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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in LE7 (Charnwood)

See if solar pays off for you in Charnwood — 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
£12,207
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£932
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£11,084
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 957 kWh/kW — 11 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 957 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)
957 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: £776, 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 1915 kWh 766 kWh 1149 kWh £196 £115 £311 £4,069 13.1 yrs £2,142
3 kW 2872 kWh 1149 kWh 1723 kWh £294 £172 £466 £6,104 13.1 yrs £3,213
4 kW 3829 kWh 1532 kWh 2297 kWh £391 £230 £621 £8,138 13.1 yrs £4,284
5 kW 4786 kWh 1915 kWh 2872 kWh £489 £287 £776 £10,173 13.1 yrs £5,355
6 kW 5744 kWh 2297 kWh 3446 kWh £587 £345 £932 £12,207 13.1 yrs £6,425
7 kW 6701 kWh 2680 kWh 4021 kWh £685 £402 £1,087 £14,242 13.1 yrs £7,496
8 kW 7658 kWh 3063 kWh 4595 kWh £783 £459 £1,242 £16,276 13.1 yrs £8,567

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: £925, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 13.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1915 kWh 1149 kWh 766 kWh £294 £77 £370 £6,169 16.7 yrs £1,233
3 kW 2872 kWh 1723 kWh 1149 kWh £440 £115 £555 £8,204 14.8 yrs £2,899
4 kW 3829 kWh 2297 kWh 1532 kWh £587 £153 £740 £10,238 13.8 yrs £4,565
5 kW 4786 kWh 2872 kWh 1915 kWh £734 £191 £925 £12,273 13.3 yrs £6,232
6 kW 5744 kWh 3446 kWh 2297 kWh £881 £230 £1,110 £14,307 12.9 yrs £7,898
7 kW 6701 kWh 4021 kWh 2680 kWh £1,027 £268 £1,295 £16,342 12.6 yrs £9,564
8 kW 7658 kWh 4595 kWh 3063 kWh £1,174 £306 £1,480 £18,376 12.4 yrs £11,231

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: £1,000, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 13.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1915 kWh 1340 kWh 574 kWh £342 £57 £400 £7,569 18.9 yrs £428
3 kW 2872 kWh 2010 kWh 862 kWh £514 £86 £600 £9,604 16.0 yrs £2,392
4 kW 3829 kWh 2680 kWh 1149 kWh £685 £115 £800 £11,638 14.6 yrs £4,356
5 kW 4786 kWh 3350 kWh 1436 kWh £856 £144 £1,000 £13,673 13.7 yrs £6,320
6 kW 5744 kWh 4021 kWh 1723 kWh £1,027 £172 £1,200 £15,707 13.1 yrs £8,284
7 kW 6701 kWh 4691 kWh 2010 kWh £1,198 £201 £1,399 £17,742 12.7 yrs £10,248
8 kW 7658 kWh 5361 kWh 2297 kWh £1,370 £230 £1,599 £19,776 12.4 yrs £12,212

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: £1,022, 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 1915 kWh 1398 kWh 517 kWh £357 £52 £409 £9,319 22.8 yrs £-1,143
3 kW 2872 kWh 2096 kWh 775 kWh £536 £78 £613 £11,354 18.5 yrs £910
4 kW 3829 kWh 2795 kWh 1034 kWh £714 £103 £818 £13,388 16.4 yrs £2,963
5 kW 4786 kWh 3494 kWh 1292 kWh £893 £129 £1,022 £15,423 15.1 yrs £5,017
6 kW 5744 kWh 4193 kWh 1551 kWh £1,071 £155 £1,226 £17,457 14.2 yrs £7,070
7 kW 6701 kWh 4892 kWh 1809 kWh £1,250 £181 £1,431 £19,492 13.6 yrs £9,124
8 kW 7658 kWh 5591 kWh 2068 kWh £1,428 £207 £1,635 £21,526 13.2 yrs £11,177

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: £1,037, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 16.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1915 kWh 1436 kWh 479 kWh £367 £48 £415 £11,069 26.7 yrs £-2,774
3 kW 2872 kWh 2154 kWh 718 kWh £550 £72 £622 £13,104 21.1 yrs £-661
4 kW 3829 kWh 2872 kWh 957 kWh £734 £96 £829 £15,138 18.2 yrs £1,452
5 kW 4786 kWh 3590 kWh 1197 kWh £917 £120 £1,037 £17,173 16.6 yrs £3,565
6 kW 5744 kWh 4308 kWh 1436 kWh £1,101 £144 £1,244 £19,207 15.4 yrs £5,677
7 kW 6701 kWh 5026 kWh 1675 kWh £1,284 £168 £1,452 £21,242 14.6 yrs £7,790
8 kW 7658 kWh 5744 kWh 1915 kWh £1,468 £191 £1,659 £23,276 14.0 yrs £9,903

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: £1,052, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 18.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1915 kWh 1474 kWh 440 kWh £377 £44 £421 £13,519 32.1 yrs £-5,105
3 kW 2872 kWh 2211 kWh 661 kWh £565 £66 £631 £15,554 24.6 yrs £-2,933
4 kW 3829 kWh 2948 kWh 881 kWh £753 £88 £841 £17,588 20.9 yrs £-760
5 kW 4786 kWh 3686 kWh 1101 kWh £942 £110 £1,052 £19,623 18.7 yrs £1,412
6 kW 5744 kWh 4423 kWh 1321 kWh £1,130 £132 £1,262 £21,657 17.2 yrs £3,585
7 kW 6701 kWh 5160 kWh 1541 kWh £1,318 £154 £1,472 £23,692 16.1 yrs £5,757
8 kW 7658 kWh 5897 kWh 1761 kWh £1,507 £176 £1,683 £25,726 15.3 yrs £7,930

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 LE7

Figures below are tailored to LE7 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #588 of 2182
5.5 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~11 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #1785 of 2997
11.5 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£1,066 /yr • £12,207 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #692 of 2997
16.8% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£179 fixed • ~£1,066 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.55p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
49.09p/day
Local Sunshine
957kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~957 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: 10% • Bungalows: 12% Based on 13,066 properties

Coverage

Charnwood (74%)|Harborough (18%)|Leicester (4%)|Melton (3%)|Blaby (1%)

Areas Covered

Syston, Wreake Valley, Thurnby & Houghton, Rothley Brook, Anstey, Billesdon & Tilton, South Charnwood, Gaddesby + 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

LE4 (Leicester)
≈5.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~952 kWh/kWp · -1% vs LE7
LE41 (Leicester)
≈5.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~954 kWh/kWp · -0% vs LE7
LE5 (Leicester)
≈7.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~959 kWh/kWp · +0% vs LE7
LE87 (Leicester)
≈7.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~966 kWh/kWp · +1% vs LE7
LE21 (Leicester)
≈8.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~952 kWh/kWp · -1% vs LE7
LE1 (Leicester)
≈8.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~952 kWh/kWp · -1% vs LE7

Similar sunshine across the UK

SA31 (Carmarthenshire)
~957 kWh/kWp · +0% vs LE7
B61 (Bromsgrove)
~957 kWh/kWp · +0% vs LE7
NE36 (South Tyneside)
~957 kWh/kWp · -0% vs LE7