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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in E9 (Hackney)

See if solar pays off for you in Hackney — 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
12.6 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£6,104
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£483
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£5,984
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 London, the current unit rate is 25.63p/kWh with a 46.06p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 992 kWh/kW — 1 above the regional median (991).

Read the full story

A typical roof here lands around 3.0 kW, with most eligible homes comfortably fitting within 3–6 kW. Each kilowatt of panels produces roughly 992 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.

Unit rate
25.6p/kWh
Standing charge
46.1p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
992 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: £806, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 12.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1983 kWh 793 kWh 1190 kWh £203 £119 £322 £4,069 12.6 yrs £2,377
3 kW 2975 kWh 1190 kWh 1785 kWh £305 £178 £483 £6,104 12.6 yrs £3,566
4 kW 3967 kWh 1587 kWh 2380 kWh £407 £238 £645 £8,138 12.6 yrs £4,755
5 kW 4958 kWh 1983 kWh 2975 kWh £508 £297 £806 £10,173 12.6 yrs £5,944
6 kW 5950 kWh 2380 kWh 3570 kWh £610 £357 £967 £12,207 12.6 yrs £7,132
7 kW 6942 kWh 2777 kWh 4165 kWh £712 £416 £1,128 £14,242 12.6 yrs £8,321
8 kW 7933 kWh 3173 kWh 4760 kWh £813 £476 £1,289 £16,276 12.6 yrs £9,510

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: £961, Upfront: £12,273, 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 1983 kWh 1190 kWh 793 kWh £305 £79 £384 £6,169 16.1 yrs £1,517
3 kW 2975 kWh 1785 kWh 1190 kWh £457 £119 £576 £8,204 14.2 yrs £3,326
4 kW 3967 kWh 2380 kWh 1587 kWh £610 £159 £769 £10,238 13.3 yrs £5,135
5 kW 4958 kWh 2975 kWh 1983 kWh £762 £198 £961 £12,273 12.8 yrs £6,944
6 kW 5950 kWh 3570 kWh 2380 kWh £915 £238 £1,153 £14,307 12.4 yrs £8,752
7 kW 6942 kWh 4165 kWh 2777 kWh £1,067 £278 £1,345 £16,342 12.1 yrs £10,561
8 kW 7933 kWh 4760 kWh 3173 kWh £1,220 £317 £1,537 £18,376 12.0 yrs £12,370

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: £1,038, Upfront: £13,673, 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 1983 kWh 1388 kWh 595 kWh £356 £59 £415 £7,569 18.2 yrs £737
3 kW 2975 kWh 2082 kWh 892 kWh £534 £89 £623 £9,604 15.4 yrs £2,856
4 kW 3967 kWh 2777 kWh 1190 kWh £712 £119 £831 £11,638 14.0 yrs £4,975
5 kW 4958 kWh 3471 kWh 1487 kWh £890 £149 £1,038 £13,673 13.2 yrs £7,094
6 kW 5950 kWh 4165 kWh 1785 kWh £1,067 £178 £1,246 £15,707 12.6 yrs £9,212
7 kW 6942 kWh 4859 kWh 2082 kWh £1,245 £208 £1,454 £17,742 12.2 yrs £11,331
8 kW 7933 kWh 5553 kWh 2380 kWh £1,423 £238 £1,661 £19,776 11.9 yrs £13,450

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: £1,062, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 14.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1983 kWh 1448 kWh 535 kWh £371 £54 £425 £9,319 21.9 yrs £-827
3 kW 2975 kWh 2172 kWh 803 kWh £557 £80 £637 £11,354 17.8 yrs £1,385
4 kW 3967 kWh 2896 kWh 1071 kWh £742 £107 £849 £13,388 15.8 yrs £3,597
5 kW 4958 kWh 3620 kWh 1339 kWh £928 £134 £1,062 £15,423 14.5 yrs £5,809
6 kW 5950 kWh 4343 kWh 1606 kWh £1,113 £161 £1,274 £17,457 13.7 yrs £8,020
7 kW 6942 kWh 5067 kWh 1874 kWh £1,299 £187 £1,486 £19,492 13.1 yrs £10,232
8 kW 7933 kWh 5791 kWh 2142 kWh £1,484 £214 £1,698 £21,526 12.7 yrs £12,444

