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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in IP7 (Babergh)

See if solar pays off for you in Babergh — 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
11.7 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£872
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£11,624
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 1050 kWh/kW — 41 above the regional median (1009).

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 1050 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)
1050 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: £872, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 11.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2099 kWh 840 kWh 1260 kWh £223 £126 £349 £4,069 11.7 yrs £2,906
3 kW 3149 kWh 1260 kWh 1889 kWh £334 £189 £523 £6,104 11.7 yrs £4,359
4 kW 4199 kWh 1679 kWh 2519 kWh £446 £252 £697 £8,138 11.7 yrs £5,812
5 kW 5248 kWh 2099 kWh 3149 kWh £557 £315 £872 £10,173 11.7 yrs £7,264
6 kW 6298 kWh 2519 kWh 3779 kWh £668 £378 £1,046 £12,207 11.7 yrs £8,717
7 kW 7348 kWh 2939 kWh 4409 kWh £780 £441 £1,221 £14,242 11.7 yrs £10,170
8 kW 8397 kWh 3359 kWh 5038 kWh £891 £504 £1,395 £16,276 11.7 yrs £11,623

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: £1,045, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 11.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2099 kWh 1260 kWh 840 kWh £334 £84 £418 £6,169 14.8 yrs £2,194
3 kW 3149 kWh 1889 kWh 1260 kWh £501 £126 £627 £8,204 13.1 yrs £4,341
4 kW 4199 kWh 2519 kWh 1679 kWh £668 £168 £836 £10,238 12.2 yrs £6,488
5 kW 5248 kWh 3149 kWh 2099 kWh £835 £210 £1,045 £12,273 11.7 yrs £8,635
6 kW 6298 kWh 3779 kWh 2519 kWh £1,003 £252 £1,254 £14,307 11.4 yrs £10,781
7 kW 7348 kWh 4409 kWh 2939 kWh £1,170 £294 £1,463 £16,342 11.2 yrs £12,928
8 kW 8397 kWh 5038 kWh 3359 kWh £1,337 £336 £1,673 £18,376 11.0 yrs £15,075

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: £1,132, Upfront: £13,673, 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 2099 kWh 1470 kWh 630 kWh £390 £63 £453 £7,569 16.7 yrs £1,488
3 kW 3149 kWh 2204 kWh 945 kWh £585 £94 £679 £9,604 14.1 yrs £3,982
4 kW 4199 kWh 2939 kWh 1260 kWh £780 £126 £906 £11,638 12.8 yrs £6,476
5 kW 5248 kWh 3674 kWh 1574 kWh £975 £157 £1,132 £13,673 12.1 yrs £8,970
6 kW 6298 kWh 4409 kWh 1889 kWh £1,170 £189 £1,359 £15,707 11.6 yrs £11,464
7 kW 7348 kWh 5143 kWh 2204 kWh £1,365 £220 £1,585 £17,742 11.2 yrs £13,958
8 kW 8397 kWh 5878 kWh 2519 kWh £1,559 £252 £1,811 £19,776 10.9 yrs £16,451

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: £1,158, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 13.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2099 kWh 1533 kWh 567 kWh £407 £57 £463 £9,319 20.1 yrs £-54
3 kW 3149 kWh 2299 kWh 850 kWh £610 £85 £695 £11,354 16.3 yrs £2,544
4 kW 4199 kWh 3065 kWh 1134 kWh £813 £113 £927 £13,388 14.4 yrs £5,142
5 kW 5248 kWh 3831 kWh 1417 kWh £1,016 £142 £1,158 £15,423 13.3 yrs £7,740
6 kW 6298 kWh 4598 kWh 1700 kWh £1,220 £170 £1,390 £17,457 12.6 yrs £10,338
7 kW 7348 kWh 5364 kWh 1984 kWh £1,423 £198 £1,621 £19,492 12.0 yrs £12,936
8 kW 8397 kWh 6130 kWh 2267 kWh £1,626 £227 £1,853 £21,526 11.6 yrs £15,534

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: £1,175, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 14.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2099 kWh 1574 kWh 525 kWh £418 £52 £470 £11,069 23.5 yrs £-1,665
3 kW 3149 kWh 2362 kWh 787 kWh £627 £79 £705 £13,104 18.6 yrs £1,002
4 kW 4199 kWh 3149 kWh 1050 kWh £835 £105 £940 £15,138 16.1 yrs £3,670
5 kW 5248 kWh 3936 kWh 1312 kWh £1,044 £131 £1,175 £17,173 14.6 yrs £6,337
6 kW 6298 kWh 4723 kWh 1574 kWh £1,253 £157 £1,411 £19,207 13.6 yrs £9,005
7 kW 7348 kWh 5511 kWh 1837 kWh £1,462 £184 £1,646 £21,242 12.9 yrs £11,672
8 kW 8397 kWh 6298 kWh 2099 kWh £1,671 £210 £1,881 £23,276 12.4 yrs £14,340

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: £1,193, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 16.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2099 kWh 1616 kWh 483 kWh £429 £48 £477 £13,519 28.3 yrs £-3,976
3 kW 3149 kWh 2425 kWh 724 kWh £643 £72 £716 £15,554 21.7 yrs £-1,239
4 kW 4199 kWh 3233 kWh 966 kWh £858 £97 £954 £17,588 18.4 yrs £1,497
5 kW 5248 kWh 4041 kWh 1207 kWh £1,072 £121 £1,193 £19,623 16.5 yrs £4,234
6 kW 6298 kWh 4849 kWh 1449 kWh £1,287 £145 £1,431 £21,657 15.1 yrs £6,971
7 kW 7348 kWh 5658 kWh 1690 kWh £1,501 £169 £1,670 £23,692 14.2 yrs £9,708
8 kW 8397 kWh 6466 kWh 1931 kWh £1,715 £193 £1,909 £25,726 13.5 yrs £12,445

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 IP7

Figures below are tailored to IP7 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #597 of 2182
5.5 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~12 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #273 of 2997
10.2 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£1,002 /yr • £10,173 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #894 of 2997
17.6% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£176 fixed • ~£1,002 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.53p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
48.25p/day
Local Sunshine
1050kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~1050 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: 74% • Flats: 8% • Bungalows: 18% Based on 4,759 properties

Coverage

Babergh (92%)|Mid Suffolk (5%)|Ipswich (3%)

Areas Covered

Hadleigh South, South East Cosford, Hadleigh North, North West Cosford, Brett Vale, Battisford & Ringshall, Box Vale, Alexandra

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

IP8 (Babergh)
≈9.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,042 kWh/kWp · -1% vs IP7
IP2 (Ipswich)
≈12.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,041 kWh/kWp · -1% vs IP7
IP1 (Ipswich)
≈13.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,042 kWh/kWp · -1% vs IP7
IP6 (Mid Suffolk)
≈13.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,036 kWh/kWp · -1% vs IP7
CO11 (Tendring)
≈14.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,070 kWh/kWp · +2% vs IP7
IP9 (Babergh)
≈14.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,054 kWh/kWp · +0% vs IP7

Similar sunshine across the UK

SO9 (Southampton)
~1,050 kWh/kWp · +0% vs IP7
SO1 (Southampton)
~1,050 kWh/kWp · +0% vs IP7
PL24 (Cornwall)
~1,049 kWh/kWp · -0% vs IP7