A typical roof here lands around 3.0 kW, with most eligible homes comfortably fitting within 3–6 kW. Each kilowatt of panels produces roughly 1010 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.
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: £821, 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 | 2020 kWh | 808 kWh | 1212 kWh | £207 | £121 | £328 | £4,069 | 12.4 yrs | £2,496 |
| 3 kW | 3030 kWh | 1212 kWh | 1818 kWh | £311 | £182 | £492 | £6,104 | 12.4 yrs | £3,744 |
| 4 kW | 4039 kWh | 1616 kWh | 2424 kWh | £414 | £242 | £656 | £8,138 | 12.4 yrs | £4,992 |
| 5 kW | 5049 kWh | 2020 kWh | 3030 kWh | £518 | £303 | £821 | £10,173 | 12.4 yrs | £6,240 |
| 6 kW | 6059 kWh | 2424 kWh | 3635 kWh | £621 | £364 | £985 | £12,207 | 12.4 yrs | £7,488 |
| 7 kW | 7069 kWh | 2828 kWh | 4241 kWh | £725 | £424 | £1,149 | £14,242 | 12.4 yrs | £8,736 |
| 8 kW | 8079 kWh | 3232 kWh | 4847 kWh | £828 | £485 | £1,313 | £16,276 | 12.4 yrs | £9,984 |
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: £978, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 12.5 yrs
| System | Annual output | Self-use | Exported | Bill saving | Export income | Annual benefit | Upfront cost | Break-even | 20-year net |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 kW | 2020 kWh | 1212 kWh | 808 kWh | £311 | £81 | £391 | £6,169 | 15.8 yrs | £1,659 |
| 3 kW | 3030 kWh | 1818 kWh | 1212 kWh | £466 | £121 | £587 | £8,204 | 14.0 yrs | £3,538 |
| 4 kW | 4039 kWh | 2424 kWh | 1616 kWh | £621 | £162 | £783 | £10,238 | 13.1 yrs | £5,417 |
| 5 kW | 5049 kWh | 3030 kWh | 2020 kWh | £776 | £202 | £978 | £12,273 | 12.5 yrs | £7,297 |
| 6 kW | 6059 kWh | 3635 kWh | 2424 kWh | £932 | £242 | £1,174 | £14,307 | 12.2 yrs | £9,176 |
| 7 kW | 7069 kWh | 4241 kWh | 2828 kWh | £1,087 | £283 | £1,370 | £16,342 | 11.9 yrs | £11,055 |
| 8 kW | 8079 kWh | 4847 kWh | 3232 kWh | £1,242 | £323 | £1,566 | £18,376 | 11.7 yrs | £12,934 |
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: £1,057, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 12.9 yrs
| System | Annual output | Self-use | Exported | Bill saving | Export income | Annual benefit | Upfront cost | Break-even | 20-year net |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 kW | 2020 kWh | 1414 kWh | 606 kWh | £362 | £61 | £423 | £7,569 | 17.9 yrs | £890 |
| 3 kW | 3030 kWh | 2121 kWh | 909 kWh | £544 | £91 | £634 | £9,604 | 15.1 yrs | £3,085 |
| 4 kW | 4039 kWh | 2828 kWh | 1212 kWh | £725 | £121 | £846 | £11,638 | 13.8 yrs | £5,280 |
| 5 kW | 5049 kWh | 3535 kWh | 1515 kWh | £906 | £151 | £1,057 | £13,673 | 12.9 yrs | £7,475 |
| 6 kW | 6059 kWh | 4241 kWh | 1818 kWh | £1,087 | £182 | £1,269 | £15,707 | 12.4 yrs | £9,670 |
| 7 kW | 7069 kWh | 4948 kWh | 2121 kWh | £1,268 | £212 | £1,480 | £17,742 | 12.0 yrs | £11,865 |
| 8 kW | 8079 kWh | 5655 kWh | 2424 kWh | £1,449 | £242 | £1,692 | £19,776 | 11.7 yrs | £14,060 |
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: £1,081, 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 | 2020 kWh | 1474 kWh | 545 kWh | £378 | £55 | £432 | £9,319 | 21.6 yrs | £-671 |
| 3 kW | 3030 kWh | 2212 kWh | 818 kWh | £567 | £82 | £649 | £11,354 | 17.5 yrs | £1,619 |
| 4 kW | 4039 kWh | 2949 kWh | 1091 kWh | £756 | £109 | £865 | £13,388 | 15.5 yrs | £3,909 |
| 5 kW | 5049 kWh | 3686 kWh | 1363 kWh | £945 | £136 | £1,081 | £15,423 | 14.3 yrs | £6,198 |
| 6 kW | 6059 kWh | 4423 kWh | 1636 kWh | £1,134 | £164 | £1,297 | £17,457 | 13.5 yrs | £8,488 |
| 7 kW | 7069 kWh | 5160 kWh | 1909 kWh | £1,323 | £191 | £1,513 | £19,492 | 12.9 yrs | £10,778 |
| 8 kW | 8079 kWh | 5898 kWh | 2181 kWh | £1,512 | £218 | £1,730 | £21,526 | 12.4 yrs | £13,068 |
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: £1,097, 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 | 2020 kWh | 1515 kWh | 505 kWh | £388 | £50 | £439 | £11,069 | 25.2 yrs | £-2,294 |
| 3 kW | 3030 kWh | 2272 kWh | 757 kWh | £582 | £76 | £658 | £13,104 | 19.9 yrs | £58 |
| 4 kW | 4039 kWh | 3030 kWh | 1010 kWh | £776 | £101 | £877 | £15,138 | 17.3 yrs | £2,411 |
| 5 kW | 5049 kWh | 3787 kWh | 1262 kWh | £971 | £126 | £1,097 | £17,173 | 15.7 yrs | £4,764 |
| 6 kW | 6059 kWh | 4544 kWh | 1515 kWh | £1,165 | £151 | £1,316 | £19,207 | 14.6 yrs | £7,117 |
| 7 kW | 7069 kWh | 5302 kWh | 1767 kWh | £1,359 | £177 | £1,536 | £21,242 | 13.8 yrs | £9,470 |
| 8 kW | 8079 kWh | 6059 kWh | 2020 kWh | £1,553 | £202 | £1,755 | £23,276 | 13.3 yrs | £11,823 |
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: £1,113, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 17.6 yrs
| System | Annual output | Self-use | Exported | Bill saving | Export income | Annual benefit | Upfront cost | Break-even | 20-year net |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 kW | 2020 kWh | 1555 kWh | 465 kWh | £399 | £46 | £445 | £13,519 | 30.4 yrs | £-4,618 |
| 3 kW | 3030 kWh | 2333 kWh | 697 kWh | £598 | £70 | £668 | £15,554 | 23.3 yrs | £-2,202 |
| 4 kW | 4039 kWh | 3110 kWh | 929 kWh | £797 | £93 | £890 | £17,588 | 19.8 yrs | £214 |
| 5 kW | 5049 kWh | 3888 kWh | 1161 kWh | £996 | £116 | £1,113 | £19,623 | 17.6 yrs | £2,630 |
| 6 kW | 6059 kWh | 4666 kWh | 1394 kWh | £1,196 | £139 | £1,335 | £21,657 | 16.2 yrs | £5,046 |
| 7 kW | 7069 kWh | 5443 kWh | 1626 kWh | £1,395 | £163 | £1,558 | £23,692 | 15.2 yrs | £7,462 |
| 8 kW | 8079 kWh | 6221 kWh | 1858 kWh | £1,594 | £186 | £1,780 | £25,726 | 14.5 yrs | £9,878 |
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.