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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Standing-Charge Drag Index

The standing charge is the part of your bill solar can’t touch. We ranked UK postcodes by how much it drags on savings. PO22 (Arun) has the lowest drag at ~12.6%.

Highest drag: PA39 (Highland) at about 49.3%. Lower drag means faster payback for the same solar system.

Lowest standing-charge drag (best first)

Drag = annual standing charge ÷ typical annual solar benefit for that postcode. Lower is better.

# Postcode Place Drag Standing charge (≈) Annual benefit (≈) Region
1 PO22 Arun 12.6% £163 £1,291 Southern
2 PO20 Chichester 12.7% £163 £1,283 Southern
3 PO38 Isle of Wight 12.7% £163 £1,287 Southern
4 PO21 Arun 12.8% £163 £1,271 Southern
5 PO35 Isle of Wight 12.8% £163 £1,271 Southern
6 PO36 Isle of Wight 12.8% £163 £1,270 Southern
7 PO37 Isle of Wight 12.8% £163 £1,268 Southern
8 PO39 Isle of Wight 12.8% £163 £1,273 Southern
9 PO40 Isle of Wight 12.8% £163 £1,273 Southern
10 BH25 New Forest 12.9% £163 £1,265 Southern
11 PO18 Chichester 12.9% £163 £1,267 Southern
12 SO41 New Forest 12.9% £163 £1,265 Southern
13 BH20 Dorset 12.9% £163 £1,262 Southern
14 PO41 Isle of Wight 12.9% £163 £1,260 Southern
15 BN26 Wealden 13.0% £174 £1,338 South East
16 BH19 Dorset 13.0% £163 £1,253 Southern
17 PO11 Havant 13.0% £163 £1,254 Southern
18 BH8 Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole 13.0% £163 £1,249 Southern
19 BN20 Eastbourne 13.1% £174 £1,322 South East
20 BH2 Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole 13.1% £163 £1,243 Southern
21 BH23 Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole 13.1% £163 £1,245 Southern
22 BH3 Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole 13.1% £163 £1,244 Southern
23 BH5 Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole 13.1% £163 £1,246 Southern
24 BH6 Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole 13.1% £163 £1,245 Southern
25 BH7 Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole 13.1% £163 £1,247 Southern
26 BH9 Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole 13.1% £163 £1,244 Southern
27 PO34 Isle of Wight 13.1% £163 £1,244 Southern
28 PO5 Portsmouth 13.1% £163 £1,240 Southern
29 BN21 Eastbourne 13.2% £174 £1,315 South East
30 BN24 Wealden 13.2% £174 £1,317 South East
31 BN51 Brighton and Hove 13.2% £174 £1,317 South East
32 TN28 Folkestone and Hythe 13.2% £174 £1,319 South East
33 BH10 Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole 13.2% £163 £1,230 Southern
34 BN16 Arun 13.3% £174 £1,307 South East
35 BN25 Lewes 13.3% £174 £1,310 South East
36 BH13 Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole 13.3% £163 £1,229 Southern
37 BH14 Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole 13.3% £163 £1,229 Southern
38 BH18 Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole 13.3% £163 £1,228 Southern
39 BH4 Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole 13.3% £163 £1,229 Southern
40 BH21 Dorset 13.3% £163 £1,225 Southern
41 SO42 New Forest 13.3% £163 £1,221 Southern
42 BN1 Brighton and Hove 13.4% £174 £1,296 South East
43 BN10 Lewes 13.4% £174 £1,300 South East
44 BN11 Worthing 13.4% £174 £1,296 South East
45 BN12 Worthing 13.4% £174 £1,301 South East
46 BN14 Worthing 13.4% £174 £1,297 South East
47 BN50 Brighton and Hove 13.4% £174 £1,296 South East
48 BN88 Brighton and Hove 13.4% £174 £1,298 South East
