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 GL15 (Forest of Dean)

See if solar pays off for you in Forest of Dean — 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
12.8 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£797
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£9,746
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 Midlands, the current unit rate is 25.64p/kWh with a 53.00p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 980 kWh/kW — 38 above the regional median (942).

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 980 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
53.0p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
980 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: £797, Upfront: £10,173, 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 1960 kWh 784 kWh 1176 kWh £201 £118 £319 £4,069 12.8 yrs £2,305
3 kW 2941 kWh 1176 kWh 1764 kWh £302 £176 £478 £6,104 12.8 yrs £3,457
4 kW 3921 kWh 1568 kWh 2353 kWh £402 £235 £637 £8,138 12.8 yrs £4,610
5 kW 4901 kWh 1960 kWh 2941 kWh £503 £294 £797 £10,173 12.8 yrs £5,762
6 kW 5881 kWh 2353 kWh 3529 kWh £603 £353 £956 £12,207 12.8 yrs £6,914
7 kW 6862 kWh 2745 kWh 4117 kWh £704 £412 £1,115 £14,242 12.8 yrs £8,067
8 kW 7842 kWh 3137 kWh 4705 kWh £804 £471 £1,275 £16,276 12.8 yrs £9,219

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 1960 kWh 1176 kWh 784 kWh £302 £78 £380 £6,169 16.2 yrs £1,431
3 kW 2941 kWh 1764 kWh 1176 kWh £452 £118 £570 £8,204 14.4 yrs £3,197
4 kW 3921 kWh 2353 kWh 1568 kWh £603 £157 £760 £10,238 13.5 yrs £4,962
5 kW 4901 kWh 2941 kWh 1960 kWh £754 £196 £950 £12,273 12.9 yrs £6,728
6 kW 5881 kWh 3529 kWh 2353 kWh £905 £235 £1,140 £14,307 12.5 yrs £8,494
7 kW 6862 kWh 4117 kWh 2745 kWh £1,056 £274 £1,330 £16,342 12.3 yrs £10,259
8 kW 7842 kWh 4705 kWh 3137 kWh £1,206 £314 £1,520 £18,376 12.1 yrs £12,025

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: £1,027, 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 1960 kWh 1372 kWh 588 kWh £352 £59 £411 £7,569 18.4 yrs £644
3 kW 2941 kWh 2058 kWh 882 kWh £528 £88 £616 £9,604 15.6 yrs £2,717
4 kW 3921 kWh 2745 kWh 1176 kWh £704 £118 £821 £11,638 14.2 yrs £4,789
5 kW 4901 kWh 3431 kWh 1470 kWh £880 £147 £1,027 £13,673 13.3 yrs £6,861
6 kW 5881 kWh 4117 kWh 1764 kWh £1,056 £176 £1,232 £15,707 12.7 yrs £8,933
7 kW 6862 kWh 4803 kWh 2058 kWh £1,232 £206 £1,437 £17,742 12.3 yrs £11,006
8 kW 7842 kWh 5489 kWh 2353 kWh £1,407 £235 £1,643 £19,776 12.0 yrs £13,078

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: £1,050, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 14.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1960 kWh 1431 kWh 529 kWh £367 £53 £420 £9,319 22.2 yrs £-922
3 kW 2941 kWh 2147 kWh 794 kWh £550 £79 £630 £11,354 18.0 yrs £1,243
4 kW 3921 kWh 2862 kWh 1059 kWh £734 £106 £840 £13,388 15.9 yrs £3,407
5 kW 4901 kWh 3578 kWh 1323 kWh £917 £132 £1,050 £15,423 14.7 yrs £5,571
6 kW 5881 kWh 4293 kWh 1588 kWh £1,101 £159 £1,260 £17,457 13.9 yrs £7,735
7 kW 6862 kWh 5009 kWh 1853 kWh £1,284 £185 £1,470 £19,492 13.3 yrs £9,899
8 kW 7842 kWh 5724 kWh 2117 kWh £1,468 £212 £1,679 £21,526 12.8 yrs £12,064

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: £1,065, 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 1960 kWh 1470 kWh 490 kWh £377 £49 £426 £11,069 26.0 yrs £-2,549
3 kW 2941 kWh 2205 kWh 735 kWh £565 £74 £639 £13,104 20.5 yrs £-323
4 kW 3921 kWh 2941 kWh 980 kWh £754 £98 £852 £15,138 17.8 yrs £1,902
5 kW 4901 kWh 3676 kWh 1225 kWh £942 £123 £1,065 £17,173 16.1 yrs £4,128
6 kW 5881 kWh 4411 kWh 1470 kWh £1,131 £147 £1,278 £19,207 15.0 yrs £6,353
7 kW 6862 kWh 5146 kWh 1715 kWh £1,319 £172 £1,491 £21,242 14.2 yrs £8,579
8 kW 7842 kWh 5881 kWh 1960 kWh £1,508 £196 £1,704 £23,276 13.7 yrs £10,804

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: £1,080, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 18.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1960 kWh 1510 kWh 451 kWh £387 £45 £432 £13,519 31.3 yrs £-4,876
3 kW 2941 kWh 2264 kWh 676 kWh £581 £68 £648 £15,554 24.0 yrs £-2,589
4 kW 3921 kWh 3019 kWh 902 kWh £774 £90 £864 £17,588 20.4 yrs £-303
5 kW 4901 kWh 3774 kWh 1127 kWh £968 £113 £1,080 £19,623 18.2 yrs £1,984
6 kW 5881 kWh 4529 kWh 1353 kWh £1,161 £135 £1,296 £21,657 16.7 yrs £4,271
7 kW 6862 kWh 5283 kWh 1578 kWh £1,355 £158 £1,512 £23,692 15.7 yrs £6,558
8 kW 7842 kWh 6038 kWh 1804 kWh £1,548 £180 £1,729 £25,726 14.9 yrs £8,845

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 GL15

Figures below are tailored to GL15 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #713 of 2182
5.3 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~11 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #1521 of 2997
11.2 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£912 /yr • £10,173 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #1654 of 2997
21.2% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£193 fixed • ~£912 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.64p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
53.00p/day
Local Sunshine
980kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~980 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: 76% • Flats: 8% • Bungalows: 15% Based on 6,262 properties

Coverage

Forest of Dean (100%)

Areas Covered

Lydney West & Aylburton, Lydney East, Bream, St. Briavels, Pillowell, Newnham, Lydney North, Tidenham + 1 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 Midlands

GL13 (Stroud)
≈6.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~985 kWh/kWp · +0% vs GL15
GL16 (Forest of Dean)
≈8.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~947 kWh/kWp · -3% vs GL15
GL14 (Forest of Dean)
≈10.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~977 kWh/kWp · -0% vs GL15
GL11 (Stroud)
≈12.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~959 kWh/kWp · -2% vs GL15
BS35 (South Gloucestershire)
≈14.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~999 kWh/kWp · +2% vs GL15
GL17 (Forest of Dean)
≈14.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~976 kWh/kWp · -0% vs GL15

Similar sunshine across the UK

FY6 (Wyre)
~980 kWh/kWp · +0% vs GL15
GU7 (Waverley)
~980 kWh/kWp · -0% vs GL15
HP5 (Buckinghamshire)
~981 kWh/kWp · +0% vs GL15