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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in DA13 (Gravesham)

See if solar pays off for you in Gravesham — 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
11.8 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£12,207
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£1,034
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£13,631
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 1027 kWh/kW — 2 below 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 1027 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)
1027 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: £861, Upfront: £10,173, 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 2055 kWh 822 kWh 1233 kWh £221 £123 £345 £4,069 11.8 yrs £2,821
3 kW 3082 kWh 1233 kWh 1849 kWh £332 £185 £517 £6,104 11.8 yrs £4,232
4 kW 4109 kWh 1644 kWh 2465 kWh £442 £247 £689 £8,138 11.8 yrs £5,642
5 kW 5136 kWh 2055 kWh 3082 kWh £553 £308 £861 £10,173 11.8 yrs £7,053
6 kW 6164 kWh 2465 kWh 3698 kWh £664 £370 £1,034 £12,207 11.8 yrs £8,463
7 kW 7191 kWh 2876 kWh 4314 kWh £774 £431 £1,206 £14,242 11.8 yrs £9,874
8 kW 8218 kWh 3287 kWh 4931 kWh £885 £493 £1,378 £16,276 11.8 yrs £11,284

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: £1,035, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 11.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2055 kWh 1233 kWh 822 kWh £332 £82 £414 £6,169 14.9 yrs £2,112
3 kW 3082 kWh 1849 kWh 1233 kWh £498 £123 £621 £8,204 13.2 yrs £4,217
4 kW 4109 kWh 2465 kWh 1644 kWh £664 £164 £828 £10,238 12.4 yrs £6,323
5 kW 5136 kWh 3082 kWh 2055 kWh £830 £205 £1,035 £12,273 11.9 yrs £8,429
6 kW 6164 kWh 3698 kWh 2465 kWh £996 £247 £1,242 £14,307 11.5 yrs £10,535
7 kW 7191 kWh 4314 kWh 2876 kWh £1,161 £288 £1,449 £16,342 11.3 yrs £12,640
8 kW 8218 kWh 4931 kWh 3287 kWh £1,327 £329 £1,656 £18,376 11.1 yrs £14,746

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: £1,122, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 12.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2055 kWh 1438 kWh 616 kWh £387 £62 £449 £7,569 16.9 yrs £1,407
3 kW 3082 kWh 2157 kWh 925 kWh £581 £92 £673 £9,604 14.3 yrs £3,860
4 kW 4109 kWh 2876 kWh 1233 kWh £774 £123 £898 £11,638 13.0 yrs £6,314
5 kW 5136 kWh 3595 kWh 1541 kWh £968 £154 £1,122 £13,673 12.2 yrs £8,767
6 kW 6164 kWh 4314 kWh 1849 kWh £1,161 £185 £1,346 £15,707 11.7 yrs £11,220
7 kW 7191 kWh 5034 kWh 2157 kWh £1,355 £216 £1,571 £17,742 11.3 yrs £13,674
8 kW 8218 kWh 5753 kWh 2465 kWh £1,549 £247 £1,795 £19,776 11.0 yrs £16,127

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: £1,148, 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 2055 kWh 1500 kWh 555 kWh £404 £55 £459 £9,319 20.3 yrs £-135
3 kW 3082 kWh 2250 kWh 832 kWh £606 £83 £689 £11,354 16.5 yrs £2,423
4 kW 4109 kWh 3000 kWh 1109 kWh £807 £111 £918 £13,388 14.6 yrs £4,981
5 kW 5136 kWh 3749 kWh 1387 kWh £1,009 £139 £1,148 £15,423 13.4 yrs £7,538
6 kW 6164 kWh 4499 kWh 1664 kWh £1,211 £166 £1,378 £17,457 12.7 yrs £10,096
7 kW 7191 kWh 5249 kWh 1942 kWh £1,413 £194 £1,607 £19,492 12.1 yrs £12,654
8 kW 8218 kWh 5999 kWh 2219 kWh £1,615 £222 £1,837 £21,526 11.7 yrs £15,211

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: £1,165, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 14.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2055 kWh 1541 kWh 514 kWh £415 £51 £466 £11,069 23.7 yrs £-1,746
3 kW 3082 kWh 2311 kWh 770 kWh £622 £77 £699 £13,104 18.7 yrs £882
4 kW 4109 kWh 3082 kWh 1027 kWh £830 £103 £932 £15,138 16.2 yrs £3,509
5 kW 5136 kWh 3852 kWh 1284 kWh £1,037 £128 £1,165 £17,173 14.7 yrs £6,136
6 kW 6164 kWh 4623 kWh 1541 kWh £1,244 £154 £1,399 £19,207 13.7 yrs £8,763
7 kW 7191 kWh 5393 kWh 1798 kWh £1,452 £180 £1,632 £21,242 13.0 yrs £11,390
8 kW 8218 kWh 6164 kWh 2055 kWh £1,659 £205 £1,865 £23,276 12.5 yrs £14,018

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: £1,183, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 16.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2055 kWh 1582 kWh 473 kWh £426 £47 £473 £13,519 28.6 yrs £-4,057
3 kW 3082 kWh 2373 kWh 709 kWh £639 £71 £710 £15,554 21.9 yrs £-1,360
4 kW 4109 kWh 3164 kWh 945 kWh £852 £95 £946 £17,588 18.6 yrs £1,337
5 kW 5136 kWh 3955 kWh 1181 kWh £1,065 £118 £1,183 £19,623 16.6 yrs £4,034
6 kW 6164 kWh 4746 kWh 1418 kWh £1,278 £142 £1,419 £21,657 15.3 yrs £6,730
7 kW 7191 kWh 5537 kWh 1654 kWh £1,491 £165 £1,656 £23,692 14.3 yrs £9,427
8 kW 8218 kWh 6328 kWh 1890 kWh £1,703 £189 £1,892 £25,726 13.6 yrs £12,124

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 DA13

Figures below are tailored to DA13 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #104 of 2182
6.5 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~14 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #319 of 2997
10.3 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£1,190 /yr • £12,207 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #201 of 2997
14.6% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£174 fixed • ~£1,190 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.92p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
47.60p/day
Local Sunshine
1027kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~1027 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: 70% • Flats: 6% • Bungalows: 23% Based on 2,786 properties

Coverage

Gravesham (86%)|Dartford (13%)

Areas Covered

Meopham North, Meopham South & Vigo, Istead Rise, Cobham & Luddesdown, Longfield, New Barn & Southfleet, Town, Hartley and Hodsoll Street + 1 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 South East

DA3 (Sevenoaks)
≈3.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,025 kWh/kWp · -0% vs DA13
DA12 (Gravesham)
≈5.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,028 kWh/kWp · +0% vs DA13
DA11 (Gravesham)
≈5.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,028 kWh/kWp · +0% vs DA13
DA10 (Dartford)
≈7.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,027 kWh/kWp · +0% vs DA13
DA4 (Sevenoaks)
≈8.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,015 kWh/kWp · -1% vs DA13
ME6 (Tonbridge and Malling)
≈8.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,023 kWh/kWp · -0% vs DA13

Similar sunshine across the UK

RM14 (Havering)
~1,027 kWh/kWp · +0% vs DA13
NR33 (East Suffolk)
~1,027 kWh/kWp · -0% vs DA13
BS24 (North Somerset)
~1,027 kWh/kWp · -0% vs DA13