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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in GL5 (Stroud)

See if solar pays off for you in Stroud — 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
£794
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£9,666
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 Midlands, the current unit rate is 25.64p/kWh with a 53.00p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 976 kWh/kW — 34 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 976 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)
976 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: £794, 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 1953 kWh 781 kWh 1172 kWh £200 £117 £317 £4,069 12.8 yrs £2,279
3 kW 2929 kWh 1172 kWh 1757 kWh £300 £176 £476 £6,104 12.8 yrs £3,419
4 kW 3905 kWh 1562 kWh 2343 kWh £401 £234 £635 £8,138 12.8 yrs £4,559
5 kW 4882 kWh 1953 kWh 2929 kWh £501 £293 £794 £10,173 12.8 yrs £5,698
6 kW 5858 kWh 2343 kWh 3515 kWh £601 £351 £952 £12,207 12.8 yrs £6,838
7 kW 6834 kWh 2734 kWh 4100 kWh £701 £410 £1,111 £14,242 12.8 yrs £7,977
8 kW 7810 kWh 3124 kWh 4686 kWh £801 £469 £1,270 £16,276 12.8 yrs £9,117

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: £946, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 13.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1953 kWh 1172 kWh 781 kWh £300 £78 £378 £6,169 16.3 yrs £1,401
3 kW 2929 kWh 1757 kWh 1172 kWh £451 £117 £568 £8,204 14.4 yrs £3,151
4 kW 3905 kWh 2343 kWh 1562 kWh £601 £156 £757 £10,238 13.5 yrs £4,902
5 kW 4882 kWh 2929 kWh 1953 kWh £751 £195 £946 £12,273 13.0 yrs £6,652
6 kW 5858 kWh 3515 kWh 2343 kWh £901 £234 £1,135 £14,307 12.6 yrs £8,402
7 kW 6834 kWh 4100 kWh 2734 kWh £1,051 £273 £1,325 £16,342 12.3 yrs £10,153
8 kW 7810 kWh 4686 kWh 3124 kWh £1,202 £312 £1,514 £18,376 12.1 yrs £11,903

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: £1,023, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 13.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1953 kWh 1367 kWh 586 kWh £350 £59 £409 £7,569 18.5 yrs £612
3 kW 2929 kWh 2050 kWh 879 kWh £526 £88 £614 £9,604 15.7 yrs £2,667
4 kW 3905 kWh 2734 kWh 1172 kWh £701 £117 £818 £11,638 14.2 yrs £4,723
5 kW 4882 kWh 3417 kWh 1464 kWh £876 £146 £1,023 £13,673 13.4 yrs £6,779
6 kW 5858 kWh 4100 kWh 1757 kWh £1,051 £176 £1,227 £15,707 12.8 yrs £8,835
7 kW 6834 kWh 4784 kWh 2050 kWh £1,227 £205 £1,432 £17,742 12.4 yrs £10,891
8 kW 7810 kWh 5467 kWh 2343 kWh £1,402 £234 £1,636 £19,776 12.1 yrs £12,946

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: £1,045, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 14.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1953 kWh 1425 kWh 527 kWh £365 £53 £418 £9,319 22.3 yrs £-955
3 kW 2929 kWh 2138 kWh 791 kWh £548 £79 £627 £11,354 18.1 yrs £1,192
4 kW 3905 kWh 2851 kWh 1054 kWh £731 £105 £836 £13,388 16.0 yrs £3,340
5 kW 4882 kWh 3563 kWh 1318 kWh £914 £132 £1,045 £15,423 14.8 yrs £5,487
6 kW 5858 kWh 4276 kWh 1582 kWh £1,096 £158 £1,255 £17,457 13.9 yrs £7,634
7 kW 6834 kWh 4989 kWh 1845 kWh £1,279 £185 £1,464 £19,492 13.3 yrs £9,782
8 kW 7810 kWh 5702 kWh 2109 kWh £1,462 £211 £1,673 £21,526 12.9 yrs £11,929

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: £1,061, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 16.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1953 kWh 1464 kWh 488 kWh £375 £49 £424 £11,069 26.1 yrs £-2,583
3 kW 2929 kWh 2197 kWh 732 kWh £563 £73 £636 £13,104 20.6 yrs £-375
4 kW 3905 kWh 2929 kWh 976 kWh £751 £98 £849 £15,138 17.8 yrs £1,834
5 kW 4882 kWh 3661 kWh 1220 kWh £939 £122 £1,061 £17,173 16.2 yrs £4,042
6 kW 5858 kWh 4393 kWh 1464 kWh £1,126 £146 £1,273 £19,207 15.1 yrs £6,251
7 kW 6834 kWh 5126 kWh 1709 kWh £1,314 £171 £1,485 £21,242 14.3 yrs £8,459
8 kW 7810 kWh 5858 kWh 1953 kWh £1,502 £195 £1,697 £23,276 13.7 yrs £10,668

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: £1,076, 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 1953 kWh 1504 kWh 449 kWh £385 £45 £430 £13,519 31.4 yrs £-4,911
3 kW 2929 kWh 2255 kWh 674 kWh £578 £67 £646 £15,554 24.1 yrs £-2,641
4 kW 3905 kWh 3007 kWh 898 kWh £771 £90 £861 £17,588 20.4 yrs £-372
5 kW 4882 kWh 3759 kWh 1123 kWh £964 £112 £1,076 £19,623 18.2 yrs £1,898
6 kW 5858 kWh 4511 kWh 1347 kWh £1,156 £135 £1,291 £21,657 16.8 yrs £4,167
7 kW 6834 kWh 5262 kWh 1572 kWh £1,349 £157 £1,506 £23,692 15.7 yrs £6,437
8 kW 7810 kWh 6014 kWh 1796 kWh £1,542 £180 £1,722 £25,726 14.9 yrs £8,707

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 GL5

Figures below are tailored to GL5 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1255 of 2182
4.9 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~10 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #1524 of 2997
11.2 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£908 /yr • £10,173 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #1664 of 2997
21.3% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£193 fixed • ~£908 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.64p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
53.00p/day
Local Sunshine
976kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~976 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: 67% • Flats: 22% • Bungalows: 9% Based on 8,045 properties

Coverage

Stroud (100%)

Areas Covered

Cainscross, Stroud Central, Rodborough, Stroud Uplands, Thrupp, Stroud Valley, Amberley and Woodchester, Stroud Trinity + 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 Midlands

GL6 (Stroud)
≈1.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~981 kWh/kWp · +0% vs GL5
GL10 (Stroud)
≈4.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~976 kWh/kWp · +0% vs GL5
GL4 (Gloucester)
≈11.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~950 kWh/kWp · -3% vs GL5
GL2 (Gloucester)
≈11.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~969 kWh/kWp · -1% vs GL5
GL11 (Stroud)
≈11.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~959 kWh/kWp · -2% vs GL5
GL3 (Tewkesbury)
≈12.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~969 kWh/kWp · -1% vs GL5

Similar sunshine across the UK

LN6 (Lincoln)
~976 kWh/kWp · -0% vs GL5
HU17 (East Riding of Yorkshire)
~976 kWh/kWp · +0% vs GL5
LL69 (Isle of Anglesey)
~976 kWh/kWp · -0% vs GL5