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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in DT6 (Dorset)

See if solar pays off for you in Dorset — 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
11.3 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£12,207
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£1,083
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£14,879
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 Western, the current unit rate is 26.82p/kWh with a 54.03p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 1079 kWh/kW — 66 above the regional median (1013).

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 1079 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 26.8p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
26.8p/kWh
Standing charge
54.0p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
1079 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: £903, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 11.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2159 kWh 864 kWh 1295 kWh £232 £130 £361 £4,069 11.3 yrs £3,154
3 kW 3238 kWh 1295 kWh 1943 kWh £347 £194 £542 £6,104 11.3 yrs £4,731
4 kW 4318 kWh 1727 kWh 2591 kWh £463 £259 £722 £8,138 11.3 yrs £6,308
5 kW 5397 kWh 2159 kWh 3238 kWh £579 £324 £903 £10,173 11.3 yrs £7,885
6 kW 6477 kWh 2591 kWh 3886 kWh £695 £389 £1,083 £12,207 11.3 yrs £9,462
7 kW 7556 kWh 3022 kWh 4534 kWh £811 £453 £1,264 £14,242 11.3 yrs £11,039
8 kW 8636 kWh 3454 kWh 5181 kWh £926 £518 £1,445 £16,276 11.3 yrs £12,615

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: £1,084, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 11.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2159 kWh 1295 kWh 864 kWh £347 £86 £434 £6,169 14.2 yrs £2,506
3 kW 3238 kWh 1943 kWh 1295 kWh £521 £130 £651 £8,204 12.6 yrs £4,810
4 kW 4318 kWh 2591 kWh 1727 kWh £695 £173 £868 £10,238 11.8 yrs £7,113
5 kW 5397 kWh 3238 kWh 2159 kWh £869 £216 £1,084 £12,273 11.3 yrs £9,416
6 kW 6477 kWh 3886 kWh 2591 kWh £1,042 £259 £1,301 £14,307 11.0 yrs £11,719
7 kW 7556 kWh 4534 kWh 3022 kWh £1,216 £302 £1,518 £16,342 10.8 yrs £14,022
8 kW 8636 kWh 5181 kWh 3454 kWh £1,390 £345 £1,735 £18,376 10.6 yrs £16,326

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: £1,175, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 11.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2159 kWh 1511 kWh 648 kWh £405 £65 £470 £7,569 16.1 yrs £1,833
3 kW 3238 kWh 2267 kWh 972 kWh £608 £97 £705 £9,604 13.6 yrs £4,499
4 kW 4318 kWh 3022 kWh 1295 kWh £811 £130 £940 £11,638 12.4 yrs £7,165
5 kW 5397 kWh 3778 kWh 1619 kWh £1,013 £162 £1,175 £13,673 11.6 yrs £9,832
6 kW 6477 kWh 4534 kWh 1943 kWh £1,216 £194 £1,410 £15,707 11.1 yrs £12,498
7 kW 7556 kWh 5289 kWh 2267 kWh £1,419 £227 £1,645 £17,742 10.8 yrs £15,164
8 kW 8636 kWh 6045 kWh 2591 kWh £1,621 £259 £1,880 £19,776 10.5 yrs £17,831

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: £1,202, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 12.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2159 kWh 1576 kWh 583 kWh £423 £58 £481 £9,319 19.4 yrs £301
3 kW 3238 kWh 2364 kWh 874 kWh £634 £87 £721 £11,354 15.7 yrs £3,076
4 kW 4318 kWh 3152 kWh 1166 kWh £845 £117 £962 £13,388 13.9 yrs £5,851
5 kW 5397 kWh 3940 kWh 1457 kWh £1,057 £146 £1,202 £15,423 12.8 yrs £8,626
6 kW 6477 kWh 4728 kWh 1749 kWh £1,268 £175 £1,443 £17,457 12.1 yrs £11,402
7 kW 7556 kWh 5516 kWh 2040 kWh £1,479 £204 £1,683 £19,492 11.6 yrs £14,177
8 kW 8636 kWh 6304 kWh 2332 kWh £1,691 £233 £1,924 £21,526 11.2 yrs £16,952

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: £1,221, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 14.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2159 kWh 1619 kWh 540 kWh £434 £54 £488 £11,069 22.7 yrs £-1,304
3 kW 3238 kWh 2429 kWh 810 kWh £651 £81 £732 £13,104 17.9 yrs £1,544
4 kW 4318 kWh 3238 kWh 1079 kWh £869 £108 £976 £15,138 15.5 yrs £4,392
5 kW 5397 kWh 4048 kWh 1349 kWh £1,086 £135 £1,221 £17,173 14.1 yrs £7,239
6 kW 6477 kWh 4858 kWh 1619 kWh £1,303 £162 £1,465 £19,207 13.1 yrs £10,087
7 kW 7556 kWh 5667 kWh 1889 kWh £1,520 £189 £1,709 £21,242 12.4 yrs £12,935
8 kW 8636 kWh 6477 kWh 2159 kWh £1,737 £216 £1,953 £23,276 11.9 yrs £15,783

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: £1,239, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 15.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2159 kWh 1662 kWh 497 kWh £446 £50 £496 £13,519 27.3 yrs £-3,609
3 kW 3238 kWh 2494 kWh 745 kWh £669 £74 £743 £15,554 20.9 yrs £-688
4 kW 4318 kWh 3325 kWh 993 kWh £892 £99 £991 £17,588 17.7 yrs £2,232
5 kW 5397 kWh 4156 kWh 1241 kWh £1,115 £124 £1,239 £19,623 15.8 yrs £5,153
6 kW 6477 kWh 4987 kWh 1490 kWh £1,338 £149 £1,487 £21,657 14.6 yrs £8,073
7 kW 7556 kWh 5818 kWh 1738 kWh £1,560 £174 £1,734 £23,692 13.7 yrs £10,994
8 kW 8636 kWh 6649 kWh 1986 kWh £1,783 £199 £1,982 £25,726 13.0 yrs £13,914

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 DT6

Figures below are tailored to DT6 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #694 of 2182
5.4 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~11 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #122 of 2997
9.8 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£1,247 /yr • £12,207 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #531 of 2997
15.8% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£197 fixed • ~£1,247 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.82p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
54.03p/day
Local Sunshine
1079kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~1079 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

Houses: 60% • Flats: 20% • Bungalows: 18% Based on 6,462 properties

Coverage

Dorset (100%)

Areas Covered

Bridport, Marshwood Vale, Eggardon, Lyme & Charmouth, Chesil Bank

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 Western

DT8 (Dorset)
≈8.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,017 kWh/kWp · -6% vs DT6
DT7 (Dorset)
≈12.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,043 kWh/kWp · -3% vs DT6
TA18 (Somerset)
≈16.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,012 kWh/kWp · -6% vs DT6
EX13 (East Devon)
≈18.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,043 kWh/kWp · -3% vs DT6
TA16 (Somerset)
≈19.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,017 kWh/kWp · -6% vs DT6
TA17 (Somerset)
≈20.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,019 kWh/kWp · -6% vs DT6

Similar sunshine across the UK

PO17 (Winchester)
~1,078 kWh/kWp · -0% vs DT6
BH11 (Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole)
~1,081 kWh/kWp · +0% vs DT6
CT11 (Thanet)
~1,078 kWh/kWp · -0% vs DT6