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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in CO3 (Colchester)

See if solar pays off for you in Colchester — 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
11.7 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£869
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£11,563
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 1047 kWh/kW — 38 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 1047 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)
1047 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: £869, Upfront: £10,173, 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 2094 kWh 837 kWh 1256 kWh £222 £126 £348 £4,069 11.7 yrs £2,886
3 kW 3140 kWh 1256 kWh 1884 kWh £333 £188 £522 £6,104 11.7 yrs £4,330
4 kW 4187 kWh 1675 kWh 2512 kWh £444 £251 £696 £8,138 11.7 yrs £5,773
5 kW 5234 kWh 2094 kWh 3140 kWh £555 £314 £869 £10,173 11.7 yrs £7,216
6 kW 6281 kWh 2512 kWh 3768 kWh £666 £377 £1,043 £12,207 11.7 yrs £8,659
7 kW 7327 kWh 2931 kWh 4396 kWh £778 £440 £1,217 £14,242 11.7 yrs £10,103
8 kW 8374 kWh 3350 kWh 5024 kWh £889 £502 £1,391 £16,276 11.7 yrs £11,546

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: £1,042, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 11.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2094 kWh 1256 kWh 837 kWh £333 £84 £417 £6,169 14.8 yrs £2,171
3 kW 3140 kWh 1884 kWh 1256 kWh £500 £126 £625 £8,204 13.1 yrs £4,306
4 kW 4187 kWh 2512 kWh 1675 kWh £666 £167 £834 £10,238 12.3 yrs £6,441
5 kW 5234 kWh 3140 kWh 2094 kWh £833 £209 £1,042 £12,273 11.8 yrs £8,577
6 kW 6281 kWh 3768 kWh 2512 kWh £1,000 £251 £1,251 £14,307 11.4 yrs £10,712
7 kW 7327 kWh 4396 kWh 2931 kWh £1,166 £293 £1,459 £16,342 11.2 yrs £12,848
8 kW 8374 kWh 5024 kWh 3350 kWh £1,333 £335 £1,668 £18,376 11.0 yrs £14,983

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: £1,129, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 12.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2094 kWh 1465 kWh 628 kWh £389 £63 £452 £7,569 16.8 yrs £1,463
3 kW 3140 kWh 2198 kWh 942 kWh £583 £94 £677 £9,604 14.2 yrs £3,944
4 kW 4187 kWh 2931 kWh 1256 kWh £778 £126 £903 £11,638 12.9 yrs £6,426
5 kW 5234 kWh 3664 kWh 1570 kWh £972 £157 £1,129 £13,673 12.1 yrs £8,907
6 kW 6281 kWh 4396 kWh 1884 kWh £1,166 £188 £1,355 £15,707 11.6 yrs £11,389
7 kW 7327 kWh 5129 kWh 2198 kWh £1,361 £220 £1,581 £17,742 11.2 yrs £13,870
8 kW 8374 kWh 5862 kWh 2512 kWh £1,555 £251 £1,806 £19,776 10.9 yrs £16,351

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: £1,155, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 13.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2094 kWh 1528 kWh 565 kWh £405 £57 £462 £9,319 20.2 yrs £-80
3 kW 3140 kWh 2292 kWh 848 kWh £608 £85 £693 £11,354 16.4 yrs £2,506
4 kW 4187 kWh 3057 kWh 1131 kWh £811 £113 £924 £13,388 14.5 yrs £5,091
5 kW 5234 kWh 3821 kWh 1413 kWh £1,014 £141 £1,155 £15,423 13.4 yrs £7,676
6 kW 6281 kWh 4585 kWh 1696 kWh £1,216 £170 £1,386 £17,457 12.6 yrs £10,261
7 kW 7327 kWh 5349 kWh 1978 kWh £1,419 £198 £1,617 £19,492 12.1 yrs £12,847
8 kW 8374 kWh 6113 kWh 2261 kWh £1,622 £226 £1,848 £21,526 11.6 yrs £15,432

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: £1,172, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 14.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2094 kWh 1570 kWh 523 kWh £417 £52 £469 £11,069 23.6 yrs £-1,691
3 kW 3140 kWh 2355 kWh 785 kWh £625 £79 £703 £13,104 18.6 yrs £963
4 kW 4187 kWh 3140 kWh 1047 kWh £833 £105 £938 £15,138 16.1 yrs £3,618
5 kW 5234 kWh 3925 kWh 1308 kWh £1,041 £131 £1,172 £17,173 14.6 yrs £6,272
6 kW 6281 kWh 4710 kWh 1570 kWh £1,250 £157 £1,407 £19,207 13.7 yrs £8,927
7 kW 7327 kWh 5495 kWh 1832 kWh £1,458 £183 £1,641 £21,242 12.9 yrs £11,581
8 kW 8374 kWh 6281 kWh 2094 kWh £1,666 £209 £1,876 £23,276 12.4 yrs £14,236

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: £1,190, Upfront: £19,623, 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 2094 kWh 1612 kWh 482 kWh £428 £48 £476 £13,519 28.4 yrs £-4,003
3 kW 3140 kWh 2418 kWh 722 kWh £641 £72 £714 £15,554 21.8 yrs £-1,279
4 kW 4187 kWh 3224 kWh 963 kWh £855 £96 £952 £17,588 18.5 yrs £1,445
5 kW 5234 kWh 4030 kWh 1204 kWh £1,069 £120 £1,190 £19,623 16.5 yrs £4,168
6 kW 6281 kWh 4836 kWh 1445 kWh £1,283 £144 £1,427 £21,657 15.2 yrs £6,892
7 kW 7327 kWh 5642 kWh 1685 kWh £1,497 £169 £1,665 £23,692 14.2 yrs £9,616
8 kW 8374 kWh 6448 kWh 1926 kWh £1,711 £193 £1,903 £25,726 13.5 yrs £12,339

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 CO3

Figures below are tailored to CO3 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #863 of 2182
5.2 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~11 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #260 of 2997
10.2 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£999 /yr • £10,173 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #890 of 2997
17.6% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£176 fixed • ~£999 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.53p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
48.25p/day
Local Sunshine
1047kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~1047 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: 65% • Flats: 22% • Bungalows: 11% Based on 8,909 properties

Coverage

Colchester (100%)

Areas Covered

Stanway, Prettygate, Lexden and Braiswick, Castle, New Town and Christ Church, Marks Tey and Layer, Shrub End, Box Vale

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

CO2 (Colchester)
≈3.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,062 kWh/kWp · +1% vs CO3
CO1 (Colchester)
≈3.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,062 kWh/kWp · +1% vs CO3
CO4 (Colchester)
≈5.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,062 kWh/kWp · +1% vs CO3
CO6 (Colchester)
≈5.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,039 kWh/kWp · -1% vs CO3
CO5 (Colchester)
≈9.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,054 kWh/kWp · +1% vs CO3
CO7 (Tendring)
≈10.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,094 kWh/kWp · +5% vs CO3

Similar sunshine across the UK

PL13 (Cornwall)
~1,046 kWh/kWp · -0% vs CO3
CT5 (Canterbury)
~1,047 kWh/kWp · +0% vs CO3
TN17 (Tunbridge Wells)
~1,046 kWh/kWp · -0% vs CO3