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 954 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 25.6p 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: £776, 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 | 1909 kWh | 763 kWh | 1145 kWh | £196 | £115 | £310 | £4,069 | 13.1 yrs | £2,136 |
| 3 kW | 2863 kWh | 1145 kWh | 1718 kWh | £294 | £172 | £465 | £6,104 | 13.1 yrs | £3,204 |
| 4 kW | 3817 kWh | 1527 kWh | 2290 kWh | £391 | £229 | £621 | £8,138 | 13.1 yrs | £4,272 |
| 5 kW | 4772 kWh | 1909 kWh | 2863 kWh | £489 | £286 | £776 | £10,173 | 13.1 yrs | £5,341 |
| 6 kW | 5726 kWh | 2290 kWh | 3435 kWh | £587 | £344 | £931 | £12,207 | 13.1 yrs | £6,409 |
| 7 kW | 6680 kWh | 2672 kWh | 4008 kWh | £685 | £401 | £1,086 | £14,242 | 13.1 yrs | £7,477 |
| 8 kW | 7634 kWh | 3054 kWh | 4581 kWh | £783 | £458 | £1,241 | £16,276 | 13.1 yrs | £8,545 |
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: £925, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 13.3 yrs
| System | Annual output | Self-use | Exported | Bill saving | Export income | Annual benefit | Upfront cost | Break-even | 20-year net |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 kW | 1909 kWh | 1145 kWh | 763 kWh | £294 | £76 | £370 | £6,169 | 16.7 yrs | £1,230 |
| 3 kW | 2863 kWh | 1718 kWh | 1145 kWh | £440 | £115 | £555 | £8,204 | 14.8 yrs | £2,895 |
| 4 kW | 3817 kWh | 2290 kWh | 1527 kWh | £587 | £153 | £740 | £10,238 | 13.8 yrs | £4,560 |
| 5 kW | 4772 kWh | 2863 kWh | 1909 kWh | £734 | £191 | £925 | £12,273 | 13.3 yrs | £6,226 |
| 6 kW | 5726 kWh | 3435 kWh | 2290 kWh | £881 | £229 | £1,110 | £14,307 | 12.9 yrs | £7,891 |
| 7 kW | 6680 kWh | 4008 kWh | 2672 kWh | £1,028 | £267 | £1,295 | £16,342 | 12.6 yrs | £9,556 |
| 8 kW | 7634 kWh | 4581 kWh | 3054 kWh | £1,174 | £305 | £1,480 | £18,376 | 12.4 yrs | £11,221 |
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: £1,000, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 13.7 yrs
| System | Annual output | Self-use | Exported | Bill saving | Export income | Annual benefit | Upfront cost | Break-even | 20-year net |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 kW | 1909 kWh | 1336 kWh | 573 kWh | £343 | £57 | £400 | £7,569 | 18.9 yrs | £427 |
| 3 kW | 2863 kWh | 2004 kWh | 859 kWh | £514 | £86 | £600 | £9,604 | 16.0 yrs | £2,391 |
| 4 kW | 3817 kWh | 2672 kWh | 1145 kWh | £685 | £115 | £800 | £11,638 | 14.6 yrs | £4,355 |
| 5 kW | 4772 kWh | 3340 kWh | 1431 kWh | £856 | £143 | £1,000 | £13,673 | 13.7 yrs | £6,318 |
| 6 kW | 5726 kWh | 4008 kWh | 1718 kWh | £1,028 | £172 | £1,199 | £15,707 | 13.1 yrs | £8,282 |
| 7 kW | 6680 kWh | 4676 kWh | 2004 kWh | £1,199 | £200 | £1,399 | £17,742 | 12.7 yrs | £10,245 |
| 8 kW | 7634 kWh | 5344 kWh | 2290 kWh | £1,370 | £229 | £1,599 | £19,776 | 12.4 yrs | £12,209 |
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: £1,022, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 15.1 yrs
