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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in LA18 (Cumberland)

See if solar pays off for you in Cumberland — 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
12.5 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£814
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£10,188
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 967 kWh/kW — 97 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 967 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)
967 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: £814, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 12.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1934 kWh 774 kWh 1160 kWh £210 £116 £326 £4,069 12.5 yrs £2,447
3 kW 2901 kWh 1160 kWh 1741 kWh £315 £174 £489 £6,104 12.5 yrs £3,670
4 kW 3868 kWh 1547 kWh 2321 kWh £419 £232 £652 £8,138 12.5 yrs £4,893
5 kW 4835 kWh 1934 kWh 2901 kWh £524 £290 £814 £10,173 12.5 yrs £6,116
6 kW 5802 kWh 2321 kWh 3481 kWh £629 £348 £977 £12,207 12.5 yrs £7,340
7 kW 6769 kWh 2708 kWh 4062 kWh £734 £406 £1,140 £14,242 12.5 yrs £8,563
8 kW 7736 kWh 3095 kWh 4642 kWh £839 £464 £1,303 £16,276 12.5 yrs £9,786

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: £980, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 12.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1934 kWh 1160 kWh 774 kWh £315 £77 £392 £6,169 15.7 yrs £1,670
3 kW 2901 kWh 1741 kWh 1160 kWh £472 £116 £588 £8,204 14.0 yrs £3,555
4 kW 3868 kWh 2321 kWh 1547 kWh £629 £155 £784 £10,238 13.1 yrs £5,440
5 kW 4835 kWh 2901 kWh 1934 kWh £786 £193 £980 £12,273 12.5 yrs £7,325
6 kW 5802 kWh 3481 kWh 2321 kWh £944 £232 £1,176 £14,307 12.2 yrs £9,211
7 kW 6769 kWh 4062 kWh 2708 kWh £1,101 £271 £1,372 £16,342 11.9 yrs £11,096
8 kW 7736 kWh 4642 kWh 3095 kWh £1,258 £309 £1,568 £18,376 11.7 yrs £12,981

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: £1,063, 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 1934 kWh 1354 kWh 580 kWh £367 £58 £425 £7,569 17.8 yrs £932
3 kW 2901 kWh 2031 kWh 870 kWh £551 £87 £638 £9,604 15.1 yrs £3,148
4 kW 3868 kWh 2708 kWh 1160 kWh £734 £116 £850 £11,638 13.7 yrs £5,364
5 kW 4835 kWh 3385 kWh 1451 kWh £918 £145 £1,063 £13,673 12.9 yrs £7,580
6 kW 5802 kWh 4062 kWh 1741 kWh £1,101 £174 £1,275 £15,707 12.3 yrs £9,796
7 kW 6769 kWh 4738 kWh 2031 kWh £1,285 £203 £1,488 £17,742 11.9 yrs £12,012
8 kW 7736 kWh 5415 kWh 2321 kWh £1,468 £232 £1,700 £19,776 11.6 yrs £14,228

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: £1,087, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 14.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1934 kWh 1412 kWh 522 kWh £383 £52 £435 £9,319 21.4 yrs £-619
3 kW 2901 kWh 2118 kWh 783 kWh £574 £78 £652 £11,354 17.4 yrs £1,696
4 kW 3868 kWh 2824 kWh 1044 kWh £766 £104 £870 £13,388 15.4 yrs £4,011
5 kW 4835 kWh 3530 kWh 1306 kWh £957 £131 £1,087 £15,423 14.2 yrs £6,326
6 kW 5802 kWh 4236 kWh 1567 kWh £1,148 £157 £1,305 £17,457 13.4 yrs £8,642
7 kW 6769 kWh 4942 kWh 1828 kWh £1,340 £183 £1,522 £19,492 12.8 yrs £10,957
8 kW 7736 kWh 5648 kWh 2089 kWh £1,531 £209 £1,740 £21,526 12.4 yrs £13,272

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: £1,104, 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 1934 kWh 1451 kWh 484 kWh £393 £48 £442 £11,069 25.1 yrs £-2,237
3 kW 2901 kWh 2176 kWh 725 kWh £590 £73 £662 £13,104 19.8 yrs £144
4 kW 3868 kWh 2901 kWh 967 kWh £786 £97 £883 £15,138 17.1 yrs £2,526
5 kW 4835 kWh 3626 kWh 1209 kWh £983 £121 £1,104 £17,173 15.6 yrs £4,907
6 kW 5802 kWh 4352 kWh 1451 kWh £1,180 £145 £1,325 £19,207 14.5 yrs £7,289
7 kW 6769 kWh 5077 kWh 1692 kWh £1,376 £169 £1,546 £21,242 13.7 yrs £9,670
8 kW 7736 kWh 5802 kWh 1934 kWh £1,573 £193 £1,766 £23,276 13.2 yrs £12,052

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: £1,121, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 17.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1934 kWh 1489 kWh 445 kWh £404 £44 £448 £13,519 30.2 yrs £-4,555
3 kW 2901 kWh 2234 kWh 667 kWh £606 £67 £672 £15,554 23.1 yrs £-2,107
4 kW 3868 kWh 2978 kWh 890 kWh £807 £89 £896 £17,588 19.6 yrs £341
5 kW 4835 kWh 3723 kWh 1112 kWh £1,009 £111 £1,121 £19,623 17.5 yrs £2,788
6 kW 5802 kWh 4468 kWh 1335 kWh £1,211 £133 £1,345 £21,657 16.1 yrs £5,236
7 kW 6769 kWh 5212 kWh 1557 kWh £1,413 £156 £1,569 £23,692 15.1 yrs £7,684
8 kW 7736 kWh 5957 kWh 1779 kWh £1,615 £178 £1,793 £25,726 14.3 yrs £10,131

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 LA18

Figures below are tailored to LA18 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #656 of 2182
5.4 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~11 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #991 of 2997
10.8 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£939 /yr • £10,173 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #1371 of 2997
19.9% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£187 fixed • ~£939 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
27.11p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
51.16p/day
Local Sunshine
967kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~967 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: 81% • Flats: 6% • Bungalows: 14% Based on 1,920 properties

Coverage

Cumberland (100%)

Areas Covered

Millom, Millom Without

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

LA16 (Westmorland and Furness)
≈4.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~987 kWh/kWp · +2% vs LA18
LA17 (Westmorland and Furness)
≈6.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~957 kWh/kWp · -1% vs LA18
LA15 (Westmorland and Furness)
≈8.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~976 kWh/kWp · +1% vs LA18
LA20 (Westmorland and Furness)
≈8.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~912 kWh/kWp · -6% vs LA18
LA14 (Westmorland and Furness)
≈10.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~981 kWh/kWp · +1% vs LA18
LA13 (Westmorland and Furness)
≈11.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~981 kWh/kWp · +1% vs LA18

Similar sunshine across the UK

LE17 (Harborough)
~967 kWh/kWp · +0% vs LA18
WR4 (Worcester)
~967 kWh/kWp · +0% vs LA18
HR4 (Herefordshire, County of)
~967 kWh/kWp · +0% vs LA18