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 CB2 (Cambridge)

See if solar pays off for you in Cambridge — 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
12.1 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£6,104
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£505
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£6,519
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 Eastern, the current unit rate is 26.53p/kWh with a 48.25p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 1013 kWh/kW — 4 above the regional median (1009).

Read the full story

A typical roof here lands around 3.0 kW, with most eligible homes comfortably fitting within 3–6 kW. Each kilowatt of panels produces roughly 1013 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 26.5p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
26.5p/kWh
Standing charge
48.2p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
1013 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: £841, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 12.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2026 kWh 810 kWh 1216 kWh £215 £122 £337 £4,069 12.1 yrs £2,663
3 kW 3039 kWh 1216 kWh 1824 kWh £323 £182 £505 £6,104 12.1 yrs £3,994
4 kW 4052 kWh 1621 kWh 2431 kWh £430 £243 £673 £8,138 12.1 yrs £5,326
5 kW 5066 kWh 2026 kWh 3039 kWh £538 £304 £841 £10,173 12.1 yrs £6,657
6 kW 6079 kWh 2431 kWh 3647 kWh £645 £365 £1,010 £12,207 12.1 yrs £7,988
7 kW 7092 kWh 2837 kWh 4255 kWh £753 £426 £1,178 £14,242 12.1 yrs £9,320
8 kW 8105 kWh 3242 kWh 4863 kWh £860 £486 £1,346 £16,276 12.1 yrs £10,651

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: £1,009, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 12.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2026 kWh 1216 kWh 810 kWh £323 £81 £404 £6,169 15.3 yrs £1,903
3 kW 3039 kWh 1824 kWh 1216 kWh £484 £122 £605 £8,204 13.6 yrs £3,904
4 kW 4052 kWh 2431 kWh 1621 kWh £645 £162 £807 £10,238 12.7 yrs £5,905
5 kW 5066 kWh 3039 kWh 2026 kWh £806 £203 £1,009 £12,273 12.2 yrs £7,906
6 kW 6079 kWh 3647 kWh 2431 kWh £968 £243 £1,211 £14,307 11.8 yrs £9,908
7 kW 7092 kWh 4255 kWh 2837 kWh £1,129 £284 £1,413 £16,342 11.6 yrs £11,909
8 kW 8105 kWh 4863 kWh 3242 kWh £1,290 £324 £1,614 £18,376 11.4 yrs £13,910

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: £1,093, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 12.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2026 kWh 1418 kWh 608 kWh £376 £61 £437 £7,569 17.3 yrs £1,172
3 kW 3039 kWh 2128 kWh 912 kWh £564 £91 £656 £9,604 14.6 yrs £3,509
4 kW 4052 kWh 2837 kWh 1216 kWh £753 £122 £874 £11,638 13.3 yrs £5,845
5 kW 5066 kWh 3546 kWh 1520 kWh £941 £152 £1,093 £13,673 12.5 yrs £8,181
6 kW 6079 kWh 4255 kWh 1824 kWh £1,129 £182 £1,311 £15,707 12.0 yrs £10,517
7 kW 7092 kWh 4964 kWh 2128 kWh £1,317 £213 £1,530 £17,742 11.6 yrs £12,853
8 kW 8105 kWh 5673 kWh 2431 kWh £1,505 £243 £1,748 £19,776 11.3 yrs £15,190

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: £1,118, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 13.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2026 kWh 1479 kWh 547 kWh £392 £55 £447 £9,319 20.8 yrs £-377
3 kW 3039 kWh 2219 kWh 821 kWh £589 £82 £671 £11,354 16.9 yrs £2,060
4 kW 4052 kWh 2958 kWh 1094 kWh £785 £109 £894 £13,388 15.0 yrs £4,497
5 kW 5066 kWh 3698 kWh 1368 kWh £981 £137 £1,118 £15,423 13.8 yrs £6,933
6 kW 6079 kWh 4437 kWh 1641 kWh £1,177 £164 £1,341 £17,457 13.0 yrs £9,370
7 kW 7092 kWh 5177 kWh 1915 kWh £1,373 £191 £1,565 £19,492 12.5 yrs £11,807
8 kW 8105 kWh 5917 kWh 2188 kWh £1,570 £219 £1,788 £21,526 12.0 yrs £14,243

