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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in HR8 (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
12.8 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£795
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£9,690
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 978 kWh/kW — 35 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 978 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)
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: £795, 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 1955 kWh 782 kWh 1173 kWh £201 £117 £318 £4,069 12.8 yrs £2,287
3 kW 2932 kWh 1173 kWh 1760 kWh £301 £176 £477 £6,104 12.8 yrs £3,431
4 kW 3910 kWh 1564 kWh 2346 kWh £401 £235 £636 £8,138 12.8 yrs £4,574
5 kW 4888 kWh 1955 kWh 2932 kWh £501 £293 £795 £10,173 12.8 yrs £5,718
6 kW 5865 kWh 2346 kWh 3519 kWh £602 £352 £953 £12,207 12.8 yrs £6,861
7 kW 6842 kWh 2737 kWh 4106 kWh £702 £411 £1,112 £14,242 12.8 yrs £8,005
8 kW 7820 kWh 3128 kWh 4692 kWh £802 £469 £1,271 £16,276 12.8 yrs £9,148

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: £947, Upfront: £12,273, 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 1955 kWh 1173 kWh 782 kWh £301 £78 £379 £6,169 16.3 yrs £1,410
3 kW 2932 kWh 1760 kWh 1173 kWh £451 £117 £568 £8,204 14.4 yrs £3,165
4 kW 3910 kWh 2346 kWh 1564 kWh £602 £156 £758 £10,238 13.5 yrs £4,920
5 kW 4888 kWh 2932 kWh 1955 kWh £752 £196 £947 £12,273 13.0 yrs £6,675
6 kW 5865 kWh 3519 kWh 2346 kWh £902 £235 £1,137 £14,307 12.6 yrs £8,430
7 kW 6842 kWh 4106 kWh 2737 kWh £1,053 £274 £1,326 £16,342 12.3 yrs £10,185
8 kW 7820 kWh 4692 kWh 3128 kWh £1,203 £313 £1,516 £18,376 12.1 yrs £11,940

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: £1,024, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 13.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1955 kWh 1368 kWh 586 kWh £351 £59 £410 £7,569 18.5 yrs £622
3 kW 2932 kWh 2053 kWh 880 kWh £526 £88 £614 £9,604 15.6 yrs £2,682
4 kW 3910 kWh 2737 kWh 1173 kWh £702 £117 £819 £11,638 14.2 yrs £4,743
5 kW 4888 kWh 3421 kWh 1466 kWh £877 £147 £1,024 £13,673 13.4 yrs £6,804
6 kW 5865 kWh 4106 kWh 1760 kWh £1,053 £176 £1,229 £15,707 12.8 yrs £8,865
7 kW 6842 kWh 4790 kWh 2053 kWh £1,228 £205 £1,433 £17,742 12.4 yrs £10,926
8 kW 7820 kWh 5474 kWh 2346 kWh £1,404 £235 £1,638 £19,776 12.1 yrs £12,987

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: £1,047, 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 1955 kWh 1427 kWh 528 kWh £366 £53 £419 £9,319 22.3 yrs £-945
3 kW 2932 kWh 2141 kWh 792 kWh £549 £79 £628 £11,354 18.1 yrs £1,208
4 kW 3910 kWh 2854 kWh 1056 kWh £732 £106 £837 £13,388 16.0 yrs £3,360
5 kW 4888 kWh 3568 kWh 1320 kWh £915 £132 £1,047 £15,423 14.7 yrs £5,513
6 kW 5865 kWh 4281 kWh 1584 kWh £1,098 £158 £1,256 £17,457 13.9 yrs £7,665
7 kW 6842 kWh 4995 kWh 1847 kWh £1,281 £185 £1,465 £19,492 13.3 yrs £9,818
8 kW 7820 kWh 5709 kWh 2111 kWh £1,464 £211 £1,675 £21,526 12.9 yrs £11,970

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: £1,062, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 16.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1955 kWh 1466 kWh 489 kWh £376 £49 £425 £11,069 26.1 yrs £-2,573
3 kW 2932 kWh 2199 kWh 733 kWh £564 £73 £637 £13,104 20.6 yrs £-359
4 kW 3910 kWh 2932 kWh 978 kWh £752 £98 £850 £15,138 17.8 yrs £1,855
5 kW 4888 kWh 3666 kWh 1222 kWh £940 £122 £1,062 £17,173 16.2 yrs £4,069
6 kW 5865 kWh 4399 kWh 1466 kWh £1,128 £147 £1,274 £19,207 15.1 yrs £6,282
7 kW 6842 kWh 5132 kWh 1711 kWh £1,316 £171 £1,487 £21,242 14.3 yrs £8,496
8 kW 7820 kWh 5865 kWh 1955 kWh £1,504 £196 £1,699 £23,276 13.7 yrs £10,710

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: £1,077, 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 1955 kWh 1505 kWh 450 kWh £386 £45 £431 £13,519 31.4 yrs £-4,900
3 kW 2932 kWh 2258 kWh 674 kWh £579 £67 £646 £15,554 24.1 yrs £-2,625
4 kW 3910 kWh 3011 kWh 899 kWh £772 £90 £862 £17,588 20.4 yrs £-351
5 kW 4888 kWh 3763 kWh 1124 kWh £965 £112 £1,077 £19,623 18.2 yrs £1,924
6 kW 5865 kWh 4516 kWh 1349 kWh £1,158 £135 £1,293 £21,657 16.8 yrs £4,199
7 kW 6842 kWh 5269 kWh 1574 kWh £1,351 £157 £1,508 £23,692 15.7 yrs £6,474
8 kW 7820 kWh 6021 kWh 1799 kWh £1,544 £180 £1,724 £25,726 14.9 yrs £8,749

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 HR8

Figures below are tailored to HR8 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #792 of 2182
5.3 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~11 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #1526 of 2997
11.2 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£909 /yr • £10,173 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #1670 of 2997
21.3% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£193 fixed • ~£909 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.64p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
53.00p/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
5.0kW
For houses & bungalows in this area

Local Property Data

Property Types

Houses: 71% • Flats: 12% • Bungalows: 16% Based on 4,315 properties

Coverage

Herefordshire, County of (95%)|Forest of Dean (4%)|Malvern Hills (1%)

Areas Covered

Ledbury North, Ledbury South, Three Crosses, Ledbury West, Hope End, Old Gore, Hartpury & Redmarley, Bishops Frome & Cradley + 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

WR13 (Malvern Hills)
≈8.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~975 kWh/kWp · -0% vs HR8
WR14 (Malvern Hills)
≈10.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~972 kWh/kWp · -1% vs HR8
GL18 (Forest of Dean)
≈12.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~984 kWh/kWp · +1% vs HR8
GL19 (Forest of Dean)
≈13.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~984 kWh/kWp · +1% vs HR8
WR8 (Malvern Hills)
≈15.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~975 kWh/kWp · -0% vs HR8
HR9 (Herefordshire, County of)
≈17.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~965 kWh/kWp · -1% vs HR8

Similar sunshine across the UK

L38 (Sefton)
~978 kWh/kWp · +0% vs HR8
DN39 (North Lincolnshire)
~978 kWh/kWp · +0% vs HR8
MK7 (Milton Keynes)
~977 kWh/kWp · -0% vs HR8