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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in CT5 (Canterbury)

See if solar pays off for you in Canterbury — 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
£12,207
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£1,054
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£14,138
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 East, the current unit rate is 26.92p/kWh with a 47.60p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 1047 kWh/kW — 18 above the regional median (1029).

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 1047 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 26.9p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
26.9p/kWh
Standing charge
47.6p/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: £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 2095 kWh 838 kWh 1257 kWh £226 £126 £351 £4,069 11.6 yrs £2,956
3 kW 3142 kWh 1257 kWh 1885 kWh £338 £189 £527 £6,104 11.6 yrs £4,434
4 kW 4190 kWh 1676 kWh 2514 kWh £451 £251 £703 £8,138 11.6 yrs £5,912
5 kW 5237 kWh 2095 kWh 3142 kWh £564 £314 £878 £10,173 11.6 yrs £7,391
6 kW 6285 kWh 2514 kWh 3771 kWh £677 £377 £1,054 £12,207 11.6 yrs £8,869
7 kW 7332 kWh 2933 kWh 4399 kWh £790 £440 £1,229 £14,242 11.6 yrs £10,347
8 kW 8379 kWh 3352 kWh 5028 kWh £902 £503 £1,405 £16,276 11.6 yrs £11,825

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: £1,055, Upfront: £12,273, 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 2095 kWh 1257 kWh 838 kWh £338 £84 £422 £6,169 14.6 yrs £2,274
3 kW 3142 kWh 1885 kWh 1257 kWh £508 £126 £633 £8,204 13.0 yrs £4,461
4 kW 4190 kWh 2514 kWh 1676 kWh £677 £168 £844 £10,238 12.1 yrs £6,648
5 kW 5237 kWh 3142 kWh 2095 kWh £846 £209 £1,055 £12,273 11.6 yrs £8,835
6 kW 6285 kWh 3771 kWh 2514 kWh £1,015 £251 £1,266 £14,307 11.3 yrs £11,022
7 kW 7332 kWh 4399 kWh 2933 kWh £1,184 £293 £1,478 £16,342 11.1 yrs £13,209
8 kW 8379 kWh 5028 kWh 3352 kWh £1,353 £335 £1,689 £18,376 10.9 yrs £15,396

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: £1,144, 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 2095 kWh 1466 kWh 628 kWh £395 £63 £458 £7,569 16.5 yrs £1,583
3 kW 3142 kWh 2200 kWh 943 kWh £592 £94 £686 £9,604 14.0 yrs £4,124
4 kW 4190 kWh 2933 kWh 1257 kWh £790 £126 £915 £11,638 12.7 yrs £6,666
5 kW 5237 kWh 3666 kWh 1571 kWh £987 £157 £1,144 £13,673 12.0 yrs £9,207
6 kW 6285 kWh 4399 kWh 1885 kWh £1,184 £189 £1,373 £15,707 11.4 yrs £11,749
7 kW 7332 kWh 5132 kWh 2200 kWh £1,382 £220 £1,602 £17,742 11.1 yrs £14,290
8 kW 8379 kWh 5866 kWh 2514 kWh £1,579 £251 £1,830 £19,776 10.8 yrs £16,832

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: £1,171, 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 2095 kWh 1529 kWh 566 kWh £412 £57 £468 £9,319 19.9 yrs £46
3 kW 3142 kWh 2294 kWh 848 kWh £618 £85 £702 £11,354 16.2 yrs £2,693
4 kW 4190 kWh 3058 kWh 1131 kWh £823 £113 £936 £13,388 14.3 yrs £5,341
5 kW 5237 kWh 3823 kWh 1414 kWh £1,029 £141 £1,171 £15,423 13.2 yrs £7,989
6 kW 6285 kWh 4588 kWh 1697 kWh £1,235 £170 £1,405 £17,457 12.4 yrs £10,637
7 kW 7332 kWh 5352 kWh 1980 kWh £1,441 £198 £1,639 £19,492 11.9 yrs £13,285
8 kW 8379 kWh 6117 kWh 2262 kWh £1,647 £226 £1,873 £21,526 11.5 yrs £15,932

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: £1,188, 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 2095 kWh 1571 kWh 524 kWh £423 £52 £475 £11,069 23.3 yrs £-1,563
3 kW 3142 kWh 2357 kWh 786 kWh £634 £79 £713 £13,104 18.4 yrs £1,156
4 kW 4190 kWh 3142 kWh 1047 kWh £846 £105 £951 £15,138 15.9 yrs £3,875
5 kW 5237 kWh 3928 kWh 1309 kWh £1,057 £131 £1,188 £17,173 14.5 yrs £6,593
6 kW 6285 kWh 4713 kWh 1571 kWh £1,269 £157 £1,426 £19,207 13.5 yrs £9,312
7 kW 7332 kWh 5499 kWh 1833 kWh £1,480 £183 £1,664 £21,242 12.8 yrs £12,031
8 kW 8379 kWh 6285 kWh 2095 kWh £1,692 £209 £1,901 £23,276 12.2 yrs £14,749

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: £1,206, 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 2095 kWh 1613 kWh 482 kWh £434 £48 £482 £13,519 28.0 yrs £-3,871
3 kW 3142 kWh 2420 kWh 723 kWh £651 £72 £724 £15,554 21.5 yrs £-1,081
4 kW 4190 kWh 3226 kWh 964 kWh £868 £96 £965 £17,588 18.2 yrs £1,708
5 kW 5237 kWh 4033 kWh 1205 kWh £1,086 £120 £1,206 £19,623 16.3 yrs £4,498
6 kW 6285 kWh 4839 kWh 1445 kWh £1,303 £145 £1,447 £21,657 15.0 yrs £7,287
7 kW 7332 kWh 5646 kWh 1686 kWh £1,520 £169 £1,688 £23,692 14.0 yrs £10,077
8 kW 8379 kWh 6452 kWh 1927 kWh £1,737 £193 £1,930 £25,726 13.3 yrs £12,867

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 CT5

Figures below are tailored to CT5 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #537 of 2182
5.5 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~12 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #215 of 2997
10.1 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£1,213 /yr • £12,207 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #143 of 2997
14.3% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£174 fixed • ~£1,213 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.92p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
47.60p/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
6.0kW
For houses & bungalows in this area

Local Property Data

Property Types

Houses: 55% • Flats: 21% • Bungalows: 22% Based on 9,255 properties

Coverage

Canterbury (100%)

Areas Covered

Gorrell, Seasalter, Chestfield, Swalecliffe, Tankerton, Blean Forest, Westgate

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 East

CT6 (Canterbury)
≈6.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,069 kWh/kWp · +2% vs CT5
CT2 (Canterbury)
≈8.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,087 kWh/kWp · +4% vs CT5
CT1 (Canterbury)
≈9.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,063 kWh/kWp · +2% vs CT5
ME13 (Swale)
≈10.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,044 kWh/kWp · -0% vs CT5
CT4 (Canterbury)
≈13.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,087 kWh/kWp · +4% vs CT5
CT3 (Dover)
≈14.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,106 kWh/kWp · +6% vs CT5

Similar sunshine across the UK

SS6 (Rochford)
~1,047 kWh/kWp · -0% vs CT5
TQ12 (Teignbridge)
~1,048 kWh/kWp · +0% vs CT5
CO3 (Colchester)
~1,047 kWh/kWp · -0% vs CT5