Solar explained to clever people by people who are not trying to be clever
Home Regions
Insights
Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in EX20 (West Devon)

See if solar pays off for you in West Devon — 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
12.9 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£791
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£9,600
After paying itself off, you're this much ahead

Ready to Get Started?

Get your free quote from Blue Ape Renewables. They'll connect you with MCS-certified installers in your area and handle all the paperwork.

Get Solar Quote →
4.8★ Trustpilot • Octopus Energy trusted partner • MCS certified • No obligation
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 946 kWh/kW — 68 below 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 946 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)
946 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: £791, 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 1891 kWh 756 kWh 1135 kWh £203 £113 £316 £4,069 12.9 yrs £2,258
3 kW 2837 kWh 1135 kWh 1702 kWh £304 £170 £475 £6,104 12.9 yrs £3,387
4 kW 3782 kWh 1513 kWh 2269 kWh £406 £227 £633 £8,138 12.9 yrs £4,516
5 kW 4728 kWh 1891 kWh 2837 kWh £507 £284 £791 £10,173 12.9 yrs £5,645
6 kW 5674 kWh 2269 kWh 3404 kWh £609 £340 £949 £12,207 12.9 yrs £6,775
7 kW 6619 kWh 2648 kWh 3972 kWh £710 £397 £1,107 £14,242 12.9 yrs £7,904
8 kW 7565 kWh 3026 kWh 4539 kWh £812 £454 £1,265 £16,276 12.9 yrs £9,033

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: £950, Upfront: £12,273, 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 1891 kWh 1135 kWh 756 kWh £304 £76 £380 £6,169 16.2 yrs £1,431
3 kW 2837 kWh 1702 kWh 1135 kWh £456 £113 £570 £8,204 14.4 yrs £3,196
4 kW 3782 kWh 2269 kWh 1513 kWh £609 £151 £760 £10,238 13.5 yrs £4,961
5 kW 4728 kWh 2837 kWh 1891 kWh £761 £189 £950 £12,273 12.9 yrs £6,726
6 kW 5674 kWh 3404 kWh 2269 kWh £913 £227 £1,140 £14,307 12.6 yrs £8,492
7 kW 6619 kWh 3972 kWh 2648 kWh £1,065 £265 £1,330 £16,342 12.3 yrs £10,257
8 kW 7565 kWh 4539 kWh 3026 kWh £1,217 £303 £1,520 £18,376 12.1 yrs £12,022

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: £1,029, Upfront: £13,673, 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 1891 kWh 1324 kWh 567 kWh £355 £57 £412 £7,569 18.4 yrs £667
3 kW 2837 kWh 1986 kWh 851 kWh £533 £85 £618 £9,604 15.5 yrs £2,750
4 kW 3782 kWh 2648 kWh 1135 kWh £710 £113 £824 £11,638 14.1 yrs £4,834
5 kW 4728 kWh 3310 kWh 1418 kWh £888 £142 £1,029 £13,673 13.3 yrs £6,917
6 kW 5674 kWh 3972 kWh 1702 kWh £1,065 £170 £1,235 £15,707 12.7 yrs £9,000
7 kW 6619 kWh 4633 kWh 1986 kWh £1,243 £199 £1,441 £17,742 12.3 yrs £11,084
8 kW 7565 kWh 5295 kWh 2269 kWh £1,420 £227 £1,647 £19,776 12.0 yrs £13,167

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: £1,053, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 14.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1891 kWh 1381 kWh 511 kWh £370 £51 £421 £9,319 22.1 yrs £-892
3 kW 2837 kWh 2071 kWh 766 kWh £555 £77 £632 £11,354 18.0 yrs £1,286
4 kW 3782 kWh 2761 kWh 1021 kWh £741 £102 £843 £13,388 15.9 yrs £3,465
5 kW 4728 kWh 3451 kWh 1277 kWh £926 £128 £1,053 £15,423 14.6 yrs £5,644
6 kW 5674 kWh 4142 kWh 1532 kWh £1,111 £153 £1,264 £17,457 13.8 yrs £7,823
7 kW 6619 kWh 4832 kWh 1787 kWh £1,296 £179 £1,475 £19,492 13.2 yrs £10,002
8 kW 7565 kWh 5522 kWh 2042 kWh £1,481 £204 £1,685 £21,526 12.8 yrs £12,181

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: £1,069, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 16.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1891 kWh 1418 kWh 473 kWh £380 £47 £428 £11,069 25.9 yrs £-2,515
3 kW 2837 kWh 2128 kWh 709 kWh £571 £71 £642 £13,104 20.4 yrs £-273
4 kW 3782 kWh 2837 kWh 946 kWh £761 £95 £855 £15,138 17.7 yrs £1,970
5 kW 4728 kWh 3546 kWh 1182 kWh £951 £118 £1,069 £17,173 16.1 yrs £4,212
6 kW 5674 kWh 4255 kWh 1418 kWh £1,141 £142 £1,283 £19,207 15.0 yrs £6,455
7 kW 6619 kWh 4964 kWh 1655 kWh £1,331 £165 £1,497 £21,242 14.2 yrs £8,697
8 kW 7565 kWh 5674 kWh 1891 kWh £1,522 £189 £1,711 £23,276 13.6 yrs £10,940

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: £1,085, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 18.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1891 kWh 1456 kWh 435 kWh £391 £43 £434 £13,519 31.1 yrs £-4,838
3 kW 2837 kWh 2184 kWh 652 kWh £586 £65 £651 £15,554 23.9 yrs £-2,532
4 kW 3782 kWh 2912 kWh 870 kWh £781 £87 £868 £17,588 20.3 yrs £-226
5 kW 4728 kWh 3641 kWh 1087 kWh £976 £109 £1,085 £19,623 18.1 yrs £2,080
6 kW 5674 kWh 4369 kWh 1305 kWh £1,172 £130 £1,302 £21,657 16.6 yrs £4,386
7 kW 6619 kWh 5097 kWh 1522 kWh £1,367 £152 £1,519 £23,692 15.6 yrs £6,692
8 kW 7565 kWh 5825 kWh 1740 kWh £1,562 £174 £1,736 £25,726 14.8 yrs £8,998

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 EX20

Figures below are tailored to EX20 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #654 of 2182
5.4 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~11 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #1518 of 2997
11.2 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£910 /yr • £10,173 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #1761 of 2997
21.7% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£197 fixed • ~£910 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.82p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
54.03p/day
Local Sunshine
946kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~946 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: 74% • Flats: 12% • Bungalows: 14% Based on 6,714 properties

Coverage

West Devon (94%)|Torridge (5%)

Areas Covered

Okehampton South, Okehampton North, Exbourne, Bridestowe, Hatherleigh, South Tawton, Shebbear & Langtree, Drewsteignton + 4 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

EX19 (Torridge)
≈13.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~958 kWh/kWp · +1% vs EX20
EX21 (Torridge)
≈15.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~962 kWh/kWp · +2% vs EX20
EX18 (North Devon)
≈20.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~979 kWh/kWp · +4% vs EX20
PL16 (West Devon)
≈22.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~962 kWh/kWp · +2% vs EX20
PL19 (West Devon)
≈23.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~951 kWh/kWp · +1% vs EX20
EX17 (Mid Devon)
≈24.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,004 kWh/kWp · +6% vs EX20

Similar sunshine across the UK

B27 (Birmingham)
~946 kWh/kWp · +0% vs EX20
LS23 (Leeds)
~946 kWh/kWp · -0% vs EX20
S31 (Rotherham)
~946 kWh/kWp · +0% vs EX20