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 975 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 25.3p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.
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: £787, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 12.9 yrs
| System | Annual output | Self-use | Exported | Bill saving | Export income | Annual benefit | Upfront cost | Break-even | 20-year net |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 kW | 1951 kWh | 780 kWh | 1170 kWh | £198 | £117 | £315 | £4,069 | 12.9 yrs | £2,225 |
| 3 kW | 2926 kWh | 1170 kWh | 1756 kWh | £296 | £176 | £472 | £6,104 | 12.9 yrs | £3,338 |
| 4 kW | 3902 kWh | 1561 kWh | 2341 kWh | £395 | £234 | £629 | £8,138 | 12.9 yrs | £4,450 |
| 5 kW | 4877 kWh | 1951 kWh | 2926 kWh | £494 | £293 | £787 | £10,173 | 12.9 yrs | £5,563 |
| 6 kW | 5852 kWh | 2341 kWh | 3511 kWh | £593 | £351 | £944 | £12,207 | 12.9 yrs | £6,675 |
| 7 kW | 6828 kWh | 2731 kWh | 4097 kWh | £692 | £410 | £1,101 | £14,242 | 12.9 yrs | £7,788 |
| 8 kW | 7803 kWh | 3121 kWh | 4682 kWh | £791 | £468 | £1,259 | £16,276 | 12.9 yrs | £8,900 |
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: £936, Upfront: £12,273, 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 | 1951 kWh | 1170 kWh | 780 kWh | £296 | £78 | £375 | £6,169 | 16.5 yrs | £1,321 |
| 3 kW | 2926 kWh | 1756 kWh | 1170 kWh | £445 | £117 | £562 | £8,204 | 14.6 yrs | £3,032 |
| 4 kW | 3902 kWh | 2341 kWh | 1561 kWh | £593 | £156 | £749 | £10,238 | 13.7 yrs | £4,743 |
| 5 kW | 4877 kWh | 2926 kWh | 1951 kWh | £741 | £195 | £936 | £12,273 | 13.1 yrs | £6,453 |
| 6 kW | 5852 kWh | 3511 kWh | 2341 kWh | £889 | £234 | £1,124 | £14,307 | 12.7 yrs | £8,164 |
| 7 kW | 6828 kWh | 4097 kWh | 2731 kWh | £1,038 | £273 | £1,311 | £16,342 | 12.5 yrs | £9,874 |
| 8 kW | 7803 kWh | 4682 kWh | 3121 kWh | £1,186 | £312 | £1,498 | £18,376 | 12.3 yrs | £11,585 |
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: £1,011, Upfront: £13,673, 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 | 1951 kWh | 1366 kWh | 585 kWh | £346 | £59 | £404 | £7,569 | 18.7 yrs | £519 |
| 3 kW | 2926 kWh | 2048 kWh | 878 kWh | £519 | £88 | £607 | £9,604 | 15.8 yrs | £2,529 |
| 4 kW | 3902 kWh | 2731 kWh | 1170 kWh | £692 | £117 | £809 | £11,638 | 14.4 yrs | £4,539 |
| 5 kW | 4877 kWh | 3414 kWh | 1463 kWh | £865 | £146 | £1,011 | £13,673 | 13.5 yrs | £6,548 |
| 6 kW | 5852 kWh | 4097 kWh | 1756 kWh | £1,038 | £176 | £1,213 | £15,707 | 12.9 yrs | £8,558 |
| 7 kW | 6828 kWh | 4779 kWh | 2048 kWh | £1,211 | £205 | £1,415 | £17,742 | 12.5 yrs | £10,568 |
| 8 kW | 7803 kWh | 5462 kWh | 2341 kWh | £1,384 | £234 | £1,618 | £19,776 | 12.2 yrs | £12,578 |
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: £1,033, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 14.9 yrs
