverage

Cumberland (100%)

Areas Covered

Egremont North and St Bees, Egremont

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)
≈4.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~938 kWh/kWp · -1% vs CA27
CA24 (Cumberland)
≈4.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~894 kWh/kWp · -6% vs CA27
CA23 (Cumberland)
≈5.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~892 kWh/kWp · -6% vs CA27
CA25 (Cumberland)
≈5.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~893 kWh/kWp · -6% vs CA27
CA28 (Cumberland)
≈5.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~920 kWh/kWp · -3% vs CA27
CA21 (Cumberland)
≈7.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~950 kWh/kWp · +0% vs CA27

Similar sunshine across the UK

S21 (North East Derbyshire)
~949 kWh/kWp · -0% vs CA27
HR2 (Herefordshire, County of)
~949 kWh/kWp · +0% vs CA27
DY12 (Wyre Forest)
~949 kWh/kWp · -0% vs CA27