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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in CT8 (Thanet)

See if solar pays off for you in Thanet — 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
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£916
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£12,716
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 1092 kWh/kW — 63 above the regional median (1029).

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 1092 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)
1092 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: £916, 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 2184 kWh 874 kWh 1310 kWh £235 £131 £366 £4,069 11.1 yrs £3,255
3 kW 3276 kWh 1310 kWh 1966 kWh £353 £197 £549 £6,104 11.1 yrs £4,883
4 kW 4368 kWh 1747 kWh 2621 kWh £470 £262 £732 £8,138 11.1 yrs £6,510
5 kW 5460 kWh 2184 kWh 3276 kWh £588 £328 £916 £10,173 11.1 yrs £8,138
6 kW 6552 kWh 2621 kWh 3931 kWh £706 £393 £1,099 £12,207 11.1 yrs £9,766
7 kW 7644 kWh 3058 kWh 4586 kWh £823 £459 £1,282 £14,242 11.1 yrs £11,393
8 kW 8736 kWh 3494 kWh 5242 kWh £941 £524 £1,465 £16,276 11.1 yrs £13,021

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: £1,100, 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 2184 kWh 1310 kWh 874 kWh £353 £87 £440 £6,169 14.0 yrs £2,633
3 kW 3276 kWh 1966 kWh 1310 kWh £529 £131 £660 £8,204 12.4 yrs £5,000
4 kW 4368 kWh 2621 kWh 1747 kWh £706 £175 £880 £10,238 11.6 yrs £7,367
5 kW 5460 kWh 3276 kWh 2184 kWh £882 £218 £1,100 £12,273 11.2 yrs £9,733
6 kW 6552 kWh 3931 kWh 2621 kWh £1,058 £262 £1,320 £14,307 10.8 yrs £12,100
7 kW 7644 kWh 4586 kWh 3058 kWh £1,235 £306 £1,540 £16,342 10.6 yrs £14,467
8 kW 8736 kWh 5242 kWh 3494 kWh £1,411 £349 £1,760 £18,376 10.4 yrs £16,833

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: £1,193, 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 2184 kWh 1529 kWh 655 kWh £412 £66 £477 £7,569 15.9 yrs £1,972
3 kW 3276 kWh 2293 kWh 983 kWh £617 £98 £716 £9,604 13.4 yrs £4,709
4 kW 4368 kWh 3058 kWh 1310 kWh £823 £131 £954 £11,638 12.2 yrs £7,445
5 kW 5460 kWh 3822 kWh 1638 kWh £1,029 £164 £1,193 £13,673 11.5 yrs £10,181
6 kW 6552 kWh 4586 kWh 1966 kWh £1,235 £197 £1,431 £15,707 11.0 yrs £12,917
7 kW 7644 kWh 5351 kWh 2293 kWh £1,440 £229 £1,670 £17,742 10.6 yrs £15,654
8 kW 8736 kWh 6115 kWh 2621 kWh £1,646 £262 £1,908 £19,776 10.4 yrs £18,390

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: £1,220, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 12.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2184 kWh 1594 kWh 590 kWh £429 £59 £488 £9,319 19.1 yrs £444
3 kW 3276 kWh 2391 kWh 885 kWh £644 £88 £732 £11,354 15.5 yrs £3,291
4 kW 4368 kWh 3189 kWh 1179 kWh £858 £118 £976 £13,388 13.7 yrs £6,138
5 kW 5460 kWh 3986 kWh 1474 kWh £1,073 £147 £1,220 £15,423 12.6 yrs £8,985
6 kW 6552 kWh 4783 kWh 1769 kWh £1,288 £177 £1,464 £17,457 11.9 yrs £11,832
7 kW 7644 kWh 5580 kWh 2064 kWh £1,502 £206 £1,709 £19,492 11.4 yrs £14,680
8 kW 8736 kWh 6377 kWh 2359 kWh £1,717 £236 £1,953 £21,526 11.0 yrs £17,527

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: £1,239, 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 2184 kWh 1638 kWh 546 kWh £441 £55 £496 £11,069 22.3 yrs £-1,158
3 kW 3276 kWh 2457 kWh 819 kWh £661 £82 £743 £13,104 17.6 yrs £1,763
4 kW 4368 kWh 3276 kWh 1092 kWh £882 £109 £991 £15,138 15.3 yrs £4,684
5 kW 5460 kWh 4095 kWh 1365 kWh £1,102 £136 £1,239 £17,173 13.9 yrs £7,605
6 kW 6552 kWh 4914 kWh 1638 kWh £1,323 £164 £1,487 £19,207 12.9 yrs £10,526
7 kW 7644 kWh 5733 kWh 1911 kWh £1,543 £191 £1,734 £21,242 12.2 yrs £13,447
8 kW 8736 kWh 6552 kWh 2184 kWh £1,764 £218 £1,982 £23,276 11.7 yrs £16,368

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: £1,257, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 15.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2184 kWh 1682 kWh 502 kWh £453 £50 £503 £13,519 26.9 yrs £-3,460
3 kW 3276 kWh 2523 kWh 753 kWh £679 £75 £754 £15,554 20.6 yrs £-465
4 kW 4368 kWh 3363 kWh 1005 kWh £905 £100 £1,006 £17,588 17.5 yrs £2,530
5 kW 5460 kWh 4204 kWh 1256 kWh £1,132 £126 £1,257 £19,623 15.6 yrs £5,524
6 kW 6552 kWh 5045 kWh 1507 kWh £1,358 £151 £1,509 £21,657 14.4 yrs £8,519
7 kW 7644 kWh 5886 kWh 1758 kWh £1,584 £176 £1,760 £23,692 13.5 yrs £11,514
8 kW 8736 kWh 6727 kWh 2009 kWh £1,811 £201 £2,012 £25,726 12.8 yrs £14,509

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 CT8

Figures below are tailored to CT8 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1733 of 2182
4.5 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~9 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #95 of 2997
9.7 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£1,054 /yr • £10,173 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #639 of 2997
16.5% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£174 fixed • ~£1,054 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.92p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
47.60p/day
Local Sunshine
1092kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~1092 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: 42% • Flats: 50% • Bungalows: 6% Based on 2,654 properties

Coverage

Thanet (100%)

Areas Covered

Westgate-on-Sea, Cliftonville West, Westbrook, Garlinge

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

CT7 (Thanet)
≈2.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,091 kWh/kWp · -0% vs CT8
CT9 (Thanet)
≈3.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,086 kWh/kWp · -1% vs CT8
CT12 (Thanet)
≈5.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,094 kWh/kWp · +0% vs CT8
CT10 (Thanet)
≈7.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,071 kWh/kWp · -2% vs CT8
CT11 (Thanet)
≈7.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,078 kWh/kWp · -1% vs CT8
CT13 (Dover)
≈12.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,100 kWh/kWp · +1% vs CT8

Similar sunshine across the UK

BH8 (Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole)
~1,092 kWh/kWp · -0% vs CT8
TR25 (Isles of Scilly)
~1,092 kWh/kWp · -0% vs CT8
PO6 (Portsmouth)
~1,090 kWh/kWp · -0% vs CT8