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 CO12 (Tendring)

See if solar pays off for you in Tendring — 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
11.6 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£878
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£11,770
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 1057 kWh/kW — 48 above the regional median (1009).

Read the full story

A typical roof here lands around 5.0 kW, with most eligible homes comfortably fitting within 3–6 kW. Each kilowatt of panels produces roughly 1057 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)
1057 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: £878, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 11.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2113 kWh 845 kWh 1268 kWh £224 £127 £351 £4,069 11.6 yrs £2,953
3 kW 3170 kWh 1268 kWh 1902 kWh £336 £190 £527 £6,104 11.6 yrs £4,429
4 kW 4227 kWh 1691 kWh 2536 kWh £449 £254 £702 £8,138 11.6 yrs £5,905
5 kW 5284 kWh 2113 kWh 3170 kWh £561 £317 £878 £10,173 11.6 yrs £7,381
6 kW 6340 kWh 2536 kWh 3804 kWh £673 £380 £1,053 £12,207 11.6 yrs £8,858
7 kW 7397 kWh 2959 kWh 4438 kWh £785 £444 £1,229 £14,242 11.6 yrs £10,334
8 kW 8454 kWh 3381 kWh 5072 kWh £897 £507 £1,404 £16,276 11.6 yrs £11,810

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: £1,052, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 11.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2113 kWh 1268 kWh 845 kWh £336 £85 £421 £6,169 14.7 yrs £2,250
3 kW 3170 kWh 1902 kWh 1268 kWh £505 £127 £631 £8,204 13.0 yrs £4,425
4 kW 4227 kWh 2536 kWh 1691 kWh £673 £169 £842 £10,238 12.2 yrs £6,600
5 kW 5284 kWh 3170 kWh 2113 kWh £841 £211 £1,052 £12,273 11.7 yrs £8,775
6 kW 6340 kWh 3804 kWh 2536 kWh £1,009 £254 £1,263 £14,307 11.3 yrs £10,950
7 kW 7397 kWh 4438 kWh 2959 kWh £1,177 £296 £1,473 £16,342 11.1 yrs £13,125
8 kW 8454 kWh 5072 kWh 3381 kWh £1,346 £338 £1,684 £18,376 10.9 yrs £15,300

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: £1,140, Upfront: £13,673, 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 2113 kWh 1479 kWh 634 kWh £392 £63 £456 £7,569 16.6 yrs £1,549
3 kW 3170 kWh 2219 kWh 951 kWh £589 £95 £684 £9,604 14.0 yrs £4,073
4 kW 4227 kWh 2959 kWh 1268 kWh £785 £127 £912 £11,638 12.8 yrs £6,597
5 kW 5284 kWh 3698 kWh 1585 kWh £981 £159 £1,140 £13,673 12.0 yrs £9,122
6 kW 6340 kWh 4438 kWh 1902 kWh £1,177 £190 £1,368 £15,707 11.5 yrs £11,646
7 kW 7397 kWh 5178 kWh 2219 kWh £1,374 £222 £1,596 £17,742 11.1 yrs £14,170
8 kW 8454 kWh 5918 kWh 2536 kWh £1,570 £254 £1,824 £19,776 10.8 yrs £16,694

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: £1,166, Upfront: £15,423, 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 2113 kWh 1543 kWh 571 kWh £409 £57 £466 £9,319 20.0 yrs £8
3 kW 3170 kWh 2314 kWh 856 kWh £614 £86 £700 £11,354 16.2 yrs £2,637
4 kW 4227 kWh 3086 kWh 1141 kWh £819 £114 £933 £13,388 14.4 yrs £5,266
5 kW 5284 kWh 3857 kWh 1427 kWh £1,023 £143 £1,166 £15,423 13.2 yrs £7,896
6 kW 6340 kWh 4628 kWh 1712 kWh £1,228 £171 £1,399 £17,457 12.5 yrs £10,525
7 kW 7397 kWh 5400 kWh 1997 kWh £1,433 £200 £1,632 £19,492 11.9 yrs £13,154
8 kW 8454 kWh 6171 kWh 2282 kWh £1,637 £228 £1,865 £21,526 11.5 yrs £15,783

