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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in LA8 (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
13.8 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£12,207
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£884
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£9,885
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 874 kWh/kW — 4 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 874 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)
874 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: £736, Upfront: £10,173, 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 1749 kWh 700 kWh 1049 kWh £190 £105 £295 £4,069 13.8 yrs £1,822
3 kW 2623 kWh 1049 kWh 1574 kWh £284 £157 £442 £6,104 13.8 yrs £2,733
4 kW 3498 kWh 1399 kWh 2099 kWh £379 £210 £589 £8,138 13.8 yrs £3,644
5 kW 4372 kWh 1749 kWh 2623 kWh £474 £262 £736 £10,173 13.8 yrs £4,556
6 kW 5246 kWh 2099 kWh 3148 kWh £569 £315 £884 £12,207 13.8 yrs £5,467
7 kW 6121 kWh 2448 kWh 3672 kWh £664 £367 £1,031 £14,242 13.8 yrs £6,378
8 kW 6995 kWh 2798 kWh 4197 kWh £759 £420 £1,178 £16,276 13.8 yrs £7,289

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: £886, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 13.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1749 kWh 1049 kWh 700 kWh £284 £70 £354 £6,169 17.4 yrs £919
3 kW 2623 kWh 1574 kWh 1049 kWh £427 £105 £532 £8,204 15.4 yrs £2,429
4 kW 3498 kWh 2099 kWh 1399 kWh £569 £140 £709 £10,238 14.4 yrs £3,938
5 kW 4372 kWh 2623 kWh 1749 kWh £711 £175 £886 £12,273 13.9 yrs £5,448
6 kW 5246 kWh 3148 kWh 2099 kWh £853 £210 £1,063 £14,307 13.5 yrs £6,957
7 kW 6121 kWh 3672 kWh 2448 kWh £996 £245 £1,240 £16,342 13.2 yrs £8,467
8 kW 6995 kWh 4197 kWh 2798 kWh £1,138 £280 £1,418 £18,376 13.0 yrs £9,976

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: £961, Upfront: £13,673, 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 1749 kWh 1224 kWh 525 kWh £332 £52 £384 £7,569 19.7 yrs £117
3 kW 2623 kWh 1836 kWh 787 kWh £498 £79 £576 £9,604 16.7 yrs £1,926
4 kW 3498 kWh 2448 kWh 1049 kWh £664 £105 £769 £11,638 15.1 yrs £3,735
5 kW 4372 kWh 3060 kWh 1312 kWh £830 £131 £961 £13,673 14.2 yrs £5,544
6 kW 5246 kWh 3672 kWh 1574 kWh £996 £157 £1,153 £15,707 13.6 yrs £7,352
7 kW 6121 kWh 4284 kWh 1836 kWh £1,162 £184 £1,345 £17,742 13.2 yrs £9,161
8 kW 6995 kWh 4897 kWh 2099 kWh £1,327 £210 £1,537 £19,776 12.9 yrs £10,970

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: £983, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 15.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1749 kWh 1277 kWh 472 kWh £346 £47 £393 £9,319 23.7 yrs £-1,453
3 kW 2623 kWh 1915 kWh 708 kWh £519 £71 £590 £11,354 19.2 yrs £446
4 kW 3498 kWh 2553 kWh 944 kWh £692 £94 £787 £13,388 17.0 yrs £2,344
5 kW 4372 kWh 3191 kWh 1180 kWh £865 £118 £983 £15,423 15.7 yrs £4,243
6 kW 5246 kWh 3830 kWh 1416 kWh £1,038 £142 £1,180 £17,457 14.8 yrs £6,141
7 kW 6121 kWh 4468 kWh 1653 kWh £1,211 £165 £1,377 £19,492 14.2 yrs £8,040
8 kW 6995 kWh 5106 kWh 1889 kWh £1,384 £189 £1,573 £21,526 13.7 yrs £9,938

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: £998, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 17.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1749 kWh 1312 kWh 437 kWh £356 £44 £399 £11,069 27.7 yrs £-3,083
3 kW 2623 kWh 1967 kWh 656 kWh £533 £66 £599 £13,104 21.9 yrs £-1,125
4 kW 3498 kWh 2623 kWh 874 kWh £711 £87 £799 £15,138 19.0 yrs £833
5 kW 4372 kWh 3279 kWh 1093 kWh £889 £109 £998 £17,173 17.2 yrs £2,792
6 kW 5246 kWh 3935 kWh 1312 kWh £1,067 £131 £1,198 £19,207 16.0 yrs £4,750
7 kW 6121 kWh 4590 kWh 1530 kWh £1,244 £153 £1,397 £21,242 15.2 yrs £6,708
8 kW 6995 kWh 5246 kWh 1749 kWh £1,422 £175 £1,597 £23,276 14.6 yrs £8,667

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: £1,013, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 19.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1749 kWh 1347 kWh 402 kWh £365 £40 £405 £13,519 33.4 yrs £-5,414
3 kW 2623 kWh 2020 kWh 603 kWh £548 £60 £608 £15,554 25.6 yrs £-3,395
4 kW 3498 kWh 2693 kWh 804 kWh £730 £80 £811 £17,588 21.7 yrs £-1,377
5 kW 4372 kWh 3366 kWh 1006 kWh £913 £101 £1,013 £19,623 19.4 yrs £641
6 kW 5246 kWh 4040 kWh 1207 kWh £1,095 £121 £1,216 £21,657 17.8 yrs £2,659
7 kW 6121 kWh 4713 kWh 1408 kWh £1,278 £141 £1,418 £23,692 16.7 yrs £4,677
8 kW 6995 kWh 5386 kWh 1609 kWh £1,460 £161 £1,621 £25,726 15.9 yrs £6,696

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 LA8

Figures below are tailored to LA8 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #99 of 2182
6.6 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~14 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #2307 of 2997
12.0 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£1,018 /yr • £12,207 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #1094 of 2997
18.3% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£187 fixed • ~£1,018 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
27.11p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
51.16p/day
Local Sunshine
874kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~874 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: 76% • Flats: 6% • Bungalows: 16% Based on 2,466 properties

Coverage

Westmorland and Furness (100%)

Areas Covered

Upper Kent, Levens and Crooklands, Sedbergh and Kirkby Lonsdale, Bowness and Lyth, Kendal South, Kendal Strickland and Fell

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

LA9 (Westmorland and Furness)
≈1.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~852 kWh/kWp · -3% vs LA8
LA7 (Westmorland and Furness)
≈10.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~896 kWh/kWp · +3% vs LA8
LA23 (Westmorland and Furness)
≈10.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~846 kWh/kWp · -3% vs LA8
LA10 (Westmorland and Furness)
≈16.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~816 kWh/kWp · -7% vs LA8
LA11 (Westmorland and Furness)
≈17.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~928 kWh/kWp · +6% vs LA8
LA22 (Westmorland and Furness)
≈17.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~836 kWh/kWp · -4% vs LA8

Similar sunshine across the UK

KY3 (Fife)
~874 kWh/kWp · -0% vs LA8
ST7 (Newcastle-under-Lyme)
~875 kWh/kWp · +0% vs LA8
LL43 (Gwynedd)
~875 kWh/kWp · +0% vs LA8