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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in M26 (Bury)

See if solar pays off for you in Bury — 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
14.0 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£8,138
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£583
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£6,440
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 North West, the current unit rate is 27.11p/kWh with a 51.16p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 865 kWh/kW — 5 below the regional median (870).

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 865 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 27.1p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
27.1p/kWh
Standing charge
51.2p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
865 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: £729, Upfront: £10,173, 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 1731 kWh 692 kWh 1039 kWh £188 £104 £292 £4,069 14.0 yrs £1,762
3 kW 2596 kWh 1039 kWh 1558 kWh £282 £156 £437 £6,104 14.0 yrs £2,643
4 kW 3462 kWh 1385 kWh 2077 kWh £375 £208 £583 £8,138 14.0 yrs £3,524
5 kW 4327 kWh 1731 kWh 2596 kWh £469 £260 £729 £10,173 14.0 yrs £4,405
6 kW 5193 kWh 2077 kWh 3116 kWh £563 £312 £875 £12,207 14.0 yrs £5,286
7 kW 6058 kWh 2423 kWh 3635 kWh £657 £363 £1,020 £14,242 14.0 yrs £6,167
8 kW 6924 kWh 2769 kWh 4154 kWh £751 £415 £1,166 £16,276 14.0 yrs £7,048

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: £877, 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 1731 kWh 1039 kWh 692 kWh £282 £69 £351 £6,169 17.6 yrs £847
3 kW 2596 kWh 1558 kWh 1039 kWh £422 £104 £526 £8,204 15.6 yrs £2,320
4 kW 3462 kWh 2077 kWh 1385 kWh £563 £138 £702 £10,238 14.6 yrs £3,793
5 kW 4327 kWh 2596 kWh 1731 kWh £704 £173 £877 £12,273 14.0 yrs £5,267
6 kW 5193 kWh 3116 kWh 2077 kWh £845 £208 £1,052 £14,307 13.6 yrs £6,740
7 kW 6058 kWh 3635 kWh 2423 kWh £985 £242 £1,228 £16,342 13.3 yrs £8,213
8 kW 6924 kWh 4154 kWh 2769 kWh £1,126 £277 £1,403 £18,376 13.1 yrs £9,687

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: £951, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 14.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1731 kWh 1212 kWh 519 kWh £328 £52 £380 £7,569 19.9 yrs £39
3 kW 2596 kWh 1817 kWh 779 kWh £493 £78 £571 £9,604 16.8 yrs £1,808
4 kW 3462 kWh 2423 kWh 1039 kWh £657 £104 £761 £11,638 15.3 yrs £3,578
5 kW 4327 kWh 3029 kWh 1298 kWh £821 £130 £951 £13,673 14.4 yrs £5,347
6 kW 5193 kWh 3635 kWh 1558 kWh £985 £156 £1,141 £15,707 13.8 yrs £7,117
7 kW 6058 kWh 4241 kWh 1817 kWh £1,150 £182 £1,331 £17,742 13.3 yrs £8,886
8 kW 6924 kWh 4847 kWh 2077 kWh £1,314 £208 £1,522 £19,776 13.0 yrs £10,656

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: £973, 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 1731 kWh 1264 kWh 467 kWh £343 £47 £389 £9,319 23.9 yrs £-1,533
3 kW 2596 kWh 1895 kWh 701 kWh £514 £70 £584 £11,354 19.4 yrs £325
4 kW 3462 kWh 2527 kWh 935 kWh £685 £93 £779 £13,388 17.2 yrs £2,183
5 kW 4327 kWh 3159 kWh 1168 kWh £856 £117 £973 £15,423 15.8 yrs £4,042
6 kW 5193 kWh 3791 kWh 1402 kWh £1,028 £140 £1,168 £17,457 14.9 yrs £5,900
7 kW 6058 kWh 4422 kWh 1636 kWh £1,199 £164 £1,362 £19,492 14.3 yrs £7,758
8 kW 6924 kWh 5054 kWh 1869 kWh £1,370 £187 £1,557 £21,526 13.8 yrs £9,617

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: £988, Upfront: £17,173, 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 1731 kWh 1298 kWh 433 kWh £352 £43 £395 £11,069 28.0 yrs £-3,165
3 kW 2596 kWh 1947 kWh 649 kWh £528 £65 £593 £13,104 22.1 yrs £-1,247
4 kW 3462 kWh 2596 kWh 865 kWh £704 £87 £790 £15,138 19.2 yrs £670
5 kW 4327 kWh 3245 kWh 1082 kWh £880 £108 £988 £17,173 17.4 yrs £2,588
6 kW 5193 kWh 3895 kWh 1298 kWh £1,056 £130 £1,186 £19,207 16.2 yrs £4,505
7 kW 6058 kWh 4544 kWh 1515 kWh £1,232 £151 £1,383 £21,242 15.4 yrs £6,423
8 kW 6924 kWh 5193 kWh 1731 kWh £1,408 £173 £1,581 £23,276 14.7 yrs £8,341

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: £1,003, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 19.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1731 kWh 1333 kWh 398 kWh £361 £40 £401 £13,519 33.7 yrs £-5,496
3 kW 2596 kWh 1999 kWh 597 kWh £542 £60 £602 £15,554 25.8 yrs £-3,520
4 kW 3462 kWh 2666 kWh 796 kWh £723 £80 £802 £17,588 21.9 yrs £-1,543
5 kW 4327 kWh 3332 kWh 995 kWh £903 £100 £1,003 £19,623 19.6 yrs £434
6 kW 5193 kWh 3998 kWh 1194 kWh £1,084 £119 £1,203 £21,657 18.0 yrs £2,411
7 kW 6058 kWh 4665 kWh 1393 kWh £1,265 £139 £1,404 £23,692 16.9 yrs £4,388
8 kW 6924 kWh 5331 kWh 1592 kWh £1,445 £159 £1,605 £25,726 16.0 yrs £6,364

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 M26

Figures below are tailored to M26 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1793 of 2182
4.4 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~9 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #2413 of 2997
12.1 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£672 /yr • £8,138 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2509 of 2997
27.8% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£187 fixed • ~£672 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
27.11p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
51.16p/day
Local Sunshine
865kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~865 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: 70% • Flats: 20% • Bungalows: 9% Based on 9,695 properties

Coverage

Bury (91%)|Bolton (9%)

Areas Covered

Radcliffe East, Radcliffe West, Radcliffe North & Ainsworth, Kearsley, Bury West, Pilkington Park, Little Lever & Darcy Lever, Besses + 1 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 North West

M45 (Bury)
≈3.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~862 kWh/kWp · -0% vs M26
BL8 (Bury)
≈3.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~866 kWh/kWp · +0% vs M26
BL9 (Bury)
≈4.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~861 kWh/kWp · -1% vs M26
M25 (Bury)
≈4.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~862 kWh/kWp · -0% vs M26
BL78 (Bolton)
≈4.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~871 kWh/kWp · +1% vs M26
BL4 (Bolton)
≈4.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~881 kWh/kWp · +2% vs M26

Similar sunshine across the UK

KA1 (East Ayrshire)
~866 kWh/kWp · +0% vs M26
BT41 (Antrim and Newtownabbey)
~866 kWh/kWp · +0% vs M26
KA21 (North Ayrshire)
~866 kWh/kWp · +0% vs M26