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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in DG4 (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
15.0 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£12,207
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£812
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£8,105
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 829 kWh/kW — 21 below 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 829 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)
829 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: £677, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 15.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1658 kWh 663 kWh 995 kWh £171 £99 £271 £4,069 15.0 yrs £1,347
3 kW 2487 kWh 995 kWh 1492 kWh £257 £149 £406 £6,104 15.0 yrs £2,021
4 kW 3316 kWh 1326 kWh 1989 kWh £343 £199 £542 £8,138 15.0 yrs £2,695
5 kW 4145 kWh 1658 kWh 2487 kWh £428 £249 £677 £10,173 15.0 yrs £3,369
6 kW 4973 kWh 1989 kWh 2984 kWh £514 £298 £812 £12,207 15.0 yrs £4,042
7 kW 5802 kWh 2321 kWh 3481 kWh £600 £348 £948 £14,242 15.0 yrs £4,716
8 kW 6631 kWh 2653 kWh 3979 kWh £685 £398 £1,083 £16,276 15.0 yrs £5,390

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: £808, Upfront: £12,273, 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 1658 kWh 995 kWh 663 kWh £257 £66 £323 £6,169 19.1 yrs £298
3 kW 2487 kWh 1492 kWh 995 kWh £386 £99 £485 £8,204 16.9 yrs £1,497
4 kW 3316 kWh 1989 kWh 1326 kWh £514 £133 £647 £10,238 15.8 yrs £2,696
5 kW 4145 kWh 2487 kWh 1658 kWh £643 £166 £808 £12,273 15.2 yrs £3,895
6 kW 4973 kWh 2984 kWh 1989 kWh £771 £199 £970 £14,307 14.7 yrs £5,093
7 kW 5802 kWh 3481 kWh 2321 kWh £900 £232 £1,132 £16,342 14.4 yrs £6,292
8 kW 6631 kWh 3979 kWh 2653 kWh £1,028 £265 £1,293 £18,376 14.2 yrs £7,491

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: £874, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 15.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1658 kWh 1160 kWh 497 kWh £300 £50 £350 £7,569 21.7 yrs £-577
3 kW 2487 kWh 1741 kWh 746 kWh £450 £75 £524 £9,604 18.3 yrs £885
4 kW 3316 kWh 2321 kWh 995 kWh £600 £99 £699 £11,638 16.6 yrs £2,346
5 kW 4145 kWh 2901 kWh 1243 kWh £750 £124 £874 £13,673 15.6 yrs £3,808
6 kW 4973 kWh 3481 kWh 1492 kWh £900 £149 £1,049 £15,707 15.0 yrs £5,269
7 kW 5802 kWh 4062 kWh 1741 kWh £1,050 £174 £1,224 £17,742 14.5 yrs £6,731
8 kW 6631 kWh 4642 kWh 1989 kWh £1,199 £199 £1,398 £19,776 14.1 yrs £8,192

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: £894, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 17.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1658 kWh 1210 kWh 448 kWh £313 £45 £357 £9,319 26.1 yrs £-2,169
3 kW 2487 kWh 1815 kWh 671 kWh £469 £67 £536 £11,354 21.2 yrs £-629
4 kW 3316 kWh 2420 kWh 895 kWh £625 £90 £715 £13,388 18.7 yrs £911
5 kW 4145 kWh 3026 kWh 1119 kWh £782 £112 £894 £15,423 17.3 yrs £2,451
6 kW 4973 kWh 3631 kWh 1343 kWh £938 £134 £1,072 £17,457 16.3 yrs £3,992
7 kW 5802 kWh 4236 kWh 1567 kWh £1,095 £157 £1,251 £19,492 15.6 yrs £5,532
8 kW 6631 kWh 4841 kWh 1790 kWh £1,251 £179 £1,430 £21,526 15.1 yrs £7,072

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: £907, Upfront: £17,173, 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 1658 kWh 1243 kWh 414 kWh £321 £41 £363 £11,069 30.5 yrs £-3,814
3 kW 2487 kWh 1865 kWh 622 kWh £482 £62 £544 £13,104 24.1 yrs £-2,222
4 kW 3316 kWh 2487 kWh 829 kWh £643 £83 £725 £15,138 20.9 yrs £-629
5 kW 4145 kWh 3108 kWh 1036 kWh £803 £104 £907 £17,173 18.9 yrs £964
6 kW 4973 kWh 3730 kWh 1243 kWh £964 £124 £1,088 £19,207 17.7 yrs £2,557
7 kW 5802 kWh 4352 kWh 1451 kWh £1,124 £145 £1,270 £21,242 16.7 yrs £4,150
8 kW 6631 kWh 4973 kWh 1658 kWh £1,285 £166 £1,451 £23,276 16.0 yrs £5,742

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: £920, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 21.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1658 kWh 1277 kWh 381 kWh £330 £38 £368 £13,519 36.7 yrs £-6,159
3 kW 2487 kWh 1915 kWh 572 kWh £495 £57 £552 £15,554 28.2 yrs £-4,514
4 kW 3316 kWh 2553 kWh 763 kWh £660 £76 £736 £17,588 23.9 yrs £-2,869
5 kW 4145 kWh 3191 kWh 953 kWh £825 £95 £920 £19,623 21.3 yrs £-1,223
6 kW 4973 kWh 3830 kWh 1144 kWh £990 £114 £1,104 £21,657 19.6 yrs £422
7 kW 5802 kWh 4468 kWh 1335 kWh £1,154 £133 £1,288 £23,692 18.4 yrs £2,067
8 kW 6631 kWh 5106 kWh 1525 kWh £1,319 £153 £1,472 £25,726 17.5 yrs £3,713

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 DG4

Figures below are tailored to DG4 — click through for full league tables.

Solar Payback Index Rank #2829 of 2997
13.1 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£931 /yr • £12,207 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #1940 of 2997
22.2% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£206 fixed • ~£931 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.84p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
56.55p/day
Local Sunshine
829kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~829 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 (100%)

Areas Covered

Mid and Upper Nithsdale

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

DG3 (Dumfries and Galloway)
≈18.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~829 kWh/kWp · +0% vs DG4
KA18 (East Ayrshire)
≈22.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~837 kWh/kWp · +1% vs DG4
DG10 (Dumfries and Galloway)
≈31.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~794 kWh/kWp · -4% vs DG4
KA5 (East Ayrshire)
≈31.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~847 kWh/kWp · +2% vs DG4
KA17 (East Ayrshire)
≈34.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~813 kWh/kWp · -2% vs DG4
ML11 (South Lanarkshire)
≈34.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~833 kWh/kWp · +0% vs DG4

Similar sunshine across the UK

PA62 (Argyll and Bute)
~829 kWh/kWp · +0% vs DG4
OL1 (Oldham)
~829 kWh/kWp · -0% vs DG4
BT93 (Fermanagh and Omagh)
~829 kWh/kWp · -0% vs DG4