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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in CF45 (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
13.5 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£8,138
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£601
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£6,889
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 898 kWh/kW — 70 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 898 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)
898 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: £751, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 13.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1796 kWh 718 kWh 1078 kWh £193 £108 £301 £4,069 13.5 yrs £1,942
3 kW 2694 kWh 1078 kWh 1617 kWh £289 £162 £451 £6,104 13.5 yrs £2,912
4 kW 3592 kWh 1437 kWh 2155 kWh £386 £216 £601 £8,138 13.5 yrs £3,883
5 kW 4490 kWh 1796 kWh 2694 kWh £482 £269 £751 £10,173 13.5 yrs £4,854
6 kW 5388 kWh 2155 kWh 3233 kWh £578 £323 £902 £12,207 13.5 yrs £5,825
7 kW 6287 kWh 2515 kWh 3772 kWh £675 £377 £1,052 £14,242 13.5 yrs £6,796
8 kW 7185 kWh 2874 kWh 4311 kWh £771 £431 £1,202 £16,276 13.5 yrs £7,767

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: £902, Upfront: £12,273, 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 1796 kWh 1078 kWh 718 kWh £289 £72 £361 £6,169 17.1 yrs £1,051
3 kW 2694 kWh 1617 kWh 1078 kWh £434 £108 £541 £8,204 15.1 yrs £2,626
4 kW 3592 kWh 2155 kWh 1437 kWh £578 £144 £722 £10,238 14.2 yrs £4,202
5 kW 4490 kWh 2694 kWh 1796 kWh £723 £180 £902 £12,273 13.6 yrs £5,777
6 kW 5388 kWh 3233 kWh 2155 kWh £867 £216 £1,083 £14,307 13.2 yrs £7,352
7 kW 6287 kWh 3772 kWh 2515 kWh £1,012 £251 £1,263 £16,342 12.9 yrs £8,928
8 kW 7185 kWh 4311 kWh 2874 kWh £1,157 £287 £1,444 £18,376 12.7 yrs £10,503

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: £978, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 14.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1796 kWh 1257 kWh 539 kWh £337 £54 £391 £7,569 19.3 yrs £255
3 kW 2694 kWh 1886 kWh 808 kWh £506 £81 £587 £9,604 16.4 yrs £2,133
4 kW 3592 kWh 2515 kWh 1078 kWh £675 £108 £782 £11,638 14.9 yrs £4,011
5 kW 4490 kWh 3143 kWh 1347 kWh £843 £135 £978 £13,673 14.0 yrs £5,889
6 kW 5388 kWh 3772 kWh 1617 kWh £1,012 £162 £1,174 £15,707 13.4 yrs £7,766
7 kW 6287 kWh 4401 kWh 1886 kWh £1,181 £189 £1,369 £17,742 13.0 yrs £9,644
8 kW 7185 kWh 5029 kWh 2155 kWh £1,349 £216 £1,565 £19,776 12.6 yrs £11,522

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: £1,001, Upfront: £15,423, 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 1796 kWh 1311 kWh 485 kWh £352 £48 £400 £9,319 23.3 yrs £-1,313
3 kW 2694 kWh 1967 kWh 727 kWh £528 £73 £600 £11,354 18.9 yrs £655
4 kW 3592 kWh 2622 kWh 970 kWh £704 £97 £801 £13,388 16.7 yrs £2,624
5 kW 4490 kWh 3278 kWh 1212 kWh £879 £121 £1,001 £15,423 15.4 yrs £4,592
6 kW 5388 kWh 3934 kWh 1455 kWh £1,055 £145 £1,201 £17,457 14.5 yrs £6,560
7 kW 6287 kWh 4589 kWh 1697 kWh £1,231 £170 £1,401 £19,492 13.9 yrs £8,529
8 kW 7185 kWh 5245 kWh 1940 kWh £1,407 £194 £1,601 £21,526 13.4 yrs £10,497

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: £1,016, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 16.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1796 kWh 1347 kWh 449 kWh £361 £45 £406 £11,069 27.2 yrs £-2,942
3 kW 2694 kWh 2021 kWh 674 kWh £542 £67 £610 £13,104 21.5 yrs £-913
4 kW 3592 kWh 2694 kWh 898 kWh £723 £90 £813 £15,138 18.6 yrs £1,115
5 kW 4490 kWh 3368 kWh 1123 kWh £904 £112 £1,016 £17,173 16.9 yrs £3,144
6 kW 5388 kWh 4041 kWh 1347 kWh £1,084 £135 £1,219 £19,207 15.8 yrs £5,173
7 kW 6287 kWh 4715 kWh 1572 kWh £1,265 £157 £1,422 £21,242 14.9 yrs £7,202
8 kW 7185 kWh 5388 kWh 1796 kWh £1,446 £180 £1,625 £23,276 14.3 yrs £9,231

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: £1,031, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 19.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1796 kWh 1383 kWh 413 kWh £371 £41 £412 £13,519 32.8 yrs £-5,271
3 kW 2694 kWh 2075 kWh 620 kWh £557 £62 £619 £15,554 25.1 yrs £-3,182
4 kW 3592 kWh 2766 kWh 826 kWh £742 £83 £825 £17,588 21.3 yrs £-1,093
5 kW 4490 kWh 3458 kWh 1033 kWh £928 £103 £1,031 £19,623 19.0 yrs £997
6 kW 5388 kWh 4149 kWh 1239 kWh £1,113 £124 £1,237 £21,657 17.5 yrs £3,086
7 kW 6287 kWh 4841 kWh 1446 kWh £1,299 £145 £1,443 £23,692 16.4 yrs £5,175
8 kW 7185 kWh 5532 kWh 1652 kWh £1,484 £165 £1,650 £25,726 15.6 yrs £7,264

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 CF45

Figures below are tailored to CF45 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1612 of 2182
4.6 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~10 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #2099 of 2997
11.8 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£692 /yr • £8,138 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2437 of 2997
27.3% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£189 fixed • ~£692 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.83p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
51.69p/day
Local Sunshine
898kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~898 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: 87% • Flats: 11% • Bungalows: 2% Based on 5,461 properties

Coverage

Rhondda Cynon Taf (100%)

Areas Covered

Mountain Ash, Abercynon, Penrhiw-ceibr

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

CF46 (Merthyr Tydfil)
≈4.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~939 kWh/kWp · +5% vs CF45
CF43 (Rhondda Cynon Taf)
≈5.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~921 kWh/kWp · +3% vs CF45
CF44 (Rhondda Cynon Taf)
≈6.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~903 kWh/kWp · +1% vs CF45
CF40 (Rhondda Cynon Taf)
≈8.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~933 kWh/kWp · +4% vs CF45
CF47 (Merthyr Tydfil)
≈8.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~915 kWh/kWp · +2% vs CF45
CF39 (Rhondda Cynon Taf)
≈8.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~929 kWh/kWp · +3% vs CF45

Similar sunshine across the UK

PR25 (South Ribble)
~898 kWh/kWp · -0% vs CF45
ST5 (Newcastle-under-Lyme)
~898 kWh/kWp · +0% vs CF45
AB2 (Aberdeen City)
~898 kWh/kWp · +0% vs CF45