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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in IP23 (Mid Suffolk)

See if solar pays off for you in Mid Suffolk — 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
12.0 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£12,207
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£1,018
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£13,241
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 Eastern, the current unit rate is 26.53p/kWh with a 48.25p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 1021 kWh/kW — 12 above the regional median (1009).

Read the full story

A typical roof here lands around 6.0 kW, with most eligible homes comfortably fitting within 3–6 kW. Each kilowatt of panels produces roughly 1021 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 26.5p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
26.5p/kWh
Standing charge
48.2p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
1021 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: £848, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 12.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2043 kWh 817 kWh 1226 kWh £217 £123 £339 £4,069 12.0 yrs £2,717
3 kW 3064 kWh 1226 kWh 1838 kWh £325 £184 £509 £6,104 12.0 yrs £4,076
4 kW 4085 kWh 1634 kWh 2451 kWh £434 £245 £679 £8,138 12.0 yrs £5,434
5 kW 5106 kWh 2043 kWh 3064 kWh £542 £306 £848 £10,173 12.0 yrs £6,793
6 kW 6128 kWh 2451 kWh 3677 kWh £650 £368 £1,018 £12,207 12.0 yrs £8,151
7 kW 7149 kWh 2860 kWh 4289 kWh £759 £429 £1,188 £14,242 12.0 yrs £9,510
8 kW 8170 kWh 3268 kWh 4902 kWh £867 £490 £1,357 £16,276 12.0 yrs £10,868

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: £1,017, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 12.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2043 kWh 1226 kWh 817 kWh £325 £82 £407 £6,169 15.2 yrs £1,968
3 kW 3064 kWh 1838 kWh 1226 kWh £488 £123 £610 £8,204 13.4 yrs £4,001
4 kW 4085 kWh 2451 kWh 1634 kWh £650 £163 £814 £10,238 12.6 yrs £6,035
5 kW 5106 kWh 3064 kWh 2043 kWh £813 £204 £1,017 £12,273 12.1 yrs £8,069
6 kW 6128 kWh 3677 kWh 2451 kWh £975 £245 £1,220 £14,307 11.7 yrs £10,103
7 kW 7149 kWh 4289 kWh 2860 kWh £1,138 £286 £1,424 £16,342 11.5 yrs £12,136
8 kW 8170 kWh 4902 kWh 3268 kWh £1,301 £327 £1,627 £18,376 11.3 yrs £14,170

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: £1,101, Upfront: £13,673, 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 2043 kWh 1430 kWh 613 kWh £379 £61 £441 £7,569 17.2 yrs £1,243
3 kW 3064 kWh 2145 kWh 919 kWh £569 £92 £661 £9,604 14.5 yrs £3,614
4 kW 4085 kWh 2860 kWh 1226 kWh £759 £123 £881 £11,638 13.2 yrs £5,986
5 kW 5106 kWh 3574 kWh 1532 kWh £948 £153 £1,101 £13,673 12.4 yrs £8,357
6 kW 6128 kWh 4289 kWh 1838 kWh £1,138 £184 £1,322 £15,707 11.9 yrs £10,728
7 kW 7149 kWh 5004 kWh 2145 kWh £1,328 £214 £1,542 £17,742 11.5 yrs £13,100
8 kW 8170 kWh 5719 kWh 2451 kWh £1,517 £245 £1,762 £19,776 11.2 yrs £15,471

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: £1,127, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 13.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2043 kWh 1491 kWh 551 kWh £396 £55 £451 £9,319 20.7 yrs £-305
3 kW 3064 kWh 2237 kWh 827 kWh £593 £83 £676 £11,354 16.8 yrs £2,168
4 kW 4085 kWh 2982 kWh 1103 kWh £791 £110 £901 £13,388 14.9 yrs £4,641
5 kW 5106 kWh 3728 kWh 1379 kWh £989 £138 £1,127 £15,423 13.7 yrs £7,113
6 kW 6128 kWh 4473 kWh 1654 kWh £1,187 £165 £1,352 £17,457 12.9 yrs £9,586
7 kW 7149 kWh 5219 kWh 1930 kWh £1,385 £193 £1,578 £19,492 12.4 yrs £12,059
8 kW 8170 kWh 5964 kWh 2206 kWh £1,582 £221 £1,803 £21,526 11.9 yrs £14,532

