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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in LA1 (Lancaster)

See if solar pays off for you in Lancaster — 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
13.6 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£748
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£8,527
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 888 kWh/kW — 18 above the regional median (870).

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 888 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)
888 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: £748, Upfront: £10,173, 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 1776 kWh 710 kWh 1066 kWh £193 £107 £299 £4,069 13.6 yrs £1,915
3 kW 2664 kWh 1066 kWh 1599 kWh £289 £160 £449 £6,104 13.6 yrs £2,872
4 kW 3552 kWh 1421 kWh 2131 kWh £385 £213 £598 £8,138 13.6 yrs £3,830
5 kW 4441 kWh 1776 kWh 2664 kWh £482 £266 £748 £10,173 13.6 yrs £4,787
6 kW 5329 kWh 2131 kWh 3197 kWh £578 £320 £898 £12,207 13.6 yrs £5,744
7 kW 6217 kWh 2487 kWh 3730 kWh £674 £373 £1,047 £14,242 13.6 yrs £6,702
8 kW 7105 kWh 2842 kWh 4263 kWh £770 £426 £1,197 £16,276 13.6 yrs £7,659

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: £900, Upfront: £12,273, 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 1776 kWh 1066 kWh 710 kWh £289 £71 £360 £6,169 17.1 yrs £1,030
3 kW 2664 kWh 1599 kWh 1066 kWh £433 £107 £540 £8,204 15.2 yrs £2,596
4 kW 3552 kWh 2131 kWh 1421 kWh £578 £142 £720 £10,238 14.2 yrs £4,161
5 kW 4441 kWh 2664 kWh 1776 kWh £722 £178 £900 £12,273 13.6 yrs £5,726
6 kW 5329 kWh 3197 kWh 2131 kWh £867 £213 £1,080 £14,307 13.2 yrs £7,291
7 kW 6217 kWh 3730 kWh 2487 kWh £1,011 £249 £1,260 £16,342 13.0 yrs £8,857
8 kW 7105 kWh 4263 kWh 2842 kWh £1,156 £284 £1,440 £18,376 12.8 yrs £10,422

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: £976, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 14.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1776 kWh 1243 kWh 533 kWh £337 £53 £390 £7,569 19.4 yrs £238
3 kW 2664 kWh 1865 kWh 799 kWh £506 £80 £586 £9,604 16.4 yrs £2,107
4 kW 3552 kWh 2487 kWh 1066 kWh £674 £107 £781 £11,638 14.9 yrs £3,977
5 kW 4441 kWh 3108 kWh 1332 kWh £843 £133 £976 £13,673 14.0 yrs £5,846
6 kW 5329 kWh 3730 kWh 1599 kWh £1,011 £160 £1,171 £15,707 13.4 yrs £7,715
7 kW 6217 kWh 4352 kWh 1865 kWh £1,180 £187 £1,366 £17,742 13.0 yrs £9,584
8 kW 7105 kWh 4973 kWh 2131 kWh £1,348 £213 £1,561 £19,776 12.7 yrs £11,453

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: £999, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 15.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1776 kWh 1297 kWh 480 kWh £352 £48 £399 £9,319 23.3 yrs £-1,329
3 kW 2664 kWh 1945 kWh 719 kWh £527 £72 £599 £11,354 18.9 yrs £631
4 kW 3552 kWh 2593 kWh 959 kWh £703 £96 £799 £13,388 16.8 yrs £2,591
5 kW 4441 kWh 3242 kWh 1199 kWh £879 £120 £999 £15,423 15.4 yrs £4,552
6 kW 5329 kWh 3890 kWh 1439 kWh £1,055 £144 £1,198 £17,457 14.6 yrs £6,512
7 kW 6217 kWh 4538 kWh 1679 kWh £1,230 £168 £1,398 £19,492 13.9 yrs £8,472
8 kW 7105 kWh 5187 kWh 1918 kWh £1,406 £192 £1,598 £21,526 13.5 yrs £10,432

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: £1,014, Upfront: £17,173, 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 1776 kWh 1332 kWh 444 kWh £361 £44 £406 £11,069 27.3 yrs £-2,958
3 kW 2664 kWh 1998 kWh 666 kWh £542 £67 £608 £13,104 21.5 yrs £-937
4 kW 3552 kWh 2664 kWh 888 kWh £722 £89 £811 £15,138 18.7 yrs £1,084
5 kW 4441 kWh 3330 kWh 1110 kWh £903 £111 £1,014 £17,173 16.9 yrs £3,105
6 kW 5329 kWh 3997 kWh 1332 kWh £1,083 £133 £1,217 £19,207 15.8 yrs £5,127
7 kW 6217 kWh 4663 kWh 1554 kWh £1,264 £155 £1,419 £21,242 15.0 yrs £7,148
8 kW 7105 kWh 5329 kWh 1776 kWh £1,445 £178 £1,622 £23,276 14.3 yrs £9,169

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: £1,029, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 19.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1776 kWh 1368 kWh 409 kWh £371 £41 £412 £13,519 32.8 yrs £-5,286
3 kW 2664 kWh 2052 kWh 613 kWh £556 £61 £617 £15,554 25.2 yrs £-3,204
4 kW 3552 kWh 2735 kWh 817 kWh £742 £82 £823 £17,588 21.4 yrs £-1,123
5 kW 4441 kWh 3419 kWh 1021 kWh £927 £102 £1,029 £19,623 19.1 yrs £959
6 kW 5329 kWh 4103 kWh 1226 kWh £1,112 £123 £1,235 £21,657 17.5 yrs £3,041
7 kW 6217 kWh 4787 kWh 1430 kWh £1,298 £143 £1,441 £23,692 16.4 yrs £5,123
8 kW 7105 kWh 5471 kWh 1634 kWh £1,483 £163 £1,647 £25,726 15.6 yrs £7,205

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 LA1

Figures below are tailored to LA1 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1750 of 2182
4.5 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~9 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #2114 of 2997
11.8 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£862 /yr • £10,173 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #1758 of 2997
21.7% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£187 fixed • ~£862 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
27.11p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
51.16p/day
Local Sunshine
888kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~888 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: 68% • Flats: 25% • Bungalows: 5% Based on 13,957 properties

Coverage

Lancaster (100%)

Areas Covered

Castle, Marsh, Bulk, Skerton, Scotforth West, Scale Hall, Scotforth East, Bowerham + 4 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

LA4 (Lancaster)
≈4.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~917 kWh/kWp · +3% vs LA1
LA3 (Lancaster)
≈5.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~917 kWh/kWp · +3% vs LA1
LA2 (Lancaster)
≈6.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~887 kWh/kWp · -0% vs LA1
LA5 (Lancaster)
≈9.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~901 kWh/kWp · +1% vs LA1
LA11 (Westmorland and Furness)
≈17.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~928 kWh/kWp · +4% vs LA1
LA6 (Westmorland and Furness)
≈19.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~892 kWh/kWp · +0% vs LA1

Similar sunshine across the UK

SA48 (Ceredigion)
~888 kWh/kWp · +0% vs LA1
SA8 (Neath Port Talbot)
~888 kWh/kWp · -0% vs LA1
PH11 (Perth and Kinross)
~888 kWh/kWp · -0% vs LA1