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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in DE55 (Amber Valley)

See if solar pays off for you in Amber Valley — 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
13.3 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£765
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£8,949
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 943 kWh/kW — 25 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 943 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)
943 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: £765, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 13.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1886 kWh 754 kWh 1132 kWh £193 £113 £306 £4,069 13.3 yrs £2,050
3 kW 2829 kWh 1132 kWh 1698 kWh £289 £170 £459 £6,104 13.3 yrs £3,075
4 kW 3772 kWh 1509 kWh 2263 kWh £386 £226 £612 £8,138 13.3 yrs £4,100
5 kW 4716 kWh 1886 kWh 2829 kWh £482 £283 £765 £10,173 13.3 yrs £5,125
6 kW 5659 kWh 2263 kWh 3395 kWh £578 £340 £918 £12,207 13.3 yrs £6,150
7 kW 6602 kWh 2641 kWh 3961 kWh £675 £396 £1,071 £14,242 13.3 yrs £7,175
8 kW 7545 kWh 3018 kWh 4527 kWh £771 £453 £1,224 £16,276 13.3 yrs £8,200

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: £912, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 13.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1886 kWh 1132 kWh 754 kWh £289 £75 £365 £6,169 16.9 yrs £1,123
3 kW 2829 kWh 1698 kWh 1132 kWh £434 £113 £547 £8,204 15.0 yrs £2,735
4 kW 3772 kWh 2263 kWh 1509 kWh £578 £151 £729 £10,238 14.0 yrs £4,346
5 kW 4716 kWh 2829 kWh 1886 kWh £723 £189 £912 £12,273 13.5 yrs £5,958
6 kW 5659 kWh 3395 kWh 2263 kWh £867 £226 £1,094 £14,307 13.1 yrs £7,570
7 kW 6602 kWh 3961 kWh 2641 kWh £1,012 £264 £1,276 £16,342 12.8 yrs £9,181
8 kW 7545 kWh 4527 kWh 3018 kWh £1,157 £302 £1,458 £18,376 12.6 yrs £10,793

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: £985, Upfront: £13,673, 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 1886 kWh 1320 kWh 566 kWh £337 £57 £394 £7,569 19.2 yrs £310
3 kW 2829 kWh 1981 kWh 849 kWh £506 £85 £591 £9,604 16.3 yrs £2,215
4 kW 3772 kWh 2641 kWh 1132 kWh £675 £113 £788 £11,638 14.8 yrs £4,120
5 kW 4716 kWh 3301 kWh 1415 kWh £843 £141 £985 £13,673 13.9 yrs £6,025
6 kW 5659 kWh 3961 kWh 1698 kWh £1,012 £170 £1,182 £15,707 13.3 yrs £7,929
7 kW 6602 kWh 4621 kWh 1981 kWh £1,181 £198 £1,379 £17,742 12.9 yrs £9,834
8 kW 7545 kWh 5281 kWh 2263 kWh £1,349 £226 £1,576 £19,776 12.6 yrs £11,739

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: £1,007, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 15.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1886 kWh 1377 kWh 509 kWh £352 £51 £403 £9,319 23.1 yrs £-1,264
3 kW 2829 kWh 2065 kWh 764 kWh £528 £76 £604 £11,354 18.8 yrs £729
4 kW 3772 kWh 2754 kWh 1019 kWh £704 £102 £805 £13,388 16.6 yrs £2,722
5 kW 4716 kWh 3442 kWh 1273 kWh £880 £127 £1,007 £15,423 15.3 yrs £4,714
6 kW 5659 kWh 4131 kWh 1528 kWh £1,055 £153 £1,208 £17,457 14.4 yrs £6,707
7 kW 6602 kWh 4819 kWh 1782 kWh £1,231 £178 £1,410 £19,492 13.8 yrs £8,700
8 kW 7545 kWh 5508 kWh 2037 kWh £1,407 £204 £1,611 £21,526 13.4 yrs £10,693

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: £1,022, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 16.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1886 kWh 1415 kWh 472 kWh £361 £47 £409 £11,069 27.1 yrs £-2,897
3 kW 2829 kWh 2122 kWh 707 kWh £542 £71 £613 £13,104 21.4 yrs £-845
4 kW 3772 kWh 2829 kWh 943 kWh £723 £94 £817 £15,138 18.5 yrs £1,206
5 kW 4716 kWh 3537 kWh 1179 kWh £904 £118 £1,022 £17,173 16.8 yrs £3,258
6 kW 5659 kWh 4244 kWh 1415 kWh £1,084 £141 £1,226 £19,207 15.7 yrs £5,309
7 kW 6602 kWh 4951 kWh 1650 kWh £1,265 £165 £1,430 £21,242 14.9 yrs £7,361
8 kW 7545 kWh 5659 kWh 1886 kWh £1,446 £189 £1,634 £23,276 14.2 yrs £9,412

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: £1,036, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 18.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1886 kWh 1452 kWh 434 kWh £371 £43 £414 £13,519 32.6 yrs £-5,230
3 kW 2829 kWh 2179 kWh 651 kWh £557 £65 £622 £15,554 25.0 yrs £-3,119
4 kW 3772 kWh 2905 kWh 868 kWh £742 £87 £829 £17,588 21.2 yrs £-1,009
5 kW 4716 kWh 3631 kWh 1085 kWh £928 £108 £1,036 £19,623 18.9 yrs £1,101
6 kW 5659 kWh 4357 kWh 1302 kWh £1,113 £130 £1,243 £21,657 17.4 yrs £3,211
7 kW 6602 kWh 5083 kWh 1518 kWh £1,299 £152 £1,451 £23,692 16.3 yrs £5,322
8 kW 7545 kWh 5810 kWh 1735 kWh £1,484 £174 £1,658 £25,726 15.5 yrs £7,432

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 DE55

Figures below are tailored to DE55 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1263 of 2182
4.9 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~10 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #1847 of 2997
11.6 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£875 /yr • £10,173 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #1509 of 2997
20.5% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£179 fixed • ~£875 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.55p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
49.09p/day
Local Sunshine
943kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~943 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: 76% • Flats: 8% • Bungalows: 15% Based on 15,608 properties

Coverage

Amber Valley (57%)|Bolsover (29%)|North East Derbyshire (13%)

Areas Covered

Somercotes, Alfreton, Shirland, South Normanton West, Swanwick, Blackwell, South Normanton East, Tibshelf + 4 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

DE5 (Amber Valley)
≈5.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~939 kWh/kWp · -0% vs DE55
NG17 (Ashfield)
≈8.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~937 kWh/kWp · -1% vs DE55
S45 (North East Derbyshire)
≈8.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~934 kWh/kWp · -1% vs DE55
DE75 (Amber Valley)
≈9.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~949 kWh/kWp · +1% vs DE55
NG16 (Broxtowe)
≈9.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~945 kWh/kWp · +0% vs DE55
DE56 (Amber Valley)
≈11.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~948 kWh/kWp · +1% vs DE55

Similar sunshine across the UK

S62 (Rotherham)
~943 kWh/kWp · +0% vs DE55
TF12 (Shropshire)
~943 kWh/kWp · +0% vs DE55
NE98 (Gateshead)
~943 kWh/kWp · +0% vs DE55