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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in DG16 (Dumfries and Galloway)

See if solar pays off for you in Dumfries and Galloway — 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
13.8 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£12,207
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£882
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£9,840
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 Southern Scotland, the current unit rate is 25.84p/kWh with a 56.55p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 900 kWh/kW — 50 above the regional median (850).

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 900 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 25.8p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
25.8p/kWh
Standing charge
56.5p/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: £735, Upfront: £10,173, 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 1799 kWh 720 kWh 1080 kWh £186 £108 £294 £4,069 13.8 yrs £1,810
3 kW 2699 kWh 1080 kWh 1620 kWh £279 £162 £441 £6,104 13.8 yrs £2,715
4 kW 3599 kWh 1440 kWh 2159 kWh £372 £216 £588 £8,138 13.8 yrs £3,620
5 kW 4499 kWh 1799 kWh 2699 kWh £465 £270 £735 £10,173 13.8 yrs £4,526
6 kW 5398 kWh 2159 kWh 3239 kWh £558 £324 £882 £12,207 13.8 yrs £5,431
7 kW 6298 kWh 2519 kWh 3779 kWh £651 £378 £1,029 £14,242 13.8 yrs £6,336
8 kW 7198 kWh 2879 kWh 4319 kWh £744 £432 £1,176 £16,276 13.8 yrs £7,241

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: £877, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 14.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1799 kWh 1080 kWh 720 kWh £279 £72 £351 £6,169 17.6 yrs £850
3 kW 2699 kWh 1620 kWh 1080 kWh £418 £108 £526 £8,204 15.6 yrs £2,326
4 kW 3599 kWh 2159 kWh 1440 kWh £558 £144 £702 £10,238 14.6 yrs £3,801
5 kW 4499 kWh 2699 kWh 1799 kWh £697 £180 £877 £12,273 14.0 yrs £5,276
6 kW 5398 kWh 3239 kWh 2159 kWh £837 £216 £1,053 £14,307 13.6 yrs £6,751
7 kW 6298 kWh 3779 kWh 2519 kWh £976 £252 £1,228 £16,342 13.3 yrs £8,226
8 kW 7198 kWh 4319 kWh 2879 kWh £1,116 £288 £1,404 £18,376 13.1 yrs £9,702

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: £949, Upfront: £13,673, 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 1799 kWh 1260 kWh 540 kWh £325 £54 £379 £7,569 19.9 yrs £20
3 kW 2699 kWh 1889 kWh 810 kWh £488 £81 £569 £9,604 16.9 yrs £1,781
4 kW 3599 kWh 2519 kWh 1080 kWh £651 £108 £759 £11,638 15.3 yrs £3,541
5 kW 4499 kWh 3149 kWh 1350 kWh £814 £135 £949 £13,673 14.4 yrs £5,301
6 kW 5398 kWh 3779 kWh 1620 kWh £976 £162 £1,138 £15,707 13.8 yrs £7,061
7 kW 6298 kWh 4409 kWh 1889 kWh £1,139 £189 £1,328 £17,742 13.4 yrs £8,822
8 kW 7198 kWh 5039 kWh 2159 kWh £1,302 £216 £1,518 £19,776 13.0 yrs £10,582

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: £970, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 15.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1799 kWh 1314 kWh 486 kWh £339 £49 £388 £9,319 24.0 yrs £-1,559
3 kW 2699 kWh 1970 kWh 729 kWh £509 £73 £582 £11,354 19.5 yrs £287
4 kW 3599 kWh 2627 kWh 972 kWh £679 £97 £776 £13,388 17.3 yrs £2,133
5 kW 4499 kWh 3284 kWh 1215 kWh £849 £121 £970 £15,423 15.9 yrs £3,979
6 kW 5398 kWh 3941 kWh 1458 kWh £1,018 £146 £1,164 £17,457 15.0 yrs £5,824
7 kW 6298 kWh 4598 kWh 1701 kWh £1,188 £170 £1,358 £19,492 14.4 yrs £7,670
8 kW 7198 kWh 5254 kWh 1943 kWh £1,358 £194 £1,552 £21,526 13.9 yrs £9,516

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: £984, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 17.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1799 kWh 1350 kWh 450 kWh £349 £45 £394 £11,069 28.1 yrs £-3,194
3 kW 2699 kWh 2024 kWh 675 kWh £523 £67 £591 £13,104 22.2 yrs £-1,292
4 kW 3599 kWh 2699 kWh 900 kWh £697 £90 £787 £15,138 19.2 yrs £611
5 kW 4499 kWh 3374 kWh 1125 kWh £872 £112 £984 £17,173 17.4 yrs £2,514
6 kW 5398 kWh 4049 kWh 1350 kWh £1,046 £135 £1,181 £19,207 16.3 yrs £4,417
7 kW 6298 kWh 4724 kWh 1575 kWh £1,221 £157 £1,378 £21,242 15.4 yrs £6,319
8 kW 7198 kWh 5398 kWh 1799 kWh £1,395 £180 £1,575 £23,276 14.8 yrs £8,222

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: £999, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 19.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1799 kWh 1386 kWh 414 kWh £358 £41 £399 £13,519 33.8 yrs £-5,530
3 kW 2699 kWh 2078 kWh 621 kWh £537 £62 £599 £15,554 26.0 yrs £-3,571
4 kW 3599 kWh 2771 kWh 828 kWh £716 £83 £799 £17,588 22.0 yrs £-1,611
5 kW 4499 kWh 3464 kWh 1035 kWh £895 £103 £999 £19,623 19.7 yrs £349
6 kW 5398 kWh 4157 kWh 1242 kWh £1,074 £124 £1,198 £21,657 18.1 yrs £2,309
7 kW 6298 kWh 4850 kWh 1449 kWh £1,253 £145 £1,398 £23,692 16.9 yrs £4,268
8 kW 7198 kWh 5542 kWh 1656 kWh £1,432 £166 £1,598 £25,726 16.1 yrs £6,228

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 DG16

Figures below are tailored to DG16 — click through for full league tables.

Solar Payback Index Rank #2387 of 2997
12.1 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£1,010 /yr • £12,207 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #1487 of 2997
20.4% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£206 fixed • ~£1,010 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.84p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
56.55p/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
6.0kW
For houses & bungalows in this area

Local Property Data

Property Types

No EPC data available for this outcode

Coverage

Dumfries and Galloway (97%)|Cumberland (3%)

Areas Covered

Annandale East and Eskdale, Longtown

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 Southern Scotland

DG14 (Dumfries and Galloway)
≈11.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~863 kWh/kWp · -4% vs DG16
DG12 (Dumfries and Galloway)
≈12.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~906 kWh/kWp · +1% vs DG16
DG13 (Dumfries and Galloway)
≈18.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~841 kWh/kWp · -7% vs DG16
DG11 (Dumfries and Galloway)
≈23.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~875 kWh/kWp · -3% vs DG16
DG1 (Dumfries and Galloway)
≈34.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~881 kWh/kWp · -2% vs DG16
DG2 (Dumfries and Galloway)
≈37.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~881 kWh/kWp · -2% vs DG16

Similar sunshine across the UK

WN7 (Wigan)
~900 kWh/kWp · -0% vs DG16
BT60 (Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon)
~900 kWh/kWp · -0% vs DG16
PH14 (Perth and Kinross)
~900 kWh/kWp · -0% vs DG16