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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in CF36 (Bridgend)

See if solar pays off for you in Bridgend — 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
12.0 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£12,207
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£1,021
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£13,325
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 South Wales, the current unit rate is 26.83p/kWh with a 51.69p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 1017 kWh/kW — 49 above the regional median (968).

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 1017 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 26.8p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
26.8p/kWh
Standing charge
51.7p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
1017 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: £851, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 12.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2035 kWh 814 kWh 1221 kWh £218 £122 £340 £4,069 12.0 yrs £2,739
3 kW 3052 kWh 1221 kWh 1831 kWh £328 £183 £511 £6,104 12.0 yrs £4,109
4 kW 4069 kWh 1628 kWh 2441 kWh £437 £244 £681 £8,138 12.0 yrs £5,479
5 kW 5086 kWh 2035 kWh 3052 kWh £546 £305 £851 £10,173 12.0 yrs £6,849
6 kW 6104 kWh 2441 kWh 3662 kWh £655 £366 £1,021 £12,207 12.0 yrs £8,218
7 kW 7121 kWh 2848 kWh 4273 kWh £764 £427 £1,191 £14,242 12.0 yrs £9,588
8 kW 8138 kWh 3255 kWh 4883 kWh £873 £488 £1,362 £16,276 12.0 yrs £10,958

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: £1,022, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 12.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2035 kWh 1221 kWh 814 kWh £328 £81 £409 £6,169 15.1 yrs £2,009
3 kW 3052 kWh 1831 kWh 1221 kWh £491 £122 £613 £8,204 13.4 yrs £4,064
4 kW 4069 kWh 2441 kWh 1628 kWh £655 £163 £818 £10,238 12.5 yrs £6,118
5 kW 5086 kWh 3052 kWh 2035 kWh £819 £203 £1,022 £12,273 12.0 yrs £8,173
6 kW 6104 kWh 3662 kWh 2441 kWh £983 £244 £1,227 £14,307 11.7 yrs £10,228
7 kW 7121 kWh 4273 kWh 2848 kWh £1,146 £285 £1,431 £16,342 11.4 yrs £12,282
8 kW 8138 kWh 4883 kWh 3255 kWh £1,310 £326 £1,636 £18,376 11.2 yrs £14,337

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: £1,108, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 12.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2035 kWh 1424 kWh 610 kWh £382 £61 £443 £7,569 17.1 yrs £1,294
3 kW 3052 kWh 2136 kWh 916 kWh £573 £92 £665 £9,604 14.4 yrs £3,691
4 kW 4069 kWh 2848 kWh 1221 kWh £764 £122 £886 £11,638 13.1 yrs £6,088
5 kW 5086 kWh 3561 kWh 1526 kWh £955 £153 £1,108 £13,673 12.3 yrs £8,485
6 kW 6104 kWh 4273 kWh 1831 kWh £1,146 £183 £1,329 £15,707 11.8 yrs £10,882
7 kW 7121 kWh 4985 kWh 2136 kWh £1,337 £214 £1,551 £17,742 11.4 yrs £13,279
8 kW 8138 kWh 5697 kWh 2441 kWh £1,528 £244 £1,773 £19,776 11.2 yrs £15,676

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: £1,134, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 13.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2035 kWh 1485 kWh 549 kWh £398 £55 £453 £9,319 20.6 yrs £-251
3 kW 3052 kWh 2228 kWh 824 kWh £598 £82 £680 £11,354 16.7 yrs £2,249
4 kW 4069 kWh 2970 kWh 1099 kWh £797 £110 £907 £13,388 14.8 yrs £4,749
5 kW 5086 kWh 3713 kWh 1373 kWh £996 £137 £1,134 £15,423 13.6 yrs £7,249
6 kW 6104 kWh 4456 kWh 1648 kWh £1,195 £165 £1,360 £17,457 12.8 yrs £9,748
7 kW 7121 kWh 5198 kWh 1923 kWh £1,395 £192 £1,587 £19,492 12.3 yrs £12,248
8 kW 8138 kWh 5941 kWh 2197 kWh £1,594 £220 £1,814 £21,526 11.9 yrs £14,748

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: £1,151, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 14.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2035 kWh 1526 kWh 509 kWh £409 £51 £460 £11,069 24.0 yrs £-1,864
3 kW 3052 kWh 2289 kWh 763 kWh £614 £76 £690 £13,104 19.0 yrs £705
4 kW 4069 kWh 3052 kWh 1017 kWh £819 £102 £921 £15,138 16.4 yrs £3,273
5 kW 5086 kWh 3815 kWh 1272 kWh £1,024 £127 £1,151 £17,173 14.9 yrs £5,841
6 kW 6104 kWh 4578 kWh 1526 kWh £1,228 £153 £1,381 £19,207 13.9 yrs £8,409
7 kW 7121 kWh 5341 kWh 1780 kWh £1,433 £178 £1,611 £21,242 13.2 yrs £10,978
8 kW 8138 kWh 6104 kWh 2035 kWh £1,638 £203 £1,841 £23,276 12.6 yrs £13,546

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: £1,168, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 16.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2035 kWh 1567 kWh 468 kWh £420 £47 £467 £13,519 28.9 yrs £-4,177
3 kW 3052 kWh 2350 kWh 702 kWh £630 £70 £701 £15,554 22.2 yrs £-1,540
4 kW 4069 kWh 3133 kWh 936 kWh £841 £94 £934 £17,588 18.8 yrs £1,097
5 kW 5086 kWh 3917 kWh 1170 kWh £1,051 £117 £1,168 £19,623 16.8 yrs £3,734
6 kW 6104 kWh 4700 kWh 1404 kWh £1,261 £140 £1,401 £21,657 15.5 yrs £6,370
7 kW 7121 kWh 5483 kWh 1638 kWh £1,471 £164 £1,635 £23,692 14.5 yrs £9,007
8 kW 8138 kWh 6267 kWh 1872 kWh £1,681 £187 £1,868 £25,726 13.8 yrs £11,644

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 CF36

Figures below are tailored to CF36 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #314 of 2182
5.9 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~12 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #388 of 2997
10.4 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£1,175 /yr • £12,207 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #573 of 2997
16.1% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£189 fixed • ~£1,175 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.83p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
51.69p/day
Local Sunshine
1017kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~1017 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: 53% • Flats: 29% • Bungalows: 15% Based on 4,166 properties

Coverage

Bridgend (100%)

Areas Covered

Porthcawl East Central, Nottage, Newton, Porthcawl West Central, Rest Bay, Cornelly

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 South Wales

CF33 (Bridgend)
≈4.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,033 kWh/kWp · +2% vs CF36
CF31 (Bridgend)
≈9.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,020 kWh/kWp · +0% vs CF36
CF32 (Bridgend)
≈11.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,031 kWh/kWp · +1% vs CF36
SA13 (Neath Port Talbot)
≈12.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,005 kWh/kWp · -1% vs CF36
CF35 (Bridgend)
≈13.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,052 kWh/kWp · +3% vs CF36
CF34 (Bridgend)
≈14.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~922 kWh/kWp · -9% vs CF36

Similar sunshine across the UK

TA12 (Somerset)
~1,017 kWh/kWp · +0% vs CF36
DA14 (Bexley)
~1,017 kWh/kWp · +0% vs CF36
TA19 (Somerset)
~1,017 kWh/kWp · -0% vs CF36