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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in EX1 (Exeter)

See if solar pays off for you in Exeter — 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
11.9 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£853
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£11,160
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 1020 kWh/kW — 7 above the regional median (1013).

Read the full story

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 1020 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)
1020 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: £853, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 11.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2040 kWh 816 kWh 1224 kWh £219 £122 £341 £4,069 11.9 yrs £2,757
3 kW 3061 kWh 1224 kWh 1836 kWh £328 £184 £512 £6,104 11.9 yrs £4,136
4 kW 4081 kWh 1632 kWh 2449 kWh £438 £245 £683 £8,138 11.9 yrs £5,515
5 kW 5101 kWh 2040 kWh 3061 kWh £547 £306 £853 £10,173 11.9 yrs £6,894
6 kW 6121 kWh 2449 kWh 3673 kWh £657 £367 £1,024 £12,207 11.9 yrs £8,272
7 kW 7142 kWh 2857 kWh 4285 kWh £766 £428 £1,195 £14,242 11.9 yrs £9,651
8 kW 8162 kWh 3265 kWh 4897 kWh £876 £490 £1,365 £16,276 11.9 yrs £11,030

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: £1,025, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 12.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2040 kWh 1224 kWh 816 kWh £328 £82 £410 £6,169 15.0 yrs £2,030
3 kW 3061 kWh 1836 kWh 1224 kWh £493 £122 £615 £8,204 13.3 yrs £4,095
4 kW 4081 kWh 2449 kWh 1632 kWh £657 £163 £820 £10,238 12.5 yrs £6,161
5 kW 5101 kWh 3061 kWh 2040 kWh £821 £204 £1,025 £12,273 12.0 yrs £8,226
6 kW 6121 kWh 3673 kWh 2449 kWh £985 £245 £1,230 £14,307 11.6 yrs £10,291
7 kW 7142 kWh 4285 kWh 2857 kWh £1,149 £286 £1,435 £16,342 11.4 yrs £12,356
8 kW 8162 kWh 4897 kWh 3265 kWh £1,313 £326 £1,640 £18,376 11.2 yrs £14,421

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: £1,111, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 12.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2040 kWh 1428 kWh 612 kWh £383 £61 £444 £7,569 17.0 yrs £1,317
3 kW 3061 kWh 2142 kWh 918 kWh £575 £92 £666 £9,604 14.4 yrs £3,725
4 kW 4081 kWh 2857 kWh 1224 kWh £766 £122 £889 £11,638 13.1 yrs £6,133
5 kW 5101 kWh 3571 kWh 1530 kWh £958 £153 £1,111 £13,673 12.3 yrs £8,542
6 kW 6121 kWh 4285 kWh 1836 kWh £1,149 £184 £1,333 £15,707 11.8 yrs £10,950
7 kW 7142 kWh 4999 kWh 2142 kWh £1,341 £214 £1,555 £17,742 11.4 yrs £13,358
8 kW 8162 kWh 5713 kWh 2449 kWh £1,532 £245 £1,777 £19,776 11.1 yrs £15,767

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: £1,136, Upfront: £15,423, 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 2040 kWh 1490 kWh 551 kWh £399 £55 £455 £9,319 20.5 yrs £-227
3 kW 3061 kWh 2234 kWh 826 kWh £599 £83 £682 £11,354 16.7 yrs £2,284
4 kW 4081 kWh 2979 kWh 1102 kWh £799 £110 £909 £13,388 14.7 yrs £4,795
5 kW 5101 kWh 3724 kWh 1377 kWh £999 £138 £1,136 £15,423 13.6 yrs £7,307
6 kW 6121 kWh 4469 kWh 1653 kWh £1,198 £165 £1,364 £17,457 12.8 yrs £9,818
7 kW 7142 kWh 5213 kWh 1928 kWh £1,398 £193 £1,591 £19,492 12.3 yrs £12,329
8 kW 8162 kWh 5958 kWh 2204 kWh £1,598 £220 £1,818 £21,526 11.8 yrs £14,840

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: £1,154, Upfront: £17,173, 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 2040 kWh 1530 kWh 510 kWh £410 £51 £461 £11,069 24.0 yrs £-1,840
3 kW 3061 kWh 2295 kWh 765 kWh £616 £77 £692 £13,104 18.9 yrs £740
4 kW 4081 kWh 3061 kWh 1020 kWh £821 £102 £923 £15,138 16.4 yrs £3,320
5 kW 5101 kWh 3826 kWh 1275 kWh £1,026 £128 £1,154 £17,173 14.9 yrs £5,900
6 kW 6121 kWh 4591 kWh 1530 kWh £1,231 £153 £1,384 £19,207 13.9 yrs £8,480
7 kW 7142 kWh 5356 kWh 1785 kWh £1,437 £179 £1,615 £21,242 13.2 yrs £11,060
8 kW 8162 kWh 6121 kWh 2040 kWh £1,642 £204 £1,846 £23,276 12.6 yrs £13,640

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: £1,171, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 16.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2040 kWh 1571 kWh 469 kWh £421 £47 £468 £13,519 28.9 yrs £-4,153
3 kW 3061 kWh 2357 kWh 704 kWh £632 £70 £702 £15,554 22.1 yrs £-1,504
4 kW 4081 kWh 3142 kWh 939 kWh £843 £94 £937 £17,588 18.8 yrs £1,144
5 kW 5101 kWh 3928 kWh 1173 kWh £1,053 £117 £1,171 £19,623 16.8 yrs £3,793
6 kW 6121 kWh 4713 kWh 1408 kWh £1,264 £141 £1,405 £21,657 15.4 yrs £6,442
7 kW 7142 kWh 5499 kWh 1643 kWh £1,475 £164 £1,639 £23,692 14.5 yrs £9,090
8 kW 8162 kWh 6285 kWh 1877 kWh £1,686 £188 £1,873 £25,726 13.7 yrs £11,739

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 EX1

Figures below are tailored to EX1 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1575 of 2182
4.6 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~10 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #400 of 2997
10.4 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£982 /yr • £10,173 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #1432 of 2997
20.1% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£197 fixed • ~£982 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.82p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
54.03p/day
Local Sunshine
1020kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~1020 kWh per year. A typical home uses ~2,700 kWh per year.
Typical System Size
5.0kW
For houses & bungalows in this area

Local Property Data

Property Types

Houses: 65% • Flats: 30% • Bungalows: 3% Based on 9,900 properties

Coverage

Exeter (92%)|East Devon (8%)

Areas Covered

Newtown and St Leonard's, St David's, Heavitree, Pinhoe, Broadclyst, Mincinglake and Whipton, St Loyes, Pennsylvania + 2 more

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

EX4 (Exeter)
≈0.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,015 kWh/kWp · -1% vs EX1
EX2 (Exeter)
≈1.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,038 kWh/kWp · +2% vs EX1
EX3 (Exeter)
≈5.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,031 kWh/kWp · +1% vs EX1
EX5 (East Devon)
≈7.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,028 kWh/kWp · +1% vs EX1
EX6 (Teignbridge)
≈7.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~998 kWh/kWp · -2% vs EX1
EX17 (Mid Devon)
≈12.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,004 kWh/kWp · -2% vs EX1

Similar sunshine across the UK

DA5 (Bexley)
~1,020 kWh/kWp · +0% vs EX1
BA21 (Somerset)
~1,020 kWh/kWp · +0% vs EX1
BA20 (Somerset)
~1,020 kWh/kWp · -0% vs EX1