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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in CW3 (Newcastle-under-Lyme)

See if solar pays off for you in Newcastle-under-Lyme — 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
12.8 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£12,207
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£956
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£11,685
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 932 kWh/kW — 2 above the regional median (930).

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 932 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)
932 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: £796, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 12.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1864 kWh 746 kWh 1119 kWh £207 £112 £319 £4,069 12.8 yrs £2,302
3 kW 2796 kWh 1119 kWh 1678 kWh £310 £168 £478 £6,104 12.8 yrs £3,453
4 kW 3728 kWh 1491 kWh 2237 kWh £413 £224 £637 £8,138 12.8 yrs £4,604
5 kW 4660 kWh 1864 kWh 2796 kWh £517 £280 £796 £10,173 12.8 yrs £5,755
6 kW 5593 kWh 2237 kWh 3356 kWh £620 £336 £956 £12,207 12.8 yrs £6,906
7 kW 6525 kWh 2610 kWh 3915 kWh £723 £391 £1,115 £14,242 12.8 yrs £8,057
8 kW 7457 kWh 2983 kWh 4474 kWh £827 £447 £1,274 £16,276 12.8 yrs £9,208

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: £962, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 12.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1864 kWh 1119 kWh 746 kWh £310 £75 £385 £6,169 16.0 yrs £1,523
3 kW 2796 kWh 1678 kWh 1119 kWh £465 £112 £577 £8,204 14.2 yrs £3,335
4 kW 3728 kWh 2237 kWh 1491 kWh £620 £149 £769 £10,238 13.3 yrs £5,147
5 kW 4660 kWh 2796 kWh 1864 kWh £775 £186 £962 £12,273 12.8 yrs £6,959
6 kW 5593 kWh 3356 kWh 2237 kWh £930 £224 £1,154 £14,307 12.4 yrs £8,770
7 kW 6525 kWh 3915 kWh 2610 kWh £1,085 £261 £1,346 £16,342 12.1 yrs £10,582
8 kW 7457 kWh 4474 kWh 2983 kWh £1,240 £298 £1,538 £18,376 11.9 yrs £12,394

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: £1,044, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 13.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1864 kWh 1305 kWh 559 kWh £362 £56 £418 £7,569 18.1 yrs £784
3 kW 2796 kWh 1957 kWh 839 kWh £543 £84 £626 £9,604 15.3 yrs £2,926
4 kW 3728 kWh 2610 kWh 1119 kWh £723 £112 £835 £11,638 13.9 yrs £5,068
5 kW 4660 kWh 3262 kWh 1398 kWh £904 £140 £1,044 £13,673 13.1 yrs £7,210
6 kW 5593 kWh 3915 kWh 1678 kWh £1,085 £168 £1,253 £15,707 12.5 yrs £9,352
7 kW 6525 kWh 4567 kWh 1957 kWh £1,266 £196 £1,462 £17,742 12.1 yrs £11,494
8 kW 7457 kWh 5220 kWh 2237 kWh £1,447 £224 £1,671 £19,776 11.8 yrs £13,636

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: £1,069, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 14.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1864 kWh 1361 kWh 503 kWh £377 £50 £428 £9,319 21.8 yrs £-768
3 kW 2796 kWh 2041 kWh 755 kWh £566 £76 £641 £11,354 17.7 yrs £1,473
4 kW 3728 kWh 2722 kWh 1007 kWh £754 £101 £855 £13,388 15.7 yrs £3,715
5 kW 4660 kWh 3402 kWh 1258 kWh £943 £126 £1,069 £15,423 14.4 yrs £5,956
6 kW 5593 kWh 4083 kWh 1510 kWh £1,132 £151 £1,283 £17,457 13.6 yrs £8,197
7 kW 6525 kWh 4763 kWh 1762 kWh £1,320 £176 £1,496 £19,492 13.0 yrs £10,438
8 kW 7457 kWh 5443 kWh 2013 kWh £1,509 £201 £1,710 £21,526 12.6 yrs £12,679

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: £1,085, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 15.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1864 kWh 1398 kWh 466 kWh £388 £47 £434 £11,069 25.5 yrs £-2,386
3 kW 2796 kWh 2097 kWh 699 kWh £581 £70 £651 £13,104 20.1 yrs £-78
4 kW 3728 kWh 2796 kWh 932 kWh £775 £93 £868 £15,138 17.4 yrs £2,229
5 kW 4660 kWh 3495 kWh 1165 kWh £969 £117 £1,085 £17,173 15.8 yrs £4,536
6 kW 5593 kWh 4194 kWh 1398 kWh £1,163 £140 £1,303 £19,207 14.7 yrs £6,843
7 kW 6525 kWh 4894 kWh 1631 kWh £1,356 £163 £1,520 £21,242 14.0 yrs £9,150
8 kW 7457 kWh 5593 kWh 1864 kWh £1,550 £186 £1,737 £23,276 13.4 yrs £11,458

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: £1,102, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 17.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1864 kWh 1435 kWh 429 kWh £398 £43 £441 £13,519 30.7 yrs £-4,703
3 kW 2796 kWh 2153 kWh 643 kWh £597 £64 £661 £15,554 23.5 yrs £-2,330
4 kW 3728 kWh 2871 kWh 858 kWh £796 £86 £882 £17,588 20.0 yrs £43
5 kW 4660 kWh 3589 kWh 1072 kWh £995 £107 £1,102 £19,623 17.8 yrs £2,416
6 kW 5593 kWh 4306 kWh 1286 kWh £1,194 £129 £1,322 £21,657 16.4 yrs £4,790
7 kW 6525 kWh 5024 kWh 1501 kWh £1,393 £150 £1,543 £23,692 15.4 yrs £7,163
8 kW 7457 kWh 5742 kWh 1715 kWh £1,592 £172 £1,763 £25,726 14.6 yrs £9,536

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 CW3

Figures below are tailored to CW3 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #179 of 2182
6.2 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~13 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #1335 of 2997
11.1 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£1,104 /yr • £12,207 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2080 of 2997
23.1% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£255 fixed • ~£1,104 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
27.72p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
69.95p/day
Local Sunshine
932kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~932 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: 71% • Flats: 9% • Bungalows: 18% Based on 2,476 properties

Coverage

Newcastle-under-Lyme (48%)|Cheshire East (41%)|Shropshire (11%)

Areas Covered

Madeley & Betley, Audlem, Market Drayton East & Rural, Crewe East, Wybunbury, Audley, Maer & Whitmore

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)
≈10.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~923 kWh/kWp · -1% vs CW3
CW2 (Cheshire East)
≈10.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~923 kWh/kWp · -1% vs CW3
CW1 (Cheshire East)
≈11.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~923 kWh/kWp · -1% vs CW3
CW5 (Cheshire East)
≈11.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~931 kWh/kWp · -0% vs CW3
ST7 (Newcastle-under-Lyme)
≈13.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~875 kWh/kWp · -6% vs CW3
CW11 (Cheshire East)
≈16.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~907 kWh/kWp · -3% vs CW3

Similar sunshine across the UK

B70 (Sandwell)
~932 kWh/kWp · -0% vs CW3
NE2 (Newcastle upon Tyne)
~932 kWh/kWp · -0% vs CW3
S65 (Rotherham)
~932 kWh/kWp · -0% vs CW3