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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in HR3 (Herefordshire, County of)

See if solar pays off for you in Herefordshire, County of — 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
13.3 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£12,207
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£919
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£10,764
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 South Wales, the current unit rate is 26.83p/kWh with a 51.69p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 915 kWh/kW — 53 below the regional median (968).

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 915 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 26.8p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
26.8p/kWh
Standing charge
51.7p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
915 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: £766, Upfront: £10,173, 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 1830 kWh 732 kWh 1098 kWh £196 £110 £306 £4,069 13.3 yrs £2,057
3 kW 2746 kWh 1098 kWh 1647 kWh £295 £165 £459 £6,104 13.3 yrs £3,085
4 kW 3661 kWh 1464 kWh 2197 kWh £393 £220 £613 £8,138 13.3 yrs £4,113
5 kW 4576 kWh 1830 kWh 2746 kWh £491 £275 £766 £10,173 13.3 yrs £5,141
6 kW 5492 kWh 2197 kWh 3295 kWh £589 £329 £919 £12,207 13.3 yrs £6,170
7 kW 6407 kWh 2563 kWh 3844 kWh £688 £384 £1,072 £14,242 13.3 yrs £7,198
8 kW 7322 kWh 2929 kWh 4393 kWh £786 £439 £1,225 £16,276 13.3 yrs £8,226

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: £920, Upfront: £12,273, 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 1830 kWh 1098 kWh 732 kWh £295 £73 £368 £6,169 16.8 yrs £1,189
3 kW 2746 kWh 1647 kWh 1098 kWh £442 £110 £552 £8,204 14.9 yrs £2,833
4 kW 3661 kWh 2197 kWh 1464 kWh £589 £146 £736 £10,238 13.9 yrs £4,478
5 kW 4576 kWh 2746 kWh 1830 kWh £737 £183 £920 £12,273 13.3 yrs £6,122
6 kW 5492 kWh 3295 kWh 2197 kWh £884 £220 £1,104 £14,307 13.0 yrs £7,767
7 kW 6407 kWh 3844 kWh 2563 kWh £1,031 £256 £1,288 £16,342 12.7 yrs £9,411
8 kW 7322 kWh 4393 kWh 2929 kWh £1,179 £293 £1,472 £18,376 12.5 yrs £11,055

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: £997, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 13.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1830 kWh 1281 kWh 549 kWh £344 £55 £399 £7,569 19.0 yrs £405
3 kW 2746 kWh 1922 kWh 824 kWh £516 £82 £598 £9,604 16.1 yrs £2,358
4 kW 3661 kWh 2563 kWh 1098 kWh £688 £110 £797 £11,638 14.6 yrs £4,310
5 kW 4576 kWh 3203 kWh 1373 kWh £859 £137 £997 £13,673 13.7 yrs £6,263
6 kW 5492 kWh 3844 kWh 1647 kWh £1,031 £165 £1,196 £15,707 13.1 yrs £8,215
7 kW 6407 kWh 4485 kWh 1922 kWh £1,203 £192 £1,395 £17,742 12.7 yrs £10,168
8 kW 7322 kWh 5125 kWh 2197 kWh £1,375 £220 £1,595 £19,776 12.4 yrs £12,120

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: £1,020, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 15.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1830 kWh 1336 kWh 494 kWh £359 £49 £408 £9,319 22.8 yrs £-1,160
3 kW 2746 kWh 2004 kWh 741 kWh £538 £74 £612 £11,354 18.6 yrs £885
4 kW 3661 kWh 2673 kWh 988 kWh £717 £99 £816 £13,388 16.4 yrs £2,930
5 kW 4576 kWh 3341 kWh 1236 kWh £896 £124 £1,020 £15,423 15.1 yrs £4,975
6 kW 5492 kWh 4009 kWh 1483 kWh £1,076 £148 £1,224 £17,457 14.3 yrs £7,020
7 kW 6407 kWh 4677 kWh 1730 kWh £1,255 £173 £1,428 £19,492 13.7 yrs £9,064
8 kW 7322 kWh 5345 kWh 1977 kWh £1,434 £198 £1,632 £21,526 13.2 yrs £11,109

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: £1,035, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 16.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1830 kWh 1373 kWh 458 kWh £368 £46 £414 £11,069 26.7 yrs £-2,787
3 kW 2746 kWh 2059 kWh 686 kWh £553 £69 £621 £13,104 21.1 yrs £-680
4 kW 3661 kWh 2746 kWh 915 kWh £737 £92 £828 £15,138 18.3 yrs £1,426
5 kW 4576 kWh 3432 kWh 1144 kWh £921 £114 £1,035 £17,173 16.6 yrs £3,533
6 kW 5492 kWh 4119 kWh 1373 kWh £1,105 £137 £1,242 £19,207 15.5 yrs £5,639
7 kW 6407 kWh 4805 kWh 1602 kWh £1,289 £160 £1,449 £21,242 14.7 yrs £7,746
8 kW 7322 kWh 5492 kWh 1830 kWh £1,473 £183 £1,656 £23,276 14.1 yrs £9,852

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: £1,051, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 18.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1830 kWh 1409 kWh 421 kWh £378 £42 £420 £13,519 32.2 yrs £-5,114
3 kW 2746 kWh 2114 kWh 632 kWh £567 £63 £630 £15,554 24.7 yrs £-2,946
4 kW 3661 kWh 2819 kWh 842 kWh £756 £84 £841 £17,588 20.9 yrs £-777
5 kW 4576 kWh 3524 kWh 1053 kWh £945 £105 £1,051 £19,623 18.7 yrs £1,391
6 kW 5492 kWh 4228 kWh 1263 kWh £1,134 £126 £1,261 £21,657 17.2 yrs £3,559
7 kW 6407 kWh 4933 kWh 1474 kWh £1,324 £147 £1,471 £23,692 16.1 yrs £5,727
8 kW 7322 kWh 5638 kWh 1684 kWh £1,513 £168 £1,681 £25,726 15.3 yrs £7,895

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 HR3

Figures below are tailored to HR3 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #84 of 2182
6.7 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~14 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #1766 of 2997
11.5 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£1,057 /yr • £12,207 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #932 of 2997
17.8% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£189 fixed • ~£1,057 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.83p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
51.69p/day
Local Sunshine
915kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~915 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: 75% • Flats: 6% • Bungalows: 18% Based on 2,329 properties

Coverage

Herefordshire, County of (53%)|Powys (47%)

Areas Covered

Castle, Hay, Golden Valley North, Glasbury, Gwernyfed, Widemarsh, Old Radnor, Arrow + 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 South Wales

LD2 (Powys)
≈21.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~913 kWh/kWp · -0% vs HR3
LD3 (Powys)
≈23.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~876 kWh/kWp · -4% vs HR3
NP8 (Powys)
≈24.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~953 kWh/kWp · +4% vs HR3
LD1 (Powys)
≈25.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~902 kWh/kWp · -1% vs HR3
NP7 (Monmouthshire)
≈29.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~939 kWh/kWp · +3% vs HR3
LD4 (Powys)
≈30.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~903 kWh/kWp · -1% vs HR3

Similar sunshine across the UK

L26 (Knowsley)
~915 kWh/kWp · +0% vs HR3
L74 (Liverpool)
~915 kWh/kWp · -0% vs HR3
L1 (Liverpool)
~915 kWh/kWp · +0% vs HR3