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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in LS12 (Leeds)

See if solar pays off for you in Leeds — 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
13.7 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£8,138
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£595
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£6,737
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 Yorkshire, the current unit rate is 25.33p/kWh with a 58.65p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 922 kWh/kW — 7 below the regional median (929).

Read the full story

A typical roof here lands around 4.0 kW, with most eligible homes comfortably fitting within 3–6 kW. Each kilowatt of panels produces roughly 922 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 25.3p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
25.3p/kWh
Standing charge
58.6p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
922 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: £744, Upfront: £10,173, 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 1844 kWh 738 kWh 1107 kWh £187 £111 £298 £4,069 13.7 yrs £1,881
3 kW 2766 kWh 1107 kWh 1660 kWh £280 £166 £446 £6,104 13.7 yrs £2,822
4 kW 3688 kWh 1475 kWh 2213 kWh £374 £221 £595 £8,138 13.7 yrs £3,762
5 kW 4611 kWh 1844 kWh 2766 kWh £467 £277 £744 £10,173 13.7 yrs £4,703
6 kW 5533 kWh 2213 kWh 3320 kWh £561 £332 £893 £12,207 13.7 yrs £5,644
7 kW 6455 kWh 2582 kWh 3873 kWh £654 £387 £1,041 £14,242 13.7 yrs £6,584
8 kW 7377 kWh 2951 kWh 4426 kWh £747 £443 £1,190 £16,276 13.7 yrs £7,525

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: £885, 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 1844 kWh 1107 kWh 738 kWh £280 £74 £354 £6,169 17.4 yrs £912
3 kW 2766 kWh 1660 kWh 1107 kWh £420 £111 £531 £8,204 15.4 yrs £2,418
4 kW 3688 kWh 2213 kWh 1475 kWh £561 £148 £708 £10,238 14.5 yrs £3,924
5 kW 4611 kWh 2766 kWh 1844 kWh £701 £184 £885 £12,273 13.9 yrs £5,430
6 kW 5533 kWh 3320 kWh 2213 kWh £841 £221 £1,062 £14,307 13.5 yrs £6,936
7 kW 6455 kWh 3873 kWh 2582 kWh £981 £258 £1,239 £16,342 13.2 yrs £8,442
8 kW 7377 kWh 4426 kWh 2951 kWh £1,121 £295 £1,416 £18,376 13.0 yrs £9,948

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: £956, 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 1844 kWh 1291 kWh 553 kWh £327 £55 £382 £7,569 19.8 yrs £77
3 kW 2766 kWh 1936 kWh 830 kWh £490 £83 £573 £9,604 16.7 yrs £1,866
4 kW 3688 kWh 2582 kWh 1107 kWh £654 £111 £765 £11,638 15.2 yrs £3,655
5 kW 4611 kWh 3227 kWh 1383 kWh £817 £138 £956 £13,673 14.3 yrs £5,444
6 kW 5533 kWh 3873 kWh 1660 kWh £981 £166 £1,147 £15,707 13.7 yrs £7,232
7 kW 6455 kWh 4518 kWh 1936 kWh £1,144 £194 £1,338 £17,742 13.3 yrs £9,021
8 kW 7377 kWh 5164 kWh 2213 kWh £1,308 £221 £1,529 £19,776 12.9 yrs £10,810

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: £977, 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 1844 kWh 1346 kWh 498 kWh £341 £50 £391 £9,319 23.8 yrs £-1,503
3 kW 2766 kWh 2019 kWh 747 kWh £512 £75 £586 £11,354 19.4 yrs £371
4 kW 3688 kWh 2693 kWh 996 kWh £682 £100 £782 £13,388 17.1 yrs £2,244
5 kW 4611 kWh 3366 kWh 1245 kWh £853 £124 £977 £15,423 15.8 yrs £4,118
6 kW 5533 kWh 4039 kWh 1494 kWh £1,023 £149 £1,172 £17,457 14.9 yrs £5,991
7 kW 6455 kWh 4712 kWh 1743 kWh £1,194 £174 £1,368 £19,492 14.3 yrs £7,865
8 kW 7377 kWh 5385 kWh 1992 kWh £1,364 £199 £1,563 £21,526 13.8 yrs £9,738

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: £991, 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 1844 kWh 1383 kWh 461 kWh £350 £46 £396 £11,069 27.9 yrs £-3,140
3 kW 2766 kWh 2075 kWh 692 kWh £526 £69 £595 £13,104 22.0 yrs £-1,210
4 kW 3688 kWh 2766 kWh 922 kWh £701 £92 £793 £15,138 19.1 yrs £720
5 kW 4611 kWh 3458 kWh 1153 kWh £876 £115 £991 £17,173 17.3 yrs £2,651
6 kW 5533 kWh 4149 kWh 1383 kWh £1,051 £138 £1,189 £19,207 16.1 yrs £4,581
7 kW 6455 kWh 4841 kWh 1614 kWh £1,226 £161 £1,388 £21,242 15.3 yrs £6,511
8 kW 7377 kWh 5533 kWh 1844 kWh £1,401 £184 £1,586 £23,276 14.7 yrs £8,441

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: £1,005, 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 1844 kWh 1420 kWh 424 kWh £360 £42 £402 £13,519 33.6 yrs £-5,477
3 kW 2766 kWh 2130 kWh 636 kWh £540 £64 £603 £15,554 25.8 yrs £-3,490
4 kW 3688 kWh 2840 kWh 848 kWh £719 £85 £804 £17,588 21.9 yrs £-1,503
5 kW 4611 kWh 3550 kWh 1060 kWh £899 £106 £1,005 £19,623 19.5 yrs £483
6 kW 5533 kWh 4260 kWh 1273 kWh £1,079 £127 £1,206 £21,657 18.0 yrs £2,470
7 kW 6455 kWh 4970 kWh 1485 kWh £1,259 £148 £1,407 £23,692 16.8 yrs £4,457
8 kW 7377 kWh 5680 kWh 1697 kWh £1,439 £170 £1,608 £25,726 16.0 yrs £6,443

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 LS12

Figures below are tailored to LS12 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #2105 of 2182
3.9 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~8 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #2314 of 2997
12.0 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£680 /yr • £8,138 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2684 of 2997
31.5% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£214 fixed • ~£680 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.33p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
58.65p/day
Local Sunshine
922kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~922 kWh per year. A typical home uses ~2,700 kWh per year.
Typical System Size
4.0kW
For houses & bungalows in this area

Local Property Data

Property Types

Houses: 57% • Flats: 40% • Bungalows: 2% Based on 15,629 properties

Coverage

Leeds (100%)

Areas Covered

Farnley & Wortley, Armley, Beeston & Holbeck, Little London & Woodhouse, Hunslet & Riverside

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 Yorkshire

LS4 (Leeds)
≈2.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~913 kWh/kWp · -1% vs LS12
LS3 (Leeds)
≈2.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~915 kWh/kWp · -1% vs LS12
LS5 (Leeds)
≈2.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~915 kWh/kWp · -1% vs LS12
LS1 (Leeds)
≈3.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~922 kWh/kWp · +0% vs LS12
LS13 (Leeds)
≈3.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~912 kWh/kWp · -1% vs LS12
LS6 (Leeds)
≈3.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~914 kWh/kWp · -1% vs LS12

Similar sunshine across the UK

DL10 (North Yorkshire)
~922 kWh/kWp · -0% vs LS12
L32 (Knowsley)
~922 kWh/kWp · +0% vs LS12
L33 (Knowsley)
~922 kWh/kWp · +0% vs LS12