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: £1,135, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 15.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2026 kWh 1520 kWh 507 kWh £403 £51 £454 £11,069 24.4 yrs £-1,993
3 kW 3039 kWh 2279 kWh 760 kWh £605 £76 £681 £13,104 19.2 yrs £511
4 kW 4052 kWh 3039 kWh 1013 kWh £806 £101 £908 £15,138 16.7 yrs £3,015
5 kW 5066 kWh 3799 kWh 1266 kWh £1,008 £127 £1,135 £17,173 15.1 yrs £5,518
6 kW 6079 kWh 4559 kWh 1520 kWh £1,209 £152 £1,361 £19,207 14.1 yrs £8,022
7 kW 7092 kWh 5319 kWh 1773 kWh £1,411 £177 £1,588 £21,242 13.4 yrs £10,526
8 kW 8105 kWh 6079 kWh 2026 kWh £1,613 £203 £1,815 £23,276 12.8 yrs £13,029

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: £1,151, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 17.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2026 kWh 1560 kWh 466 kWh £414 £47 £461 £13,519 29.4 yrs £-4,309
3 kW 3039 kWh 2340 kWh 699 kWh £621 £70 £691 £15,554 22.5 yrs £-1,738
4 kW 4052 kWh 3120 kWh 932 kWh £828 £93 £921 £17,588 19.1 yrs £833
5 kW 5066 kWh 3900 kWh 1165 kWh £1,035 £117 £1,151 £19,623 17.0 yrs £3,403
6 kW 6079 kWh 4681 kWh 1398 kWh £1,242 £140 £1,382 £21,657 15.7 yrs £5,974
7 kW 7092 kWh 5461 kWh 1631 kWh £1,449 £163 £1,612 £23,692 14.7 yrs £8,545
8 kW 8105 kWh 6241 kWh 1864 kWh £1,656 £186 £1,842 £25,726 14.0 yrs £11,115

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 CB2

Figures below are tailored to CB2 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1485 of 2182
4.7 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~10 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #479 of 2997
10.5 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£1,160 /yr • £12,207 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #315 of 2997
15.2% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£176 fixed • ~£1,160 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.53p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
48.25p/day
Local Sunshine
1013kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~1013 kWh per year. A typical home uses ~2,700 kWh per year.
Typical System Size
3.0kW
For houses & bungalows in this area

⚠️ This area is predominantly flats. Many residents require freeholder approval for solar installations. System size shown reflects houses and bungalows only.

Local Property Data

Property Types

Houses: 43% • Flats: 52% • Bungalows: 1% Based on 7,030 properties

Coverage

Cambridge (68%)|South Cambridgeshire (32%)

Areas Covered

Market, Trumpington, Abbey, Shelford, Queen Edith's, Sawston, Petersfield, Duxford + 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 Eastern

CB1 (Cambridge)
≈2.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,013 kWh/kWp · +0% vs CB2
CB5 (Cambridge)
≈5.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,009 kWh/kWp · -0% vs CB2
CB22 (South Cambridgeshire)
≈5.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,015 kWh/kWp · +0% vs CB2
CB4 (South Cambridgeshire)
≈6.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,010 kWh/kWp · -0% vs CB2
CB3 (South Cambridgeshire)
≈6.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,010 kWh/kWp · -0% vs CB2
CB23 (South Cambridgeshire)
≈11.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,015 kWh/kWp · +0% vs CB2

Similar sunshine across the UK

SP6 (New Forest)
~1,013 kWh/kWp · -0% vs CB2
PL28 (Cornwall)
~1,013 kWh/kWp · +0% vs CB2
TR16 (Cornwall)
~1,013 kWh/kWp · -0% vs CB2