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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in LA23 (Westmorland and Furness)

See if solar pays off for you in Westmorland and Furness — 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
14.3 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£12,207
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£855
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£9,176
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 846 kWh/kW — 24 below 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 846 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)
846 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: £713, Upfront: £10,173, 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 1693 kWh 677 kWh 1016 kWh £184 £102 £285 £4,069 14.3 yrs £1,633
3 kW 2539 kWh 1016 kWh 1523 kWh £275 £152 £428 £6,104 14.3 yrs £2,450
4 kW 3385 kWh 1354 kWh 2031 kWh £367 £203 £570 £8,138 14.3 yrs £3,266
5 kW 4232 kWh 1693 kWh 2539 kWh £459 £254 £713 £10,173 14.3 yrs £4,083
6 kW 5078 kWh 2031 kWh 3047 kWh £551 £305 £855 £12,207 14.3 yrs £4,899
7 kW 5924 kWh 2370 kWh 3555 kWh £642 £355 £998 £14,242 14.3 yrs £5,716
8 kW 6770 kWh 2708 kWh 4062 kWh £734 £406 £1,140 £16,276 14.3 yrs £6,532

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: £858, Upfront: £12,273, 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 1693 kWh 1016 kWh 677 kWh £275 £68 £343 £6,169 18.0 yrs £692
3 kW 2539 kWh 1523 kWh 1016 kWh £413 £102 £515 £8,204 15.9 yrs £2,087
4 kW 3385 kWh 2031 kWh 1354 kWh £551 £135 £686 £10,238 14.9 yrs £3,483
5 kW 4232 kWh 2539 kWh 1693 kWh £688 £169 £858 £12,273 14.3 yrs £4,879
6 kW 5078 kWh 3047 kWh 2031 kWh £826 £203 £1,029 £14,307 13.9 yrs £6,275
7 kW 5924 kWh 3555 kWh 2370 kWh £964 £237 £1,201 £16,342 13.6 yrs £7,670
8 kW 6770 kWh 4062 kWh 2708 kWh £1,101 £271 £1,372 £18,376 13.4 yrs £9,066

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: £930, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 14.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1693 kWh 1185 kWh 508 kWh £321 £51 £372 £7,569 20.3 yrs £-129
3 kW 2539 kWh 1777 kWh 762 kWh £482 £76 £558 £9,604 17.2 yrs £1,556
4 kW 3385 kWh 2370 kWh 1016 kWh £642 £102 £744 £11,638 15.6 yrs £3,241
5 kW 4232 kWh 2962 kWh 1269 kWh £803 £127 £930 £13,673 14.7 yrs £4,927
6 kW 5078 kWh 3555 kWh 1523 kWh £964 £152 £1,116 £15,707 14.1 yrs £6,612
7 kW 5924 kWh 4147 kWh 1777 kWh £1,124 £178 £1,302 £17,742 13.6 yrs £8,298
8 kW 6770 kWh 4739 kWh 2031 kWh £1,285 £203 £1,488 £19,776 13.3 yrs £9,983

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: £952, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 16.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1693 kWh 1236 kWh 457 kWh £335 £46 £381 £9,319 24.5 yrs £-1,706
3 kW 2539 kWh 1853 kWh 686 kWh £502 £69 £571 £11,354 19.9 yrs £67
4 kW 3385 kWh 2471 kWh 914 kWh £670 £91 £761 £13,388 17.6 yrs £1,839
5 kW 4232 kWh 3089 kWh 1143 kWh £837 £114 £952 £15,423 16.2 yrs £3,611
6 kW 5078 kWh 3707 kWh 1371 kWh £1,005 £137 £1,142 £17,457 15.3 yrs £5,383
7 kW 5924 kWh 4325 kWh 1600 kWh £1,172 £160 £1,332 £19,492 14.6 yrs £7,156
8 kW 6770 kWh 4942 kWh 1828 kWh £1,340 £183 £1,523 £21,526 14.1 yrs £8,928

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: £966, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 17.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1693 kWh 1269 kWh 423 kWh £344 £42 £386 £11,069 28.6 yrs £-3,340
3 kW 2539 kWh 1904 kWh 635 kWh £516 £63 £580 £13,104 22.6 yrs £-1,510
4 kW 3385 kWh 2539 kWh 846 kWh £688 £85 £773 £15,138 19.6 yrs £321
5 kW 4232 kWh 3174 kWh 1058 kWh £860 £106 £966 £17,173 17.8 yrs £2,151
6 kW 5078 kWh 3808 kWh 1269 kWh £1,032 £127 £1,159 £19,207 16.6 yrs £3,981
7 kW 5924 kWh 4443 kWh 1481 kWh £1,205 £148 £1,353 £21,242 15.7 yrs £5,811
8 kW 6770 kWh 5078 kWh 1693 kWh £1,377 £169 £1,546 £23,276 15.1 yrs £7,641

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: £981, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 20.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1693 kWh 1303 kWh 389 kWh £353 £39 £392 £13,519 34.5 yrs £-5,674
3 kW 2539 kWh 1955 kWh 584 kWh £530 £58 £588 £15,554 26.4 yrs £-3,786
4 kW 3385 kWh 2607 kWh 779 kWh £707 £78 £785 £17,588 22.4 yrs £-1,898
5 kW 4232 kWh 3258 kWh 973 kWh £883 £97 £981 £19,623 20.0 yrs £-10
6 kW 5078 kWh 3910 kWh 1168 kWh £1,060 £117 £1,177 £21,657 18.4 yrs £1,879
7 kW 5924 kWh 4562 kWh 1363 kWh £1,237 £136 £1,373 £23,692 17.3 yrs £3,767
8 kW 6770 kWh 5213 kWh 1557 kWh £1,413 £156 £1,569 £25,726 16.4 yrs £5,655

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 LA23

Figures below are tailored to LA23 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #881 of 2182
5.2 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~11 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #2613 of 2997
12.4 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£986 /yr • £12,207 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #1224 of 2997
18.9% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£187 fixed • ~£986 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
27.11p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
51.16p/day
Local Sunshine
846kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~846 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: 54% • Flats: 31% • Bungalows: 12% Based on 3,240 properties

Coverage

Westmorland and Furness (100%)

Areas Covered

Windermere and Ambleside, Bowness and Lyth, Grange and Cartmel, Upper Kent

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

LA22 (Westmorland and Furness)
≈7.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~836 kWh/kWp · -1% vs LA23
LA8 (Westmorland and Furness)
≈10.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~874 kWh/kWp · +3% vs LA23
LA21 (Westmorland and Furness)
≈10.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~810 kWh/kWp · -4% vs LA23
LA9 (Westmorland and Furness)
≈11.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~852 kWh/kWp · +1% vs LA23
LA7 (Westmorland and Furness)
≈18.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~896 kWh/kWp · +6% vs LA23
LA11 (Westmorland and Furness)
≈20.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~928 kWh/kWp · +10% vs LA23

Similar sunshine across the UK

KA5 (East Ayrshire)
~847 kWh/kWp · +0% vs LA23
G60 (West Dunbartonshire)
~847 kWh/kWp · +0% vs LA23
PA41 (Argyll and Bute)
~847 kWh/kWp · +0% vs LA23