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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in EX31 (North Devon)

See if solar pays off for you in North 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
12.3 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£12,207
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£990
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£12,537
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 986 kWh/kW — 27 below 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 986 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)
986 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: £825, Upfront: £10,173, 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 1972 kWh 789 kWh 1183 kWh £212 £118 £330 £4,069 12.3 yrs £2,529
3 kW 2958 kWh 1183 kWh 1775 kWh £317 £178 £495 £6,104 12.3 yrs £3,794
4 kW 3945 kWh 1578 kWh 2367 kWh £423 £237 £660 £8,138 12.3 yrs £5,059
5 kW 4931 kWh 1972 kWh 2958 kWh £529 £296 £825 £10,173 12.3 yrs £6,324
6 kW 5917 kWh 2367 kWh 3550 kWh £635 £355 £990 £12,207 12.3 yrs £7,588
7 kW 6903 kWh 2761 kWh 4142 kWh £741 £414 £1,155 £14,242 12.3 yrs £8,853
8 kW 7889 kWh 3156 kWh 4733 kWh £846 £473 £1,320 £16,276 12.3 yrs £10,118

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: £991, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 12.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1972 kWh 1183 kWh 789 kWh £317 £79 £396 £6,169 15.6 yrs £1,756
3 kW 2958 kWh 1775 kWh 1183 kWh £476 £118 £594 £8,204 13.8 yrs £3,685
4 kW 3945 kWh 2367 kWh 1578 kWh £635 £158 £793 £10,238 12.9 yrs £5,613
5 kW 4931 kWh 2958 kWh 1972 kWh £793 £197 £991 £12,273 12.4 yrs £7,541
6 kW 5917 kWh 3550 kWh 2367 kWh £952 £237 £1,189 £14,307 12.0 yrs £9,469
7 kW 6903 kWh 4142 kWh 2761 kWh £1,111 £276 £1,387 £16,342 11.8 yrs £11,397
8 kW 7889 kWh 4733 kWh 3156 kWh £1,270 £316 £1,585 £18,376 11.6 yrs £13,326

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: £1,074, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 12.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1972 kWh 1381 kWh 592 kWh £370 £59 £429 £7,569 17.6 yrs £1,020
3 kW 2958 kWh 2071 kWh 888 kWh £555 £89 £644 £9,604 14.9 yrs £3,280
4 kW 3945 kWh 2761 kWh 1183 kWh £741 £118 £859 £11,638 13.6 yrs £5,540
5 kW 4931 kWh 3451 kWh 1479 kWh £926 £148 £1,074 £13,673 12.7 yrs £7,800
6 kW 5917 kWh 4142 kWh 1775 kWh £1,111 £178 £1,288 £15,707 12.2 yrs £10,060
7 kW 6903 kWh 4832 kWh 2071 kWh £1,296 £207 £1,503 £17,742 11.8 yrs £12,320
8 kW 7889 kWh 5522 kWh 2367 kWh £1,481 £237 £1,718 £19,776 11.5 yrs £14,579

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: £1,098, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 14.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1972 kWh 1440 kWh 533 kWh £386 £53 £439 £9,319 21.2 yrs £-531
3 kW 2958 kWh 2160 kWh 799 kWh £579 £80 £659 £11,354 17.2 yrs £1,828
4 kW 3945 kWh 2880 kWh 1065 kWh £772 £107 £879 £13,388 15.2 yrs £4,188
5 kW 4931 kWh 3599 kWh 1331 kWh £965 £133 £1,098 £15,423 14.0 yrs £6,547
6 kW 5917 kWh 4319 kWh 1598 kWh £1,158 £160 £1,318 £17,457 13.2 yrs £8,907
7 kW 6903 kWh 5039 kWh 1864 kWh £1,352 £186 £1,538 £19,492 12.7 yrs £11,266
8 kW 7889 kWh 5759 kWh 2130 kWh £1,545 £213 £1,758 £21,526 12.2 yrs £13,626

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: £1,115, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 15.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1972 kWh 1479 kWh 493 kWh £397 £49 £446 £11,069 24.8 yrs £-2,148
3 kW 2958 kWh 2219 kWh 740 kWh £595 £74 £669 £13,104 19.6 yrs £277
4 kW 3945 kWh 2958 kWh 986 kWh £793 £99 £892 £15,138 17.0 yrs £2,703
5 kW 4931 kWh 3698 kWh 1233 kWh £992 £123 £1,115 £17,173 15.4 yrs £5,129
6 kW 5917 kWh 4438 kWh 1479 kWh £1,190 £148 £1,338 £19,207 14.4 yrs £7,555
7 kW 6903 kWh 5177 kWh 1726 kWh £1,389 £173 £1,561 £21,242 13.6 yrs £9,981
8 kW 7889 kWh 5917 kWh 1972 kWh £1,587 £197 £1,784 £23,276 13.0 yrs £12,406

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: £1,132, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 17.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1972 kWh 1519 kWh 454 kWh £407 £45 £453 £13,519 29.9 yrs £-4,466
3 kW 2958 kWh 2278 kWh 680 kWh £611 £68 £679 £15,554 22.9 yrs £-1,974
4 kW 3945 kWh 3037 kWh 907 kWh £815 £91 £905 £17,588 19.4 yrs £519
5 kW 4931 kWh 3797 kWh 1134 kWh £1,018 £113 £1,132 £19,623 17.3 yrs £3,011
6 kW 5917 kWh 4556 kWh 1361 kWh £1,222 £136 £1,358 £21,657 15.9 yrs £5,503
7 kW 6903 kWh 5315 kWh 1588 kWh £1,426 £159 £1,584 £23,692 15.0 yrs £7,995
8 kW 7889 kWh 6075 kWh 1814 kWh £1,629 £181 £1,811 £25,726 14.2 yrs £10,487

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 EX31

Figures below are tailored to EX31 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #564 of 2182
5.5 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~12 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #788 of 2997
10.7 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£1,139 /yr • £12,207 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #821 of 2997
17.3% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£197 fixed • ~£1,139 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.82p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
54.03p/day
Local Sunshine
986kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~986 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: 73% • Flats: 10% • Bungalows: 17% Based on 8,785 properties

Coverage

North Devon (98%)|Torridge (2%)

Areas Covered

Barnstaple Central, Bickington, Barnstaple with Pilton, Fremington, Roundswell, Marwood, Bratton Fleming, Instow + 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

EX32 (North Devon)
≈1.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~971 kWh/kWp · -2% vs EX31
EX33 (North Devon)
≈7.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,020 kWh/kWp · +3% vs EX31
EX39 (Torridge)
≈11.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,011 kWh/kWp · +2% vs EX31
EX37 (North Devon)
≈14.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~964 kWh/kWp · -2% vs EX31
EX34 (North Devon)
≈14.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~950 kWh/kWp · -4% vs EX31
EX38 (Torridge)
≈15.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~975 kWh/kWp · -1% vs EX31

Similar sunshine across the UK

HP6 (Buckinghamshire)
~986 kWh/kWp · +0% vs EX31
LE8 (Blaby)
~986 kWh/kWp · +0% vs EX31
FY4 (Blackpool)
~986 kWh/kWp · +0% vs EX31