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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in DE56 (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
13.2 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£769
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£9,056
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 948 kWh/kW — 20 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 948 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)
948 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: £769, Upfront: £10,173, 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 1897 kWh 759 kWh 1138 kWh £194 £114 £308 £4,069 13.2 yrs £2,084
3 kW 2845 kWh 1138 kWh 1707 kWh £291 £171 £461 £6,104 13.2 yrs £3,126
4 kW 3793 kWh 1517 kWh 2276 kWh £388 £228 £615 £8,138 13.2 yrs £4,168
5 kW 4742 kWh 1897 kWh 2845 kWh £485 £285 £769 £10,173 13.2 yrs £5,210
6 kW 5690 kWh 2276 kWh 3414 kWh £582 £341 £923 £12,207 13.2 yrs £6,252
7 kW 6639 kWh 2655 kWh 3983 kWh £678 £398 £1,077 £14,242 13.2 yrs £7,294
8 kW 7587 kWh 3035 kWh 4552 kWh £775 £455 £1,231 £16,276 13.2 yrs £8,336

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: £917, Upfront: £12,273, 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 1897 kWh 1138 kWh 759 kWh £291 £76 £367 £6,169 16.8 yrs £1,164
3 kW 2845 kWh 1707 kWh 1138 kWh £436 £114 £550 £8,204 14.9 yrs £2,796
4 kW 3793 kWh 2276 kWh 1517 kWh £582 £152 £733 £10,238 14.0 yrs £4,428
5 kW 4742 kWh 2845 kWh 1897 kWh £727 £190 £917 £12,273 13.4 yrs £6,059
6 kW 5690 kWh 3414 kWh 2276 kWh £872 £228 £1,100 £14,307 13.0 yrs £7,691
7 kW 6639 kWh 3983 kWh 2655 kWh £1,018 £266 £1,283 £16,342 12.7 yrs £9,323
8 kW 7587 kWh 4552 kWh 3035 kWh £1,163 £303 £1,467 £18,376 12.5 yrs £10,955

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: £990, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 13.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1897 kWh 1328 kWh 569 kWh £339 £57 £396 £7,569 19.1 yrs £354
3 kW 2845 kWh 1992 kWh 854 kWh £509 £85 £594 £9,604 16.2 yrs £2,280
4 kW 3793 kWh 2655 kWh 1138 kWh £678 £114 £792 £11,638 14.7 yrs £4,207
5 kW 4742 kWh 3319 kWh 1423 kWh £848 £142 £990 £13,673 13.8 yrs £6,134
6 kW 5690 kWh 3983 kWh 1707 kWh £1,018 £171 £1,188 £15,707 13.2 yrs £8,061
7 kW 6639 kWh 4647 kWh 1992 kWh £1,187 £199 £1,386 £17,742 12.8 yrs £9,988
8 kW 7587 kWh 5311 kWh 2276 kWh £1,357 £228 £1,585 £19,776 12.5 yrs £11,915

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: £1,012, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 15.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1897 kWh 1385 kWh 512 kWh £354 £51 £405 £9,319 23.0 yrs £-1,219
3 kW 2845 kWh 2077 kWh 768 kWh £531 £77 £607 £11,354 18.7 yrs £796
4 kW 3793 kWh 2769 kWh 1024 kWh £708 £102 £810 £13,388 16.5 yrs £2,811
5 kW 4742 kWh 3462 kWh 1280 kWh £884 £128 £1,012 £15,423 15.2 yrs £4,827
6 kW 5690 kWh 4154 kWh 1536 kWh £1,061 £154 £1,215 £17,457 14.4 yrs £6,842
7 kW 6639 kWh 4846 kWh 1792 kWh £1,238 £179 £1,417 £19,492 13.8 yrs £8,857
8 kW 7587 kWh 5538 kWh 2048 kWh £1,415 £205 £1,620 £21,526 13.3 yrs £10,873

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: £1,027, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 16.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1897 kWh 1423 kWh 474 kWh £363 £47 £411 £11,069 26.9 yrs £-2,851
3 kW 2845 kWh 2134 kWh 711 kWh £545 £71 £616 £13,104 21.3 yrs £-777
4 kW 3793 kWh 2845 kWh 948 kWh £727 £95 £822 £15,138 18.4 yrs £1,297
5 kW 4742 kWh 3556 kWh 1185 kWh £909 £119 £1,027 £17,173 16.7 yrs £3,372
6 kW 5690 kWh 4268 kWh 1423 kWh £1,090 £142 £1,233 £19,207 15.6 yrs £5,446
7 kW 6639 kWh 4979 kWh 1660 kWh £1,272 £166 £1,438 £21,242 14.8 yrs £7,520
8 kW 7587 kWh 5690 kWh 1897 kWh £1,454 £190 £1,644 £23,276 14.2 yrs £9,594

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: £1,042, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 18.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1897 kWh 1460 kWh 436 kWh £373 £44 £417 £13,519 32.4 yrs £-5,183
3 kW 2845 kWh 2191 kWh 654 kWh £560 £65 £625 £15,554 24.9 yrs £-3,050
4 kW 3793 kWh 2921 kWh 873 kWh £746 £87 £834 £17,588 21.1 yrs £-917
5 kW 4742 kWh 3651 kWh 1091 kWh £933 £109 £1,042 £19,623 18.8 yrs £1,216
6 kW 5690 kWh 4381 kWh 1309 kWh £1,119 £131 £1,250 £21,657 17.3 yrs £3,350
7 kW 6639 kWh 5112 kWh 1527 kWh £1,306 £153 £1,459 £23,692 16.2 yrs £5,483
8 kW 7587 kWh 5842 kWh 1745 kWh £1,493 £175 £1,667 £25,726 15.4 yrs £7,616

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 DE56

Figures below are tailored to DE56 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1056 of 2182
5.0 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~10 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #1848 of 2997
11.6 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£880 /yr • £10,173 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #1484 of 2997
20.4% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£179 fixed • ~£880 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.55p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
49.09p/day
Local Sunshine
948kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~948 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: 79% • Flats: 8% • Bungalows: 11% Based on 9,881 properties

Coverage

Amber Valley (99%)

Areas Covered

Belper South, Belper East, Belper North, Duffield & Quarndon, Kilburn, Denby, Holbrook & Horsley, Heage & Ambergate + 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

DE5 (Amber Valley)
≈5.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~939 kWh/kWp · -1% vs DE56
DE75 (Amber Valley)
≈8.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~949 kWh/kWp · +0% vs DE56
DE22 (Derby)
≈10.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~946 kWh/kWp · -0% vs DE56
DE21 (Derby)
≈10.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~952 kWh/kWp · +0% vs DE56
DE55 (Amber Valley)
≈11.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~943 kWh/kWp · -1% vs DE56
DE1 (Derby)
≈11.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~946 kWh/kWp · -0% vs DE56

Similar sunshine across the UK

NE31 (South Tyneside)
~948 kWh/kWp · -0% vs DE56
NE27 (North Tyneside)
~948 kWh/kWp · +0% vs DE56
B76 (Birmingham)
~948 kWh/kWp · -0% vs DE56