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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in HP7 (Buckinghamshire)

See if solar pays off for you in Buckinghamshire — 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
12.5 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£12,207
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£975
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£12,165
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 Eastern, the current unit rate is 26.53p/kWh with a 48.25p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 978 kWh/kW — 31 below the regional median (1009).

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 978 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 26.5p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
26.5p/kWh
Standing charge
48.2p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
978 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: £812, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 12.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1956 kWh 782 kWh 1174 kWh £208 £117 £325 £4,069 12.5 yrs £2,430
3 kW 2934 kWh 1174 kWh 1761 kWh £311 £176 £487 £6,104 12.5 yrs £3,645
4 kW 3912 kWh 1565 kWh 2347 kWh £415 £235 £650 £8,138 12.5 yrs £4,861
5 kW 4891 kWh 1956 kWh 2934 kWh £519 £293 £812 £10,173 12.5 yrs £6,076
6 kW 5869 kWh 2347 kWh 3521 kWh £623 £352 £975 £12,207 12.5 yrs £7,291
7 kW 6847 kWh 2739 kWh 4108 kWh £727 £411 £1,137 £14,242 12.5 yrs £8,506
8 kW 7825 kWh 3130 kWh 4695 kWh £830 £469 £1,300 £16,276 12.5 yrs £9,721

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: £974, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 12.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1956 kWh 1174 kWh 782 kWh £311 £78 £390 £6,169 15.8 yrs £1,624
3 kW 2934 kWh 1761 kWh 1174 kWh £467 £117 £584 £8,204 14.0 yrs £3,486
4 kW 3912 kWh 2347 kWh 1565 kWh £623 £156 £779 £10,238 13.1 yrs £5,348
5 kW 4891 kWh 2934 kWh 1956 kWh £778 £196 £974 £12,273 12.6 yrs £7,209
6 kW 5869 kWh 3521 kWh 2347 kWh £934 £235 £1,169 £14,307 12.2 yrs £9,071
7 kW 6847 kWh 4108 kWh 2739 kWh £1,090 £274 £1,364 £16,342 12.0 yrs £10,933
8 kW 7825 kWh 4695 kWh 3130 kWh £1,246 £313 £1,559 £18,376 11.8 yrs £12,795

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: £1,055, Upfront: £13,673, 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 1956 kWh 1369 kWh 587 kWh £363 £59 £422 £7,569 17.9 yrs £871
3 kW 2934 kWh 2054 kWh 880 kWh £545 £88 £633 £9,604 15.2 yrs £3,056
4 kW 3912 kWh 2739 kWh 1174 kWh £727 £117 £844 £11,638 13.8 yrs £5,241
5 kW 4891 kWh 3423 kWh 1467 kWh £908 £147 £1,055 £13,673 13.0 yrs £7,426
6 kW 5869 kWh 4108 kWh 1761 kWh £1,090 £176 £1,266 £15,707 12.4 yrs £9,612
7 kW 6847 kWh 4793 kWh 2054 kWh £1,272 £205 £1,477 £17,742 12.0 yrs £11,797
8 kW 7825 kWh 5477 kWh 2347 kWh £1,453 £235 £1,688 £19,776 11.7 yrs £13,982

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: £1,079, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 14.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1956 kWh 1428 kWh 528 kWh £379 £53 £432 £9,319 21.6 yrs £-685
3 kW 2934 kWh 2142 kWh 792 kWh £568 £79 £648 £11,354 17.5 yrs £1,597
4 kW 3912 kWh 2856 kWh 1056 kWh £758 £106 £863 £13,388 15.5 yrs £3,879
5 kW 4891 kWh 3570 kWh 1320 kWh £947 £132 £1,079 £15,423 14.3 yrs £6,161
6 kW 5869 kWh 4284 kWh 1585 kWh £1,137 £158 £1,295 £17,457 13.5 yrs £8,444
7 kW 6847 kWh 4998 kWh 1849 kWh £1,326 £185 £1,511 £19,492 12.9 yrs £10,726
8 kW 7825 kWh 5712 kWh 2113 kWh £1,515 £211 £1,727 £21,526 12.5 yrs £13,008

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: £1,095, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 15.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1956 kWh 1467 kWh 489 kWh £389 £49 £438 £11,069 25.3 yrs £-2,306
3 kW 2934 kWh 2201 kWh 734 kWh £584 £73 £657 £13,104 19.9 yrs £41
4 kW 3912 kWh 2934 kWh 978 kWh £778 £98 £876 £15,138 17.3 yrs £2,388
5 kW 4891 kWh 3668 kWh 1223 kWh £973 £122 £1,095 £17,173 15.7 yrs £4,735
6 kW 5869 kWh 4401 kWh 1467 kWh £1,168 £147 £1,314 £19,207 14.6 yrs £7,082
7 kW 6847 kWh 5135 kWh 1712 kWh £1,362 £171 £1,534 £21,242 13.9 yrs £9,429
8 kW 7825 kWh 5869 kWh 1956 kWh £1,557 £196 £1,753 £23,276 13.3 yrs £11,775

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: £1,112, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 17.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1956 kWh 1506 kWh 450 kWh £400 £45 £445 £13,519 30.4 yrs £-4,627
3 kW 2934 kWh 2259 kWh 675 kWh £599 £67 £667 £15,554 23.3 yrs £-2,215
4 kW 3912 kWh 3013 kWh 900 kWh £799 £90 £889 £17,588 19.8 yrs £196
5 kW 4891 kWh 3766 kWh 1125 kWh £999 £112 £1,112 £19,623 17.7 yrs £2,608
6 kW 5869 kWh 4519 kWh 1350 kWh £1,199 £135 £1,334 £21,657 16.2 yrs £5,020
7 kW 6847 kWh 5272 kWh 1575 kWh £1,399 £157 £1,556 £23,692 15.2 yrs £7,431
8 kW 7825 kWh 6025 kWh 1800 kWh £1,598 £180 £1,778 £25,726 14.5 yrs £9,843

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 HP7

Figures below are tailored to HP7 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #884 of 2182
5.2 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~11 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #1135 of 2997
10.9 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£1,120 /yr • £12,207 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #525 of 2997
15.7% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£176 fixed • ~£1,120 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.53p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
48.25p/day
Local Sunshine
978kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~978 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: 67% • Flats: 23% • Bungalows: 4% Based on 2,631 properties

Coverage

Buckinghamshire (100%)

Areas Covered

Amersham & Chesham Bois, Chalfont St Giles & Little Chalfont, Penn, Tylers Green & Loudwater, The Missendens, Beaconsfield

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 Eastern

HP6 (Buckinghamshire)
≈0.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~986 kWh/kWp · +1% vs HP7
HP5 (Buckinghamshire)
≈5.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~981 kWh/kWp · +0% vs HP7
HP16 (Buckinghamshire)
≈8.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~975 kWh/kWp · -0% vs HP7
WD3 (Three Rivers)
≈9.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~992 kWh/kWp · +1% vs HP7
HP4 (Dacorum)
≈10.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~983 kWh/kWp · +0% vs HP7
WD4 (Dacorum)
≈11.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~989 kWh/kWp · +1% vs HP7

Similar sunshine across the UK

BS17 (South Gloucestershire)
~978 kWh/kWp · -0% vs HP7
BS36 (South Gloucestershire)
~978 kWh/kWp · -0% vs HP7
BS25 (North Somerset)
~978 kWh/kWp · -0% vs HP7