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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in L40 (West Lancashire)

See if solar pays off for you in West Lancashire — 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
13.2 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£12,207
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£927
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£10,964
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 West, the current unit rate is 27.11p/kWh with a 51.16p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 917 kWh/kW — 47 above the regional median (870).

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 917 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 27.1p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
27.1p/kWh
Standing charge
51.2p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
917 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: £772, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 13.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1834 kWh 734 kWh 1101 kWh £199 £110 £309 £4,069 13.2 yrs £2,110
3 kW 2751 kWh 1101 kWh 1651 kWh £298 £165 £463 £6,104 13.2 yrs £3,165
4 kW 3668 kWh 1467 kWh 2201 kWh £398 £220 £618 £8,138 13.2 yrs £4,220
5 kW 4585 kWh 1834 kWh 2751 kWh £497 £275 £772 £10,173 13.2 yrs £5,275
6 kW 5503 kWh 2201 kWh 3302 kWh £597 £330 £927 £12,207 13.2 yrs £6,330
7 kW 6420 kWh 2568 kWh 3852 kWh £696 £385 £1,081 £14,242 13.2 yrs £7,385
8 kW 7337 kWh 2935 kWh 4402 kWh £796 £440 £1,236 £16,276 13.2 yrs £8,440

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: £929, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 13.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1834 kWh 1101 kWh 734 kWh £298 £73 £372 £6,169 16.6 yrs £1,265
3 kW 2751 kWh 1651 kWh 1101 kWh £448 £110 £558 £8,204 14.7 yrs £2,948
4 kW 3668 kWh 2201 kWh 1467 kWh £597 £147 £743 £10,238 13.8 yrs £4,631
5 kW 4585 kWh 2751 kWh 1834 kWh £746 £183 £929 £12,273 13.2 yrs £6,313
6 kW 5503 kWh 3302 kWh 2201 kWh £895 £220 £1,115 £14,307 12.8 yrs £7,996
7 kW 6420 kWh 3852 kWh 2568 kWh £1,044 £257 £1,301 £16,342 12.6 yrs £9,678
8 kW 7337 kWh 4402 kWh 2935 kWh £1,193 £293 £1,487 £18,376 12.4 yrs £11,361

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: £1,008, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 13.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1834 kWh 1284 kWh 550 kWh £348 £55 £403 £7,569 18.8 yrs £493
3 kW 2751 kWh 1926 kWh 825 kWh £522 £83 £605 £9,604 15.9 yrs £2,489
4 kW 3668 kWh 2568 kWh 1101 kWh £696 £110 £806 £11,638 14.4 yrs £4,486
5 kW 4585 kWh 3210 kWh 1376 kWh £870 £138 £1,008 £13,673 13.6 yrs £6,482
6 kW 5503 kWh 3852 kWh 1651 kWh £1,044 £165 £1,209 £15,707 13.0 yrs £8,479
7 kW 6420 kWh 4494 kWh 1926 kWh £1,218 £193 £1,411 £17,742 12.6 yrs £10,475
8 kW 7337 kWh 5136 kWh 2201 kWh £1,392 £220 £1,612 £19,776 12.3 yrs £12,472

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: £1,031, Upfront: £15,423, 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 1834 kWh 1339 kWh 495 kWh £363 £50 £413 £9,319 22.6 yrs £-1,069
3 kW 2751 kWh 2008 kWh 743 kWh £544 £74 £619 £11,354 18.3 yrs £1,022
4 kW 3668 kWh 2678 kWh 990 kWh £726 £99 £825 £13,388 16.2 yrs £3,112
5 kW 4585 kWh 3347 kWh 1238 kWh £907 £124 £1,031 £15,423 15.0 yrs £5,203
6 kW 5503 kWh 4017 kWh 1486 kWh £1,089 £149 £1,238 £17,457 14.1 yrs £7,294
7 kW 6420 kWh 4686 kWh 1733 kWh £1,270 £173 £1,444 £19,492 13.5 yrs £9,384
8 kW 7337 kWh 5356 kWh 1981 kWh £1,452 £198 £1,650 £21,526 13.0 yrs £11,475

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: £1,047, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 16.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1834 kWh 1376 kWh 459 kWh £373 £46 £419 £11,069 26.4 yrs £-2,693
3 kW 2751 kWh 2063 kWh 688 kWh £559 £69 £628 £13,104 20.9 yrs £-540
4 kW 3668 kWh 2751 kWh 917 kWh £746 £92 £838 £15,138 18.1 yrs £1,614
5 kW 4585 kWh 3439 kWh 1146 kWh £932 £115 £1,047 £17,173 16.4 yrs £3,767
6 kW 5503 kWh 4127 kWh 1376 kWh £1,119 £138 £1,256 £19,207 15.3 yrs £5,920
7 kW 6420 kWh 4815 kWh 1605 kWh £1,305 £160 £1,466 £21,242 14.5 yrs £8,074
8 kW 7337 kWh 5503 kWh 1834 kWh £1,492 £183 £1,675 £23,276 13.9 yrs £10,227

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: £1,063, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 18.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1834 kWh 1412 kWh 422 kWh £383 £42 £425 £13,519 31.8 yrs £-5,018
3 kW 2751 kWh 2118 kWh 633 kWh £574 £63 £638 £15,554 24.4 yrs £-2,802
4 kW 3668 kWh 2825 kWh 844 kWh £766 £84 £850 £17,588 20.7 yrs £-585
5 kW 4585 kWh 3531 kWh 1055 kWh £957 £105 £1,063 £19,623 18.5 yrs £1,631
6 kW 5503 kWh 4237 kWh 1266 kWh £1,149 £127 £1,275 £21,657 17.0 yrs £3,847
7 kW 6420 kWh 4943 kWh 1477 kWh £1,340 £148 £1,488 £23,692 15.9 yrs £6,063
8 kW 7337 kWh 5649 kWh 1687 kWh £1,532 £169 £1,700 £25,726 15.1 yrs £8,279

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 L40

Figures below are tailored to L40 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #439 of 2182
5.7 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~12 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #1693 of 2997
11.4 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£1,068 /yr • £12,207 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #866 of 2997
17.5% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£187 fixed • ~£1,068 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
27.11p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
51.16p/day
Local Sunshine
917kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~917 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: 72% • Flats: 13% • Bungalows: 14% Based on 5,250 properties

Coverage

West Lancashire (91%)|Chorley (9%)

Areas Covered

Burscough Bridge & Rufford, Burscough Town, Ormskirk West, Rural West, Croston, Mawdesley & Euxton South, Rural South, Rural North East + 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 North West

L39 (West Lancashire)
≈4.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~919 kWh/kWp · +0% vs L40
WN8 (West Lancashire)
≈7.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~909 kWh/kWp · -1% vs L40
WN6 (Wigan)
≈12.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~885 kWh/kWp · -3% vs L40
WN5 (Wigan)
≈12.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~905 kWh/kWp · -1% vs L40
PR26 (South Ribble)
≈13.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~891 kWh/kWp · -3% vs L40
PR7 (Chorley)
≈14.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~862 kWh/kWp · -6% vs L40

Similar sunshine across the UK

BT24 (Newry, Mourne and Down)
~917 kWh/kWp · -0% vs L40
SR2 (Sunderland)
~917 kWh/kWp · +0% vs L40
TS3 (Middlesbrough)
~917 kWh/kWp · +0% vs L40