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: £1,077, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 15.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1983 kWh 1487 kWh 496 kWh £381 £50 £431 £11,069 25.7 yrs £-2,453
3 kW 2975 kWh 2231 kWh 744 kWh £572 £74 £646 £13,104 20.3 yrs £-179
4 kW 3967 kWh 2975 kWh 992 kWh £762 £99 £862 £15,138 17.6 yrs £2,095
5 kW 4958 kWh 3719 kWh 1240 kWh £953 £124 £1,077 £17,173 15.9 yrs £4,369
6 kW 5950 kWh 4462 kWh 1487 kWh £1,144 £149 £1,292 £19,207 14.9 yrs £6,642
7 kW 6942 kWh 5206 kWh 1735 kWh £1,334 £174 £1,508 £21,242 14.1 yrs £8,916
8 kW 7933 kWh 5950 kWh 1983 kWh £1,525 £198 £1,723 £23,276 13.5 yrs £11,190

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: £1,093, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 18.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1983 kWh 1527 kWh 456 kWh £391 £46 £437 £13,519 30.9 yrs £-4,779
3 kW 2975 kWh 2291 kWh 684 kWh £587 £68 £656 £15,554 23.7 yrs £-2,443
4 kW 3967 kWh 3054 kWh 912 kWh £783 £91 £874 £17,588 20.1 yrs £-107
5 kW 4958 kWh 3818 kWh 1140 kWh £979 £114 £1,093 £19,623 18.0 yrs £2,229
6 kW 5950 kWh 4581 kWh 1368 kWh £1,174 £137 £1,311 £21,657 16.5 yrs £4,564
7 kW 6942 kWh 5345 kWh 1597 kWh £1,370 £160 £1,530 £23,692 15.5 yrs £6,900
8 kW 7933 kWh 6109 kWh 1825 kWh £1,566 £182 £1,748 £25,726 14.7 yrs £9,236

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 E9

Figures below are tailored to E9 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #2127 of 2182
3.8 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~8 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #1203 of 2997
11.0 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£922 /yr • £10,173 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #1062 of 2997
18.2% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£168 fixed • ~£922 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.63p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
46.06p/day
Local Sunshine
992kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~992 kWh per year. A typical home uses ~2,700 kWh per year.
Typical System Size
3.0kW
For eligible homes in this area

⚠️ This area is predominantly flats. Many residents require freeholder approval for solar installations. System size shown reflects houses and bungalows only.

Local Property Data

Property Types

Houses: 17% • Flats: 73% • Bungalows: 1% Based on 9,801 properties

Coverage

Hackney (75%)|Tower Hamlets (25%)

Areas Covered

Hackney Wick, Victoria, Bethnal Green West, Homerton, King's Park, Bow East, Bow 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 London

E8 (Hackney)
≈1.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~989 kWh/kWp · -0% vs E9
E2 (Tower Hamlets)
≈1.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~989 kWh/kWp · -0% vs E9
E5 (Hackney)
≈2.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~992 kWh/kWp · +0% vs E9
E3 (Tower Hamlets)
≈2.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~992 kWh/kWp · +0% vs E9
E20 (Newham)
≈2.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~992 kWh/kWp · +0% vs E9
E1 (Tower Hamlets)
≈2.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~989 kWh/kWp · -0% vs E9

Similar sunshine across the UK

HP2 (Dacorum)
~992 kWh/kWp · +0% vs E9
WD2 (Watford)
~992 kWh/kWp · +0% vs E9
WD23 (Hertsmere)
~992 kWh/kWp · +0% vs E9