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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in DG8 (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
13.1 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£12,207
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£933
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£11,115
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 952 kWh/kW — 102 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 952 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)
952 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: £777, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 13.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1904 kWh 761 kWh 1142 kWh £197 £114 £311 £4,069 13.1 yrs £2,150
3 kW 2855 kWh 1142 kWh 1713 kWh £295 £171 £466 £6,104 13.1 yrs £3,225
4 kW 3807 kWh 1523 kWh 2284 kWh £393 £228 £622 £8,138 13.1 yrs £4,300
5 kW 4759 kWh 1904 kWh 2855 kWh £492 £286 £777 £10,173 13.1 yrs £5,376
6 kW 5711 kWh 2284 kWh 3426 kWh £590 £343 £933 £12,207 13.1 yrs £6,451
7 kW 6662 kWh 2665 kWh 3997 kWh £689 £400 £1,088 £14,242 13.1 yrs £7,526
8 kW 7614 kWh 3046 kWh 4568 kWh £787 £457 £1,244 £16,276 13.1 yrs £8,601

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: £928, Upfront: £12,273, 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 1904 kWh 1142 kWh 761 kWh £295 £76 £371 £6,169 16.6 yrs £1,256
3 kW 2855 kWh 1713 kWh 1142 kWh £443 £114 £557 £8,204 14.7 yrs £2,934
4 kW 3807 kWh 2284 kWh 1523 kWh £590 £152 £743 £10,238 13.8 yrs £4,613
5 kW 4759 kWh 2855 kWh 1904 kWh £738 £190 £928 £12,273 13.2 yrs £6,291
6 kW 5711 kWh 3426 kWh 2284 kWh £885 £228 £1,114 £14,307 12.8 yrs £7,969
7 kW 6662 kWh 3997 kWh 2665 kWh £1,033 £266 £1,299 £16,342 12.6 yrs £9,647
8 kW 7614 kWh 4568 kWh 3046 kWh £1,180 £305 £1,485 £18,376 12.4 yrs £11,325

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: £1,004, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 13.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1904 kWh 1332 kWh 571 kWh £344 £57 £401 £7,569 18.9 yrs £459
3 kW 2855 kWh 1999 kWh 857 kWh £516 £86 £602 £9,604 15.9 yrs £2,439
4 kW 3807 kWh 2665 kWh 1142 kWh £689 £114 £803 £11,638 14.5 yrs £4,419
5 kW 4759 kWh 3331 kWh 1428 kWh £861 £143 £1,004 £13,673 13.6 yrs £6,398
6 kW 5711 kWh 3997 kWh 1713 kWh £1,033 £171 £1,204 £15,707 13.0 yrs £8,378
7 kW 6662 kWh 4664 kWh 1999 kWh £1,205 £200 £1,405 £17,742 12.6 yrs £10,358
8 kW 7614 kWh 5330 kWh 2284 kWh £1,377 £228 £1,606 £19,776 12.3 yrs £12,337

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: £1,026, Upfront: £15,423, 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 1904 kWh 1390 kWh 514 kWh £359 £51 £410 £9,319 22.7 yrs £-1,110
3 kW 2855 kWh 2084 kWh 771 kWh £539 £77 £616 £11,354 18.4 yrs £960
4 kW 3807 kWh 2779 kWh 1028 kWh £718 £103 £821 £13,388 16.3 yrs £3,031
5 kW 4759 kWh 3474 kWh 1285 kWh £898 £128 £1,026 £15,423 15.0 yrs £5,101
6 kW 5711 kWh 4169 kWh 1542 kWh £1,077 £154 £1,231 £17,457 14.2 yrs £7,171
7 kW 6662 kWh 4864 kWh 1799 kWh £1,257 £180 £1,437 £19,492 13.6 yrs £9,241
8 kW 7614 kWh 5558 kWh 2056 kWh £1,436 £206 £1,642 £21,526 13.1 yrs £11,311

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: £1,041, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 16.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1904 kWh 1428 kWh 476 kWh £369 £48 £416 £11,069 26.6 yrs £-2,739
3 kW 2855 kWh 2141 kWh 714 kWh £553 £71 £625 £13,104 21.0 yrs £-609
4 kW 3807 kWh 2855 kWh 952 kWh £738 £95 £833 £15,138 18.2 yrs £1,522
5 kW 4759 kWh 3569 kWh 1190 kWh £922 £119 £1,041 £17,173 16.5 yrs £3,652
6 kW 5711 kWh 4283 kWh 1428 kWh £1,107 £143 £1,249 £19,207 15.4 yrs £5,783
7 kW 6662 kWh 4997 kWh 1666 kWh £1,291 £167 £1,458 £21,242 14.6 yrs £7,913
8 kW 7614 kWh 5711 kWh 1904 kWh £1,476 £190 £1,666 £23,276 14.0 yrs £10,043

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: £1,056, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 18.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1904 kWh 1466 kWh 438 kWh £379 £44 £423 £13,519 32.0 yrs £-5,069
3 kW 2855 kWh 2199 kWh 657 kWh £568 £66 £634 £15,554 24.5 yrs £-2,878
4 kW 3807 kWh 2931 kWh 876 kWh £757 £88 £845 £17,588 20.8 yrs £-687
5 kW 4759 kWh 3664 kWh 1095 kWh £947 £109 £1,056 £19,623 18.6 yrs £1,504
6 kW 5711 kWh 4397 kWh 1313 kWh £1,136 £131 £1,268 £21,657 17.1 yrs £3,694
7 kW 6662 kWh 5130 kWh 1532 kWh £1,326 £153 £1,479 £23,692 16.0 yrs £5,885
8 kW 7614 kWh 5863 kWh 1751 kWh £1,515 £175 £1,690 £25,726 15.2 yrs £8,076

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 DG8

Figures below are tailored to DG8 — click through for full league tables.

Solar Payback Index Rank #1673 of 2997
11.4 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£1,069 /yr • £12,207 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #1253 of 2997
19.3% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£206 fixed • ~£1,069 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.84p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
56.55p/day
Local Sunshine
952kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~952 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 Galloway and Wigtown West, Girvan and South Carrick

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

DG6 (Dumfries and Galloway)
≈28.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~950 kWh/kWp · -0% vs DG8
DG9 (Dumfries and Galloway)
≈34.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~945 kWh/kWp · -1% vs DG8
DG7 (Dumfries and Galloway)
≈34.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~931 kWh/kWp · -2% vs DG8
DG5 (Dumfries and Galloway)
≈42.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~918 kWh/kWp · -4% vs DG8
KA26 (South Ayrshire)
≈45.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~877 kWh/kWp · -8% vs DG8
KA19 (South Ayrshire)
≈53.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~877 kWh/kWp · -8% vs DG8

Similar sunshine across the UK

DE21 (Derby)
~952 kWh/kWp · +0% vs DG8
HU14 (East Riding of Yorkshire)
~952 kWh/kWp · +0% vs DG8
B46 (North Warwickshire)
~952 kWh/kWp · -0% vs DG8