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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in CW1 (Cheshire East)

See if solar pays off for you in Cheshire East — 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
12.9 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£8,138
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£631
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£7,634
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 North Wales and Mersey, the current unit rate is 27.72p/kWh with a 69.95p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 923 kWh/kW — 7 below the regional median (930).

Read the full story

A typical roof here lands around 4.0 kW, with most eligible homes comfortably fitting within 3–6 kW. Each kilowatt of panels produces roughly 923 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 27.7p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
27.7p/kWh
Standing charge
70.0p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
923 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: £789, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 12.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1846 kWh 738 kWh 1108 kWh £205 £111 £315 £4,069 12.9 yrs £2,240
3 kW 2769 kWh 1108 kWh 1661 kWh £307 £166 £473 £6,104 12.9 yrs £3,359
4 kW 3692 kWh 1477 kWh 2215 kWh £409 £222 £631 £8,138 12.9 yrs £4,479
5 kW 4615 kWh 1846 kWh 2769 kWh £512 £277 £789 £10,173 12.9 yrs £5,599
6 kW 5538 kWh 2215 kWh 3323 kWh £614 £332 £946 £12,207 12.9 yrs £6,719
7 kW 6461 kWh 2584 kWh 3876 kWh £716 £388 £1,104 £14,242 12.9 yrs £7,839
8 kW 7384 kWh 2954 kWh 4430 kWh £819 £443 £1,262 £16,276 12.9 yrs £8,959

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: £952, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 12.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1846 kWh 1108 kWh 738 kWh £307 £74 £381 £6,169 16.2 yrs £1,448
3 kW 2769 kWh 1661 kWh 1108 kWh £461 £111 £571 £8,204 14.4 yrs £3,222
4 kW 3692 kWh 2215 kWh 1477 kWh £614 £148 £762 £10,238 13.4 yrs £4,996
5 kW 4615 kWh 2769 kWh 1846 kWh £768 £185 £952 £12,273 12.9 yrs £6,770
6 kW 5538 kWh 3323 kWh 2215 kWh £921 £222 £1,143 £14,307 12.5 yrs £8,544
7 kW 6461 kWh 3876 kWh 2584 kWh £1,075 £258 £1,333 £16,342 12.3 yrs £10,318
8 kW 7384 kWh 4430 kWh 2954 kWh £1,228 £295 £1,523 £18,376 12.1 yrs £12,092

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: £1,034, Upfront: £13,673, 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 1846 kWh 1292 kWh 554 kWh £358 £55 £414 £7,569 18.3 yrs £702
3 kW 2769 kWh 1938 kWh 831 kWh £537 £83 £620 £9,604 15.5 yrs £2,803
4 kW 3692 kWh 2584 kWh 1108 kWh £716 £111 £827 £11,638 14.1 yrs £4,905
5 kW 4615 kWh 3230 kWh 1384 kWh £895 £138 £1,034 £13,673 13.2 yrs £7,006
6 kW 5538 kWh 3876 kWh 1661 kWh £1,075 £166 £1,241 £15,707 12.7 yrs £9,107
7 kW 6461 kWh 4523 kWh 1938 kWh £1,254 £194 £1,447 £17,742 12.3 yrs £11,208
8 kW 7384 kWh 5169 kWh 2215 kWh £1,433 £222 £1,654 £19,776 12.0 yrs £13,309

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: £1,058, Upfront: £15,423, 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 1846 kWh 1348 kWh 498 kWh £374 £50 £423 £9,319 22.0 yrs £-851
3 kW 2769 kWh 2021 kWh 748 kWh £560 £75 £635 £11,354 17.9 yrs £1,348
4 kW 3692 kWh 2695 kWh 997 kWh £747 £100 £847 £13,388 15.8 yrs £3,547
5 kW 4615 kWh 3369 kWh 1246 kWh £934 £125 £1,058 £15,423 14.6 yrs £5,746
6 kW 5538 kWh 4043 kWh 1495 kWh £1,121 £150 £1,270 £17,457 13.7 yrs £7,946
7 kW 6461 kWh 4716 kWh 1744 kWh £1,307 £174 £1,482 £19,492 13.2 yrs £10,145
8 kW 7384 kWh 5390 kWh 1994 kWh £1,494 £199 £1,694 £21,526 12.7 yrs £12,344

