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 997 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 25.3p 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: £804, Upfront: £10,173, 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 | 1995 kWh | 798 kWh | 1197 kWh | £202 | £120 | £322 | £4,069 | 12.6 yrs | £2,367 |
| 3 kW | 2992 kWh | 1197 kWh | 1795 kWh | £303 | £180 | £483 | £6,104 | 12.6 yrs | £3,550 |
| 4 kW | 3989 kWh | 1596 kWh | 2394 kWh | £404 | £239 | £644 | £8,138 | 12.6 yrs | £4,733 |
| 5 kW | 4987 kWh | 1995 kWh | 2992 kWh | £505 | £299 | £804 | £10,173 | 12.6 yrs | £5,917 |
| 6 kW | 5984 kWh | 2394 kWh | 3590 kWh | £606 | £359 | £965 | £12,207 | 12.6 yrs | £7,100 |
| 7 kW | 6982 kWh | 2793 kWh | 4189 kWh | £707 | £419 | £1,126 | £14,242 | 12.6 yrs | £8,284 |
| 8 kW | 7979 kWh | 3192 kWh | 4787 kWh | £808 | £479 | £1,287 | £16,276 | 12.6 yrs | £9,467 |
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: £957, Upfront: £12,273, 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 | 1995 kWh | 1197 kWh | 798 kWh | £303 | £80 | £383 | £6,169 | 16.1 yrs | £1,490 |
| 3 kW | 2992 kWh | 1795 kWh | 1197 kWh | £455 | £120 | £574 | £8,204 | 14.3 yrs | £3,285 |
| 4 kW | 3989 kWh | 2394 kWh | 1596 kWh | £606 | £160 | £766 | £10,238 | 13.4 yrs | £5,080 |
| 5 kW | 4987 kWh | 2992 kWh | 1995 kWh | £758 | £199 | £957 | £12,273 | 12.8 yrs | £6,875 |
| 6 kW | 5984 kWh | 3590 kWh | 2394 kWh | £909 | £239 | £1,149 | £14,307 | 12.5 yrs | £8,670 |
| 7 kW | 6982 kWh | 4189 kWh | 2793 kWh | £1,061 | £279 | £1,340 | £16,342 | 12.2 yrs | £10,465 |
| 8 kW | 7979 kWh | 4787 kWh | 3192 kWh | £1,213 | £319 | £1,532 | £18,376 | 12.0 yrs | £12,260 |
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: £1,034, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 13.2 yrs
| System | Annual output | Self-use | Exported | Bill saving | Export income | Annual benefit | Upfront cost | Break-even | 20-year net |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 kW | 1995 kWh | 1396 kWh | 598 kWh | £354 | £60 | £414 | £7,569 | 18.3 yrs | £701 |
| 3 kW | 2992 kWh | 2094 kWh | 898 kWh | £531 | £90 | £620 | £9,604 | 15.5 yrs | £2,802 |
| 4 kW | 3989 kWh | 2793 kWh | 1197 kWh | £707 | £120 | £827 | £11,638 | 14.1 yrs | £4,903 |
| 5 kW | 4987 kWh | 3491 kWh | 1496 kWh | £884 | £150 | £1,034 | £13,673 | 13.2 yrs | £7,004 |
| 6 kW | 5984 kWh | 4189 kWh | 1795 kWh | £1,061 | £180 | £1,241 | £15,707 | 12.7 yrs | £9,104 |
| 7 kW | 6982 kWh | 4887 kWh | 2094 kWh | £1,238 | £209 | £1,447 | £17,742 | 12.3 yrs | £11,205 |
| 8 kW | 7979 kWh | 5585 kWh | 2394 kWh | £1,415 | £239 | £1,654 | £19,776 | 12.0 yrs | £13,306 |
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: £1,057, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 14.6 yrs
