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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in IP30 (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
£13,253
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 1022 kWh/kW — 13 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 1022 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)
1022 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: £849, 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 2044 kWh 817 kWh 1226 kWh £217 £123 £339 £4,069 12.0 yrs £2,720
3 kW 3065 kWh 1226 kWh 1839 kWh £325 £184 £509 £6,104 12.0 yrs £4,081
4 kW 4087 kWh 1635 kWh 2452 kWh £434 £245 £679 £8,138 12.0 yrs £5,441
5 kW 5109 kWh 2044 kWh 3065 kWh £542 £307 £849 £10,173 12.0 yrs £6,801
6 kW 6131 kWh 2452 kWh 3678 kWh £651 £368 £1,018 £12,207 12.0 yrs £8,161
7 kW 7152 kWh 2861 kWh 4291 kWh £759 £429 £1,188 £14,242 12.0 yrs £9,522
8 kW 8174 kWh 3270 kWh 4904 kWh £867 £490 £1,358 £16,276 12.0 yrs £10,882

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: £1,018, 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 2044 kWh 1226 kWh 817 kWh £325 £82 £407 £6,169 15.2 yrs £1,972
3 kW 3065 kWh 1839 kWh 1226 kWh £488 £123 £611 £8,204 13.4 yrs £4,007
4 kW 4087 kWh 2452 kWh 1635 kWh £651 £163 £814 £10,238 12.6 yrs £6,043
5 kW 5109 kWh 3065 kWh 2044 kWh £813 £204 £1,018 £12,273 12.1 yrs £8,079
6 kW 6131 kWh 3678 kWh 2452 kWh £976 £245 £1,221 £14,307 11.7 yrs £10,115
7 kW 7152 kWh 4291 kWh 2861 kWh £1,139 £286 £1,425 £16,342 11.5 yrs £12,151
8 kW 8174 kWh 4904 kWh 3270 kWh £1,301 £327 £1,628 £18,376 11.3 yrs £14,187

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: £1,102, 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 2044 kWh 1430 kWh 613 kWh £380 £61 £441 £7,569 17.2 yrs £1,247
3 kW 3065 kWh 2146 kWh 920 kWh £569 £92 £661 £9,604 14.5 yrs £3,621
4 kW 4087 kWh 2861 kWh 1226 kWh £759 £123 £882 £11,638 13.2 yrs £5,994
5 kW 5109 kWh 3576 kWh 1533 kWh £949 £153 £1,102 £13,673 12.4 yrs £8,368
6 kW 6131 kWh 4291 kWh 1839 kWh £1,139 £184 £1,322 £15,707 11.9 yrs £10,742
7 kW 7152 kWh 5007 kWh 2146 kWh £1,328 £215 £1,543 £17,742 11.5 yrs £13,115
8 kW 8174 kWh 5722 kWh 2452 kWh £1,518 £245 £1,763 £19,776 11.2 yrs £15,489

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 2044 kWh 1492 kWh 552 kWh £396 £55 £451 £9,319 20.7 yrs £-300
3 kW 3065 kWh 2238 kWh 828 kWh £594 £83 £676 £11,354 16.8 yrs £2,175
4 kW 4087 kWh 2984 kWh 1104 kWh £792 £110 £902 £13,388 14.8 yrs £4,650
5 kW 5109 kWh 3729 kWh 1379 kWh £989 £138 £1,127 £15,423 13.7 yrs £7,125
6 kW 6131 kWh 4475 kWh 1655 kWh £1,187 £166 £1,353 £17,457 12.9 yrs £9,600
7 kW 7152 kWh 5221 kWh 1931 kWh £1,385 £193 £1,578 £19,492 12.3 yrs £12,075
8 kW 8174 kWh 5967 kWh 2207 kWh £1,583 £221 £1,804 £21,526 11.9 yrs £14,550

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 2044 kWh 1533 kWh 511 kWh £407 £51 £458 £11,069 24.2 yrs £-1,915
3 kW 3065 kWh 2299 kWh 766 kWh £610 £77 £687 £13,104 19.1 yrs £628
4 kW 4087 kWh 3065 kWh 1022 kWh £813 £102 £915 £15,138 16.5 yrs £3,170
5 kW 5109 kWh 3832 kWh 1277 kWh £1,017 £128 £1,144 £17,173 15.0 yrs £5,713
6 kW 6131 kWh 4598 kWh 1533 kWh £1,220 £153 £1,373 £19,207 14.0 yrs £8,255
7 kW 7152 kWh 5364 kWh 1788 kWh £1,423 £179 £1,602 £21,242 13.3 yrs £10,798
8 kW 8174 kWh 6131 kWh 2044 kWh £1,626 £204 £1,831 £23,276 12.7 yrs £13,340

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 2044 kWh 1574 kWh 470 kWh £417 £47 £464 £13,519 29.1 yrs £-4,230
3 kW 3065 kWh 2360 kWh 705 kWh £626 £71 £697 £15,554 22.3 yrs £-1,620
4 kW 4087 kWh 3147 kWh 940 kWh £835 £94 £929 £17,588 18.9 yrs £990
5 kW 5109 kWh 3934 kWh 1175 kWh £1,044 £118 £1,161 £19,623 16.9 yrs £3,600
6 kW 6131 kWh 4721 kWh 1410 kWh £1,252 £141 £1,393 £21,657 15.5 yrs £6,210
7 kW 7152 kWh 5507 kWh 1645 kWh £1,461 £165 £1,626 £23,692 14.6 yrs £8,820
8 kW 8174 kWh 6294 kWh 1880 kWh £1,670 £188 £1,858 £25,726 13.8 yrs £11,431

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 IP30

Figures below are tailored to IP30 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #369 of 2182
5.8 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~12 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #407 of 2997
10.4 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£1,170 /yr • £12,207 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #278 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
1022kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~1022 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: 76% • Flats: 5% • Bungalows: 18% Based on 4,488 properties

Coverage

Mid Suffolk (59%)|West Suffolk (30%)|Babergh (11%)

Areas Covered

Elmswell & Woolpit, Rattlesden, Rougham, Lavenham, Thurston, Horringer, Abbeygate, North West Cosford + 2 more

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

IP31 (West Suffolk)
≈7.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,016 kWh/kWp · -1% vs IP30
IP33 (West Suffolk)
≈9.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,015 kWh/kWp · -1% vs IP30
IP32 (West Suffolk)
≈10.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,013 kWh/kWp · -1% vs IP30
IP14 (Mid Suffolk)
≈10.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,029 kWh/kWp · +1% vs IP30
IP29 (West Suffolk)
≈12.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,013 kWh/kWp · -1% vs IP30
IP7 (Babergh)
≈20.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,050 kWh/kWp · +3% vs IP30

Similar sunshine across the UK

DA1 (Dartford)
~1,022 kWh/kWp · +0% vs IP30
GU6 (Waverley)
~1,021 kWh/kWp · -0% vs IP30
TR11 (Cornwall)
~1,021 kWh/kWp · -0% vs IP30