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 CF43 (Rhondda Cynon Taf)

See if solar pays off for you in Rhondda Cynon Taf — 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
13.2 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£8,138
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£616
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£7,265
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 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 921 kWh/kW — 48 below the regional median (968).

Read the full story

A typical roof here lands around 4.0 kW, with most eligible homes comfortably fitting within 3–6 kW. Each kilowatt of panels produces roughly 921 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)
921 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: £770, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 13.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1841 kWh 736 kWh 1105 kWh £198 £110 £308 £4,069 13.2 yrs £2,092
3 kW 2762 kWh 1105 kWh 1657 kWh £296 £166 £462 £6,104 13.2 yrs £3,138
4 kW 3682 kWh 1473 kWh 2209 kWh £395 £221 £616 £8,138 13.2 yrs £4,185
5 kW 4603 kWh 1841 kWh 2762 kWh £494 £276 £770 £10,173 13.2 yrs £5,231
6 kW 5524 kWh 2209 kWh 3314 kWh £593 £331 £924 £12,207 13.2 yrs £6,277
7 kW 6444 kWh 2578 kWh 3866 kWh £692 £387 £1,078 £14,242 13.2 yrs £7,323
8 kW 7365 kWh 2946 kWh 4419 kWh £790 £442 £1,232 £16,276 13.2 yrs £8,369

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: £925, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 13.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1841 kWh 1105 kWh 736 kWh £296 £74 £370 £6,169 16.7 yrs £1,232
3 kW 2762 kWh 1657 kWh 1105 kWh £445 £110 £555 £8,204 14.8 yrs £2,898
4 kW 3682 kWh 2209 kWh 1473 kWh £593 £147 £740 £10,238 13.8 yrs £4,564
5 kW 4603 kWh 2762 kWh 1841 kWh £741 £184 £925 £12,273 13.3 yrs £6,229
6 kW 5524 kWh 3314 kWh 2209 kWh £889 £221 £1,110 £14,307 12.9 yrs £7,895
7 kW 6444 kWh 3866 kWh 2578 kWh £1,037 £258 £1,295 £16,342 12.6 yrs £9,561
8 kW 7365 kWh 4419 kWh 2946 kWh £1,186 £295 £1,480 £18,376 12.4 yrs £11,227

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: £1,003, Upfront: £13,673, 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 1841 kWh 1289 kWh 552 kWh £346 £55 £401 £7,569 18.9 yrs £452
3 kW 2762 kWh 1933 kWh 829 kWh £519 £83 £602 £9,604 16.0 yrs £2,427
4 kW 3682 kWh 2578 kWh 1105 kWh £692 £110 £802 £11,638 14.5 yrs £4,403
5 kW 4603 kWh 3222 kWh 1381 kWh £864 £138 £1,003 £13,673 13.6 yrs £6,379
6 kW 5524 kWh 3866 kWh 1657 kWh £1,037 £166 £1,203 £15,707 13.1 yrs £8,355
7 kW 6444 kWh 4511 kWh 1933 kWh £1,210 £193 £1,404 £17,742 12.6 yrs £10,330
8 kW 7365 kWh 5155 kWh 2209 kWh £1,383 £221 £1,604 £19,776 12.3 yrs £12,306

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: £1,026, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 15.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1841 kWh 1344 kWh 497 kWh £361 £50 £410 £9,319 22.7 yrs £-1,113
3 kW 2762 kWh 2016 kWh 746 kWh £541 £75 £615 £11,354 18.4 yrs £956
4 kW 3682 kWh 2688 kWh 994 kWh £721 £99 £821 £13,388 16.3 yrs £3,025
5 kW 4603 kWh 3360 kWh 1243 kWh £902 £124 £1,026 £15,423 15.0 yrs £5,094
6 kW 5524 kWh 4032 kWh 1491 kWh £1,082 £149 £1,231 £17,457 14.2 yrs £7,162
7 kW 6444 kWh 4704 kWh 1740 kWh £1,262 £174 £1,436 £19,492 13.6 yrs £9,231
8 kW 7365 kWh 5376 kWh 1988 kWh £1,442 £199 £1,641 £21,526 13.1 yrs £11,300

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: £1,041, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 16.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1841 kWh 1381 kWh 460 kWh £370 £46 £417 £11,069 26.6 yrs £-2,739
3 kW 2762 kWh 2071 kWh 690 kWh £556 £69 £625 £13,104 21.0 yrs £-608
4 kW 3682 kWh 2762 kWh 921 kWh £741 £92 £833 £15,138 18.2 yrs £1,523
5 kW 4603 kWh 3452 kWh 1151 kWh £926 £115 £1,041 £17,173 16.5 yrs £3,653
6 kW 5524 kWh 4143 kWh 1381 kWh £1,111 £138 £1,250 £19,207 15.4 yrs £5,784
7 kW 6444 kWh 4833 kWh 1611 kWh £1,297 £161 £1,458 £21,242 14.6 yrs £7,915
8 kW 7365 kWh 5524 kWh 1841 kWh £1,482 £184 £1,666 £23,276 14.0 yrs £10,046

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: £1,057, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 18.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1841 kWh 1418 kWh 423 kWh £380 £42 £423 £13,519 32.0 yrs £-5,065
3 kW 2762 kWh 2127 kWh 635 kWh £571 £64 £634 £15,554 24.5 yrs £-2,872
4 kW 3682 kWh 2835 kWh 847 kWh £761 £85 £845 £17,588 20.8 yrs £-679
5 kW 4603 kWh 3544 kWh 1059 kWh £951 £106 £1,057 £19,623 18.6 yrs £1,513
6 kW 5524 kWh 4253 kWh 1270 kWh £1,141 £127 £1,268 £21,657 17.1 yrs £3,706
7 kW 6444 kWh 4962 kWh 1482 kWh £1,331 £148 £1,480 £23,692 16.0 yrs £5,899
8 kW 7365 kWh 5671 kWh 1694 kWh £1,521 £169 £1,691 £25,726 15.2 yrs £8,091

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 CF43

Figures below are tailored to CF43 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1786 of 2182
4.4 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~9 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #1735 of 2997
11.5 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£709 /yr • £8,138 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2404 of 2997
26.6% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£189 fixed • ~£709 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.83p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
51.69p/day
Local Sunshine
921kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~921 kWh per year. A typical home uses ~2,700 kWh per year.
Typical System Size
4.0kW
For houses & bungalows in this area

Local Property Data

Property Types

Houses: 88% • Flats: 10% • Bungalows: 1% Based on 3,652 properties

Coverage

Rhondda Cynon Taf (100%)

Areas Covered

Ferndale and Maerdy, Tylorstown and Ynyshir, Treorchy

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

CF41 (Rhondda Cynon Taf)
≈3.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~927 kWh/kWp · +1% vs CF43
CF40 (Rhondda Cynon Taf)
≈4.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~933 kWh/kWp · +1% vs CF43
CF42 (Rhondda Cynon Taf)
≈5.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~884 kWh/kWp · -4% vs CF43
CF45 (Rhondda Cynon Taf)
≈5.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~898 kWh/kWp · -2% vs CF43
CF44 (Rhondda Cynon Taf)
≈6.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~903 kWh/kWp · -2% vs CF43
CF39 (Rhondda Cynon Taf)
≈6.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~929 kWh/kWp · +1% vs CF43

Similar sunshine across the UK

LS8 (Leeds)
~921 kWh/kWp · +0% vs CF43
WF12 (Kirklees)
~920 kWh/kWp · -0% vs CF43
L18 (Liverpool)
~920 kWh/kWp · -0% vs CF43