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 719 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 27.1p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.
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: £604, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 16.8 yrs
| System | Annual output | Self-use | Exported | Bill saving | Export income | Annual benefit | Upfront cost | Break-even | 20-year net |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 kW | 1437 kWh | 575 kWh | 862 kWh | £156 | £86 | £242 | £4,069 | 16.8 yrs | £766 |
| 3 kW | 2156 kWh | 862 kWh | 1293 kWh | £233 | £129 | £363 | £6,104 | 16.8 yrs | £1,149 |
| 4 kW | 2874 kWh | 1150 kWh | 1724 kWh | £311 | £172 | £484 | £8,138 | 16.8 yrs | £1,533 |
| 5 kW | 3593 kWh | 1437 kWh | 2156 kWh | £389 | £216 | £604 | £10,173 | 16.8 yrs | £1,916 |
| 6 kW | 4311 kWh | 1724 kWh | 2587 kWh | £467 | £259 | £725 | £12,207 | 16.8 yrs | £2,299 |
| 7 kW | 5030 kWh | 2012 kWh | 3018 kWh | £544 | £302 | £846 | £14,242 | 16.8 yrs | £2,682 |
| 8 kW | 5748 kWh | 2299 kWh | 3449 kWh | £622 | £345 | £967 | £16,276 | 16.8 yrs | £3,065 |
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: £727, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 16.9 yrs
| System | Annual output | Self-use | Exported | Bill saving | Export income | Annual benefit | Upfront cost | Break-even | 20-year net |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 kW | 1437 kWh | 862 kWh | 575 kWh | £233 | £57 | £291 | £6,169 | 21.2 yrs | £-353 |
| 3 kW | 2156 kWh | 1293 kWh | 862 kWh | £350 | £86 | £436 | £8,204 | 18.8 yrs | £520 |
| 4 kW | 2874 kWh | 1724 kWh | 1150 kWh | £467 | £115 | £582 | £10,238 | 17.6 yrs | £1,394 |
| 5 kW | 3593 kWh | 2156 kWh | 1437 kWh | £583 | £144 | £727 | £12,273 | 16.9 yrs | £2,267 |
| 6 kW | 4311 kWh | 2587 kWh | 1724 kWh | £700 | £172 | £872 | £14,307 | 16.4 yrs | £3,141 |
| 7 kW | 5030 kWh | 3018 kWh | 2012 kWh | £817 | £201 | £1,018 | £16,342 | 16.1 yrs | £4,014 |
| 8 kW | 5748 kWh | 3449 kWh | 2299 kWh | £933 | £230 | £1,163 | £18,376 | 15.8 yrs | £4,888 |
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: £788, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 17.3 yrs
| System | Annual output | Self-use | Exported | Bill saving | Export income | Annual benefit | Upfront cost | Break-even | 20-year net |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 kW | 1437 kWh | 1006 kWh | 431 kWh | £272 | £43 | £315 | £7,569 | 24.0 yrs | £-1,263 |
| 3 kW | 2156 kWh | 1509 kWh | 647 kWh | £408 | £65 | £473 | £9,604 | 20.3 yrs | £-144 |
| 4 kW | 2874 kWh | 2012 kWh | 862 kWh | £544 | £86 | £631 | £11,638 | 18.5 yrs | £974 |
| 5 kW | 3593 kWh | 2515 kWh | 1078 kWh | £681 | £108 | £788 | £13,673 | 17.3 yrs | £2,093 |
| 6 kW | 4311 kWh | 3018 kWh | 1293 kWh | £817 | £129 | £946 | £15,707 | 16.6 yrs | £3,212 |
| 7 kW | 5030 kWh | 3521 kWh | 1509 kWh | £953 | £151 | £1,104 | £17,742 | 16.1 yrs | £4,330 |
