Solar explained to clever people by people who are not trying to be clever

Solar Panels in LS13 (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
13.8 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£8,138
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£588
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£6,569
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

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 912 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)
912 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 1823 kWh 729 kWh 1094 kWh £185 £109 £294 £4,069 13.8 yrs £1,814
3 kW 2735 kWh 1094 kWh 1641 kWh £277 £164 £441 £6,104 13.8 yrs £2,721
4 kW 3647 kWh 1459 kWh 2188 kWh £369 £219 £588 £8,138 13.8 yrs £3,627
5 kW 4558 kWh 1823 kWh 2735 kWh £462 £273 £735 £10,173 13.8 yrs £4,534
6 kW 5470 kWh 2188 kWh 3282 kWh £554 £328 £882 £12,207 13.8 yrs £5,441
7 kW 6382 kWh 2553 kWh 3829 kWh £647 £383 £1,029 £14,242 13.8 yrs £6,348
8 kW 7293 kWh 2917 kWh 4376 kWh £739 £438 £1,177 £16,276 13.8 yrs £7,255

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: £875, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 14.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1823 kWh 1094 kWh 729 kWh £277 £73 £350 £6,169 17.6 yrs £832
3 kW 2735 kWh 1641 kWh 1094 kWh £416 £109 £525 £8,204 15.6 yrs £2,298
4 kW 3647 kWh 2188 kWh 1459 kWh £554 £146 £700 £10,238 14.6 yrs £3,764
5 kW 4558 kWh 2735 kWh 1823 kWh £693 £182 £875 £12,273 14.0 yrs £5,229
6 kW 5470 kWh 3282 kWh 2188 kWh £831 £219 £1,050 £14,307 13.6 yrs £6,695
7 kW 6382 kWh 3829 kWh 2553 kWh £970 £255 £1,225 £16,342 13.3 yrs £8,161
8 kW 7293 kWh 4376 kWh 2917 kWh £1,108 £292 £1,400 £18,376 13.1 yrs £9,627

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: £945, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 14.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1823 kWh 1276 kWh 547 kWh £323 £55 £378 £7,569 20.0 yrs £-9
3 kW 2735 kWh 1914 kWh 820 kWh £485 £82 £567 £9,604 16.9 yrs £1,736
4 kW 3647 kWh 2553 kWh 1094 kWh £647 £109 £756 £11,638 15.4 yrs £3,482
5 kW 4558 kWh 3191 kWh 1367 kWh £808 £137 £945 £13,673 14.5 yrs £5,227
6 kW 5470 kWh 3829 kWh 1641 kWh £970 £164 £1,134 £15,707 13.9 yrs £6,972
7 kW 6382 kWh 4467 kWh 1914 kWh £1,132 £191 £1,323 £17,742 13.4 yrs £8,718
8 kW 7293 kWh 5105 kWh 2188 kWh £1,293 £219 £1,512 £19,776 13.1 yrs £10,463

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: £966, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 16.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1823 kWh 1331 kWh 492 kWh £337 £49 £386 £9,319 24.1 yrs £-1,591
3 kW 2735 kWh 1997 kWh 738 kWh £506 £74 £580 £11,354 19.6 yrs £238
4 kW 3647 kWh 2662 kWh 985 kWh £674 £98 £773 £13,388 17.3 yrs £2,067
5 kW 4558 kWh 3328 kWh 1231 kWh £843 £123 £966 £15,423 16.0 yrs £3,896
6 kW 5470 kWh 3993 kWh 1477 kWh £1,011 £148 £1,159 £17,457 15.1 yrs £5,726
7 kW 6382 kWh 4659 kWh 1723 kWh £1,180 £172 £1,352 £19,492 14.4 yrs £7,555
8 kW 7293 kWh 5324 kWh 1969 kWh £1,349 £197 £1,546 £21,526 13.9 yrs £9,384

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: £980, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 17.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1823 kWh 1367 kWh 456 kWh £346 £46 £392 £11,069 28.2 yrs £-3,230
3 kW 2735 kWh 2051 kWh 684 kWh £520 £68 £588 £13,104 22.3 yrs £-1,344
4 kW 3647 kWh 2735 kWh 912 kWh £693 £91 £784 £15,138 19.3 yrs £541
5 kW 4558 kWh 3419 kWh 1140 kWh £866 £114 £980 £17,173 17.5 yrs £2,426
6 kW 5470 kWh 4102 kWh 1367 kWh £1,039 £137 £1,176 £19,207 16.3 yrs £4,311
7 kW 6382 kWh 4786 kWh 1595 kWh £1,212 £160 £1,372 £21,242 15.5 yrs £6,196
8 kW 7293 kWh 5470 kWh 1823 kWh £1,386 £182 £1,568 £23,276 14.8 yrs £8,081

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: £994, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 19.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1823 kWh 1404 kWh 419 kWh £356 £42 £398 £13,519 34.0 yrs £-5,568
3 kW 2735 kWh 2106 kWh 629 kWh £533 £63 £596 £15,554 26.1 yrs £-3,627
4 kW 3647 kWh 2808 kWh 839 kWh £711 £84 £795 £17,588 22.1 yrs £-1,686
5 kW 4558 kWh 3510 kWh 1048 kWh £889 £105 £994 £19,623 19.7 yrs £255
6 kW 5470 kWh 4212 kWh 1258 kWh £1,067 £126 £1,193 £21,657 18.2 yrs £2,196
7 kW 6382 kWh 4914 kWh 1468 kWh £1,245 £147 £1,391 £23,692 17.0 yrs £4,138
8 kW 7293 kWh 5616 kWh 1677 kWh £1,422 £168 £1,590 £25,726 16.2 yrs £6,079

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.

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.33p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
58.65p/day
Local Sunshine
912kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~912 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: 67% • Flats: 30% • Bungalows: 3% Based on 10,105 properties

Coverage

Leeds (100%)

Areas Covered

Bramley & Stanningley, Armley, Pudsey, Calverley & Farsley, Farnley & Wortley, Horsforth

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.