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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in GL50 (Cheltenham)

See if solar pays off for you in Cheltenham — 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
13.0 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£6,104
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£468
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£5,602
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 960 kWh/kW — 18 above the regional median (942).

Read the full story

A typical roof here lands around 3.0 kW, with most eligible homes comfortably fitting within 3–6 kW. Each kilowatt of panels produces roughly 960 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)
960 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: £780, Upfront: £10,173, 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 1920 kWh 768 kWh 1152 kWh £197 £115 £312 £4,069 13.0 yrs £2,174
3 kW 2880 kWh 1152 kWh 1728 kWh £295 £173 £468 £6,104 13.0 yrs £3,261
4 kW 3840 kWh 1536 kWh 2304 kWh £394 £230 £624 £8,138 13.0 yrs £4,348
5 kW 4801 kWh 1920 kWh 2880 kWh £492 £288 £780 £10,173 13.0 yrs £5,435
6 kW 5761 kWh 2304 kWh 3456 kWh £591 £346 £936 £12,207 13.0 yrs £6,522
7 kW 6721 kWh 2688 kWh 4033 kWh £689 £403 £1,093 £14,242 13.0 yrs £7,609
8 kW 7681 kWh 3072 kWh 4609 kWh £788 £461 £1,249 £16,276 13.0 yrs £8,696

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: £931, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 13.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1920 kWh 1152 kWh 768 kWh £295 £77 £372 £6,169 16.6 yrs £1,275
3 kW 2880 kWh 1728 kWh 1152 kWh £443 £115 £558 £8,204 14.7 yrs £2,963
4 kW 3840 kWh 2304 kWh 1536 kWh £591 £154 £744 £10,238 13.8 yrs £4,651
5 kW 4801 kWh 2880 kWh 1920 kWh £739 £192 £931 £12,273 13.2 yrs £6,338
6 kW 5761 kWh 3456 kWh 2304 kWh £886 £230 £1,117 £14,307 12.8 yrs £8,026
7 kW 6721 kWh 4033 kWh 2688 kWh £1,034 £269 £1,303 £16,342 12.5 yrs £9,714
8 kW 7681 kWh 4609 kWh 3072 kWh £1,182 £307 £1,489 £18,376 12.3 yrs £11,401

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: £1,006, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 13.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1920 kWh 1344 kWh 576 kWh £345 £58 £402 £7,569 18.8 yrs £476
3 kW 2880 kWh 2016 kWh 864 kWh £517 £86 £603 £9,604 15.9 yrs £2,464
4 kW 3840 kWh 2688 kWh 1152 kWh £689 £115 £805 £11,638 14.5 yrs £4,452
5 kW 4801 kWh 3360 kWh 1440 kWh £862 £144 £1,006 £13,673 13.6 yrs £6,440
6 kW 5761 kWh 4033 kWh 1728 kWh £1,034 £173 £1,207 £15,707 13.0 yrs £8,428
7 kW 6721 kWh 4705 kWh 2016 kWh £1,206 £202 £1,408 £17,742 12.6 yrs £10,416
8 kW 7681 kWh 5377 kWh 2304 kWh £1,379 £230 £1,609 £19,776 12.3 yrs £12,404

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: £1,028, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 15.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1920 kWh 1402 kWh 518 kWh £359 £52 £411 £9,319 22.7 yrs £-1,094
3 kW 2880 kWh 2103 kWh 778 kWh £539 £78 £617 £11,354 18.4 yrs £984
4 kW 3840 kWh 2804 kWh 1037 kWh £719 £104 £823 £13,388 16.3 yrs £3,062
5 kW 4801 kWh 3504 kWh 1296 kWh £899 £130 £1,028 £15,423 15.0 yrs £5,141
6 kW 5761 kWh 4205 kWh 1555 kWh £1,078 £156 £1,234 £17,457 14.1 yrs £7,219
7 kW 6721 kWh 4906 kWh 1815 kWh £1,258 £181 £1,439 £19,492 13.5 yrs £9,297
8 kW 7681 kWh 5607 kWh 2074 kWh £1,438 £207 £1,645 £21,526 13.1 yrs £11,375

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: £1,043, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 16.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1920 kWh 1440 kWh 480 kWh £369 £48 £417 £11,069 26.5 yrs £-2,724
3 kW 2880 kWh 2160 kWh 720 kWh £554 £72 £626 £13,104 20.9 yrs £-585
4 kW 3840 kWh 2880 kWh 960 kWh £739 £96 £835 £15,138 18.1 yrs £1,553
5 kW 4801 kWh 3600 kWh 1200 kWh £923 £120 £1,043 £17,173 16.5 yrs £3,691
6 kW 5761 kWh 4321 kWh 1440 kWh £1,108 £144 £1,252 £19,207 15.3 yrs £5,829
7 kW 6721 kWh 5041 kWh 1680 kWh £1,292 £168 £1,460 £21,242 14.5 yrs £7,967
8 kW 7681 kWh 5761 kWh 1920 kWh £1,477 £192 £1,669 £23,276 13.9 yrs £10,105

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: £1,058, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 18.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1920 kWh 1479 kWh 442 kWh £379 £44 £423 £13,519 31.9 yrs £-5,054
3 kW 2880 kWh 2218 kWh 662 kWh £569 £66 £635 £15,554 24.5 yrs £-2,855
4 kW 3840 kWh 2957 kWh 883 kWh £758 £88 £847 £17,588 20.8 yrs £-657
5 kW 4801 kWh 3696 kWh 1104 kWh £948 £110 £1,058 £19,623 18.5 yrs £1,541
6 kW 5761 kWh 4436 kWh 1325 kWh £1,137 £132 £1,270 £21,657 17.1 yrs £3,739
7 kW 6721 kWh 5175 kWh 1546 kWh £1,327 £155 £1,481 £23,692 16.0 yrs £5,938
8 kW 7681 kWh 5914 kWh 1767 kWh £1,516 £177 £1,693 £25,726 15.2 yrs £8,136

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 GL50

Figures below are tailored to GL50 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #2017 of 2182
4.1 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~9 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #1680 of 2997
11.4 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£893 /yr • £10,173 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #1775 of 2997
21.7% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£193 fixed • ~£893 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.64p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
53.00p/day
Local Sunshine
960kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~960 kWh per year. A typical home uses ~2,700 kWh per year.
Typical System Size
3.0kW
For houses & bungalows in this area

⚠️ This area is predominantly flats. Many residents require freeholder approval for solar installations. System size shown reflects houses and bungalows only.

Local Property Data

Property Types

Houses: 39% • Flats: 57% • Bungalows: 2% Based on 8,743 properties

Coverage

Cheltenham (100%)

Areas Covered

St Paul's, Lansdown, Park, College, Pittville, Swindon Village, St Peter's, All Saints + 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

GL52 (Cheltenham)
≈1.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~960 kWh/kWp · +0% vs GL50
GL51 (Cheltenham)
≈1.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~964 kWh/kWp · +0% vs GL50
GL53 (Cheltenham)
≈2.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~958 kWh/kWp · -0% vs GL50
GL3 (Tewkesbury)
≈8.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~969 kWh/kWp · +1% vs GL50
GL4 (Gloucester)
≈11.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~950 kWh/kWp · -1% vs GL50
GL20 (Tewkesbury)
≈11.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~977 kWh/kWp · +2% vs GL50

Similar sunshine across the UK

DE2 (Derby)
~960 kWh/kWp · -0% vs GL50
DE24 (Derby)
~960 kWh/kWp · -0% vs GL50
B79 (Tamworth)
~960 kWh/kWp · -0% vs GL50