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: £1,144, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 15.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2043 kWh 1532 kWh 511 kWh £406 £51 £457 £11,069 24.2 yrs £-1,920
3 kW 3064 kWh 2298 kWh 766 kWh £610 £77 £686 £13,104 19.1 yrs £621
4 kW 4085 kWh 3064 kWh 1021 kWh £813 £102 £915 £15,138 16.5 yrs £3,161
5 kW 5106 kWh 3830 kWh 1277 kWh £1,016 £128 £1,144 £17,173 15.0 yrs £5,701
6 kW 6128 kWh 4596 kWh 1532 kWh £1,219 £153 £1,372 £19,207 14.0 yrs £8,241
7 kW 7149 kWh 5362 kWh 1787 kWh £1,422 £179 £1,601 £21,242 13.3 yrs £10,782
8 kW 8170 kWh 6128 kWh 2043 kWh £1,626 £204 £1,830 £23,276 12.7 yrs £13,322

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: £1,161, Upfront: £19,623, 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 2043 kWh 1573 kWh 470 kWh £417 £47 £464 £13,519 29.1 yrs £-4,235
3 kW 3064 kWh 2359 kWh 705 kWh £626 £70 £696 £15,554 22.3 yrs £-1,627
4 kW 4085 kWh 3145 kWh 940 kWh £834 £94 £928 £17,588 18.9 yrs £981
5 kW 5106 kWh 3932 kWh 1174 kWh £1,043 £117 £1,161 £19,623 16.9 yrs £3,589
6 kW 6128 kWh 4718 kWh 1409 kWh £1,252 £141 £1,393 £21,657 15.6 yrs £6,196
7 kW 7149 kWh 5505 kWh 1644 kWh £1,460 £164 £1,625 £23,692 14.6 yrs £8,804
8 kW 8170 kWh 6291 kWh 1879 kWh £1,669 £188 £1,857 £25,726 13.9 yrs £11,412

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 IP23

Figures below are tailored to IP23 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #159 of 2182
6.3 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~13 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #406 of 2997
10.4 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£1,170 /yr • £12,207 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #279 of 2997
15.1% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£176 fixed • ~£1,170 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.53p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
48.25p/day
Local Sunshine
1021kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~1021 kWh per year. A typical home uses ~2,700 kWh per year.
Typical System Size
6.0kW
For houses & bungalows in this area

Local Property Data

Property Types

Houses: 79% • Flats: 3% • Bungalows: 17% Based on 1,889 properties

Coverage

Mid Suffolk (90%)|South Norfolk (10%)

Areas Covered

Eye, Gislingham, Palgrave, Diss & Roydon, Mendlesham, Hoxne & Worlingworth, Debenham

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 Eastern

IP98 (South Norfolk)
≈6.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,020 kWh/kWp · -0% vs IP23
IP22 (South Norfolk)
≈7.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,017 kWh/kWp · -0% vs IP23
IP21 (Mid Suffolk)
≈9.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,020 kWh/kWp · -0% vs IP23
IP20 (South Norfolk)
≈15.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,030 kWh/kWp · +1% vs IP23
IP14 (Mid Suffolk)
≈16.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,029 kWh/kWp · +1% vs IP23
NR16 (Breckland)
≈17.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,014 kWh/kWp · -1% vs IP23

Similar sunshine across the UK

TR11 (Cornwall)
~1,021 kWh/kWp · +0% vs IP23
GU6 (Waverley)
~1,021 kWh/kWp · +0% vs IP23
DA1 (Dartford)
~1,022 kWh/kWp · +0% vs IP23