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 LA5 (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
13.4 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£12,207
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£910
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£10,555
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 901 kWh/kW — 31 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 901 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)
901 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: £759, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 13.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1802 kWh 721 kWh 1081 kWh £195 £108 £303 £4,069 13.4 yrs £2,001
3 kW 2703 kWh 1081 kWh 1622 kWh £293 £162 £455 £6,104 13.4 yrs £3,001
4 kW 3604 kWh 1441 kWh 2162 kWh £391 £216 £607 £8,138 13.4 yrs £4,002
5 kW 4504 kWh 1802 kWh 2703 kWh £488 £270 £759 £10,173 13.4 yrs £5,002
6 kW 5405 kWh 2162 kWh 3243 kWh £586 £324 £910 £12,207 13.4 yrs £6,002
7 kW 6306 kWh 2522 kWh 3784 kWh £684 £378 £1,062 £14,242 13.4 yrs £7,003
8 kW 7207 kWh 2883 kWh 4324 kWh £782 £432 £1,214 £16,276 13.4 yrs £8,003

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: £913, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 13.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1802 kWh 1081 kWh 721 kWh £293 £72 £365 £6,169 16.9 yrs £1,134
3 kW 2703 kWh 1622 kWh 1081 kWh £440 £108 £548 £8,204 15.0 yrs £2,751
4 kW 3604 kWh 2162 kWh 1441 kWh £586 £144 £730 £10,238 14.0 yrs £4,368
5 kW 4504 kWh 2703 kWh 1802 kWh £733 £180 £913 £12,273 13.4 yrs £5,985
6 kW 5405 kWh 3243 kWh 2162 kWh £879 £216 £1,095 £14,307 13.1 yrs £7,602
7 kW 6306 kWh 3784 kWh 2522 kWh £1,026 £252 £1,278 £16,342 12.8 yrs £9,219
8 kW 7207 kWh 4324 kWh 2883 kWh £1,172 £288 £1,461 £18,376 12.6 yrs £10,836

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: £990, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 13.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1802 kWh 1261 kWh 541 kWh £342 £54 £396 £7,569 19.1 yrs £351
3 kW 2703 kWh 1892 kWh 811 kWh £513 £81 £594 £9,604 16.2 yrs £2,276
4 kW 3604 kWh 2522 kWh 1081 kWh £684 £108 £792 £11,638 14.7 yrs £4,201
5 kW 4504 kWh 3153 kWh 1351 kWh £855 £135 £990 £13,673 13.8 yrs £6,126
6 kW 5405 kWh 3784 kWh 1622 kWh £1,026 £162 £1,188 £15,707 13.2 yrs £8,052
7 kW 6306 kWh 4414 kWh 1892 kWh £1,197 £189 £1,386 £17,742 12.8 yrs £9,977
8 kW 7207 kWh 5045 kWh 2162 kWh £1,368 £216 £1,584 £19,776 12.5 yrs £11,902

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: £1,013, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 15.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1802 kWh 1315 kWh 486 kWh £357 £49 £405 £9,319 23.0 yrs £-1,215
3 kW 2703 kWh 1973 kWh 730 kWh £535 £73 £608 £11,354 18.7 yrs £803
4 kW 3604 kWh 2631 kWh 973 kWh £713 £97 £810 £13,388 16.5 yrs £2,821
5 kW 4504 kWh 3288 kWh 1216 kWh £891 £122 £1,013 £15,423 15.2 yrs £4,839
6 kW 5405 kWh 3946 kWh 1459 kWh £1,070 £146 £1,216 £17,457 14.4 yrs £6,856
7 kW 6306 kWh 4604 kWh 1703 kWh £1,248 £170 £1,418 £19,492 13.7 yrs £8,874
8 kW 7207 kWh 5261 kWh 1946 kWh £1,426 £195 £1,621 £21,526 13.3 yrs £10,892

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: £1,028, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 16.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1802 kWh 1351 kWh 450 kWh £366 £45 £411 £11,069 26.9 yrs £-2,841
3 kW 2703 kWh 2027 kWh 676 kWh £550 £68 £617 £13,104 21.2 yrs £-762
4 kW 3604 kWh 2703 kWh 901 kWh £733 £90 £823 £15,138 18.4 yrs £1,318
5 kW 4504 kWh 3378 kWh 1126 kWh £916 £113 £1,028 £17,173 16.7 yrs £3,397
6 kW 5405 kWh 4054 kWh 1351 kWh £1,099 £135 £1,234 £19,207 15.6 yrs £5,476
7 kW 6306 kWh 4730 kWh 1577 kWh £1,282 £158 £1,440 £21,242 14.8 yrs £7,556
8 kW 7207 kWh 5405 kWh 1802 kWh £1,465 £180 £1,646 £23,276 14.1 yrs £9,635

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: £1,044, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 18.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1802 kWh 1387 kWh 414 kWh £376 £41 £418 £13,519 32.4 yrs £-5,168
3 kW 2703 kWh 2081 kWh 622 kWh £564 £62 £626 £15,554 24.8 yrs £-3,027
4 kW 3604 kWh 2775 kWh 829 kWh £752 £83 £835 £17,588 21.1 yrs £-886
5 kW 4504 kWh 3468 kWh 1036 kWh £940 £104 £1,044 £19,623 18.8 yrs £1,255
6 kW 5405 kWh 4162 kWh 1243 kWh £1,128 £124 £1,253 £21,657 17.3 yrs £3,396
7 kW 6306 kWh 4856 kWh 1450 kWh £1,316 £145 £1,461 £23,692 16.2 yrs £5,537
8 kW 7207 kWh 5549 kWh 1658 kWh £1,504 £166 £1,670 £25,726 15.4 yrs £7,678

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 LA5

Figures below are tailored to LA5 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #389 of 2182
5.8 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~12 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #1862 of 2997
11.6 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£1,049 /yr • £12,207 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #941 of 2997
17.8% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£187 fixed • ~£1,049 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
27.11p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
51.16p/day
Local Sunshine
901kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~901 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: 66% • Flats: 13% • Bungalows: 21% Based on 4,047 properties

Coverage

Lancaster (84%)|Westmorland and Furness (16%)

Areas Covered

Carnforth & Millhead, Bolton & Slyne, Kent Estuary, Silverdale, Warton, Halton-with-Aughton & Kellet, Burton and Holme

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

LA2 (Lancaster)
≈6.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~887 kWh/kWp · -2% vs LA5
LA4 (Lancaster)
≈8.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~917 kWh/kWp · +2% vs LA5
LA1 (Lancaster)
≈9.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~888 kWh/kWp · -1% vs LA5
LA3 (Lancaster)
≈10.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~917 kWh/kWp · +2% vs LA5
LA7 (Westmorland and Furness)
≈10.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~896 kWh/kWp · -0% vs LA5
LA11 (Westmorland and Furness)
≈11.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~928 kWh/kWp · +3% vs LA5

Similar sunshine across the UK

LS29 (Bradford)
~901 kWh/kWp · +0% vs LA5
DE45 (Derbyshire Dales)
~901 kWh/kWp · -0% vs LA5
KY9 (Fife)
~901 kWh/kWp · -0% vs LA5