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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in LE5 (Leicester)

See if solar pays off for you in Leicester — 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
13.1 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£778
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£9,281
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 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 959 kWh/kW — 9 below the regional median (968).

Read the full story

A typical roof here lands around 5.0 kW, with most eligible homes comfortably fitting within 3–6 kW. Each kilowatt of panels produces roughly 959 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)
959 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: £778, Upfront: £10,173, 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 1919 kWh 768 kWh 1151 kWh £196 £115 £311 £4,069 13.1 yrs £2,156
3 kW 2878 kWh 1151 kWh 1727 kWh £294 £173 £467 £6,104 13.1 yrs £3,234
4 kW 3838 kWh 1535 kWh 2303 kWh £392 £230 £623 £8,138 13.1 yrs £4,312
5 kW 4797 kWh 1919 kWh 2878 kWh £490 £288 £778 £10,173 13.1 yrs £5,390
6 kW 5757 kWh 2303 kWh 3454 kWh £588 £345 £934 £12,207 13.1 yrs £6,468
7 kW 6716 kWh 2687 kWh 4030 kWh £686 £403 £1,089 £14,242 13.1 yrs £7,546
8 kW 7676 kWh 3070 kWh 4605 kWh £784 £461 £1,245 £16,276 13.1 yrs £8,624

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: £927, 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 1919 kWh 1151 kWh 768 kWh £294 £77 £371 £6,169 16.6 yrs £1,250
3 kW 2878 kWh 1727 kWh 1151 kWh £441 £115 £556 £8,204 14.7 yrs £2,924
4 kW 3838 kWh 2303 kWh 1535 kWh £588 £154 £742 £10,238 13.8 yrs £4,599
5 kW 4797 kWh 2878 kWh 1919 kWh £735 £192 £927 £12,273 13.2 yrs £6,274
6 kW 5757 kWh 3454 kWh 2303 kWh £883 £230 £1,113 £14,307 12.9 yrs £7,949
7 kW 6716 kWh 4030 kWh 2687 kWh £1,030 £269 £1,298 £16,342 12.6 yrs £9,624
8 kW 7676 kWh 4605 kWh 3070 kWh £1,177 £307 £1,484 £18,376 12.4 yrs £11,298

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: £1,002, 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 1919 kWh 1343 kWh 576 kWh £343 £58 £401 £7,569 18.9 yrs £446
3 kW 2878 kWh 2015 kWh 864 kWh £515 £86 £601 £9,604 16.0 yrs £2,420
4 kW 3838 kWh 2687 kWh 1151 kWh £686 £115 £802 £11,638 14.5 yrs £4,393
5 kW 4797 kWh 3358 kWh 1439 kWh £858 £144 £1,002 £13,673 13.6 yrs £6,366
6 kW 5757 kWh 4030 kWh 1727 kWh £1,030 £173 £1,202 £15,707 13.1 yrs £8,339
7 kW 6716 kWh 4701 kWh 2015 kWh £1,201 £201 £1,403 £17,742 12.6 yrs £10,312
8 kW 7676 kWh 5373 kWh 2303 kWh £1,373 £230 £1,603 £19,776 12.3 yrs £12,286

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: £1,024, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 15.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1919 kWh 1401 kWh 518 kWh £358 £52 £410 £9,319 22.7 yrs £-1,125
3 kW 2878 kWh 2101 kWh 777 kWh £537 £78 £615 £11,354 18.5 yrs £938
4 kW 3838 kWh 2802 kWh 1036 kWh £716 £104 £819 £13,388 16.3 yrs £3,001
5 kW 4797 kWh 3502 kWh 1295 kWh £895 £130 £1,024 £15,423 15.1 yrs £5,064
6 kW 5757 kWh 4202 kWh 1554 kWh £1,074 £155 £1,229 £17,457 14.2 yrs £7,126
7 kW 6716 kWh 4903 kWh 1813 kWh £1,253 £181 £1,434 £19,492 13.6 yrs £9,189
8 kW 7676 kWh 5603 kWh 2072 kWh £1,432 £207 £1,639 £21,526 13.1 yrs £11,252

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: £1,039, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 16.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1919 kWh 1439 kWh 480 kWh £368 £48 £416 £11,069 26.6 yrs £-2,755
3 kW 2878 kWh 2159 kWh 720 kWh £552 £72 £624 £13,104 21.0 yrs £-633
4 kW 3838 kWh 2878 kWh 959 kWh £735 £96 £831 £15,138 18.2 yrs £1,490
5 kW 4797 kWh 3598 kWh 1199 kWh £919 £120 £1,039 £17,173 16.5 yrs £3,612
6 kW 5757 kWh 4318 kWh 1439 kWh £1,103 £144 £1,247 £19,207 15.4 yrs £5,734
7 kW 6716 kWh 5037 kWh 1679 kWh £1,287 £168 £1,455 £21,242 14.6 yrs £7,857
8 kW 7676 kWh 5757 kWh 1919 kWh £1,471 £192 £1,663 £23,276 14.0 yrs £9,979

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: £1,054, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 18.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1919 kWh 1478 kWh 441 kWh £378 £44 £422 £13,519 32.1 yrs £-5,086
3 kW 2878 kWh 2216 kWh 662 kWh £566 £66 £632 £15,554 24.6 yrs £-2,904
4 kW 3838 kWh 2955 kWh 883 kWh £755 £88 £843 £17,588 20.9 yrs £-722
5 kW 4797 kWh 3694 kWh 1103 kWh £944 £110 £1,054 £19,623 18.6 yrs £1,460
6 kW 5757 kWh 4433 kWh 1324 kWh £1,133 £132 £1,265 £21,657 17.1 yrs £3,642
7 kW 6716 kWh 5172 kWh 1545 kWh £1,321 £154 £1,476 £23,692 16.1 yrs £5,825
8 kW 7676 kWh 5910 kWh 1765 kWh £1,510 £177 £1,687 £25,726 15.3 yrs £8,007

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 LE5

Figures below are tailored to LE5 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1199 of 2182
4.9 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~10 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #1700 of 2997
11.4 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£890 /yr • £10,173 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #1419 of 2997
20.1% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£179 fixed • ~£890 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.55p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
49.09p/day
Local Sunshine
959kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~959 kWh per year. A typical home uses ~2,700 kWh per year.
Typical System Size
5.0kW
For houses & bungalows in this area

Local Property Data

Property Types

Houses: 76% • Flats: 17% • Bungalows: 6% Based on 19,618 properties

Coverage

Leicester (92%)|Blaby (7%)|Charnwood (1%)

Areas Covered

North Evington, Evington, Humberstone & Hamilton, Castle, Thurncourt, Spinney Hills, Thorpe Astley & St Mary's, Stoneygate + 4 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

LE21 (Leicester)
≈2.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~952 kWh/kWp · -1% vs LE5
LE1 (Leicester)
≈2.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~952 kWh/kWp · -1% vs LE5
LE87 (Leicester)
≈2.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~966 kWh/kWp · +1% vs LE5
LE41 (Leicester)
≈2.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~954 kWh/kWp · -1% vs LE5
LE2 (Leicester)
≈3.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~952 kWh/kWp · -1% vs LE5
LE4 (Leicester)
≈3.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~952 kWh/kWp · -1% vs LE5

Similar sunshine across the UK

GL11 (Stroud)
~959 kWh/kWp · -0% vs LE5
TS28 (County Durham)
~959 kWh/kWp · -0% vs LE5
DN15 (North Lincolnshire)
~959 kWh/kWp · -0% vs LE5