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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in L20 (Sefton)

See if solar pays off for you in Sefton — price, savings and payback in under a minute (official UK data).

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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
12.6 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£8,138
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£645
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£7,982
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 North Wales and Mersey, the current unit rate is 27.72p/kWh with a 69.95p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 943 kWh/kW — 13 above the regional median (930).

Read the full story

A typical roof here lands around 4.0 kW, with most eligible homes comfortably fitting within 3–6 kW. Each kilowatt of panels produces roughly 943 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 27.7p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
27.7p/kWh
Standing charge
70.0p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
943 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: £806, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 12.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1887 kWh 755 kWh 1132 kWh £209 £113 £322 £4,069 12.6 yrs £2,379
3 kW 2830 kWh 1132 kWh 1698 kWh £314 £170 £484 £6,104 12.6 yrs £3,569
4 kW 3773 kWh 1509 kWh 2264 kWh £418 £226 £645 £8,138 12.6 yrs £4,758
5 kW 4717 kWh 1887 kWh 2830 kWh £523 £283 £806 £10,173 12.6 yrs £5,948
6 kW 5660 kWh 2264 kWh 3396 kWh £628 £340 £967 £12,207 12.6 yrs £7,137
7 kW 6604 kWh 2641 kWh 3962 kWh £732 £396 £1,128 £14,242 12.6 yrs £8,327
8 kW 7547 kWh 3019 kWh 4528 kWh £837 £453 £1,290 £16,276 12.6 yrs £9,516

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: £973, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 12.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1887 kWh 1132 kWh 755 kWh £314 £75 £389 £6,169 15.8 yrs £1,616
3 kW 2830 kWh 1698 kWh 1132 kWh £471 £113 £584 £8,204 14.0 yrs £3,475
4 kW 3773 kWh 2264 kWh 1509 kWh £628 £151 £779 £10,238 13.2 yrs £5,333
5 kW 4717 kWh 2830 kWh 1887 kWh £784 £189 £973 £12,273 12.6 yrs £7,191
6 kW 5660 kWh 3396 kWh 2264 kWh £941 £226 £1,168 £14,307 12.3 yrs £9,049
7 kW 6604 kWh 3962 kWh 2641 kWh £1,098 £264 £1,362 £16,342 12.0 yrs £10,907
8 kW 7547 kWh 4528 kWh 3019 kWh £1,255 £302 £1,557 £18,376 11.8 yrs £12,765

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 1887 kWh 1321 kWh 566 kWh £366 £57 £423 £7,569 17.9 yrs £885
3 kW 2830 kWh 1981 kWh 849 kWh £549 £85 £634 £9,604 15.1 yrs £3,077
4 kW 3773 kWh 2641 kWh 1132 kWh £732 £113 £845 £11,638 13.8 yrs £5,270
5 kW 4717 kWh 3302 kWh 1415 kWh £915 £142 £1,057 £13,673 12.9 yrs £7,462
6 kW 5660 kWh 3962 kWh 1698 kWh £1,098 £170 £1,268 £15,707 12.4 yrs £9,655
7 kW 6604 kWh 4622 kWh 1981 kWh £1,281 £198 £1,479 £17,742 12.0 yrs £11,847
8 kW 7547 kWh 5283 kWh 2264 kWh £1,464 £226 £1,691 £19,776 11.7 yrs £14,040

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: £1,082, 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 1887 kWh 1377 kWh 509 kWh £382 £51 £433 £9,319 21.5 yrs £-664
3 kW 2830 kWh 2066 kWh 764 kWh £573 £76 £649 £11,354 17.5 yrs £1,628
4 kW 3773 kWh 2755 kWh 1019 kWh £764 £102 £865 £13,388 15.5 yrs £3,921
5 kW 4717 kWh 3443 kWh 1274 kWh £954 £127 £1,082 £15,423 14.3 yrs £6,214
6 kW 5660 kWh 4132 kWh 1528 kWh £1,145 £153 £1,298 £17,457 13.4 yrs £8,507
7 kW 6604 kWh 4821 kWh 1783 kWh £1,336 £178 £1,515 £19,492 12.9 yrs £10,800
8 kW 7547 kWh 5509 kWh 2038 kWh £1,527 £204 £1,731 £21,526 12.4 yrs £13,092

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: £1,099, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 15.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1887 kWh 1415 kWh 472 kWh £392 £47 £439 £11,069 25.2 yrs £-2,281
3 kW 2830 kWh 2123 kWh 708 kWh £588 £71 £659 £13,104 19.9 yrs £79
4 kW 3773 kWh 2830 kWh 943 kWh £784 £94 £879 £15,138 17.2 yrs £2,439
5 kW 4717 kWh 3538 kWh 1179 kWh £981 £118 £1,099 £17,173 15.6 yrs £4,798
6 kW 5660 kWh 4245 kWh 1415 kWh £1,177 £142 £1,318 £19,207 14.6 yrs £7,158
7 kW 6604 kWh 4953 kWh 1651 kWh £1,373 £165 £1,538 £21,242 13.8 yrs £9,518
8 kW 7547 kWh 5660 kWh 1887 kWh £1,569 £189 £1,758 £23,276 13.2 yrs £11,877

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: £1,115, 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 1887 kWh 1453 kWh 434 kWh £403 £43 £446 £13,519 30.3 yrs £-4,597
3 kW 2830 kWh 2179 kWh 651 kWh £604 £65 £669 £15,554 23.2 yrs £-2,170
4 kW 3773 kWh 2906 kWh 868 kWh £805 £87 £892 £17,588 19.7 yrs £256
5 kW 4717 kWh 3632 kWh 1085 kWh £1,007 £108 £1,115 £19,623 17.6 yrs £2,683
6 kW 5660 kWh 4358 kWh 1302 kWh £1,208 £130 £1,338 £21,657 16.2 yrs £5,109
7 kW 6604 kWh 5085 kWh 1519 kWh £1,409 £152 £1,561 £23,692 15.2 yrs £7,536
8 kW 7547 kWh 5811 kWh 1736 kWh £1,611 £174 £1,784 £25,726 14.4 yrs £9,962

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 L20

Figures below are tailored to L20 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1804 of 2182
4.4 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~9 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #1139 of 2997
10.9 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£745 /yr • £8,138 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2810 of 2997
34.3% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£255 fixed • ~£745 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
27.72p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
69.95p/day
Local Sunshine
943kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~943 kWh per year. A typical home uses ~2,700 kWh per year.
Typical System Size
4.0kW
For houses & bungalows in this area

Local Property Data

Property Types

Houses: 70% • Flats: 28% • Bungalows: 1% Based on 11,583 properties

Coverage

Sefton (90%)|Liverpool (10%)

Areas Covered

Linacre, Derby, Netherton and Orrell, Waterfront North, Litherland, Kirkdale West, County, Bromborough + 3 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 North Wales and Mersey

L75 (Sefton)
≈0.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~936 kWh/kWp · -1% vs L20
L21 (Sefton)
≈2.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~944 kWh/kWp · +0% vs L20
L68 (Sefton)
≈2.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~944 kWh/kWp · +0% vs L20
L4 (Liverpool)
≈2.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~937 kWh/kWp · -1% vs L20
L80 (Sefton)
≈2.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~944 kWh/kWp · +0% vs L20
L9 (Liverpool)
≈2.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~944 kWh/kWp · +0% vs L20

Similar sunshine across the UK

S72 (Barnsley)
~943 kWh/kWp · -0% vs L20
NE98 (Gateshead)
~943 kWh/kWp · -0% vs L20
YO17 (North Yorkshire)
~943 kWh/kWp · -0% vs L20