| System | Annual output | Self-use | Exported | Bill saving | Export income | Annual benefit | Upfront cost | Break-even | 20-year net |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 kW | 1995 kWh | 1456 kWh | 539 kWh | £369 | £54 | £423 | £9,319 | 22.0 yrs | £-865 |
| 3 kW | 2992 kWh | 2184 kWh | 808 kWh | £553 | £81 | £634 | £11,354 | 17.9 yrs | £1,327 |
| 4 kW | 3989 kWh | 2912 kWh | 1077 kWh | £738 | £108 | £845 | £13,388 | 15.8 yrs | £3,520 |
| 5 kW | 4987 kWh | 3640 kWh | 1346 kWh | £922 | £135 | £1,057 | £15,423 | 14.6 yrs | £5,712 |
| 6 kW | 5984 kWh | 4368 kWh | 1616 kWh | £1,107 | £162 | £1,268 | £17,457 | 13.8 yrs | £7,905 |
| 7 kW | 6982 kWh | 5097 kWh | 1885 kWh | £1,291 | £189 | £1,479 | £19,492 | 13.2 yrs | £10,097 |
| 8 kW | 7979 kWh | 5825 kWh | 2154 kWh | £1,475 | £215 | £1,691 | £21,526 | 12.7 yrs | £12,290 |
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: £1,072, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 16.0 yrs
| System | Annual output | Self-use | Exported | Bill saving | Export income | Annual benefit | Upfront cost | Break-even | 20-year net |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 kW | 1995 kWh | 1496 kWh | 499 kWh | £379 | £50 | £429 | £11,069 | 25.8 yrs | £-2,493 |
| 3 kW | 2992 kWh | 2244 kWh | 748 kWh | £568 | £75 | £643 | £13,104 | 20.4 yrs | £-239 |
| 4 kW | 3989 kWh | 2992 kWh | 997 kWh | £758 | £100 | £858 | £15,138 | 17.7 yrs | £2,015 |
| 5 kW | 4987 kWh | 3740 kWh | 1247 kWh | £947 | £125 | £1,072 | £17,173 | 16.0 yrs | £4,268 |
| 6 kW | 5984 kWh | 4488 kWh | 1496 kWh | £1,137 | £150 | £1,286 | £19,207 | 14.9 yrs | £6,522 |
| 7 kW | 6982 kWh | 5236 kWh | 1745 kWh | £1,326 | £175 | £1,501 | £21,242 | 14.2 yrs | £8,775 |
| 8 kW | 7979 kWh | 5984 kWh | 1995 kWh | £1,516 | £199 | £1,715 | £23,276 | 13.6 yrs | £11,029 |
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: £1,087, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 18.0 yrs
| System | Annual output | Self-use | Exported | Bill saving | Export income | Annual benefit | Upfront cost | Break-even | 20-year net |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 kW | 1995 kWh | 1536 kWh | 459 kWh | £389 | £46 | £435 | £13,519 | 31.1 yrs | £-4,820 |
| 3 kW | 2992 kWh | 2304 kWh | 688 kWh | £584 | £69 | £652 | £15,554 | 23.8 yrs | £-2,506 |
| 4 kW | 3989 kWh | 3072 kWh | 918 kWh | £778 | £92 | £870 | £17,588 | 20.2 yrs | £-191 |
| 5 kW | 4987 kWh | 3840 kWh | 1147 kWh | £973 | £115 | £1,087 | £19,623 | 18.0 yrs | £2,124 |
| 6 kW | 5984 kWh | 4608 kWh | 1376 kWh | £1,167 | £138 | £1,305 | £21,657 | 16.6 yrs | £4,439 |
| 7 kW | 6982 kWh | 5376 kWh | 1606 kWh | £1,362 | £161 | £1,522 | £23,692 | 15.6 yrs | £6,754 |
| 8 kW | 7979 kWh | 6144 kWh | 1835 kWh | £1,556 | £184 | £1,740 | £25,726 | 14.8 yrs | £9,068 |
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.