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 GL6 (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
£12,207
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£957
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£11,708
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 981 kWh/kW — 39 above the regional median (942).

Read the full story

A typical roof here lands around 6.0 kW, with most eligible homes comfortably fitting within 3–6 kW. Each kilowatt of panels produces roughly 981 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)
981 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 1962 kWh 785 kWh 1177 kWh £201 £118 £319 £4,069 12.8 yrs £2,308
3 kW 2942 kWh 1177 kWh 1765 kWh £302 £177 £478 £6,104 12.8 yrs £3,463
4 kW 3923 kWh 1569 kWh 2354 kWh £402 £235 £638 £8,138 12.8 yrs £4,617
5 kW 4904 kWh 1962 kWh 2942 kWh £503 £294 £797 £10,173 12.8 yrs £5,771
6 kW 5885 kWh 2354 kWh 3531 kWh £604 £353 £957 £12,207 12.8 yrs £6,925
7 kW 6865 kWh 2746 kWh 4119 kWh £704 £412 £1,116 £14,242 12.8 yrs £8,079
8 kW 7846 kWh 3138 kWh 4708 kWh £805 £471 £1,275 £16,276 12.8 yrs £9,233

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: £951, 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 1962 kWh 1177 kWh 785 kWh £302 £78 £380 £6,169 16.2 yrs £1,435
3 kW 2942 kWh 1765 kWh 1177 kWh £453 £118 £570 £8,204 14.4 yrs £3,203
4 kW 3923 kWh 2354 kWh 1569 kWh £604 £157 £760 £10,238 13.5 yrs £4,971
5 kW 4904 kWh 2942 kWh 1962 kWh £754 £196 £951 £12,273 12.9 yrs £6,739
6 kW 5885 kWh 3531 kWh 2354 kWh £905 £235 £1,141 £14,307 12.5 yrs £8,506
7 kW 6865 kWh 4119 kWh 2746 kWh £1,056 £275 £1,331 £16,342 12.3 yrs £10,274
8 kW 7846 kWh 4708 kWh 3138 kWh £1,207 £314 £1,521 £18,376 12.1 yrs £12,042

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 1962 kWh 1373 kWh 588 kWh £352 £59 £411 £7,569 18.4 yrs £649
3 kW 2942 kWh 2060 kWh 883 kWh £528 £88 £616 £9,604 15.6 yrs £2,724
4 kW 3923 kWh 2746 kWh 1177 kWh £704 £118 £822 £11,638 14.2 yrs £4,798
5 kW 4904 kWh 3433 kWh 1471 kWh £880 £147 £1,027 £13,673 13.3 yrs £6,873
6 kW 5885 kWh 4119 kWh 1765 kWh £1,056 £177 £1,233 £15,707 12.7 yrs £8,947
7 kW 6865 kWh 4806 kWh 2060 kWh £1,232 £206 £1,438 £17,742 12.3 yrs £11,022
8 kW 7846 kWh 5492 kWh 2354 kWh £1,408 £235 £1,644 £19,776 12.0 yrs £13,096

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 1962 kWh 1432 kWh 530 kWh £367 £53 £420 £9,319 22.2 yrs £-917
3 kW 2942 kWh 2148 kWh 794 kWh £551 £79 £630 £11,354 18.0 yrs £1,250
4 kW 3923 kWh 2864 kWh 1059 kWh £734 £106 £840 £13,388 15.9 yrs £3,416
5 kW 4904 kWh 3580 kWh 1324 kWh £918 £132 £1,050 £15,423 14.7 yrs £5,583
6 kW 5885 kWh 4296 kWh 1589 kWh £1,101 £159 £1,260 £17,457 13.9 yrs £7,749
7 kW 6865 kWh 5012 kWh 1854 kWh £1,285 £185 £1,470 £19,492 13.3 yrs £9,916
8 kW 7846 kWh 5728 kWh 2118 kWh £1,469 £212 £1,680 £21,526 12.8 yrs £12,082

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: £1,066, 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 1962 kWh 1471 kWh 490 kWh £377 £49 £426 £11,069 26.0 yrs £-2,544
3 kW 2942 kWh 2207 kWh 736 kWh £566 £74 £639 £13,104 20.5 yrs £-316
4 kW 3923 kWh 2942 kWh 981 kWh £754 £98 £852 £15,138 17.8 yrs £1,912
5 kW 4904 kWh 3678 kWh 1226 kWh £943 £123 £1,066 £17,173 16.1 yrs £4,140
6 kW 5885 kWh 4413 kWh 1471 kWh £1,132 £147 £1,279 £19,207 15.0 yrs £6,367
7 kW 6865 kWh 5149 kWh 1716 kWh £1,320 £172 £1,492 £21,242 14.2 yrs £8,595
8 kW 7846 kWh 5885 kWh 1962 kWh £1,509 £196 £1,705 £23,276 13.7 yrs £10,823

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: £1,081, 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 1962 kWh 1510 kWh 451 kWh £387 £45 £432 £13,519 31.3 yrs £-4,871
3 kW 2942 kWh 2266 kWh 677 kWh £581 £68 £649 £15,554 24.0 yrs £-2,582
4 kW 3923 kWh 3021 kWh 902 kWh £775 £90 £865 £17,588 20.3 yrs £-293
5 kW 4904 kWh 3776 kWh 1128 kWh £968 £113 £1,081 £19,623 18.2 yrs £1,996
6 kW 5885 kWh 4531 kWh 1353 kWh £1,162 £135 £1,297 £21,657 16.7 yrs £4,286
7 kW 6865 kWh 5286 kWh 1579 kWh £1,355 £158 £1,513 £23,692 15.7 yrs £6,575
8 kW 7846 kWh 6042 kWh 1805 kWh £1,549 £180 £1,730 £25,726 14.9 yrs £8,864

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 GL6

Figures below are tailored to GL6 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #349 of 2182
5.8 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~12 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #1525 of 2997
11.2 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£1,095 /yr • £12,207 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #910 of 2997
17.7% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£193 fixed • ~£1,095 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.64p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
53.00p/day
Local Sunshine
981kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~981 kWh per year. A typical home uses ~2,700 kWh per year.
Typical System Size
6.0kW
For houses & bungalows in this area

Local Property Data

Property Types

Houses: 74% • Flats: 12% • Bungalows: 14% Based on 6,251 properties

Coverage

Stroud (99%)|Cotswold (1%)

Areas Covered

Stroud Uplands, Nailsworth, Painswick and Upton, Chalford, Minchinhampton, Randwick, Whiteshill and Ruscombe, Bisley + 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

GL5 (Stroud)
≈1.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~976 kWh/kWp · -0% vs GL6
GL10 (Stroud)
≈4.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~976 kWh/kWp · -0% vs GL6
GL4 (Gloucester)
≈10.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~950 kWh/kWp · -3% vs GL6
GL2 (Gloucester)
≈10.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~969 kWh/kWp · -1% vs GL6
GL3 (Tewkesbury)
≈11.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~969 kWh/kWp · -1% vs GL6
GL11 (Stroud)
≈11.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~959 kWh/kWp · -2% vs GL6

Similar sunshine across the UK

HP5 (Buckinghamshire)
~981 kWh/kWp · +0% vs GL6
LA14 (Westmorland and Furness)
~981 kWh/kWp · +0% vs GL6
LA13 (Westmorland and Furness)
~981 kWh/kWp · +0% vs GL6