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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in CO13 (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
11.2 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£12,207
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£1,090
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£15,052
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 Eastern, the current unit rate is 26.53p/kWh with a 48.25p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 1094 kWh/kW — 85 above the regional median (1009).

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 1094 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)
1094 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: £909, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 11.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2188 kWh 875 kWh 1313 kWh £232 £131 £363 £4,069 11.2 yrs £3,200
3 kW 3282 kWh 1313 kWh 1969 kWh £348 £197 £545 £6,104 11.2 yrs £4,800
4 kW 4376 kWh 1750 kWh 2625 kWh £464 £263 £727 £8,138 11.2 yrs £6,400
5 kW 5470 kWh 2188 kWh 3282 kWh £580 £328 £909 £10,173 11.2 yrs £8,000
6 kW 6564 kWh 2625 kWh 3938 kWh £697 £394 £1,090 £12,207 11.2 yrs £9,600
7 kW 7658 kWh 3063 kWh 4595 kWh £813 £459 £1,272 £14,242 11.2 yrs £11,200
8 kW 8752 kWh 3501 kWh 5251 kWh £929 £525 £1,454 £16,276 11.2 yrs £12,800

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: £1,089, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 11.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2188 kWh 1313 kWh 875 kWh £348 £88 £436 £6,169 14.2 yrs £2,547
3 kW 3282 kWh 1969 kWh 1313 kWh £522 £131 £654 £8,204 12.5 yrs £4,870
4 kW 4376 kWh 2625 kWh 1750 kWh £697 £175 £872 £10,238 11.7 yrs £7,193
5 kW 5470 kWh 3282 kWh 2188 kWh £871 £219 £1,089 £12,273 11.3 yrs £9,517
6 kW 6564 kWh 3938 kWh 2625 kWh £1,045 £263 £1,307 £14,307 10.9 yrs £11,840
7 kW 7658 kWh 4595 kWh 3063 kWh £1,219 £306 £1,525 £16,342 10.7 yrs £14,163
8 kW 8752 kWh 5251 kWh 3501 kWh £1,393 £350 £1,743 £18,376 10.5 yrs £16,487

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: £1,180, Upfront: £13,673, 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 2188 kWh 1532 kWh 656 kWh £406 £66 £472 £7,569 16.0 yrs £1,870
3 kW 3282 kWh 2297 kWh 985 kWh £609 £98 £708 £9,604 13.6 yrs £4,555
4 kW 4376 kWh 3063 kWh 1313 kWh £813 £131 £944 £11,638 12.3 yrs £7,240
5 kW 5470 kWh 3829 kWh 1641 kWh £1,016 £164 £1,180 £13,673 11.6 yrs £9,925
6 kW 6564 kWh 4595 kWh 1969 kWh £1,219 £197 £1,416 £15,707 11.1 yrs £12,610
7 kW 7658 kWh 5360 kWh 2297 kWh £1,422 £230 £1,652 £17,742 10.7 yrs £15,295
8 kW 8752 kWh 6126 kWh 2625 kWh £1,625 £263 £1,888 £19,776 10.5 yrs £17,980

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: £1,207, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 12.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2188 kWh 1597 kWh 591 kWh £424 £59 £483 £9,319 19.3 yrs £337
3 kW 3282 kWh 2396 kWh 886 kWh £636 £89 £724 £11,354 15.7 yrs £3,131
4 kW 4376 kWh 3194 kWh 1181 kWh £847 £118 £966 £13,388 13.9 yrs £5,924
5 kW 5470 kWh 3993 kWh 1477 kWh £1,059 £148 £1,207 £15,423 12.8 yrs £8,718
6 kW 6564 kWh 4792 kWh 1772 kWh £1,271 £177 £1,448 £17,457 12.1 yrs £11,511
7 kW 7658 kWh 5590 kWh 2068 kWh £1,483 £207 £1,690 £19,492 11.5 yrs £14,305
8 kW 8752 kWh 6389 kWh 2363 kWh £1,695 £236 £1,931 £21,526 11.1 yrs £17,098

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: £1,225, Upfront: £17,173, 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 2188 kWh 1641 kWh 547 kWh £435 £55 £490 £11,069 22.6 yrs £-1,268
3 kW 3282 kWh 2461 kWh 820 kWh £653 £82 £735 £13,104 17.8 yrs £1,598
4 kW 4376 kWh 3282 kWh 1094 kWh £871 £109 £980 £15,138 15.4 yrs £4,463
5 kW 5470 kWh 4102 kWh 1367 kWh £1,088 £137 £1,225 £17,173 14.0 yrs £7,329
6 kW 6564 kWh 4923 kWh 1641 kWh £1,306 £164 £1,470 £19,207 13.1 yrs £10,195
7 kW 7658 kWh 5743 kWh 1914 kWh £1,524 £191 £1,715 £21,242 12.4 yrs £13,061
8 kW 8752 kWh 6564 kWh 2188 kWh £1,741 £219 £1,960 £23,276 11.9 yrs £15,927

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: £1,243, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 15.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2188 kWh 1685 kWh 503 kWh £447 £50 £497 £13,519 27.2 yrs £-3,574
3 kW 3282 kWh 2527 kWh 755 kWh £670 £75 £746 £15,554 20.9 yrs £-635
4 kW 4376 kWh 3369 kWh 1006 kWh £894 £101 £995 £17,588 17.7 yrs £2,303
5 kW 5470 kWh 4212 kWh 1258 kWh £1,117 £126 £1,243 £19,623 15.8 yrs £5,241
6 kW 6564 kWh 5054 kWh 1510 kWh £1,341 £151 £1,492 £21,657 14.5 yrs £8,179
7 kW 7658 kWh 5896 kWh 1761 kWh £1,564 £176 £1,740 £23,692 13.6 yrs £11,117
8 kW 8752 kWh 6739 kWh 2013 kWh £1,788 £201 £1,989 £25,726 12.9 yrs £14,055

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 CO13

Figures below are tailored to CO13 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #186 of 2182
6.2 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~13 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #84 of 2997
9.7 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£1,253 /yr • £12,207 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #109 of 2997
14.1% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£176 fixed • ~£1,253 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.53p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
48.25p/day
Local Sunshine
1094kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~1094 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: 48% • Flats: 15% • Bungalows: 33% Based on 4,172 properties

Coverage

Tendring (100%)

Areas Covered

Frinton, Kirby-le-Soken & Hamford, Kirby Cross, Thorpe, Beaumont & Great Holland, Homelands

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

CO14 (Tendring)
≈2.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,087 kWh/kWp · -1% vs CO13
CO15 (Tendring)
≈7.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,086 kWh/kWp · -1% vs CO13
CO16 (Tendring)
≈8.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,101 kWh/kWp · +1% vs CO13
CO12 (Tendring)
≈10.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,057 kWh/kWp · -3% vs CO13
IP11 (East Suffolk)
≈15.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,075 kWh/kWp · -2% vs CO13
CO7 (Tendring)
≈16.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,094 kWh/kWp · +0% vs CO13

Similar sunshine across the UK

TN30 (Ashford)
~1,094 kWh/kWp · -0% vs CO13
TN24 (Ashford)
~1,093 kWh/kWp · -0% vs CO13
CT12 (Thanet)
~1,094 kWh/kWp · +0% vs CO13