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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in CA8 (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
15.4 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£12,207
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£794
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£7,650
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 786 kWh/kW — 84 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 786 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)
786 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: £662, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 15.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1572 kWh 629 kWh 943 kWh £170 £94 £265 £4,069 15.4 yrs £1,226
3 kW 2358 kWh 943 kWh 1415 kWh £256 £141 £397 £6,104 15.4 yrs £1,839
4 kW 3144 kWh 1257 kWh 1886 kWh £341 £189 £530 £8,138 15.4 yrs £2,452
5 kW 3930 kWh 1572 kWh 2358 kWh £426 £236 £662 £10,173 15.4 yrs £3,065
6 kW 4716 kWh 1886 kWh 2829 kWh £511 £283 £794 £12,207 15.4 yrs £3,679
7 kW 5501 kWh 2201 kWh 3301 kWh £597 £330 £927 £14,242 15.4 yrs £4,292
8 kW 6287 kWh 2515 kWh 3772 kWh £682 £377 £1,059 £16,276 15.4 yrs £4,905

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: £796, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 15.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1572 kWh 943 kWh 629 kWh £256 £63 £319 £6,169 19.4 yrs £202
3 kW 2358 kWh 1415 kWh 943 kWh £384 £94 £478 £8,204 17.2 yrs £1,353
4 kW 3144 kWh 1886 kWh 1257 kWh £511 £126 £637 £10,238 16.1 yrs £2,504
5 kW 3930 kWh 2358 kWh 1572 kWh £639 £157 £796 £12,273 15.4 yrs £3,655
6 kW 4716 kWh 2829 kWh 1886 kWh £767 £189 £956 £14,307 15.0 yrs £4,806
7 kW 5501 kWh 3301 kWh 2201 kWh £895 £220 £1,115 £16,342 14.7 yrs £5,957
8 kW 6287 kWh 3772 kWh 2515 kWh £1,023 £251 £1,274 £18,376 14.4 yrs £7,108

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: £864, Upfront: £13,673, 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 1572 kWh 1100 kWh 472 kWh £298 £47 £345 £7,569 21.9 yrs £-660
3 kW 2358 kWh 1650 kWh 707 kWh £447 £71 £518 £9,604 18.5 yrs £760
4 kW 3144 kWh 2201 kWh 943 kWh £597 £94 £691 £11,638 16.8 yrs £2,180
5 kW 3930 kWh 2751 kWh 1179 kWh £746 £118 £864 £13,673 15.8 yrs £3,600
6 kW 4716 kWh 3301 kWh 1415 kWh £895 £141 £1,036 £15,707 15.2 yrs £5,020
7 kW 5501 kWh 3851 kWh 1650 kWh £1,044 £165 £1,209 £17,742 14.7 yrs £6,439
8 kW 6287 kWh 4401 kWh 1886 kWh £1,193 £189 £1,382 £19,776 14.3 yrs £7,859

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: £884, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 17.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1572 kWh 1147 kWh 424 kWh £311 £42 £354 £9,319 26.4 yrs £-2,249
3 kW 2358 kWh 1721 kWh 637 kWh £467 £64 £530 £11,354 21.4 yrs £-748
4 kW 3144 kWh 2295 kWh 849 kWh £622 £85 £707 £13,388 18.9 yrs £752
5 kW 3930 kWh 2869 kWh 1061 kWh £778 £106 £884 £15,423 17.5 yrs £2,253
6 kW 4716 kWh 3442 kWh 1273 kWh £933 £127 £1,061 £17,457 16.5 yrs £3,754
7 kW 5501 kWh 4016 kWh 1485 kWh £1,089 £149 £1,237 £19,492 15.8 yrs £5,254
8 kW 6287 kWh 4590 kWh 1698 kWh £1,244 £170 £1,414 £21,526 15.2 yrs £6,755

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: £897, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 19.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1572 kWh 1179 kWh 393 kWh £320 £39 £359 £11,069 30.8 yrs £-3,891
3 kW 2358 kWh 1768 kWh 589 kWh £479 £59 £538 £13,104 24.3 yrs £-2,337
4 kW 3144 kWh 2358 kWh 786 kWh £639 £79 £718 £15,138 21.1 yrs £-782
5 kW 3930 kWh 2947 kWh 982 kWh £799 £98 £897 £17,173 19.1 yrs £772
6 kW 4716 kWh 3537 kWh 1179 kWh £959 £118 £1,077 £19,207 17.8 yrs £2,326
7 kW 5501 kWh 4126 kWh 1375 kWh £1,119 £138 £1,256 £21,242 16.9 yrs £3,881
8 kW 6287 kWh 4716 kWh 1572 kWh £1,278 £157 £1,436 £23,276 16.2 yrs £5,435

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: £911, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 21.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1572 kWh 1210 kWh 362 kWh £328 £36 £364 £13,519 37.1 yrs £-6,234
3 kW 2358 kWh 1815 kWh 542 kWh £492 £54 £546 £15,554 28.5 yrs £-4,625
4 kW 3144 kWh 2421 kWh 723 kWh £656 £72 £729 £17,588 24.1 yrs £-3,017
5 kW 3930 kWh 3026 kWh 904 kWh £820 £90 £911 £19,623 21.5 yrs £-1,409
6 kW 4716 kWh 3631 kWh 1085 kWh £984 £108 £1,093 £21,657 19.8 yrs £199
7 kW 5501 kWh 4236 kWh 1265 kWh £1,148 £127 £1,275 £23,692 18.6 yrs £1,807
8 kW 6287 kWh 4841 kWh 1446 kWh £1,312 £145 £1,457 £25,726 17.7 yrs £3,415

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 CA8

Figures below are tailored to CA8 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #147 of 2182
6.3 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~13 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #2877 of 2997
13.3 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£915 /yr • £12,207 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #1492 of 2997
20.4% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£187 fixed • ~£915 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
27.11p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
51.16p/day
Local Sunshine
786kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~786 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: 72% • Flats: 10% • Bungalows: 17% Based on 2,984 properties

Coverage

Cumberland (86%)|Northumberland (14%)

Areas Covered

Brampton, Corby and Hayton, Haydon & Hadrian, Haltwhistle, Houghton and Irthington, Denton Holme, Alston and Fellside, Bellingham

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

CA4 (Cumberland)
≈10.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~875 kWh/kWp · +11% vs CA8
CA6 (Cumberland)
≈13.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~893 kWh/kWp · +14% vs CA8
CA1 (Cumberland)
≈13.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~886 kWh/kWp · +13% vs CA8
CA3 (Cumberland)
≈14.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~884 kWh/kWp · +12% vs CA8
CA99 (Cumberland)
≈15.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~886 kWh/kWp · +13% vs CA8
CA2 (Cumberland)
≈15.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~885 kWh/kWp · +13% vs CA8

Similar sunshine across the UK

IV49 (Highland)
~786 kWh/kWp · -0% vs CA8
IV34 (Moray)
~786 kWh/kWp · +0% vs CA8
PA30 (Argyll and Bute)
~785 kWh/kWp · -0% vs CA8