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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in GL51 (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
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£784
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£9,420
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 964 kWh/kW — 22 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 964 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)
964 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: £784, 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 1928 kWh 771 kWh 1157 kWh £198 £116 £313 £4,069 13.0 yrs £2,201
3 kW 2893 kWh 1157 kWh 1736 kWh £297 £174 £470 £6,104 13.0 yrs £3,301
4 kW 3857 kWh 1543 kWh 2314 kWh £396 £231 £627 £8,138 13.0 yrs £4,401
5 kW 4821 kWh 1928 kWh 2893 kWh £494 £289 £784 £10,173 13.0 yrs £5,501
6 kW 5785 kWh 2314 kWh 3471 kWh £593 £347 £940 £12,207 13.0 yrs £6,602
7 kW 6749 kWh 2700 kWh 4050 kWh £692 £405 £1,097 £14,242 13.0 yrs £7,702
8 kW 7714 kWh 3085 kWh 4628 kWh £791 £463 £1,254 £16,276 13.0 yrs £8,802

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: £934, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 13.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1928 kWh 1157 kWh 771 kWh £297 £77 £374 £6,169 16.5 yrs £1,307
3 kW 2893 kWh 1736 kWh 1157 kWh £445 £116 £561 £8,204 14.6 yrs £3,010
4 kW 3857 kWh 2314 kWh 1543 kWh £593 £154 £748 £10,238 13.7 yrs £4,714
5 kW 4821 kWh 2893 kWh 1928 kWh £742 £193 £934 £12,273 13.1 yrs £6,417
6 kW 5785 kWh 3471 kWh 2314 kWh £890 £231 £1,121 £14,307 12.8 yrs £8,121
7 kW 6749 kWh 4050 kWh 2700 kWh £1,038 £270 £1,308 £16,342 12.5 yrs £9,824
8 kW 7714 kWh 4628 kWh 3085 kWh £1,187 £309 £1,495 £18,376 12.3 yrs £11,528

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: £1,010, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 13.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1928 kWh 1350 kWh 579 kWh £346 £58 £404 £7,569 18.7 yrs £510
3 kW 2893 kWh 2025 kWh 868 kWh £519 £87 £606 £9,604 15.8 yrs £2,515
4 kW 3857 kWh 2700 kWh 1157 kWh £692 £116 £808 £11,638 14.4 yrs £4,520
5 kW 4821 kWh 3375 kWh 1446 kWh £865 £145 £1,010 £13,673 13.5 yrs £6,525
6 kW 5785 kWh 4050 kWh 1736 kWh £1,038 £174 £1,212 £15,707 13.0 yrs £8,530
7 kW 6749 kWh 4725 kWh 2025 kWh £1,211 £202 £1,414 £17,742 12.5 yrs £10,535
8 kW 7714 kWh 5399 kWh 2314 kWh £1,384 £231 £1,616 £19,776 12.2 yrs £12,540

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: £1,033, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 14.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1928 kWh 1408 kWh 521 kWh £361 £52 £413 £9,319 22.6 yrs £-1,059
3 kW 2893 kWh 2112 kWh 781 kWh £541 £78 £620 £11,354 18.3 yrs £1,037
4 kW 3857 kWh 2815 kWh 1041 kWh £722 £104 £826 £13,388 16.2 yrs £3,132
5 kW 4821 kWh 3519 kWh 1302 kWh £902 £130 £1,033 £15,423 14.9 yrs £5,228
6 kW 5785 kWh 4223 kWh 1562 kWh £1,083 £156 £1,239 £17,457 14.1 yrs £7,323
7 kW 6749 kWh 4927 kWh 1822 kWh £1,263 £182 £1,446 £19,492 13.5 yrs £9,419
8 kW 7714 kWh 5631 kWh 2083 kWh £1,444 £208 £1,652 £21,526 13.0 yrs £11,514

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: £1,048, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 16.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1928 kWh 1446 kWh 482 kWh £371 £48 £419 £11,069 26.4 yrs £-2,688
3 kW 2893 kWh 2169 kWh 723 kWh £556 £72 £629 £13,104 20.8 yrs £-532
4 kW 3857 kWh 2893 kWh 964 kWh £742 £96 £838 £15,138 18.1 yrs £1,623
5 kW 4821 kWh 3616 kWh 1205 kWh £927 £121 £1,048 £17,173 16.4 yrs £3,779
6 kW 5785 kWh 4339 kWh 1446 kWh £1,112 £145 £1,257 £19,207 15.3 yrs £5,935
7 kW 6749 kWh 5062 kWh 1687 kWh £1,298 £169 £1,467 £21,242 14.5 yrs £8,091
8 kW 7714 kWh 5785 kWh 1928 kWh £1,483 £193 £1,676 £23,276 13.9 yrs £10,247

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: £1,063, 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 1928 kWh 1485 kWh 444 kWh £381 £44 £425 £13,519 31.8 yrs £-5,018
3 kW 2893 kWh 2227 kWh 665 kWh £571 £67 £638 £15,554 24.4 yrs £-2,801
4 kW 3857 kWh 2970 kWh 887 kWh £761 £89 £850 £17,588 20.7 yrs £-585
5 kW 4821 kWh 3712 kWh 1109 kWh £952 £111 £1,063 £19,623 18.5 yrs £1,631
6 kW 5785 kWh 4455 kWh 1331 kWh £1,142 £133 £1,275 £21,657 17.0 yrs £3,847
7 kW 6749 kWh 5197 kWh 1552 kWh £1,333 £155 £1,488 £23,692 15.9 yrs £6,063
8 kW 7714 kWh 5939 kWh 1774 kWh £1,523 £177 £1,700 £25,726 15.1 yrs £8,279

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 GL51

Figures below are tailored to GL51 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1711 of 2182
4.5 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~9 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #1592 of 2997
11.3 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£897 /yr • £10,173 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #1734 of 2997
21.6% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£193 fixed • ~£897 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.64p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
53.00p/day
Local Sunshine
964kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~964 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: 60% • Flats: 27% • Bungalows: 9% Based on 14,278 properties

Coverage

Cheltenham (89%)|Tewkesbury (11%)

Areas Covered

Up Hatherley, Warden Hill, Hesters Way, St Mark's, St Paul's, Benhall, the Reddings & Fiddler's Green, Springbank + 5 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

GL50 (Cheltenham)
≈1.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~960 kWh/kWp · -0% vs GL51
GL53 (Cheltenham)
≈3.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~958 kWh/kWp · -1% vs GL51
GL52 (Cheltenham)
≈3.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~960 kWh/kWp · -0% vs GL51
GL3 (Tewkesbury)
≈7.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~969 kWh/kWp · +0% vs GL51
GL4 (Gloucester)
≈9.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~950 kWh/kWp · -1% vs GL51
GL1 (Gloucester)
≈10.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~969 kWh/kWp · +0% vs GL51

Similar sunshine across the UK

PL34 (Cornwall)
~964 kWh/kWp · +0% vs GL51
NP5 (Monmouthshire)
~964 kWh/kWp · -0% vs GL51
EX37 (North Devon)
~964 kWh/kWp · +0% vs GL51