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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in LU3 (Luton)

See if solar pays off for you in Luton — 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
12.3 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£825
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£10,450
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 Eastern, the current unit rate is 26.53p/kWh with a 48.25p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 993 kWh/kW — 16 below the regional median (1009).

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 993 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 26.5p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
26.5p/kWh
Standing charge
48.2p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
993 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: £825, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 12.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1986 kWh 794 kWh 1192 kWh £211 £119 £330 £4,069 12.3 yrs £2,530
3 kW 2979 kWh 1192 kWh 1788 kWh £316 £179 £495 £6,104 12.3 yrs £3,795
4 kW 3972 kWh 1589 kWh 2383 kWh £422 £238 £660 £8,138 12.3 yrs £5,060
5 kW 4966 kWh 1986 kWh 2979 kWh £527 £298 £825 £10,173 12.3 yrs £6,325
6 kW 5959 kWh 2383 kWh 3575 kWh £632 £358 £990 £12,207 12.3 yrs £7,590
7 kW 6952 kWh 2781 kWh 4171 kWh £738 £417 £1,155 £14,242 12.3 yrs £8,855
8 kW 7945 kWh 3178 kWh 4767 kWh £843 £477 £1,320 £16,276 12.3 yrs £10,120

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: £989, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 12.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1986 kWh 1192 kWh 794 kWh £316 £79 £396 £6,169 15.6 yrs £1,743
3 kW 2979 kWh 1788 kWh 1192 kWh £474 £119 £593 £8,204 13.8 yrs £3,665
4 kW 3972 kWh 2383 kWh 1589 kWh £632 £159 £791 £10,238 12.9 yrs £5,587
5 kW 4966 kWh 2979 kWh 1986 kWh £790 £199 £989 £12,273 12.4 yrs £7,508
6 kW 5959 kWh 3575 kWh 2383 kWh £949 £238 £1,187 £14,307 12.1 yrs £9,430
7 kW 6952 kWh 4171 kWh 2781 kWh £1,107 £278 £1,385 £16,342 11.8 yrs £11,352
8 kW 7945 kWh 4767 kWh 3178 kWh £1,265 £318 £1,582 £18,376 11.6 yrs £13,273

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: £1,071, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 12.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1986 kWh 1390 kWh 596 kWh £369 £60 £428 £7,569 17.7 yrs £1,000
3 kW 2979 kWh 2086 kWh 894 kWh £553 £89 £643 £9,604 14.9 yrs £3,250
4 kW 3972 kWh 2781 kWh 1192 kWh £738 £119 £857 £11,638 13.6 yrs £5,500
5 kW 4966 kWh 3476 kWh 1490 kWh £922 £149 £1,071 £13,673 12.8 yrs £7,750
6 kW 5959 kWh 4171 kWh 1788 kWh £1,107 £179 £1,285 £15,707 12.2 yrs £10,000
7 kW 6952 kWh 4866 kWh 2086 kWh £1,291 £209 £1,500 £17,742 11.8 yrs £12,250
8 kW 7945 kWh 5561 kWh 2383 kWh £1,475 £238 £1,714 £19,776 11.5 yrs £14,500

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: £1,096, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 14.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1986 kWh 1450 kWh 536 kWh £385 £54 £438 £9,319 21.3 yrs £-553
3 kW 2979 kWh 2175 kWh 804 kWh £577 £80 £657 £11,354 17.3 yrs £1,796
4 kW 3972 kWh 2900 kWh 1073 kWh £769 £107 £877 £13,388 15.3 yrs £4,144
5 kW 4966 kWh 3625 kWh 1341 kWh £962 £134 £1,096 £15,423 14.1 yrs £6,493
6 kW 5959 kWh 4350 kWh 1609 kWh £1,154 £161 £1,315 £17,457 13.3 yrs £8,841
7 kW 6952 kWh 5075 kWh 1877 kWh £1,346 £188 £1,534 £19,492 12.7 yrs £11,190
8 kW 7945 kWh 5800 kWh 2145 kWh £1,539 £215 £1,753 £21,526 12.3 yrs £13,538

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: £1,112, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 15.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1986 kWh 1490 kWh 497 kWh £395 £50 £445 £11,069 24.9 yrs £-2,172
3 kW 2979 kWh 2235 kWh 745 kWh £593 £74 £667 £13,104 19.6 yrs £243
4 kW 3972 kWh 2979 kWh 993 kWh £790 £99 £890 £15,138 17.0 yrs £2,657
5 kW 4966 kWh 3724 kWh 1241 kWh £988 £124 £1,112 £17,173 15.4 yrs £5,071
6 kW 5959 kWh 4469 kWh 1490 kWh £1,186 £149 £1,335 £19,207 14.4 yrs £7,485
7 kW 6952 kWh 5214 kWh 1738 kWh £1,383 £174 £1,557 £21,242 13.6 yrs £9,899
8 kW 7945 kWh 5959 kWh 1986 kWh £1,581 £199 £1,779 £23,276 13.1 yrs £12,313

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: £1,129, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 17.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1986 kWh 1529 kWh 457 kWh £406 £46 £451 £13,519 29.9 yrs £-4,490
3 kW 2979 kWh 2294 kWh 685 kWh £609 £69 £677 £15,554 23.0 yrs £-2,010
4 kW 3972 kWh 3059 kWh 914 kWh £812 £91 £903 £17,588 19.5 yrs £469
5 kW 4966 kWh 3824 kWh 1142 kWh £1,014 £114 £1,129 £19,623 17.4 yrs £2,949
6 kW 5959 kWh 4588 kWh 1371 kWh £1,217 £137 £1,354 £21,657 16.0 yrs £5,429
7 kW 6952 kWh 5353 kWh 1599 kWh £1,420 £160 £1,580 £23,692 15.0 yrs £7,909
8 kW 7945 kWh 6118 kWh 1827 kWh £1,623 £183 £1,806 £25,726 14.2 yrs £10,389

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 LU3

Figures below are tailored to LU3 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1710 of 2182
4.5 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~10 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #816 of 2997
10.7 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£948 /yr • £10,173 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #1173 of 2997
18.6% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£176 fixed • ~£948 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.53p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
48.25p/day
Local Sunshine
993kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~993 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: 67% • Flats: 24% • Bungalows: 6% Based on 13,267 properties

Coverage

Luton (98%)|Central Bedfordshire (2%)

Areas Covered

Saints, Bramingham, Northwell, Sundon Park, Biscot, Farley, Barnfield, Toddington + 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 Eastern

LU4 (Luton)
≈1.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~991 kWh/kWp · -0% vs LU3
LU1 (Luton)
≈3.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~991 kWh/kWp · -0% vs LU3
LU2 (Luton)
≈3.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~987 kWh/kWp · -1% vs LU3
LU5 (Central Bedfordshire)
≈5.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~990 kWh/kWp · -0% vs LU3
LU6 (Central Bedfordshire)
≈6.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~991 kWh/kWp · -0% vs LU3
AL5 (St Albans)
≈11.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~996 kWh/kWp · +0% vs LU3

Similar sunshine across the UK

SE15 (Southwark)
~993 kWh/kWp · +0% vs LU3
OX7 (West Oxfordshire)
~993 kWh/kWp · +0% vs LU3
SW12 (Wandsworth)
~993 kWh/kWp · -0% vs LU3