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: £1,183, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 14.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2113 kWh 1585 kWh 528 kWh £421 £53 £473 £11,069 23.4 yrs £-1,602
3 kW 3170 kWh 2378 kWh 793 kWh £631 £79 £710 £13,104 18.5 yrs £1,097
4 kW 4227 kWh 3170 kWh 1057 kWh £841 £106 £947 £15,138 16.0 yrs £3,796
5 kW 5284 kWh 3963 kWh 1321 kWh £1,051 £132 £1,183 £17,173 14.5 yrs £6,495
6 kW 6340 kWh 4755 kWh 1585 kWh £1,262 £159 £1,420 £19,207 13.5 yrs £9,194
7 kW 7397 kWh 5548 kWh 1849 kWh £1,472 £185 £1,657 £21,242 12.8 yrs £11,893
8 kW 8454 kWh 6340 kWh 2113 kWh £1,682 £211 £1,893 £23,276 12.3 yrs £14,592

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: £1,201, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 16.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2113 kWh 1627 kWh 486 kWh £432 £49 £480 £13,519 28.1 yrs £-3,912
3 kW 3170 kWh 2441 kWh 729 kWh £648 £73 £721 £15,554 21.6 yrs £-1,143
4 kW 4227 kWh 3255 kWh 972 kWh £863 £97 £961 £17,588 18.3 yrs £1,625
5 kW 5284 kWh 4068 kWh 1215 kWh £1,079 £122 £1,201 £19,623 16.3 yrs £4,394
6 kW 6340 kWh 4882 kWh 1458 kWh £1,295 £146 £1,441 £21,657 15.0 yrs £7,163
7 kW 7397 kWh 5696 kWh 1701 kWh £1,511 £170 £1,681 £23,692 14.1 yrs £9,932
8 kW 8454 kWh 6509 kWh 1944 kWh £1,727 £194 £1,921 £25,726 13.4 yrs £12,701

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 CO12

Figures below are tailored to CO12 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1198 of 2182
4.9 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~10 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #213 of 2997
10.1 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£1,009 /yr • £10,173 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #883 of 2997
17.5% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£176 fixed • ~£1,009 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.53p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
48.25p/day
Local Sunshine
1057kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~1057 kWh per year. A typical home uses ~2,700 kWh per year.
Typical System Size
5.0kW
For houses & bungalows in this area

Local Property Data

Property Types

Houses: 62% • Flats: 21% • Bungalows: 14% Based on 6,344 properties

Coverage

Tendring (100%)

Areas Covered

Harwich & Kingsway, Dovercourt All Saints, Dovercourt Vines & Parkeston, The Oakleys & Wix, Dovercourt Bay, Dovercourt Tollgate, Stour Valley, Thorpe + 1 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

IP11 (East Suffolk)
≈6.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,075 kWh/kWp · +2% vs CO12
IP10 (East Suffolk)
≈8.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,068 kWh/kWp · +1% vs CO12
CO14 (Tendring)
≈9.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,087 kWh/kWp · +3% vs CO12
IP9 (Babergh)
≈10.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,054 kWh/kWp · -0% vs CO12
CO13 (Tendring)
≈10.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,094 kWh/kWp · +4% vs CO12
IP3 (Ipswich)
≈13.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,059 kWh/kWp · +0% vs CO12

Similar sunshine across the UK

TN12 (Tunbridge Wells)
~1,056 kWh/kWp · -0% vs CO12
BH24 (New Forest)
~1,056 kWh/kWp · -0% vs CO12
TQ9 (South Hams)
~1,058 kWh/kWp · +0% vs CO12