| System | Annual output | Self-use | Exported | Bill saving | Export income | Annual benefit | Upfront cost | Break-even | 20-year net |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 kW | 1909 kWh | 1393 kWh | 515 kWh | £357 | £52 | £409 | £9,319 | 22.8 yrs | £-1,144 |
| 3 kW | 2863 kWh | 2090 kWh | 773 kWh | £536 | £77 | £613 | £11,354 | 18.5 yrs | £910 |
| 4 kW | 3817 kWh | 2787 kWh | 1031 kWh | £714 | £103 | £818 | £13,388 | 16.4 yrs | £2,963 |
| 5 kW | 4772 kWh | 3483 kWh | 1288 kWh | £893 | £129 | £1,022 | £15,423 | 15.1 yrs | £5,016 |
| 6 kW | 5726 kWh | 4180 kWh | 1546 kWh | £1,072 | £155 | £1,226 | £17,457 | 14.2 yrs | £7,069 |
| 7 kW | 6680 kWh | 4876 kWh | 1804 kWh | £1,250 | £180 | £1,431 | £19,492 | 13.6 yrs | £9,122 |
| 8 kW | 7634 kWh | 5573 kWh | 2061 kWh | £1,429 | £206 | £1,635 | £21,526 | 13.2 yrs | £11,175 |
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: £1,037, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 16.6 yrs
| System | Annual output | Self-use | Exported | Bill saving | Export income | Annual benefit | Upfront cost | Break-even | 20-year net |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 kW | 1909 kWh | 1431 kWh | 477 kWh | £367 | £48 | £415 | £11,069 | 26.7 yrs | £-2,774 |
| 3 kW | 2863 kWh | 2147 kWh | 716 kWh | £551 | £72 | £622 | £13,104 | 21.1 yrs | £-661 |
| 4 kW | 3817 kWh | 2863 kWh | 954 kWh | £734 | £95 | £829 | £15,138 | 18.3 yrs | £1,452 |
| 5 kW | 4772 kWh | 3579 kWh | 1193 kWh | £918 | £119 | £1,037 | £17,173 | 16.6 yrs | £3,564 |
| 6 kW | 5726 kWh | 4294 kWh | 1431 kWh | £1,101 | £143 | £1,244 | £19,207 | 15.4 yrs | £5,677 |
| 7 kW | 6680 kWh | 5010 kWh | 1670 kWh | £1,285 | £167 | £1,452 | £21,242 | 14.6 yrs | £7,790 |
| 8 kW | 7634 kWh | 5726 kWh | 1909 kWh | £1,468 | £191 | £1,659 | £23,276 | 14.0 yrs | £9,903 |
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: £1,052, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 18.7 yrs
| System | Annual output | Self-use | Exported | Bill saving | Export income | Annual benefit | Upfront cost | Break-even | 20-year net |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 kW | 1909 kWh | 1470 kWh | 439 kWh | £377 | £44 | £421 | £13,519 | 32.1 yrs | £-5,105 |
| 3 kW | 2863 kWh | 2204 kWh | 658 kWh | £565 | £66 | £631 | £15,554 | 24.6 yrs | £-2,932 |
| 4 kW | 3817 kWh | 2939 kWh | 878 kWh | £754 | £88 | £841 | £17,588 | 20.9 yrs | £-760 |
| 5 kW | 4772 kWh | 3674 kWh | 1097 kWh | £942 | £110 | £1,052 | £19,623 | 18.7 yrs | £1,413 |
| 6 kW | 5726 kWh | 4409 kWh | 1317 kWh | £1,130 | £132 | £1,262 | £21,657 | 17.2 yrs | £3,585 |
| 7 kW | 6680 kWh | 5144 kWh | 1536 kWh | £1,319 | £154 | £1,472 | £23,692 | 16.1 yrs | £5,758 |
| 8 kW | 7634 kWh | 5878 kWh | 1756 kWh | £1,507 | £176 | £1,683 | £25,726 | 15.3 yrs | £7,931 |
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.