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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in IG10 (Epping Forest)

See if solar pays off for you in Epping Forest — 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
12.4 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£819
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£10,293
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 London, the current unit rate is 25.63p/kWh with a 46.06p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 1007 kWh/kW — 17 above the regional median (991).

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 1007 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
46.1p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
1007 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: £819, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 12.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2015 kWh 806 kWh 1209 kWh £207 £121 £327 £4,069 12.4 yrs £2,480
3 kW 3022 kWh 1209 kWh 1813 kWh £310 £181 £491 £6,104 12.4 yrs £3,720
4 kW 4030 kWh 1612 kWh 2418 kWh £413 £242 £655 £8,138 12.4 yrs £4,960
5 kW 5037 kWh 2015 kWh 3022 kWh £516 £302 £819 £10,173 12.4 yrs £6,200
6 kW 6045 kWh 2418 kWh 3627 kWh £620 £363 £982 £12,207 12.4 yrs £7,440
7 kW 7052 kWh 2821 kWh 4231 kWh £723 £423 £1,146 £14,242 12.4 yrs £8,680
8 kW 8059 kWh 3224 kWh 4836 kWh £826 £484 £1,310 £16,276 12.4 yrs £9,920

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: £976, 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 2015 kWh 1209 kWh 806 kWh £310 £81 £390 £6,169 15.8 yrs £1,640
3 kW 3022 kWh 1813 kWh 1209 kWh £465 £121 £586 £8,204 14.0 yrs £3,510
4 kW 4030 kWh 2418 kWh 1612 kWh £620 £161 £781 £10,238 13.1 yrs £5,379
5 kW 5037 kWh 3022 kWh 2015 kWh £775 £201 £976 £12,273 12.6 yrs £7,249
6 kW 6045 kWh 3627 kWh 2418 kWh £930 £242 £1,171 £14,307 12.2 yrs £9,119
7 kW 7052 kWh 4231 kWh 2821 kWh £1,084 £282 £1,367 £16,342 12.0 yrs £10,989
8 kW 8059 kWh 4836 kWh 3224 kWh £1,239 £322 £1,562 £18,376 11.8 yrs £12,859

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 2015 kWh 1410 kWh 604 kWh £361 £60 £422 £7,569 17.9 yrs £870
3 kW 3022 kWh 2116 kWh 907 kWh £542 £91 £633 £9,604 15.2 yrs £3,054
4 kW 4030 kWh 2821 kWh 1209 kWh £723 £121 £844 £11,638 13.8 yrs £5,239
5 kW 5037 kWh 3526 kWh 1511 kWh £904 £151 £1,055 £13,673 13.0 yrs £7,424
6 kW 6045 kWh 4231 kWh 1813 kWh £1,084 £181 £1,266 £15,707 12.4 yrs £9,609
7 kW 7052 kWh 4936 kWh 2116 kWh £1,265 £212 £1,477 £17,742 12.0 yrs £11,793
8 kW 8059 kWh 5642 kWh 2418 kWh £1,446 £242 £1,688 £19,776 11.7 yrs £13,978

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: £1,078, 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 2015 kWh 1471 kWh 544 kWh £377 £54 £431 £9,319 21.6 yrs £-692
3 kW 3022 kWh 2206 kWh 816 kWh £565 £82 £647 £11,354 17.5 yrs £1,588
4 kW 4030 kWh 2942 kWh 1088 kWh £754 £109 £863 £13,388 15.5 yrs £3,867
5 kW 5037 kWh 3677 kWh 1360 kWh £942 £136 £1,078 £15,423 14.3 yrs £6,146
6 kW 6045 kWh 4412 kWh 1632 kWh £1,131 £163 £1,294 £17,457 13.5 yrs £8,425
7 kW 7052 kWh 5148 kWh 1904 kWh £1,319 £190 £1,510 £19,492 12.9 yrs £10,705
8 kW 8059 kWh 5883 kWh 2176 kWh £1,508 £218 £1,726 £21,526 12.5 yrs £12,984

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: £1,094, 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 2015 kWh 1511 kWh 504 kWh £387 £50 £438 £11,069 25.3 yrs £-2,316
3 kW 3022 kWh 2267 kWh 756 kWh £581 £76 £657 £13,104 20.0 yrs £27
4 kW 4030 kWh 3022 kWh 1007 kWh £775 £101 £875 £15,138 17.3 yrs £2,369
5 kW 5037 kWh 3778 kWh 1259 kWh £968 £126 £1,094 £17,173 15.7 yrs £4,711
6 kW 6045 kWh 4533 kWh 1511 kWh £1,162 £151 £1,313 £19,207 14.6 yrs £7,053
7 kW 7052 kWh 5289 kWh 1763 kWh £1,356 £176 £1,532 £21,242 13.9 yrs £9,396
8 kW 8059 kWh 6045 kWh 2015 kWh £1,549 £201 £1,751 £23,276 13.3 yrs £11,738

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: £1,110, 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 2015 kWh 1551 kWh 463 kWh £398 £46 £444 £13,519 30.5 yrs £-4,640
3 kW 3022 kWh 2327 kWh 695 kWh £596 £70 £666 £15,554 23.4 yrs £-2,234
4 kW 4030 kWh 3103 kWh 927 kWh £795 £93 £888 £17,588 19.8 yrs £171
5 kW 5037 kWh 3879 kWh 1159 kWh £994 £116 £1,110 £19,623 17.7 yrs £2,576
6 kW 6045 kWh 4654 kWh 1390 kWh £1,193 £139 £1,332 £21,657 16.3 yrs £4,981
7 kW 7052 kWh 5430 kWh 1622 kWh £1,392 £162 £1,554 £23,692 15.2 yrs £7,386
8 kW 8059 kWh 6206 kWh 1854 kWh £1,591 £185 £1,776 £25,726 14.5 yrs £9,792

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 IG10

Figures below are tailored to IG10 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1702 of 2182
4.5 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~9 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #1136 of 2997
10.9 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£937 /yr • £10,173 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #976 of 2997
17.9% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£168 fixed • ~£937 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.63p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
46.06p/day
Local Sunshine
1007kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~1007 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: 58% • Flats: 35% • Bungalows: 3% Based on 7,878 properties

Coverage

Epping Forest (100%)

Areas Covered

Loughton Forest, Loughton Roding, Loughton St John's, Loughton Fairmead, Buckhurst Hill East & Whitebridge, Waltham Abbey South & Rural, Buckhurst Hill West

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 London

IG9 (Epping Forest)
≈3.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~996 kWh/kWp · -1% vs IG10
IG7 (Epping Forest)
≈4.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,008 kWh/kWp · +0% vs IG10
IG8 (Redbridge)
≈5.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,002 kWh/kWp · -1% vs IG10
IG6 (Redbridge)
≈6.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,010 kWh/kWp · +0% vs IG10
IG5 (Redbridge)
≈6.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,011 kWh/kWp · +0% vs IG10
E18 (Redbridge)
≈6.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,006 kWh/kWp · -0% vs IG10

Similar sunshine across the UK

RG24 (Basingstoke and Deane)
~1,007 kWh/kWp · +0% vs IG10
BA7 (Somerset)
~1,007 kWh/kWp · -0% vs IG10
TR14 (Cornwall)
~1,008 kWh/kWp · +0% vs IG10