Solar explained to clever people by people who are not trying to be clever

Solar Panels in FY7 (Wyre)

See if solar pays off for you in Wyre — 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
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£830
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£10,578
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

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 986 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 27.1p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
27.1p/kWh
Standing charge
51.2p/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: £830, 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 1971 kWh 788 kWh 1183 kWh £214 £118 £332 £4,069 12.3 yrs £2,571
3 kW 2957 kWh 1183 kWh 1774 kWh £321 £177 £498 £6,104 12.3 yrs £3,857
4 kW 3942 kWh 1577 kWh 2365 kWh £427 £237 £664 £8,138 12.3 yrs £5,142
5 kW 4928 kWh 1971 kWh 2957 kWh £534 £296 £830 £10,173 12.3 yrs £6,428
6 kW 5913 kWh 2365 kWh 3548 kWh £641 £355 £996 £12,207 12.3 yrs £7,713
7 kW 6899 kWh 2759 kWh 4139 kWh £748 £414 £1,162 £14,242 12.3 yrs £8,999
8 kW 7884 kWh 3154 kWh 4731 kWh £855 £473 £1,328 £16,276 12.3 yrs £10,284

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: £999, Upfront: £12,273, 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 1971 kWh 1183 kWh 788 kWh £321 £79 £399 £6,169 15.4 yrs £1,820
3 kW 2957 kWh 1774 kWh 1183 kWh £481 £118 £599 £8,204 13.7 yrs £3,780
4 kW 3942 kWh 2365 kWh 1577 kWh £641 £158 £799 £10,238 12.8 yrs £5,740
5 kW 4928 kWh 2957 kWh 1971 kWh £802 £197 £999 £12,273 12.3 yrs £7,700
6 kW 5913 kWh 3548 kWh 2365 kWh £962 £237 £1,198 £14,307 11.9 yrs £9,660
7 kW 6899 kWh 4139 kWh 2759 kWh £1,122 £276 £1,398 £16,342 11.7 yrs £11,620
8 kW 7884 kWh 4731 kWh 3154 kWh £1,282 £315 £1,598 £18,376 11.5 yrs £13,580

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: £1,083, Upfront: £13,673, 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 1971 kWh 1380 kWh 591 kWh £374 £59 £433 £7,569 17.5 yrs £1,095
3 kW 2957 kWh 2070 kWh 887 kWh £561 £89 £650 £9,604 14.8 yrs £3,392
4 kW 3942 kWh 2759 kWh 1183 kWh £748 £118 £866 £11,638 13.4 yrs £5,689
5 kW 4928 kWh 3449 kWh 1478 kWh £935 £148 £1,083 £13,673 12.6 yrs £7,986
6 kW 5913 kWh 4139 kWh 1774 kWh £1,122 £177 £1,300 £15,707 12.1 yrs £10,284
7 kW 6899 kWh 4829 kWh 2070 kWh £1,309 £207 £1,516 £17,742 11.7 yrs £12,581
8 kW 7884 kWh 5519 kWh 2365 kWh £1,496 £237 £1,733 £19,776 11.4 yrs £14,878

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: £1,108, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 13.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1971 kWh 1439 kWh 532 kWh £390 £53 £443 £9,319 21.0 yrs £-453
3 kW 2957 kWh 2158 kWh 798 kWh £585 £80 £665 £11,354 17.1 yrs £1,945
4 kW 3942 kWh 2878 kWh 1064 kWh £780 £106 £887 £13,388 15.1 yrs £4,344
5 kW 4928 kWh 3597 kWh 1330 kWh £975 £133 £1,108 £15,423 13.9 yrs £6,742
6 kW 5913 kWh 4317 kWh 1597 kWh £1,170 £160 £1,330 £17,457 13.1 yrs £9,141
7 kW 6899 kWh 5036 kWh 1863 kWh £1,365 £186 £1,552 £19,492 12.6 yrs £11,539
8 kW 7884 kWh 5755 kWh 2129 kWh £1,560 £213 £1,773 £21,526 12.1 yrs £13,938

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: £1,125, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 15.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1971 kWh 1478 kWh 493 kWh £401 £49 £450 £11,069 24.6 yrs £-2,068
3 kW 2957 kWh 2217 kWh 739 kWh £601 £74 £675 £13,104 19.4 yrs £398
4 kW 3942 kWh 2957 kWh 986 kWh £802 £99 £900 £15,138 16.8 yrs £2,864
5 kW 4928 kWh 3696 kWh 1232 kWh £1,002 £123 £1,125 £17,173 15.3 yrs £5,330
6 kW 5913 kWh 4435 kWh 1478 kWh £1,202 £148 £1,350 £19,207 14.2 yrs £7,795
7 kW 6899 kWh 5174 kWh 1725 kWh £1,403 £172 £1,575 £21,242 13.5 yrs £10,261
8 kW 7884 kWh 5913 kWh 1971 kWh £1,603 £197 £1,800 £23,276 12.9 yrs £12,727

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: £1,142, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 17.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1971 kWh 1518 kWh 453 kWh £411 £45 £457 £13,519 29.6 yrs £-4,383
3 kW 2957 kWh 2277 kWh 680 kWh £617 £68 £685 £15,554 22.7 yrs £-1,850
4 kW 3942 kWh 3035 kWh 907 kWh £823 £91 £914 £17,588 19.3 yrs £683
5 kW 4928 kWh 3794 kWh 1133 kWh £1,029 £113 £1,142 £19,623 17.2 yrs £3,217
6 kW 5913 kWh 4553 kWh 1360 kWh £1,234 £136 £1,370 £21,657 15.8 yrs £5,750
7 kW 6899 kWh 5312 kWh 1587 kWh £1,440 £159 £1,599 £23,692 14.8 yrs £8,284
8 kW 7884 kWh 6071 kWh 1813 kWh £1,646 £181 £1,827 £25,726 14.1 yrs £10,817

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.

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
27.11p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
51.16p/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
5.0kW
For houses & bungalows in this area

Local Property Data

Property Types

Houses: 63% • Flats: 27% • Bungalows: 9% Based on 7,754 properties

Coverage

Wyre (100%)

Areas Covered

Pharos, Mount, Rossall, Park, Warren, Bourne, Pheasant's Wood

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.