| System | Annual output | Self-use | Exported | Bill saving | Export income | Annual benefit | Upfront cost | Break-even | 20-year net |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 kW | 1951 kWh | 1424 kWh | 527 kWh | £361 | £53 | £413 | £9,319 | 22.5 yrs | £-1,051 |
| 3 kW | 2926 kWh | 2136 kWh | 790 kWh | £541 | £79 | £620 | £11,354 | 18.3 yrs | £1,048 |
| 4 kW | 3902 kWh | 2848 kWh | 1053 kWh | £721 | £105 | £827 | £13,388 | 16.2 yrs | £3,148 |
| 5 kW | 4877 kWh | 3560 kWh | 1317 kWh | £902 | £132 | £1,033 | £15,423 | 14.9 yrs | £5,247 |
| 6 kW | 5852 kWh | 4272 kWh | 1580 kWh | £1,082 | £158 | £1,240 | £17,457 | 14.1 yrs | £7,346 |
| 7 kW | 6828 kWh | 4984 kWh | 1844 kWh | £1,263 | £184 | £1,447 | £19,492 | 13.5 yrs | £9,446 |
| 8 kW | 7803 kWh | 5696 kWh | 2107 kWh | £1,443 | £211 | £1,654 | £21,526 | 13.0 yrs | £11,545 |
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: £1,048, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 16.4 yrs
| System | Annual output | Self-use | Exported | Bill saving | Export income | Annual benefit | Upfront cost | Break-even | 20-year net |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 kW | 1951 kWh | 1463 kWh | 488 kWh | £371 | £49 | £419 | £11,069 | 26.4 yrs | £-2,682 |
| 3 kW | 2926 kWh | 2195 kWh | 732 kWh | £556 | £73 | £629 | £13,104 | 20.8 yrs | £-522 |
| 4 kW | 3902 kWh | 2926 kWh | 975 kWh | £741 | £98 | £839 | £15,138 | 18.0 yrs | £1,637 |
| 5 kW | 4877 kWh | 3658 kWh | 1219 kWh | £927 | £122 | £1,048 | £17,173 | 16.4 yrs | £3,796 |
| 6 kW | 5852 kWh | 4389 kWh | 1463 kWh | £1,112 | £146 | £1,258 | £19,207 | 15.3 yrs | £5,955 |
| 7 kW | 6828 kWh | 5121 kWh | 1707 kWh | £1,297 | £171 | £1,468 | £21,242 | 14.5 yrs | £8,115 |
| 8 kW | 7803 kWh | 5852 kWh | 1951 kWh | £1,482 | £195 | £1,677 | £23,276 | 13.9 yrs | £10,274 |
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: £1,063, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 18.5 yrs
| System | Annual output | Self-use | Exported | Bill saving | Export income | Annual benefit | Upfront cost | Break-even | 20-year net |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 kW | 1951 kWh | 1502 kWh | 449 kWh | £380 | £45 | £425 | £13,519 | 31.8 yrs | £-5,012 |
| 3 kW | 2926 kWh | 2253 kWh | 673 kWh | £571 | £67 | £638 | £15,554 | 24.4 yrs | £-2,793 |
| 4 kW | 3902 kWh | 3004 kWh | 897 kWh | £761 | £90 | £851 | £17,588 | 20.7 yrs | £-574 |
| 5 kW | 4877 kWh | 3755 kWh | 1122 kWh | £951 | £112 | £1,063 | £19,623 | 18.5 yrs | £1,645 |
| 6 kW | 5852 kWh | 4506 kWh | 1346 kWh | £1,141 | £135 | £1,276 | £21,657 | 17.0 yrs | £3,864 |
| 7 kW | 6828 kWh | 5257 kWh | 1570 kWh | £1,332 | £157 | £1,489 | £23,692 | 15.9 yrs | £6,083 |
| 8 kW | 7803 kWh | 6008 kWh | 1795 kWh | £1,522 | £179 | £1,701 | £25,726 | 15.1 yrs | £8,302 |
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.