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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in DE4 (Derbyshire Dales)

See if solar pays off for you in Derbyshire Dales — 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
13.9 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£730
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£8,081
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 East Midlands, the current unit rate is 25.55p/kWh with a 49.09p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 900 kWh/kW — 68 below the regional median (968).

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 900 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 25.6p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
25.6p/kWh
Standing charge
49.1p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
900 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: £730, Upfront: £10,173, 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 1801 kWh 720 kWh 1080 kWh £184 £108 £292 £4,069 13.9 yrs £1,772
3 kW 2701 kWh 1080 kWh 1621 kWh £276 £162 £438 £6,104 13.9 yrs £2,658
4 kW 3601 kWh 1440 kWh 2161 kWh £368 £216 £584 £8,138 13.9 yrs £3,544
5 kW 4502 kWh 1801 kWh 2701 kWh £460 £270 £730 £10,173 13.9 yrs £4,430
6 kW 5402 kWh 2161 kWh 3241 kWh £552 £324 £876 £12,207 13.9 yrs £5,316
7 kW 6302 kWh 2521 kWh 3781 kWh £644 £378 £1,022 £14,242 13.9 yrs £6,202
8 kW 7202 kWh 2881 kWh 4321 kWh £736 £432 £1,168 £16,276 13.9 yrs £7,089

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: £870, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 14.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1801 kWh 1080 kWh 720 kWh £276 £72 £348 £6,169 17.7 yrs £792
3 kW 2701 kWh 1621 kWh 1080 kWh £414 £108 £522 £8,204 15.7 yrs £2,238
4 kW 3601 kWh 2161 kWh 1440 kWh £552 £144 £696 £10,238 14.7 yrs £3,684
5 kW 4502 kWh 2701 kWh 1801 kWh £690 £180 £870 £12,273 14.1 yrs £5,130
6 kW 5402 kWh 3241 kWh 2161 kWh £828 £216 £1,044 £14,307 13.7 yrs £6,576
7 kW 6302 kWh 3781 kWh 2521 kWh £966 £252 £1,218 £16,342 13.4 yrs £8,022
8 kW 7202 kWh 4321 kWh 2881 kWh £1,104 £288 £1,392 £18,376 13.2 yrs £9,468

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: £940, Upfront: £13,673, 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 1801 kWh 1260 kWh 540 kWh £322 £54 £376 £7,569 20.1 yrs £-48
3 kW 2701 kWh 1891 kWh 810 kWh £483 £81 £564 £9,604 17.0 yrs £1,678
4 kW 3601 kWh 2521 kWh 1080 kWh £644 £108 £752 £11,638 15.5 yrs £3,404
5 kW 4502 kWh 3151 kWh 1350 kWh £805 £135 £940 £13,673 14.5 yrs £5,130
6 kW 5402 kWh 3781 kWh 1621 kWh £966 £162 £1,128 £15,707 13.9 yrs £6,856
7 kW 6302 kWh 4411 kWh 1891 kWh £1,127 £189 £1,316 £17,742 13.5 yrs £8,582
8 kW 7202 kWh 5042 kWh 2161 kWh £1,288 £216 £1,504 £19,776 13.1 yrs £10,308

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: £961, Upfront: £15,423, 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 1801 kWh 1314 kWh 486 kWh £336 £49 £384 £9,319 24.2 yrs £-1,630
3 kW 2701 kWh 1972 kWh 729 kWh £504 £73 £577 £11,354 19.7 yrs £180
4 kW 3601 kWh 2629 kWh 972 kWh £672 £97 £769 £13,388 17.4 yrs £1,990
5 kW 4502 kWh 3286 kWh 1215 kWh £840 £122 £961 £15,423 16.0 yrs £3,800
6 kW 5402 kWh 3943 kWh 1458 kWh £1,008 £146 £1,153 £17,457 15.1 yrs £5,610
7 kW 6302 kWh 4601 kWh 1702 kWh £1,175 £170 £1,346 £19,492 14.5 yrs £7,420
8 kW 7202 kWh 5258 kWh 1945 kWh £1,343 £194 £1,538 £21,526 14.0 yrs £9,230

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: £975, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 17.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1801 kWh 1350 kWh 450 kWh £345 £45 £390 £11,069 28.4 yrs £-3,268
3 kW 2701 kWh 2026 kWh 675 kWh £518 £68 £585 £13,104 22.4 yrs £-1,402
4 kW 3601 kWh 2701 kWh 900 kWh £690 £90 £780 £15,138 19.4 yrs £464
5 kW 4502 kWh 3376 kWh 1125 kWh £863 £113 £975 £17,173 17.6 yrs £2,330
6 kW 5402 kWh 4051 kWh 1350 kWh £1,035 £135 £1,170 £19,207 16.4 yrs £4,196
7 kW 6302 kWh 4727 kWh 1576 kWh £1,208 £158 £1,365 £21,242 15.6 yrs £6,062
8 kW 7202 kWh 5402 kWh 1801 kWh £1,380 £180 £1,560 £23,276 14.9 yrs £7,928

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: £989, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 19.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1801 kWh 1386 kWh 414 kWh £354 £41 £396 £13,519 34.2 yrs £-5,606
3 kW 2701 kWh 2080 kWh 621 kWh £531 £62 £593 £15,554 26.2 yrs £-3,684
4 kW 3601 kWh 2773 kWh 828 kWh £708 £83 £791 £17,588 22.2 yrs £-1,762
5 kW 4502 kWh 3466 kWh 1035 kWh £886 £104 £989 £19,623 19.8 yrs £160
6 kW 5402 kWh 4159 kWh 1242 kWh £1,063 £124 £1,187 £21,657 18.2 yrs £2,082
7 kW 6302 kWh 4853 kWh 1449 kWh £1,240 £145 £1,385 £23,692 17.1 yrs £4,004
8 kW 7202 kWh 5546 kWh 1657 kWh £1,417 £166 £1,583 £25,726 16.3 yrs £5,926

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 DE4

Figures below are tailored to DE4 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #999 of 2182
5.1 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~11 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #2467 of 2997
12.2 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£835 /yr • £10,173 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #1718 of 2997
21.5% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£179 fixed • ~£835 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.55p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
49.09p/day
Local Sunshine
900kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~900 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: 73% • Flats: 14% • Bungalows: 12% Based on 9,718 properties

Coverage

Derbyshire Dales (90%)|Amber Valley (10%)

Areas Covered

Matlock West, Darley Dale, Wirksworth, Bakewell, Matlock East & Tansley, Crich & South Wingfield, Chatsworth, Youlgrave + 5 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 East Midlands

S45 (North East Derbyshire)
≈10.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~934 kWh/kWp · +4% vs DE4
DE45 (Derbyshire Dales)
≈11.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~901 kWh/kWp · +0% vs DE4
S42 (North East Derbyshire)
≈12.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~935 kWh/kWp · +4% vs DE4
S40 (Chesterfield)
≈13.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~933 kWh/kWp · +4% vs DE4
DE55 (Amber Valley)
≈13.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~943 kWh/kWp · +5% vs DE4
S49 (Chesterfield)
≈14.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~933 kWh/kWp · +4% vs DE4

Similar sunshine across the UK

ST6 (Stoke-on-Trent)
~900 kWh/kWp · -0% vs DE4
WN4 (Wigan)
~900 kWh/kWp · -0% vs DE4
LL28 (Conwy)
~900 kWh/kWp · +0% vs DE4