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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in CO16 (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
11.1 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£12,207
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£1,098
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£15,240
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 1101 kWh/kW — 92 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 1101 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)
1101 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: £915, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 11.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2203 kWh 881 kWh 1322 kWh £234 £132 £366 £4,069 11.1 yrs £3,250
3 kW 3304 kWh 1322 kWh 1983 kWh £351 £198 £549 £6,104 11.1 yrs £4,875
4 kW 4406 kWh 1762 kWh 2644 kWh £468 £264 £732 £8,138 11.1 yrs £6,500
5 kW 5507 kWh 2203 kWh 3304 kWh £584 £330 £915 £10,173 11.1 yrs £8,125
6 kW 6609 kWh 2644 kWh 3965 kWh £701 £397 £1,098 £12,207 11.1 yrs £9,750
7 kW 7710 kWh 3084 kWh 4626 kWh £818 £463 £1,281 £14,242 11.1 yrs £11,375
8 kW 8812 kWh 3525 kWh 5287 kWh £935 £529 £1,464 £16,276 11.1 yrs £13,000

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: £1,097, Upfront: £12,273, 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 2203 kWh 1322 kWh 881 kWh £351 £88 £439 £6,169 14.1 yrs £2,607
3 kW 3304 kWh 1983 kWh 1322 kWh £526 £132 £658 £8,204 12.5 yrs £4,960
4 kW 4406 kWh 2644 kWh 1762 kWh £701 £176 £878 £10,238 11.7 yrs £7,313
5 kW 5507 kWh 3304 kWh 2203 kWh £877 £220 £1,097 £12,273 11.2 yrs £9,667
6 kW 6609 kWh 3965 kWh 2644 kWh £1,052 £264 £1,316 £14,307 10.9 yrs £12,020
7 kW 7710 kWh 4626 kWh 3084 kWh £1,227 £308 £1,536 £16,342 10.6 yrs £14,373
8 kW 8812 kWh 5287 kWh 3525 kWh £1,403 £352 £1,755 £18,376 10.5 yrs £16,727

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: £1,188, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 11.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2203 kWh 1542 kWh 661 kWh £409 £66 £475 £7,569 15.9 yrs £1,935
3 kW 3304 kWh 2313 kWh 991 kWh £614 £99 £713 £9,604 13.5 yrs £4,652
4 kW 4406 kWh 3084 kWh 1322 kWh £818 £132 £950 £11,638 12.2 yrs £7,370
5 kW 5507 kWh 3855 kWh 1652 kWh £1,023 £165 £1,188 £13,673 11.5 yrs £10,087
6 kW 6609 kWh 4626 kWh 1983 kWh £1,227 £198 £1,426 £15,707 11.0 yrs £12,805
7 kW 7710 kWh 5397 kWh 2313 kWh £1,432 £231 £1,663 £17,742 10.7 yrs £15,522
8 kW 8812 kWh 6168 kWh 2644 kWh £1,636 £264 £1,901 £19,776 10.4 yrs £18,240

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: £1,215, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 12.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2203 kWh 1608 kWh 595 kWh £427 £59 £486 £9,319 19.2 yrs £403
3 kW 3304 kWh 2412 kWh 892 kWh £640 £89 £729 £11,354 15.6 yrs £3,230
4 kW 4406 kWh 3216 kWh 1190 kWh £853 £119 £972 £13,388 13.8 yrs £6,057
5 kW 5507 kWh 4020 kWh 1487 kWh £1,067 £149 £1,215 £15,423 12.7 yrs £8,884
6 kW 6609 kWh 4824 kWh 1784 kWh £1,280 £178 £1,458 £17,457 12.0 yrs £11,710
7 kW 7710 kWh 5629 kWh 2082 kWh £1,493 £208 £1,701 £19,492 11.5 yrs £14,537
8 kW 8812 kWh 6433 kWh 2379 kWh £1,707 £238 £1,944 £21,526 11.1 yrs £17,364

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: £1,234, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 13.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2203 kWh 1652 kWh 551 kWh £438 £55 £493 £11,069 22.4 yrs £-1,201
3 kW 3304 kWh 2478 kWh 826 kWh £658 £83 £740 £13,104 17.7 yrs £1,699
4 kW 4406 kWh 3304 kWh 1101 kWh £877 £110 £987 £15,138 15.3 yrs £4,598
5 kW 5507 kWh 4131 kWh 1377 kWh £1,096 £138 £1,234 £17,173 13.9 yrs £7,498
6 kW 6609 kWh 4957 kWh 1652 kWh £1,315 £165 £1,480 £19,207 13.0 yrs £10,397
7 kW 7710 kWh 5783 kWh 1928 kWh £1,534 £193 £1,727 £21,242 12.3 yrs £13,297
8 kW 8812 kWh 6609 kWh 2203 kWh £1,753 £220 £1,974 £23,276 11.8 yrs £16,197

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: £1,252, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 15.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2203 kWh 1696 kWh 507 kWh £450 £51 £501 £13,519 27.0 yrs £-3,505
3 kW 3304 kWh 2544 kWh 760 kWh £675 £76 £751 £15,554 20.7 yrs £-533
4 kW 4406 kWh 3393 kWh 1013 kWh £900 £101 £1,001 £17,588 17.6 yrs £2,440
5 kW 5507 kWh 4241 kWh 1267 kWh £1,125 £127 £1,252 £19,623 15.7 yrs £5,412
6 kW 6609 kWh 5089 kWh 1520 kWh £1,350 £152 £1,502 £21,657 14.4 yrs £8,384
7 kW 7710 kWh 5937 kWh 1773 kWh £1,575 £177 £1,752 £23,692 13.5 yrs £11,357
8 kW 8812 kWh 6785 kWh 2027 kWh £1,800 £203 £2,003 £25,726 12.8 yrs £14,329

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 CO16

Figures below are tailored to CO16 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #303 of 2182
5.9 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~12 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #85 of 2997
9.7 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£1,262 /yr • £12,207 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #85 of 2997
14.0% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£176 fixed • ~£1,262 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.53p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
48.25p/day
Local Sunshine
1101kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~1101 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: 50% • Flats: 9% • Bungalows: 39% Based on 7,470 properties

Coverage

Tendring (100%)

Areas Covered

St Osyth, Cann Hall, Bluehouse, Weeley & Tendring, Thorpe, Beaumont & Great Holland, Little Clacton, St John's + 3 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

CO15 (Tendring)
≈1.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,086 kWh/kWp · -1% vs CO16
CO13 (Tendring)
≈8.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,094 kWh/kWp · -1% vs CO16
CO14 (Tendring)
≈10.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,087 kWh/kWp · -1% vs CO16
CO7 (Tendring)
≈11.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,094 kWh/kWp · -1% vs CO16
CO11 (Tendring)
≈15.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,070 kWh/kWp · -3% vs CO16
CO12 (Tendring)
≈16.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,057 kWh/kWp · -4% vs CO16

Similar sunshine across the UK

PO41 (Isle of Wight)
~1,101 kWh/kWp · -0% vs CO16
TR23 (Isles of Scilly)
~1,101 kWh/kWp · -0% vs CO16
BH20 (Dorset)
~1,103 kWh/kWp · +0% vs CO16