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: £1,075, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 16.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1846 kWh 1384 kWh 461 kWh £384 £46 £430 £11,069 25.7 yrs £-2,471
3 kW 2769 kWh 2077 kWh 692 kWh £576 £69 £645 £13,104 20.3 yrs £-206
4 kW 3692 kWh 2769 kWh 923 kWh £768 £92 £860 £15,138 17.6 yrs £2,059
5 kW 4615 kWh 3461 kWh 1154 kWh £959 £115 £1,075 £17,173 16.0 yrs £4,323
6 kW 5538 kWh 4153 kWh 1384 kWh £1,151 £138 £1,290 £19,207 14.9 yrs £6,588
7 kW 6461 kWh 4846 kWh 1615 kWh £1,343 £162 £1,505 £21,242 14.1 yrs £8,853
8 kW 7384 kWh 5538 kWh 1846 kWh £1,535 £185 £1,720 £23,276 13.5 yrs £11,117

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: £1,091, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 18.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1846 kWh 1421 kWh 425 kWh £394 £42 £436 £13,519 31.0 yrs £-4,790
3 kW 2769 kWh 2132 kWh 637 kWh £591 £64 £655 £15,554 23.8 yrs £-2,460
4 kW 3692 kWh 2843 kWh 849 kWh £788 £85 £873 £17,588 20.1 yrs £-130
5 kW 4615 kWh 3553 kWh 1061 kWh £985 £106 £1,091 £19,623 18.0 yrs £2,201
6 kW 5538 kWh 4264 kWh 1274 kWh £1,182 £127 £1,309 £21,657 16.5 yrs £4,531
7 kW 6461 kWh 4975 kWh 1486 kWh £1,379 £149 £1,528 £23,692 15.5 yrs £6,861
8 kW 7384 kWh 5685 kWh 1698 kWh £1,576 £170 £1,746 £25,726 14.7 yrs £9,191

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 CW1

Figures below are tailored to CW1 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1585 of 2182
4.6 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~10 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #1513 of 2997
11.2 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£729 /yr • £8,138 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2855 of 2997
35.0% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£255 fixed • ~£729 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
27.72p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
69.95p/day
Local Sunshine
923kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~923 kWh per year. A typical home uses ~2,700 kWh per year.
Typical System Size
4.0kW
For houses & bungalows in this area

Local Property Data

Property Types

Houses: 77% • Flats: 14% • Bungalows: 8% Based on 13,913 properties

Coverage

Cheshire East (100%)

Areas Covered

Crewe East, Haslington, Crewe Central, Leighton, Crewe St Barnabas, Crewe North, Bunbury, Brereton Rural + 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 North Wales and Mersey

CW98 (Cheshire East)
≈1.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~923 kWh/kWp · -0% vs CW1
CW2 (Cheshire East)
≈1.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~923 kWh/kWp · -0% vs CW1
CW11 (Cheshire East)
≈6.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~907 kWh/kWp · -2% vs CW1
CW5 (Cheshire East)
≈7.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~931 kWh/kWp · +1% vs CW1
CW10 (Cheshire East)
≈10.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~911 kWh/kWp · -1% vs CW1
ST7 (Newcastle-under-Lyme)
≈11.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~875 kWh/kWp · -5% vs CW1

Similar sunshine across the UK

NE5 (Newcastle upon Tyne)
~923 kWh/kWp · +0% vs CW1
WV5 (South Staffordshire)
~923 kWh/kWp · -0% vs CW1
LS10 (Leeds)
~923 kWh/kWp · -0% vs CW1