| 8 kW | 5748 kWh | 4024 kWh | 1724 kWh | £1,089 | £172 | £1,261 | £19,776 | 15.7 yrs | £5,449 |
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: £807, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 19.1 yrs
| System | Annual output | Self-use | Exported | Bill saving | Export income | Annual benefit | Upfront cost | Break-even | 20-year net |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 kW | 1437 kWh | 1049 kWh | 388 kWh | £284 | £39 | £323 | £9,319 | 28.9 yrs | £-2,866 |
| 3 kW | 2156 kWh | 1574 kWh | 582 kWh | £426 | £58 | £484 | £11,354 | 23.5 yrs | £-1,674 |
| 4 kW | 2874 kWh | 2098 kWh | 776 kWh | £568 | £78 | £645 | £13,388 | 20.7 yrs | £-481 |
| 5 kW | 3593 kWh | 2623 kWh | 970 kWh | £710 | £97 | £807 | £15,423 | 19.1 yrs | £711 |
| 6 kW | 4311 kWh | 3147 kWh | 1164 kWh | £852 | £116 | £968 | £17,457 | 18.0 yrs | £1,903 |
| 7 kW | 5030 kWh | 3672 kWh | 1358 kWh | £994 | £136 | £1,129 | £19,492 | 17.3 yrs | £3,095 |
| 8 kW | 5748 kWh | 4196 kWh | 1552 kWh | £1,135 | £155 | £1,291 | £21,526 | 16.7 yrs | £4,287 |
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: £819, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 21.0 yrs
| System | Annual output | Self-use | Exported | Bill saving | Export income | Annual benefit | Upfront cost | Break-even | 20-year net |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 kW | 1437 kWh | 1078 kWh | 359 kWh | £292 | £36 | £328 | £11,069 | 33.8 yrs | £-4,518 |
| 3 kW | 2156 kWh | 1617 kWh | 539 kWh | £437 | £54 | £491 | £13,104 | 26.7 yrs | £-3,276 |
| 4 kW | 2874 kWh | 2156 kWh | 719 kWh | £583 | £72 | £655 | £15,138 | 23.1 yrs | £-2,035 |
| 5 kW | 3593 kWh | 2694 kWh | 898 kWh | £729 | £90 | £819 | £17,173 | 21.0 yrs | £-794 |
| 6 kW | 4311 kWh | 3233 kWh | 1078 kWh | £875 | £108 | £983 | £19,207 | 19.5 yrs | £447 |
| 7 kW | 5030 kWh | 3772 kWh | 1257 kWh | £1,021 | £126 | £1,146 | £21,242 | 18.5 yrs | £1,688 |
| 8 kW | 5748 kWh | 4311 kWh | 1437 kWh | £1,167 | £144 | £1,310 | £23,276 | 17.8 yrs | £2,929 |
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: £831, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 23.6 yrs
| System | Annual output | Self-use | Exported | Bill saving | Export income | Annual benefit | Upfront cost | Break-even | 20-year net |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 kW | 1437 kWh | 1107 kWh | 331 kWh | £299 | £33 | £332 | £13,519 | 40.7 yrs | £-6,870 |
| 3 kW | 2156 kWh | 1660 kWh | 496 kWh | £449 | £50 | £499 | £15,554 | 31.2 yrs | £-5,579 |
| 4 kW | 2874 kWh | 2213 kWh | 661 kWh | £599 | £66 | £665 | £17,588 | 26.5 yrs | £-4,289 |
| 5 kW | 3593 kWh | 2766 kWh | 826 kWh | £749 | £83 | £831 | £19,623 | 23.6 yrs | £-2,999 |
| 6 kW | 4311 kWh | 3320 kWh | 992 kWh | £898 | £99 | £997 | £21,657 | 21.7 yrs | £-1,709 |
| 7 kW | 5030 kWh | 3873 kWh | 1157 kWh | £1,048 | £116 | £1,164 | £23,692 | 20.4 yrs | £-419 |
| 8 kW | 5748 kWh | 4426 kWh | 1322 kWh | £1,198 | £132 | £1,330 | £25,726 | 19.3 yrs | £872 |
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.