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 LE17 (Harborough)

See if solar pays off for you in Harborough — 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
13.0 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£12,207
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£941
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£11,327
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 East Midlands, the current unit rate is 25.55p/kWh with a 49.09p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 967 kWh/kW — 1 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 967 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 25.6p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
25.6p/kWh
Standing charge
49.1p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
967 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: £784, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 13.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1935 kWh 774 kWh 1161 kWh £198 £116 £314 £4,069 13.0 yrs £2,207
3 kW 2902 kWh 1161 kWh 1741 kWh £297 £174 £471 £6,104 13.0 yrs £3,310
4 kW 3869 kWh 1548 kWh 2321 kWh £395 £232 £628 £8,138 13.0 yrs £4,414
5 kW 4836 kWh 1935 kWh 2902 kWh £494 £290 £784 £10,173 13.0 yrs £5,517
6 kW 5804 kWh 2321 kWh 3482 kWh £593 £348 £941 £12,207 13.0 yrs £6,620
7 kW 6771 kWh 2708 kWh 4063 kWh £692 £406 £1,098 £14,242 13.0 yrs £7,724
8 kW 7738 kWh 3095 kWh 4643 kWh £791 £464 £1,255 £16,276 13.0 yrs £8,827

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: £935, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 13.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1935 kWh 1161 kWh 774 kWh £297 £77 £374 £6,169 16.5 yrs £1,310
3 kW 2902 kWh 1741 kWh 1161 kWh £445 £116 £561 £8,204 14.6 yrs £3,015
4 kW 3869 kWh 2321 kWh 1548 kWh £593 £155 £748 £10,238 13.7 yrs £4,720
5 kW 4836 kWh 2902 kWh 1935 kWh £741 £193 £935 £12,273 13.1 yrs £6,425
6 kW 5804 kWh 3482 kWh 2321 kWh £890 £232 £1,122 £14,307 12.8 yrs £8,130
7 kW 6771 kWh 4063 kWh 2708 kWh £1,038 £271 £1,309 £16,342 12.5 yrs £9,835
8 kW 7738 kWh 4643 kWh 3095 kWh £1,186 £310 £1,496 £18,376 12.3 yrs £11,540

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: £1,010, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 13.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1935 kWh 1354 kWh 580 kWh £346 £58 £404 £7,569 18.7 yrs £512
3 kW 2902 kWh 2031 kWh 871 kWh £519 £87 £606 £9,604 15.8 yrs £2,518
4 kW 3869 kWh 2708 kWh 1161 kWh £692 £116 £808 £11,638 14.4 yrs £4,523
5 kW 4836 kWh 3386 kWh 1451 kWh £865 £145 £1,010 £13,673 13.5 yrs £6,529
6 kW 5804 kWh 4063 kWh 1741 kWh £1,038 £174 £1,212 £15,707 13.0 yrs £8,535
7 kW 6771 kWh 4740 kWh 2031 kWh £1,211 £203 £1,414 £17,742 12.5 yrs £10,541
8 kW 7738 kWh 5417 kWh 2321 kWh £1,384 £232 £1,616 £19,776 12.2 yrs £12,547

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: £1,033, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 14.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1935 kWh 1412 kWh 522 kWh £361 £52 £413 £9,319 22.6 yrs £-1,058
3 kW 2902 kWh 2118 kWh 784 kWh £541 £78 £620 £11,354 18.3 yrs £1,038
4 kW 3869 kWh 2824 kWh 1045 kWh £722 £104 £826 £13,388 16.2 yrs £3,134
5 kW 4836 kWh 3531 kWh 1306 kWh £902 £131 £1,033 £15,423 14.9 yrs £5,231
6 kW 5804 kWh 4237 kWh 1567 kWh £1,082 £157 £1,239 £17,457 14.1 yrs £7,327
7 kW 6771 kWh 4943 kWh 1828 kWh £1,263 £183 £1,446 £19,492 13.5 yrs £9,423
8 kW 7738 kWh 5649 kWh 2089 kWh £1,443 £209 £1,652 £21,526 13.0 yrs £11,519

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: £1,048, 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 1935 kWh 1451 kWh 484 kWh £371 £48 £419 £11,069 26.4 yrs £-2,687
3 kW 2902 kWh 2176 kWh 725 kWh £556 £73 £629 £13,104 20.8 yrs £-531
4 kW 3869 kWh 2902 kWh 967 kWh £741 £97 £838 £15,138 18.1 yrs £1,625
5 kW 4836 kWh 3627 kWh 1209 kWh £927 £121 £1,048 £17,173 16.4 yrs £3,781
6 kW 5804 kWh 4353 kWh 1451 kWh £1,112 £145 £1,257 £19,207 15.3 yrs £5,938
7 kW 6771 kWh 5078 kWh 1693 kWh £1,297 £169 £1,467 £21,242 14.5 yrs £8,094
8 kW 7738 kWh 5804 kWh 1935 kWh £1,483 £193 £1,676 £23,276 13.9 yrs £10,250

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: £1,063, 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 1935 kWh 1490 kWh 445 kWh £381 £44 £425 £13,519 31.8 yrs £-5,017
3 kW 2902 kWh 2234 kWh 667 kWh £571 £67 £638 £15,554 24.4 yrs £-2,801
4 kW 3869 kWh 2979 kWh 890 kWh £761 £89 £850 £17,588 20.7 yrs £-584
5 kW 4836 kWh 3724 kWh 1112 kWh £951 £111 £1,063 £19,623 18.5 yrs £1,632
6 kW 5804 kWh 4469 kWh 1335 kWh £1,142 £133 £1,275 £21,657 17.0 yrs £3,849
7 kW 6771 kWh 5214 kWh 1557 kWh £1,332 £156 £1,488 £23,692 15.9 yrs £6,065
8 kW 7738 kWh 5959 kWh 1780 kWh £1,522 £178 £1,700 £25,726 15.1 yrs £8,282

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 LE17

Figures below are tailored to LE17 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #317 of 2182
5.9 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~12 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #1608 of 2997
11.3 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£1,077 /yr • £12,207 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #643 of 2997
16.6% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£179 fixed • ~£1,077 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.55p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
49.09p/day
Local Sunshine
967kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~967 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: 78% • Flats: 7% • Bungalows: 14% Based on 6,198 properties

Coverage

Harborough (99%)|Rugby (1%)

Areas Covered

Lutterworth East, Lutterworth West, Bosworth, Ullesthorpe, Misterton, Dunton, Broughton Astley South & Leire, Fleckney + 5 more

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 East Midlands

CV21 (Rugby)
≈10.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~973 kWh/kWp · +1% vs LE17
LE8 (Blaby)
≈12.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~986 kWh/kWp · +2% vs LE17
LE9 (Blaby)
≈12.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~969 kWh/kWp · +0% vs LE17
LE19 (Blaby)
≈13.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~965 kWh/kWp · -0% vs LE17
CV22 (Rugby)
≈13.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~973 kWh/kWp · +1% vs LE17
CV23 (Rugby)
≈13.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~974 kWh/kWp · +1% vs LE17

Similar sunshine across the UK

WR4 (Worcester)
~967 kWh/kWp · +0% vs LE17
HR4 (Herefordshire, County of)
~967 kWh/kWp · +0% vs LE17
HR1 (Herefordshire, County of)
~967 kWh/kWp · +0% vs LE17