49 BN99 Adur 13.4% £174 £1,296 South East
50 TN29 Folkestone and Hythe 13.4% £174 £1,301 South East
51 TN39 Rother 13.4% £174 £1,292 South East
52 TN40 Rother 13.4% £174 £1,292 South East
53 DT2 Dorset 13.4% £163 £1,219 Southern
54 BN3 Brighton and Hove 13.5% £174 £1,289 South East
55 BN4 Adur 13.5% £174 £1,286 South East
56 BN42 Adur 13.5% £174 £1,286 South East
57 BN52 Brighton and Hove 13.5% £174 £1,289 South East
58 BN95 Adur 13.5% £174 £1,288 South East
59 CT15 Dover 13.5% £174 £1,286 South East
60 CT50 Folkestone and Hythe 13.5% £174 £1,287 South East
61 BH22 Dorset 13.5% £163 £1,206 Southern
62 BH24 New Forest 13.5% £163 £1,208 Southern
63 PO8 East Hampshire 13.5% £163 £1,210 Southern
64 GU28 Chichester 13.5% £163 £1,202 Southern
65 TN36 Rother 13.6% £174 £1,278 South East
66 TN30 Ashford 13.7% £174 £1,267 South East
67 TN33 Rother 13.7% £174 £1,266 South East
68 CT7 Thanet 13.7% £174 £1,264 South East
69 RH14 Horsham 13.7% £163 £1,186 Southern
70 SO43 New Forest 13.7% £163 £1,185 Southern
71 BN44 Horsham 13.8% £174 £1,258 South East
72 BN6 Mid Sussex 13.8% £174 £1,256 South East
73 CT18 Folkestone and Hythe 13.8% £174 £1,261 South East
74 CT21 Folkestone and Hythe 13.8% £174 £1,262 South East
75 CT4 Canterbury 13.8% £174 £1,259 South East
76 TN26 Ashford 13.8% £174 £1,260 South East
77 GU29 Chichester 13.8% £163 £1,184 Southern
78 SO32 Winchester 13.8% £163 £1,180 Southern
79 SP3 Wiltshire 13.8% £163 £1,180 Southern
80 BH31 Dorset 13.8% £163 £1,178 Southern
81 DT10 Dorset 13.8% £163 £1,177 Southern
82 BN5 Horsham 13.9% £174 £1,254 South East
83 TN18 Tunbridge Wells 13.9% £174 £1,247 South East
84 SO53 Eastleigh 13.9% £163 £1,171 Southern
85 CO16 Tendring 14.0% £176 £1,262 Eastern
86 CO7 Tendring 14.0% £176 £1,254 Eastern
87 CT10 Thanet 14.0% £174 £1,240 South East
88 BN45 Mid Sussex 14.0% £174 £1,237 South East
89 CT6 Canterbury 14.0% £174 £1,238 South East
90 DT9 Dorset 14.0% £163 £1,163 Southern
91 GU27 Waverley 14.0% £163 £1,167 Southern
92 GU32 East Hampshire 14.0% £163 £1,161 Southern
93 SO20 Test Valley 14.0% £163 £1,165 Southern
94 SO21 Winchester 14.0% £163 £1,164 Southern
95 SO22 Winchester 14.0% £163 £1,162 Southern
96 SO24 Winchester 14.0% £163 £1,161 Southern
97 SO51 Test Valley 14.0% £163 £1,161 Southern
98 SP5 Wiltshire 14.0% £163 £1,166 Southern
99 CO13 Tendring 14.1% £176 £1,253 Eastern
100 CO14 Tendring 14.1% £176 £1,246 Eastern

Where standing-charge drag is highest (bottom 10)

# Postcode Place Drag Standing charge (≈) Annual benefit (≈) Region
2988 PA26 Argyll and Bute 41.9% £223 £531 Northern Scotland
2989 LS1 Leeds 42.0% £214 £510 Yorkshire
2990 IV53 Highland 42.3% £223 £526 Northern Scotland
2991 IV42 Highland 42.4% £223 £525 Northern Scotland
2992 PH33 Highland 43.0% £223 £518 Northern Scotland
2993 PH50 Highland 44.0% £223 £506 Northern Scotland
2994 PH38 Highland 44.4% £223 £502 Northern Scotland
2995 PA40 Highland 45.4% £223 £490 Northern Scotland
2996 PH49 Highland 45.8% £223 £486 Northern Scotland
2997 PA39 Highland 49.3% £223 £452 Northern Scotland

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How we calculated this

What: Share of your typical solar savings that’s eaten by the unavoidable standing charge.

Formula: Drag = (standing charge £/year) ÷ (typical annual solar benefit £ for that postcode).

Data: Ofgem standing charges (regional), SPI annual benefit (per postcode), PVGIS/EPC underpin the SPI numbers.