Solar explained to clever people by people who are not trying to be clever
Home Regions
Insights
Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in LA4 (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
13.2 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
£10,958
After paying itself off, you're this much ahead

Ready to Get Started?

Get your free quote from Blue Ape Renewables. They'll connect you with MCS-certified installers in your area and handle all the paperwork.

Get Solar Quote →
4.8★ Trustpilot • Octopus Energy trusted partner • MCS certified • No obligation
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 733 kWh 1100 kWh £199 £110 £309 £4,069 13.2 yrs £2,108
3 kW 2751 kWh 1100 kWh 1650 kWh £298 £165 £463 £6,104 13.2 yrs £3,162
4 kW 3667 kWh 1467 kWh 2200 kWh £398 £220 £618 £8,138 13.2 yrs £4,217
5 kW 4584 kWh 1834 kWh 2751 kWh £497 £275 £772 £10,173 13.2 yrs £5,271
6 kW 5501 kWh 2200 kWh 3301 kWh £597 £330 £927 £12,207 13.2 yrs £6,325
7 kW 6418 kWh 2567 kWh 3851 kWh £696 £385 £1,081 £14,242 13.2 yrs £7,379
8 kW 7335 kWh 2934 kWh 4401 kWh £795 £440 £1,235 £16,276 13.2 yrs £8,433

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 1100 kWh 733 kWh £298 £73 £372 £6,169 16.6 yrs £1,263
3 kW 2751 kWh 1650 kWh 1100 kWh £447 £110 £557 £8,204 14.7 yrs £2,945
4 kW 3667 kWh 2200 kWh 1467 kWh £597 £147 £743 £10,238 13.8 yrs £4,627
5 kW 4584 kWh 2751 kWh 1834 kWh £746 £183 £929 £12,273 13.2 yrs £6,308
6 kW 5501 kWh 3301 kWh 2200 kWh £895 £220 £1,115 £14,307 12.8 yrs £7,990
7 kW 6418 kWh 3851 kWh 2567 kWh £1,044 £257 £1,301 £16,342 12.6 yrs £9,671
8 kW 7335 kWh 4401 kWh 2934 kWh £1,193 £293 £1,486 £18,376 12.4 yrs £11,353

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: £1,007, 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 £491
3 kW 2751 kWh 1925 kWh 825 kWh £522 £83 £604 £9,604 15.9 yrs £2,486
4 kW 3667 kWh 2567 kWh 1100 kWh £696 £110 £806 £11,638 14.4 yrs £4,481
5 kW 4584 kWh 3209 kWh 1375 kWh £870 £138 £1,007 £13,673 13.6 yrs £6,477
6 kW 5501 kWh 3851 kWh 1650 kWh £1,044 £165 £1,209 £15,707 13.0 yrs £8,472
7 kW 6418 kWh 4493 kWh 1925 kWh £1,218 £193 £1,410 £17,742 12.6 yrs £10,468
8 kW 7335 kWh 5134 kWh 2200 kWh £1,392 £220 £1,612 £19,776 12.3 yrs £12,463

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 £412 £9,319 22.6 yrs £-1,071
3 kW 2751 kWh 2008 kWh 743 kWh £544 £74 £619 £11,354 18.4 yrs £1,018
4 kW 3667 kWh 2677 kWh 990 kWh £726 £99 £825 £13,388 16.2 yrs £3,108
5 kW 4584 kWh 3346 kWh 1238 kWh £907 £124 £1,031 £15,423 15.0 yrs £5,197
6 kW 5501 kWh 4016 kWh 1485 kWh £1,089 £149 £1,237 £17,457 14.1 yrs £7,287
7 kW 6418 kWh 4685 kWh 1733 kWh £1,270 £173 £1,443 £19,492 13.5 yrs £9,376
8 kW 7335 kWh 5354 kWh 1980 kWh £1,452 £198 £1,650 £21,526 13.0 yrs £11,466

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 1375 kWh 458 kWh £373 £46 £419 £11,069 26.4 yrs £-2,696
3 kW 2751 kWh 2063 kWh 688 kWh £559 £69 £628 £13,104 20.9 yrs £-543
4 kW 3667 kWh 2751 kWh 917 kWh £746 £92 £837 £15,138 18.1 yrs £1,609
5 kW 4584 kWh 3438 kWh 1146 kWh £932 £115 £1,047 £17,173 16.4 yrs £3,761
6 kW 5501 kWh 4126 kWh 1375 kWh £1,118 £138 £1,256 £19,207 15.3 yrs £5,913
7 kW 6418 kWh 4813 kWh 1604 kWh £1,305 £160 £1,465 £21,242 14.5 yrs £8,066
8 kW 7335 kWh 5501 kWh 1834 kWh £1,491 £183 £1,675 £23,276 13.9 yrs £10,218

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: £1,062, 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 £-5,020
3 kW 2751 kWh 2118 kWh 633 kWh £574 £63 £637 £15,554 24.4 yrs £-2,805
4 kW 3667 kWh 2824 kWh 843 kWh £766 £84 £850 £17,588 20.7 yrs £-590
5 kW 4584 kWh 3530 kWh 1054 kWh £957 £105 £1,062 £19,623 18.5 yrs £1,625
6 kW 5501 kWh 4236 kWh 1265 kWh £1,148 £127 £1,275 £21,657 17.0 yrs £3,840
7 kW 6418 kWh 4942 kWh 1476 kWh £1,340 £148 £1,487 £23,692 15.9 yrs £6,055
8 kW 7335 kWh 5648 kWh 1687 kWh £1,531 £169 £1,700 £25,726 15.1 yrs £8,270

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 LA4

Figures below are tailored to LA4 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1227 of 2182
4.9 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~10 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #1695 of 2997
11.4 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£1,068 /yr • £12,207 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #873 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: 45% • Flats: 36% • Bungalows: 16% Based on 7,565 properties

Coverage

Lancaster (100%)

Areas Covered

Poulton, Bare, West End, Westgate, Torrisholme, Scale Hall

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

LA3 (Lancaster)
≈2.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~917 kWh/kWp · -0% vs LA4
LA1 (Lancaster)
≈4.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~888 kWh/kWp · -3% vs LA4
LA5 (Lancaster)
≈8.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~901 kWh/kWp · -2% vs LA4
LA2 (Lancaster)
≈8.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~887 kWh/kWp · -3% vs LA4
LA11 (Westmorland and Furness)
≈14.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~928 kWh/kWp · +1% vs LA4
LA7 (Westmorland and Furness)
≈18.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~896 kWh/kWp · -2% vs LA4

Similar sunshine across the UK

BT24 (Newry, Mourne and Down)
~917 kWh/kWp · +0% vs LA4
S35 (Sheffield)
~916 kWh/kWp · -0% vs LA4
KY5 (Fife)
~916 kWh/kWp · -0% vs LA4