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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in DG7 (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
13.4 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£12,207
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£913
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£10,615
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 931 kWh/kW — 82 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 931 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)
931 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: £761, Upfront: £10,173, 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 1863 kWh 745 kWh 1118 kWh £193 £112 £304 £4,069 13.4 yrs £2,017
3 kW 2794 kWh 1118 kWh 1676 kWh £289 £168 £456 £6,104 13.4 yrs £3,025
4 kW 3725 kWh 1490 kWh 2235 kWh £385 £224 £609 £8,138 13.4 yrs £4,034
5 kW 4657 kWh 1863 kWh 2794 kWh £481 £279 £761 £10,173 13.4 yrs £5,042
6 kW 5588 kWh 2235 kWh 3353 kWh £578 £335 £913 £12,207 13.4 yrs £6,051
7 kW 6520 kWh 2608 kWh 3912 kWh £674 £391 £1,065 £14,242 13.4 yrs £7,059
8 kW 7451 kWh 2980 kWh 4471 kWh £770 £447 £1,217 £16,276 13.4 yrs £8,068

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: £908, 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 1863 kWh 1118 kWh 745 kWh £289 £75 £363 £6,169 17.0 yrs £1,097
3 kW 2794 kWh 1676 kWh 1118 kWh £433 £112 £545 £8,204 15.1 yrs £2,696
4 kW 3725 kWh 2235 kWh 1490 kWh £578 £149 £727 £10,238 14.1 yrs £4,294
5 kW 4657 kWh 2794 kWh 1863 kWh £722 £186 £908 £12,273 13.5 yrs £5,893
6 kW 5588 kWh 3353 kWh 2235 kWh £866 £224 £1,090 £14,307 13.1 yrs £7,491
7 kW 6520 kWh 3912 kWh 2608 kWh £1,011 £261 £1,272 £16,342 12.9 yrs £9,090
8 kW 7451 kWh 4471 kWh 2980 kWh £1,155 £298 £1,453 £18,376 12.6 yrs £10,689

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: £982, 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 1863 kWh 1304 kWh 559 kWh £337 £56 £393 £7,569 19.3 yrs £287
3 kW 2794 kWh 1956 kWh 838 kWh £505 £84 £589 £9,604 16.3 yrs £2,181
4 kW 3725 kWh 2608 kWh 1118 kWh £674 £112 £786 £11,638 14.8 yrs £4,075
5 kW 4657 kWh 3260 kWh 1397 kWh £842 £140 £982 £13,673 13.9 yrs £5,968
6 kW 5588 kWh 3912 kWh 1676 kWh £1,011 £168 £1,178 £15,707 13.3 yrs £7,862
7 kW 6520 kWh 4564 kWh 1956 kWh £1,179 £196 £1,375 £17,742 12.9 yrs £9,755
8 kW 7451 kWh 5216 kWh 2235 kWh £1,348 £224 £1,571 £19,776 12.6 yrs £11,649

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: £1,004, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 15.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1863 kWh 1360 kWh 503 kWh £351 £50 £402 £9,319 23.2 yrs £-1,286
3 kW 2794 kWh 2040 kWh 754 kWh £527 £75 £602 £11,354 18.8 yrs £696
4 kW 3725 kWh 2720 kWh 1006 kWh £703 £101 £803 £13,388 16.7 yrs £2,679
5 kW 4657 kWh 3400 kWh 1257 kWh £878 £126 £1,004 £15,423 15.4 yrs £4,661
6 kW 5588 kWh 4079 kWh 1509 kWh £1,054 £151 £1,205 £17,457 14.5 yrs £6,643
7 kW 6520 kWh 4759 kWh 1760 kWh £1,230 £176 £1,406 £19,492 13.9 yrs £8,625
8 kW 7451 kWh 5439 kWh 2012 kWh £1,405 £201 £1,607 £21,526 13.4 yrs £10,607

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: £1,019, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 16.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1863 kWh 1397 kWh 466 kWh £361 £47 £408 £11,069 27.2 yrs £-2,918
3 kW 2794 kWh 2096 kWh 699 kWh £541 £70 £611 £13,104 21.4 yrs £-877
4 kW 3725 kWh 2794 kWh 931 kWh £722 £93 £815 £15,138 18.6 yrs £1,165
5 kW 4657 kWh 3493 kWh 1164 kWh £902 £116 £1,019 £17,173 16.9 yrs £3,206
6 kW 5588 kWh 4191 kWh 1397 kWh £1,083 £140 £1,223 £19,207 15.7 yrs £5,247
7 kW 6520 kWh 4890 kWh 1630 kWh £1,263 £163 £1,426 £21,242 14.9 yrs £7,288
8 kW 7451 kWh 5588 kWh 1863 kWh £1,444 £186 £1,630 £23,276 14.3 yrs £9,329

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: £1,034, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 19.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1863 kWh 1434 kWh 428 kWh £371 £43 £413 £13,519 32.7 yrs £-5,250
3 kW 2794 kWh 2151 kWh 643 kWh £556 £64 £620 £15,554 25.1 yrs £-3,149
4 kW 3725 kWh 2869 kWh 857 kWh £741 £86 £827 £17,588 21.3 yrs £-1,049
5 kW 4657 kWh 3586 kWh 1071 kWh £927 £107 £1,034 £19,623 19.0 yrs £1,051
6 kW 5588 kWh 4303 kWh 1285 kWh £1,112 £129 £1,240 £21,657 17.5 yrs £3,151
7 kW 6520 kWh 5020 kWh 1500 kWh £1,297 £150 £1,447 £23,692 16.4 yrs £5,251
8 kW 7451 kWh 5737 kWh 1714 kWh £1,483 £171 £1,654 £25,726 15.6 yrs £7,351

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 DG7

Figures below are tailored to DG7 — click through for full league tables.

Solar Payback Index Rank #1974 of 2997
11.7 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£1,046 /yr • £12,207 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #1342 of 2997
19.7% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£206 fixed • ~£1,046 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.84p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
56.55p/day
Local Sunshine
931kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~931 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

Castle Douglas and Crocketford, Dee and Glenkens, Mid Galloway and Wigtown West

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

DG5 (Dumfries and Galloway)
≈8.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~918 kWh/kWp · -1% vs DG7
DG6 (Dumfries and Galloway)
≈13.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~950 kWh/kWp · +2% vs DG7
DG2 (Dumfries and Galloway)
≈24.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~881 kWh/kWp · -5% vs DG7
DG1 (Dumfries and Galloway)
≈26.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~881 kWh/kWp · -5% vs DG7
DG3 (Dumfries and Galloway)
≈34.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~829 kWh/kWp · -11% vs DG7
DG8 (Dumfries and Galloway)
≈34.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~952 kWh/kWp · +2% vs DG7

Similar sunshine across the UK

S74 (Barnsley)
~932 kWh/kWp · +0% vs DG7
WF5 (Wakefield)
~931 kWh/kWp · -0% vs DG7
LL74 (Isle of Anglesey)
~932 kWh/kWp · +0% vs DG7