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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in LD5 (Powys)

See if solar pays off for you in Powys — 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
13.8 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£12,207
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£882
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£9,841
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 South Wales, the current unit rate is 26.83p/kWh with a 51.69p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 878 kWh/kW — 90 below the regional median (968).

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 878 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 26.8p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
26.8p/kWh
Standing charge
51.7p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
878 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: £735, 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 1757 kWh 703 kWh 1054 kWh £189 £105 £294 £4,069 13.8 yrs £1,810
3 kW 2635 kWh 1054 kWh 1581 kWh £283 £158 £441 £6,104 13.8 yrs £2,716
4 kW 3514 kWh 1406 kWh 2108 kWh £377 £211 £588 £8,138 13.8 yrs £3,621
5 kW 4392 kWh 1757 kWh 2635 kWh £471 £264 £735 £10,173 13.8 yrs £4,526
6 kW 5271 kWh 2108 kWh 3162 kWh £566 £316 £882 £12,207 13.8 yrs £5,431
7 kW 6149 kWh 2460 kWh 3690 kWh £660 £369 £1,029 £14,242 13.8 yrs £6,336
8 kW 7028 kWh 2811 kWh 4217 kWh £754 £422 £1,176 £16,276 13.8 yrs £7,241

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: £883, 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 1757 kWh 1054 kWh 703 kWh £283 £70 £353 £6,169 17.5 yrs £893
3 kW 2635 kWh 1581 kWh 1054 kWh £424 £105 £530 £8,204 15.5 yrs £2,390
4 kW 3514 kWh 2108 kWh 1406 kWh £566 £141 £706 £10,238 14.5 yrs £3,886
5 kW 4392 kWh 2635 kWh 1757 kWh £707 £176 £883 £12,273 13.9 yrs £5,383
6 kW 5271 kWh 3162 kWh 2108 kWh £848 £211 £1,059 £14,307 13.5 yrs £6,879
7 kW 6149 kWh 3690 kWh 2460 kWh £990 £246 £1,236 £16,342 13.2 yrs £8,376
8 kW 7028 kWh 4217 kWh 2811 kWh £1,131 £281 £1,412 £18,376 13.0 yrs £9,872

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: £957, Upfront: £13,673, 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 1757 kWh 1230 kWh 527 kWh £330 £53 £383 £7,569 19.8 yrs £84
3 kW 2635 kWh 1845 kWh 791 kWh £495 £79 £574 £9,604 16.7 yrs £1,877
4 kW 3514 kWh 2460 kWh 1054 kWh £660 £105 £765 £11,638 15.2 yrs £3,669
5 kW 4392 kWh 3075 kWh 1318 kWh £825 £132 £957 £13,673 14.3 yrs £5,461
6 kW 5271 kWh 3690 kWh 1581 kWh £990 £158 £1,148 £15,707 13.7 yrs £7,253
7 kW 6149 kWh 4304 kWh 1845 kWh £1,155 £184 £1,339 £17,742 13.2 yrs £9,046
8 kW 7028 kWh 4919 kWh 2108 kWh £1,320 £211 £1,531 £19,776 12.9 yrs £10,838

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: £979, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 15.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1757 kWh 1283 kWh 474 kWh £344 £47 £392 £9,319 23.8 yrs £-1,488
3 kW 2635 kWh 1924 kWh 712 kWh £516 £71 £587 £11,354 19.3 yrs £393
4 kW 3514 kWh 2565 kWh 949 kWh £688 £95 £783 £13,388 17.1 yrs £2,274
5 kW 4392 kWh 3206 kWh 1186 kWh £860 £119 £979 £15,423 15.8 yrs £4,155
6 kW 5271 kWh 3848 kWh 1423 kWh £1,032 £142 £1,175 £17,457 14.9 yrs £6,036
7 kW 6149 kWh 4489 kWh 1660 kWh £1,204 £166 £1,370 £19,492 14.2 yrs £7,917
8 kW 7028 kWh 5130 kWh 1897 kWh £1,376 £190 £1,566 £21,526 13.7 yrs £9,798

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: £994, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 17.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1757 kWh 1318 kWh 439 kWh £354 £44 £397 £11,069 27.8 yrs £-3,120
3 kW 2635 kWh 1977 kWh 659 kWh £530 £66 £596 £13,104 22.0 yrs £-1,180
4 kW 3514 kWh 2635 kWh 878 kWh £707 £88 £795 £15,138 19.0 yrs £760
5 kW 4392 kWh 3294 kWh 1098 kWh £884 £110 £994 £17,173 17.3 yrs £2,700
6 kW 5271 kWh 3953 kWh 1318 kWh £1,061 £132 £1,192 £19,207 16.1 yrs £4,640
7 kW 6149 kWh 4612 kWh 1537 kWh £1,237 £154 £1,391 £21,242 15.3 yrs £6,581
8 kW 7028 kWh 5271 kWh 1757 kWh £1,414 £176 £1,590 £23,276 14.6 yrs £8,521

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: £1,008, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 19.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1757 kWh 1353 kWh 404 kWh £363 £40 £403 £13,519 33.5 yrs £-5,452
3 kW 2635 kWh 2029 kWh 606 kWh £544 £61 £605 £15,554 25.7 yrs £-3,452
4 kW 3514 kWh 2706 kWh 808 kWh £726 £81 £807 £17,588 21.8 yrs £-1,453
5 kW 4392 kWh 3382 kWh 1010 kWh £907 £101 £1,008 £19,623 19.5 yrs £546
6 kW 5271 kWh 4058 kWh 1212 kWh £1,089 £121 £1,210 £21,657 17.9 yrs £2,545
7 kW 6149 kWh 4735 kWh 1414 kWh £1,270 £141 £1,412 £23,692 16.8 yrs £4,545
8 kW 7028 kWh 5411 kWh 1616 kWh £1,452 £162 £1,613 £25,726 15.9 yrs £6,544

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 LD5

Figures below are tailored to LD5 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #25 of 2182
7.4 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~15 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #2308 of 2997
12.0 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£1,015 /yr • £12,207 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #1187 of 2997
18.6% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£189 fixed • ~£1,015 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.83p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
51.69p/day
Local Sunshine
878kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~878 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: 68% • Flats: 14% • Bungalows: 17% Based on 363 properties

Coverage

Powys (100%)

Areas Covered

Llanwrtyd Wells, Builth, Llanafanfawr with Garth

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 South Wales

LD4 (Powys)
≈5.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~903 kWh/kWp · +3% vs LD5
LD2 (Powys)
≈16.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~913 kWh/kWp · +4% vs LD5
SA20 (Carmarthenshire)
≈17.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~863 kWh/kWp · -2% vs LD5
LD1 (Powys)
≈22.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~902 kWh/kWp · +3% vs LD5
LD6 (Powys)
≈22.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~903 kWh/kWp · +3% vs LD5
SY25 (Ceredigion)
≈23.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~830 kWh/kWp · -5% vs LD5

Similar sunshine across the UK

KA27 (North Ayrshire)
~879 kWh/kWp · +0% vs LD5
EH2 (City of Edinburgh)
~878 kWh/kWp · -0% vs LD5
KA14 (North Ayrshire)
~878 kWh/kWp · -0% vs LD5